Their Lordships Request: A Harry Heron Adventure (130 page)

             
"
I
can
see
that.
"
The
Captain
nodded.
"
I
didn
'
t
like
the
looks
of
the
adviser
immediately
on
the
Sultan
'
s
left
on
our
arrival.
I
would
not
trust
him
if
I
were
the
negotiator.
"

             
"
Ah,
yes,
that
is
Abdullah
al-Qatari.
The
Sultan
'
s
uncle
and
currently
championing
the
French
cause
to
the
court.
He
cherishes
hopes
of
ascending
to
the
Sultanate
himself
and
he
is
not
pleased
with
the
latest
turn
of
events.
"
Again
he
glanced
at
Harry,
"
I
wish
I
knew
exactly
what
the
Sultan
is
playing
at,
but
apparently
he
has
ordered
that
our
people
be
found
and
delivered
to
you.
"

             
"
What?
Well
that
is
good
news.
To
be
honest
he
spent
most
of
the
time
we
were
together
discussing
the
capabilities
of
our
ships
and
men,
and
was
most
taken
with
young
Harry
here,
who
appreciated
the
art
around
him
–
so
much
so
that
he
was
shown
and
permitted
to
hold
a
delightful
silver
peacock
clasp
evidently
intended
to
adorn
a
turban.
"

             
"
Was
he
indeed.
"
Mister
Stewart
looked
thoughtful.
"
That
is
unusual.
Perhaps
his
game
is
even
deeper
than
I
thought.
"
He
turned
back
to
business.
"
We
have
consent
to
replenish
your
stores
as
you
need
here.
Mister
Tanha
will
accompany
your
people,
I
think,
on
any
expedition
ashore
to
the
Souq.
This
place
may
not
be
as
large
as
Bombay
but
it
is
no
less
dangerous
for
the
unwary
or
the
incautious.
"

***

             
They
arrived
back
aboard
as
the
bell
struck
the
end
of
the
Forenoon
watch
and
an
anxious
Mister
Bell.

             
"
Sir,
I
have
to
report
that
we
have
observed
soldiers
manning
the
battery
on
the
Al
Minari
fort.
Some
guns
have
been
moved
from
the
seaward
side
to
the
lower
battery
on
this
side.
From
there
they
can
easily
sweep
our
anchorage.
"

             
"
So
they
can,
Mister
Bell.
Very
well,
two
may
play
that
game.
We
will
shift
anchorage
during
the
night.
I
want
the
ship
warped
to
a
position,
just
there.
"
He
indicated
a
position
some
four
cables
to
the
south,
"
And
I
shall
want
the
bower
anchor
run
out
through
a
stern
port
with
a
spring
to
allow
us
to
point
our
Larboard
battery
at
the
shore.
"
To
Mister
Stewart
he
said,
"
It
seems
that
someone
is
playing
a
double
game.
The
uncle?
Or
is
it
the
Sultan
himself?
And
what,
I
wonder,
are
they
seeking?
"

             
Mister
Bell
looked
at
the
position
the
Captain
had
indicated
and
smiled.
"
A
good
choice
of
position,
sir.
That
will
keep
the
fishing
dhows
between
us
and
the
battery
at
Al
Minari
and
the
second
one
will
be
masked
by
the
trading
dhows
anchored
south
of
us.
"

             
"
As
you
say,
Mister
Bell.
And
the
town
itself
under
our
guns.
"

***

             
The
change
of
anchorage
took
most
of
the
night,
fortunately
moonless
and
with
only
a
faint
breeze
from
the
shore.
The
ship
'
s
boats
dragged
the
ship
some
six
cables
to
the
south
and
a
little
west,
but
this
was
not
in
a
straight
line,
since
they
had
to
circumvent
the
dhows
anchored
between
them
and
the
desired
anchorage.
As
dawn
broke
the
ship
was
once
more
at
anchor,
but
with
her
larboard
battery
now
able
to
sweep
a
wide
swath
of
the
shore
including
the
palace
and
masked
from
the
guns
of
both
shore
batteries
by
the
anchored
dhows.

             
An
hour
later
a
boat
approached
bearing
a
messenger
from
the
Sultan.

             
Mister
Stewart
greeted
the
visitor
at
the
entry
port
and
received
a
note.
They
conversed
in
Arabic
for
several
minutes,
then
with
gestures
of
respect
and
deep
bows,
the
visitor
withdrew
and
Mister
Stewart
strolled
aft
to
the
Captain.
"
It
appears
that
our
moving
has
spoiled
someone
'
s
plan,
Captain.
I
have
received
a
private
note
to
you
from
the
Sultan
himself.
Publically
he
has
asked
for
an
explanation
of
our
moving
anchorage
during
the
night.
As
we
agreed
I
informed
him
through
his
messenger
that
you
had
decided
to
do
so
for
the
security
of
your
ship
as
you
had
discovered
that
the
original
anchorage
did
not
provide
the
correct
hold
for
your
anchors.
"
He
smiled.
"
I
suspect
the
messenger
knows
as
well
as
we
do
the
real
reason
and
certainly
knows
enough
about
the
anchorage
to
know
that
we
have
moved
for
another
reason.
"