Their Lordships Request: A Harry Heron Adventure (74 page)

             
Mrs
Heron
stared
out
of
the
window
for
a
moment,
the
sketches
in
her
hand.
Softly
she
said,
"
I
hope
the
voyage
to
Botany
Bay
is
without
mishap.
I
miss
his
mischief
and
starts
so.
"

***

***

             
It
seemed
to
Ferghal
that
the
Great
Southern
Ocean
had
done
its
utmost
to
hinder
their
passage
and
he
wondered
what
the
return
voyage
would
serve
up.
Even
the
Gunroom
had
suffered
–
Mister
Midshipman
Hereford
had
fallen
to
his
death
from
the
main
yard
during
yet
another
gale
south
of
the
New
South
Wales
continent.
A
pity,
he
reflected,
as
he
was
one
of
Harry
'
s
allies,
though
considerably
older
in
years.
He
shuddered
as
he
recalled
the
sight
of
the
youth
'
s
body
swirling
away
from
the
ship,
evidently
lifeless
as
the
gale
carried
the
ship
onward
without
hope
of
turning
or
rescue.
Yet,
despite
the
hardships
and
the
tragedies,
he
had
heard
the
Master
telling
the
Fifth
Lieutenant
that
the
passage
had
been
made
in
record
time
due
to
the
almost
constant
gales.
Even
so
he
was
glad
of
some
warmer
and
quieter
seas
now
they
had
left
Van
Diemen
'
s
Land
behind
them
and
could
hope
for
some
brief
respite
in
harbour.
Now
the
weather
was
warmer
and
clothes,
long
damp
and
salt
laden
so
they
chafed
the
skin,
were
drying.
The
southerly
breeze
was
almost
a
soldier
'
s
wind
as
it
pushed
the
convoy
up
the
eastern
seaboard
of
this
great
island
at
an
easy
pace.
The
memory
of
the
cold
and
the
harsh
winds,
driving
spray,
rain
and
sometimes
sleet
into
a
man
at
every
opportunity,
lingered.

             
With
his
fifteenth
birthday
now
behind
him
Ferghal
had
been
promoted
from
Powder
Monkey
to
a
junior
position
on
the
number
eight
gun
on
the
Lower
Gundeck.
His
place
had
been
taken
by
Cormac;
no
longer
a
frightened,
half
starved
and
cowed
convict,
but
a
useful
member
of
the
ship
'
s
company.
The
boy
was
popular
among
his
peers,
a
dancer
of
some
repute
and
one
of
Harry
'
s
staunchest
defenders
among
his
peers,
always
alert
for
skulduggery
which
he
conveyed
to
Ferghal.
Ferghal
'
s
new
Rate
meant
he
accepted
the
charge
and
then
the
ball
or
shot
and
placed
it
in
the
muzzle
to
be
rammed
home
by
another
member
of
the
crew.
He
was
quick
witted
and
nimble
and
the
Gunner
had
told
him
that
he
could
one
day
look
forward
to
being
entrusted
with
his
own
gun
and
crew
if
not
to
higher
things
–
as
long
as
he
kept
all
his
limbs
and
fingers
and
didn
'
t
get
killed
in
between.

             
He
finished
his
latest
task
of
splicing
some
replacement
lines
for
the
Boatswain
and
began
to
gather
his
tools,
enjoying
the
warmth
of
the
sun
on
his
back.

             
The
Dutch
boy
who
had
attached
himself
to
Harry
watched
with
interest
and
asked,
"
What
is
'
t
uwe
make?
"

             
"
Why,
Mister
Billing
required
that
I
splice
these,
then
whip
and
parcel
the
splices,
Master
Pieterzoon,
they
are
for
some
falls
which
must
be
rerove.
"

             
The
boy
looked
blank
for
a
moment,
so
Ferghal
pointed
to
the
lines
supporting
the
yardarms
and
explained
that
these
and
several
other
lines
used
for
hoisting
or
suspending
items
were
called
falls.
This
seemed
to
satisfy
his
curiosity
for
the
moment
and
after
a
pause
he
asked,
"
When
we
go
to
zis
Botany
Bay,
ve
leave
zis
ship,
ja?
"

             
"
Perhaps,
to
be
sure
I
do
not
know,
"
Ferghal
smiled.
The
boy
was
good
at
the
music
and
had
been
permitted
to
join
Ferghal
and
the
other
seamen
whenever
they
were
able
to
enjoy
a
'
make
and
mend
'
-
few
and
far
between
in
the
last
months.

             
"
Zen
I
do
not
want
to
reach
zis
place.
"
Pieterzoon
frowned.
"
I
do
not
want
to
leave
zis
ship
-
mijn
vriende
is
allemal
hier
bij
.
"