Their Lordships Request: A Harry Heron Adventure (107 page)

             
The
arrival
of
Captain
Blackwood
and
the
new
visitor
brought
an
end
to
further
conversation.
A
flurry
of
orders
brought
the
ship
round
to
anchor.
The
saluting
guns
banging
out
as
the
anchor
splashed
to
the
seabed.
Her
sails
vanished
into
a
harbour
stow
before
she
had
even
settled
fully
on
her
cable.
It
was
no
sooner
accomplished
than
the
visitors
and
the
Oliphant
'
s
survivors
followed
Captain
Blackwood
beneath
the
poop.
Harry
found
himself
swept
up
with
his
division
in
spreading
and
setting
the
huge
awnings
over
the
quarterdeck
and
poop
and
swinging
out
the
boats.
Once
these
were
in
the
water,
more
awnings
had
to
be
rigged
above
the
gangways
and
fo
'
c
'
s
'
le
and
by
the
time
all
the
work
was
complete,
the
visitors
were
preparing
to
depart.

             
Harry
found
Pieterzoon
standing
a
little
apart
from
the
other
boys
who
stood
with
their
mothers
and
families.
His
small
bundle
of
personal
things
now
packed
neatly
into
a
seaman
'
s
bag
of
sailcloth
provided
by
the
ship
'
s
sail
makers.
Ferghal
was
nearby
as
he
approached,
standing
ready
to
assist
in
the
loading
of
the
survivor
'
s
possessions
into
the
waiting
barge.
The
boy
looked
both
excited
and
a
little
lost
as
he
stared
around
the
deck
of
the
Spartan
.

             
"
So
it
'
s
farewell,
my
friend,
"
Harry
said.
"
I
trust
you
will
think
kindly
of
us
when
you
are
with
your
father?
"

             
"
I
vill
always
sink
af
uwe
,
Harry.
"
Pieterzoon
looked
close
to
tears.
"
And
af
Fergie.
"
He
held
up
a
small
carved
model.
"
Sien,
hij
'
t
voor
mij
….
"
He
switched
to
his
broken
English.
"
He
haz
made
zis
voor
me.
I
vill
keeping
it
wit
'
your
picture.
"
He
added
in
reference
to
the
watercolour
Harry
had
given
him
of
the
Spartan
in
Port
Jackson.

             
Captain
de
Ruiter
joined
them
and
held
out
his
hand
to
Harry.
"
Mister
Heron,
I
am
in
your
debt.
Your
Captain
has
informed
me
of
your
generosity
in
looking
after
Pieterzoon
and
the
other
boys
in
your
Gunroom.
"
He
glanced
at
where
Midshipman
Barclay
stood
berating
a
group
of
men
a
little
distance
away.
"
It
cannot
haf
been
easy
always
for
you.
You
are
one
of
the
juniors
no?
"

             
Harry
accepted
the
compliment,
replying,
"
It
was
a
pleasure
sir.
I
am
sorry
your
good
lady
is
not
also
here
to
be
with
you
and
Pieterzoon.
"

             
The
Captain
looked
surprised.
"
You
know
of
her
death?
Of
course!
"
He
looked
down
at
his
son
and
continued,
"
We
shall
miss
her
greatly,
but
we
have
each
other.
"
His
hand
found
Pieterzoon
'
s
shoulder
and
gripped
it,
"
And
I
am
confident
that
I
shall
soon
find
a
means
to
create
the
home
she
would
have
wanted
for
us.
"

***

             
Batavia
was
a
bustling
seaport
town,
a
busy
market
place
for
the
Dutch
East
India
Company
ships
and
traders.
It
was
also
a
slave
market,
where
the
small
Javanese
people
were
regularly
sold
to
Dutch,
Chinese
and
other
masters
and
shipped
to
the
Cape
of
Good
Hope
–
de
Kaap
van
Goede
Hoep
in
the
Dutch
language
–
and
to
tea
and
spice
plantations
around
the
islands.
Harry
and
his
fellow
midshipmen
were
taken
to
visit
one
such
plantation
and
have
a
brief
respite
from
the
ship
'
s
confines
as
guests
of
Captain
de
Ruiter
and
his
plantation
manager.
Het
Kompanje
'
s
servants
certainly
knew
how
to
make
the
most
of
their
good
fortune.

             
"
I
could
easily
get
used
to
such
luxury
as
this,
"
Kit
said
to
Harry
as
they
sat
in
the
shade
of
a
wide
verandah.

             
"
I
too,
"
said
Harry,
"
Though
I
cannot
entirely
reconcile
myself
to
the
enslavement
of
the
local
people
to
provide
it.
"