Their Lordships Request: A Harry Heron Adventure (36 page)

             
"
Tis
oi,
Master
Her
'
n,
Cormac
Murphy,
sur.
Of
Newtownards
–
m
'
father
worked
occasions
at
Scrabo
an
'
oi
wit
'
him.
"

             
"
Cormac?
"
Harry
was
surprised.
"
What
brought
you
here?
"

             
"
Poaching,
Master
Her
'
n.
I
killed
a
rabbit
fer
to
help
me
Mam
feed
the
little
'
uns
an
'
the
gamekeeper
at
Mount
Stewart
caught
me.
Oi
be
sentenced
to
transportation.
Seven
years
in
Botany
Bay,
sur.
"

             
Harry
was
appalled.
He
knew
Cormac
to
be
only
slightly
older
than
himself
,
and
felt
himself
torn.
Poaching
was
serious
business,
a
hanging
offence.
Surely
this
youth,
one
of
those
he
played
with
and
worked
alongside
on
his
father
'
s
farm
could
not
have
stooped
to
that?
Yet
here
he
was.
"
What
can
I
do
to
help?
"
He
asked,
more
out
of
politeness
than
any
real
expectation
that
he
could.

             
"
Bless
you,
Master
Her
'
n.
"
Harry
detected
a
sob.
"
They
says
we
be
about
to
be
seized
by
pirate
slavers,
be
it
true?
"

             
A
thought
seized
Harry,
he
asked,
"
Cormac,
would
you
volunteer
for
the
navy
if
opportunity
served?
"

             
"
Anythin
'
,
Master
Her
'
n,
anythin
'
to
see
me
Mam
agin!
Can
ye
do
it
fer
me?
"

             
"
I
'
ll
speak
to
my
Lieutenant
when
I
have
a
chance.
We
may
have
need
of
a
few
more
boys
on
Spartan
.
Ferghal
is
with
me
too,
so
we
shall
see,
"
Harry
straightened
himself
and
returned
to
his
charges.
He
found
he
was
having
trouble
keeping
his
hands
from
trembling
and
his
heart
felt
as
if
it
must
explode.
He
gripped
his
dirk
'
s
hilt
tightly
and
checked
the
pistol
in
his
belt
yet
again.

             
There
was
a
flat
report
from
ahead
followed
immediately
by
another
and
then
several
more.
He
heard
the
Lieutenant
call
to
the
men
on
the
forecastle,
"
Hold
your
fire!
The
Lady
Jane
is
wasting
shot
and
powder;
her
guns
cannot
bear
from
there.
"

             
There
was
a
ripple
of
thunder
from
further
away
and
Harry
looked
round
sharply
as
the
Master
'
s
Mate
said,
"
Sounds
like
Virago
'
s
twenty-fours
lads
–
that
'
ll
give
they
buggers
something
to
think
on.
"

             
"
One
of
them
is
coming
our
way,
"
called
the
lieutenant
striding
toward
the
forecastle.
"
Wait
until
you
can
be
sure
of
a
hit,
these
pop
guns
have
not
the
range
or
the
punch
to
do
much
damage
at
long
distance.
"

             
The
Master
'
s
Mate
grimaced
at
Harry
and
nodded.
"
Mister
Rogers
be
right,
sir.
These
twelve
pounders
aren
'
t
much
better.
Them
zeebeckers
carry
twenty-fours
or
thirty-twos
on
'
em.
Better
hopes
they
go
fur
our
spars
and
not
the
hull,
sir,
or
this
tub
will
fall
to
pieces
fair
quickly!
"

             
As
he
finished
there
was
a
bang
followed
by
a
sharp
crack
aloft
and
the
clatter
of
falling
cordage
which
made
Harry
jump.
"
Seems
you
will
have
your
wish,
Mister
Bates,
they
seek
to
disable
us,
"
said
Harry,
conscious
that
he
felt
a
cold
despite
the
heat.
He
jumped
again
as
the
bowchaser
spat
viciously.
"
They
must
be
close,
"
he
began,
wondering
if
he
should
take
the
initiative
and
order
his
guns
run
out.

***

             
The
double
report
as
the
small
six
pounders
on
the
forecastle
fired
almost
deafened
Ferghal
even
though
he
had
a
neckerchief
wrapped
over
his
ears
and
knotted
on
his
forehead.
He
half
ran,
half
jumped,
to
the
gangway
with
his
cartridge
buckets
empty
and
hurled
himself
down
to
the
tiny
powder
store
where
the
Gunner
'
s
Mate
was
now
surrounded
by
filled
cartridge
bags.
Refilling
his
cases
he
ran
for
the
upper
deck
even
as
the
guns
barked
again
above
him.
He
was
already
returning
below
with
another
pair
of
empty
cartridge
buckets
while
the
gun
crews
sponged
and
rammed
their
next
loads.
Instinct
and
training
took
over
as
he
dodged
obstacles
and
his
companions
fetching
charges
for
the
other
guns.
Belatedly
he
noted
as
he
ran
that
the
Maid
'
s
own
crew
were
attempting
to
arm
themselves,
though
some
seemed
more
dangerous
to
each
other
than
to
an
enemy.