Their Lordships Request: A Harry Heron Adventure (2 page)

             
Harry
nodded,
grateful
for
the
Boatswain
'
s
Mate
'
s
experience
in
these
matters.
"
Very
good,
Smales.
I
can
confer
with
the
Lieutenant
or
the
ship
'
s
own
officers
while
the
men
make
the
transfer.
"
He
stood
up
and
balanced
himself
by
clutching
the
gunwale
as
he
did
so.
He
called
to
the
men
forward,
"
We
will
lay
as
close
as
we
can
to
her
main
chains.
Get
yourselves
aboard
her
as
quick
as
you
can
–
but
take
care.
"

             
The
men
acknowledged
his
instruction
and
began
to
prepare
to
transfer
to
the
brig.
Smales
brought
the
boat
up
on
the
brig
'
s
quarter,
urging
the
oarsmen
to
hold
the
stroke
at
a
pace
which
kept
abreast
of
her,
gradually
easing
closer,
taking
care
to
avoid
fouling
his
oars
on
the
wallowing
hull
as
he
did
so.
When
he
achieved
the
right
position,
he
bawled,
to
the
bowman,
"
Now,
Richards,
hook
on
to
her.
Quick
man,
and
get
the
painter
on
as
well!
"

             
From
above
him,
Harry
heard
the
voice
of
Lieutenant
Greenway
and
looked
up,
"
Good
morning,
sir!
I
have
brought
you
some
hands
and
a
portable
pump
to
assist,
but
I
fear
we
cannot
unload
the
pump
until
you
are
at
anchor.
"

             
"
Well
done,
Mister
Heron,
"
the
Lieutenant
began
when
a
shout
interrupted
him.

             
On
the
edge
of
his
vision
Harry
saw
one
of
the
seamen
miss
his
footing
as
he
lost
his
grip
and
fall
between
the
launch
and
the
brig.
Without
thinking,
he
lunged
across
the
boat
to
see
the
man
struggling
just
beneath
the
surface.
He
plunged
his
arm
into
the
water,
almost
falling
overboard
himself,
and
grabbed
a
handful
of
shirt.
His
intervention
caused
the
man
to
stop
sinking
and
drew
him
to
the
surface
as
the
launch
continued
its
forward
motion.
Harry
clung
on
for
all
he
was
worth,
slowly
being
pulled
from
the
boat
himself.
"
Smales,
"
he
squeaked,
"
I
cannot
hold
him!
"

             
Time
seemed
to
stand
still
as
the
big
Boatswain
'
s
Mate
released
the
tiller
and
reached
forward
and
down
to
grab
hold
of
Harry
and
the
struggling
seaman.
With
a
powerful
wrench
he
pulled
the
man
half
into
the
boat
depositing
Harry
into
the
bilges
as
he
did
so.
From
this
vantage
point
Harry
watched
as
Smales
pulled
the
man
all
the
way
into
the
boat
and
once
more
grabbed
the
tiller
to
steady
the
boat.
Gingerly
he
got
up
and
began
to
seat
himself
on
the
stern
sheets,
the
better
to
be
able
to
get
his
breath
and
collect
his
thoughts.

             
The
Boatswain
'
s
Mate
grabbed
the
winded
man
and
hauled
him
to
his
feet
again,
his
anger
thickening
his
accent.
"
Thought
you
could
run
by
drownding
yoursel
'
did
ye?
"
he
snarled.
"
Not
with
Mister
Heron
to
catch
you,
you
don
'
t!
Now,
get
yourself
aboard
t
'
brig
you
clumsy
bastard!
An
'
don
'
t
try
nuthin
'
as
stupid
again!
"

             
The
man
stumbled
forward
past
the
grinning
oarsmen
as
Harry
realised
the
lieutenant
was
once
more
calling
his
name.
"
Sir,
I
beg
pardon.
"
He
stood
up
the
better
to
hear
the
Lieutenant
conscious
he
was
trembling
and
cold.

             
"
I
said,
well
done,
Mister
Heron.
For
a
moment
I
thought
you
might
be
trying
to
inspect
our
damage!
"
The
lieutenant
grinned,
his
eyes
on
where
the
unfortunate
seaman
was
being
hauled
aboard
the
brig.
"
Have
your
bowman
pass
a
long
painter,
we
will
take
you
under
tow
until
we
anchor
and
can
take
your
pump
aboard.
Then
I
shall
want
you
to
fetch
the
carpenter
and
his
mates
from
the
Billy
.
We
have
some
shot
holes
we
cannot
reach;
damned
French
must
have
fired
as
she
rolled
to
leeward
and
exposed
her
bilges.
"  

             
The
rest
of
the
day
passed
relatively
uneventfully
for
Harry
as
he
ferried
seamen
and
messages
back
and
forth
between
the
brig
and
Bellerophon
.
He
at
least
managed
to
get
an
oiled
jacket
from
the
Purser
to
replace
the
borrowed
garment.
The
final
task
was
to
fetch
Lieutenant
Greenway
and
the
spare
hands
back
to
Bellerophon.
A
second
launch
was
sent
to
fetch
the
pump
and
other
hands.
Among
those
who
boarded
the
launch
for
this
short
trip
was
the
man
who
had
fallen.
His
journal
for
the
day
made
interesting
reading
and
his
letter
home
gave
a
full
account
of
the
brief
encounter
in
the
channel
and
the
description
of
the
storm,
the
brief
exchange
of
fire
when
they
had
saved
the
brig
from
a
French
sloop,
and
all
that
had
happened
as
they
brought
the
ship
to
the
anchorage.