Their Lordships Request: A Harry Heron Adventure (50 page)

             
"
If
you
please,
Thomas.
A
salute
will
be
expected.
Nineteen
guns
for
the
Governor.
The
battery
on
the
Lion
'
s
rump
will
fire
I
should
think.
See,
it
has
a
commanding
position
and
would
make
a
sensible
place
from
which
to
do
so.
"

             
The
lugger
was
well
handled
and
closed
the
Spartan
smartly.
It
took
a
matter
of
minutes
for
her
to
dance
alongside
and
the
Dutch
officer
to
leap
onto
the
bigger
ship
'
s
tumblehome
and
clamber
to
the
entry
port.
His
rank
having
been
confirmed
during
the
approach
the
side
party
had
been
adjusted
accordingly,
though
Captain
Blackwood
greeted
him
punctiliously
on
the
quarterdeck.

             
"
Kommandant
van
Rensburg,
"
the
newcomer
announced,
his
accent
quite
pronounced
though
his
English
was
good.
"
Harbour
Commander,
I
am
come
to
enquire
your
business
in
these
waters,
Captain.
"

             
"
Our
ships
have
need
of
fresh
food
and
water,
Commandant,
"
Captain
Blackwood
responded.
"
And
one
of
our
ships
is
in
need
of
repair
before
we
continue
into
the
Southern
Ocean
and
beyond.
"

             
"
The
stores
you
need
can,
of
course,
be
bought
here.
"
The
Dutch
officer
smiled.
"
The
repairs
are
another
matter.
The
bay
is
too
exposed
at
this
season.
You
will
have
to
negotiate
with
the
Governor
to
use
Simon
'
s
Bay
for
that
work.
"
He
laughed
briefly.
"
But
of
course,
you
will
be
aware
that
your
navy
has
built
a
facility
there.
If
you
will
be
so
kind
as
to
signal
my
boat,
sir,
my
crew
will
guide
you
to
the
anchorage
and
you
can
come
ashore
with
me
to
meet
the
governor
and
make
the
arrangements.
"

             
Captain
Blackwood
acknowledged
the
offer,
saying,
"
Thank
you.
Mister
Bell,
if
you
please.
Signal
the
Commandant
'
s
lugger.
Once
we
are
anchored,
Commandant,
perhaps
you
could
accompany
me
ashore
in
my
gig.
My
boat
crew
can
then
await
my
return.
"

             
"
Lugger
'
s
answered,
sir,
"
Thomas
Bell
reported.

             
"
Very
good,
Mister
Bell,
follow
her
lead
and
signal
the
convoy
to
follow
us.
"

             
"
Aye,
aye,
sir,
"
the
First
Lieutenant
turned
away
to
give
his
orders
and
the
ship
gathered
way
to
follow
the
lugger
into
the
bay.

***

             
A
puff
of
smoke
from
the
battery
on
the
hill
known
as
Lion
'
s
Rump
to
the
English
was
followed
a
few
seconds
later
by
the
flat
report
as
the
ships
approached
the
anchorage.
Immediately
Spartan
'
s
foremost
twenty-four
pounder
roared
its
reply
and
thereafter
the
salute
echoed
across
the
water
as
the
ship
responded
gun
for
gun
to
the
battery
'
s
salute.

             
For
Ferghal,
racing
back
and
forth
with
another
of
the
ship
'
s
'
boys
'
delivering
cartridges
for
the
salute,
it
signaled
the
start
of
a
busy
time.

             
Harry
accompanied
the
Captain
when
Robert
Blackwood
went
ashore
to
meet
the
Governor
and
officially
request
the
facility
of
using
the
anchorage
at
Simon
'
s
Bay
to
inspect
the
transports
and
make
good
any
defects.
He
was
fascinated
by
the
design
of
the
castle
itself
as
they
landed
on
the
beach
adjacent
to
it
and
then
walked
with
their
escort
of
Dutch
Militiamen
to
the
main
gate
approached
through
an
outer
bastion.
The
castle
was
laid
out
as
a
five
pointed
star
with
the
sea
fronting
one
side
between
two
of
the
bastions
and
the
remaining
sides
protected
by
a
deep
water
filled
ditch.
He
remarked
on
this
to
the
Captain.

             
"
A
formidable
defence,
developed
in
the
main
by
the
Frenchman
Vauban.
Each
of
the
bastions
can
sweep
the
ground
and
the
approach
to
the
ditch
and
wall,
and
the
walls
themselves
can
sweep
the
angles
of
the
bastions,
"
he
explained.
"
In
France
and
elsewhere
on
the
Continent
you
will
find
many
more
complex
defences
than
this
with
outworks
located
between
the
main
bastions,
each
overlooked
and
defended
from
the
rear
by
the
inner
fortifications.
Even
this
one
will
be
a
difficult
position
to
storm
though
–
especially
as
you
would
need
to
attack
across
the
open
ground
on
all
sides.