Their Lordships Request: A Harry Heron Adventure (27 page)

             
"
Damn
it,
Harry,
"
Tom
Bowles
remarked,
"
You
almost
bring
her
to
life
–
my
efforts
to
draw
or
paint
as
you
do
always
look
childish
by
comparison.
How
the
devil
do
you
do
it?
"

             
"
A
gift
I
think,
"
said
Harry,
his
concentration
on
the
picture
making
him
sound
a
little
absentminded.
He
glanced
at
the
older
midshipman
and
smiled,
"
I
have
always
enjoyed
drawing,
and
it
is
simple
really,
perspective
and
light
can
be
used
to
create
a
depth
of
field
to
the
picture
if
you
need
it.
"

             
"
To
you
perhaps,
"
Tom
laughed.
"
But
for
those
of
us
with
no
talent
for
it
–
well,
our
efforts
do
not
even
approach
yours.
"

             
"
To
each
his
own
gift
I
suppose,
"
said
Harry.
"
Would
that
I
could
make
the
music
as
Ferghal
does.
Though
I
can
dance
as
he
does
I
have
no
talent
for
the
making
of
music
nor
the
singing
of
it.
"

             
"
True,
but
you
have
this
gift
and
the
ability
to
follow
the
parson
and
his
mathematics.
That
surely
is
more
than
enough
for
any
man.
"

             
"
If
you
say
so,
Tom,
"
Harry
laughed.
He
studied
the
seven
ships
of
the
Spanish
Squadron
again
and
said,
"
There,
I
think
I
have
them
all
now.
Do
you
think
the
Captain
will
want
this
coloured?
"

             
Tom
Bowles
laughed,
"
Of
a
certainty.
In
a
gilt
frame
too
no
doubt
if
it
is
to
your
usual
standard.
"
He
raised
his
glass
again,
then
called
down,
"
Deck
there,
Spaniards
are
bearing
away
–
setting
course
for
the
Cadiz
Roads
by
the
look
of
it.
"

-

             
Commander
Mary
Allison
was
not
amused.
She
and
her
small
team
were
trying
to
get
one
of
the
ship
'
s
primary
propulsion
units
to
give
the
rated
output.
Over
two
full
days
each
test
they
'
d
run
failed
to
achieve
more
than
seventy
percent
of
the
rated
power.
Now
she
was
poring
over
the
specifications
and
the
component
manufacturer
'
s
handbooks.
Her
team
were
busy
inside
the
unit,
tracing
and
identifying
each
and
every
component
and
checking
it
against
the
specification.

             
"
It
has
to
be
down
to
something
underperforming,
"
she
told
her
second
in
command.
"
According
to
the
specification
everything
in
there
should
be
rated
for
a
hundred
and
twenty
percent
of
requirement
to
allow
a
margin
–
but
at
present
performance
it
hasn
'
t
anything
like
the
power
we
need.
"

             
"
Sir.
"
One
of
the
Technician
Ratings
emerged
from
the
housing
he
was
inspecting.
"
I
'
ve
got
sixty-three
components
in
here
not
in
accordance
with
the
spec
or
the
drawings.
The
Spec
says
this
one,
"
he
held
up
a
power
unit
he
'
d
uncoupled,
"
should
be
sixty
terawatt,
and
it
is
supposed
to
be
a
BR-Five-five-Eight-Sixty-six-W,
but
this
is
a
BR-Five-five-five-eighty-four-F
and
there
'
s
a
whole
slew
more
like
this.
"

             
"
What
the
hell?
"
Mary
Allison
exclaimed.
"
Have
you
marked
these
up
on
the
drawing
or
the
spec?
"

             
"
Yes,
Commander.
"
The
TecRate
nodded.
"
Got
them
all
here.
"

             
"
Anyone
else
finding
this
sort
of
thing?
"
she
demanded
of
the
rest
of
the
team.

             
"
Yes,
sir,
"
the
chorus
came
from
several
points.

             
"
I
want
them
all
identified
and
marked
up.
Make
sure
you
get
them
all.
"
To
her
lieutenant
commander
she
fumed,
"
Bloody
typical,
the
whole
damned
thing
is
fitted
with
under
rated
components.
The
five-eight-four-F
is
only
half
the
output
of
the
five-six-six-W
unit
and
I
bet
the
rest
are
just
as
under
requirement.
I
'
m
going
ashore
–
someone
better
have
a
bloody
good
explanation
for
this!
"