Their Lordships Request: A Harry Heron Adventure (38 page)

             
"
Master
'
s
Mate,
"
he
yelled
above
the
din.
"
Load
with
grape
and
keep
firing.
"
He
snatched
a
quick
look
out
of
the
nearest
port
and
saw
with
alarm
that
the
xebec
had
managed
to
grapple
them,
its
prow
almost
level
with
his
position.
A
horde
seemed
to
be
swarming
from
its
deck
and
clambering
up
the
wallowing
hull
of
the
Maid
of
Selsey
.
Screams,
curses
and
the
unearthly
howling
of
the
attackers
grew
in
crescendo
as
they
found
a
foothold
on
the
gangways
and
forecastle,
driving
the
defenders
back
by
sheer
weight
of
numbers.
To
add
to
the
confusion,
the
prisoners
were
crying
out
in
alarm
and
terror,
trapped
as
they
were
below
decks
in
the
stinking
prison
that
could
so
easily
become
their
tomb.
Harry
looked
about
him
for
direction
and
swallowed
hard.
To
the
idle
pair
of
crews,
he
said,
"
Come
with
me
–
we
must
help
the
lieutenant
fight
them
off.
"

             
On
the
forecastle
Ferghal
found
himself
in
the
midst
of
a
swaying
mass
of
attackers
and
defenders.
He
dropped
his
cartridge
cases
and
snatched
up
a
fallen
cutlass.
He
did
not
have
much
skill
yet,
but
at
least
knew
how
to
hold
it
and
slashed
at
the
large
corsair
whose
attention
was
on
attacking
the
man
in
charge
of
the
guns.
By
lucky
stroke,
he
managed
to
distract
the
slaver
and
gave
Sykes
the
opening
to
strike
the
big
pirate
a
fatal
blow.
But
the
corsairs
kept
adding
to
their
number
and
slowly
the
Spartan
'
s
were
driven
back.

***

             
Drawing
his
pistol,
Harry
cocked
it
and
led
the
twelve
men
from
the
aftermost
guns
toward
a
ladder
leading
to
the
gangway.
The
world
seemed
to
have
become
a
fearsome
place
of
noise,
the
stench
of
blood
and
the
frightening
ululations
of
the
attackers.
He
was
almost
at
the
ladder
when
a
huge
figure
landed
in
front
of
them
and
slashed
at
him
with
a
great
curved
blade.
Instinctively
Harry
ducked
and
the
blade
whistled
over
him.
He
brought
up
the
pistol
and
jerked
the
trigger,
feeling
the
gun
kick
as
it
fired.
Where
the
shot
went
was
not
immediately
apparent
but
the
big
Moor
toppled
slowly
backwards.
One
of
the
men
slashed
at
the
fallen
corsair
even
as
they
scrambled
up
and
onto
the
gangway
above.

             
The
scene
that
met
Harry
'
s
eyes
was
one
of
mayhem.
He
was
shaking
and
wished
he
had
Ferghal
at
his
side.
Ferghal
always
seemed
to
steady
him,
but
now
his
friend
was
in
the
melee
on
the
fo
'
c
'
s
'
le,
perhaps
already
dead.
The
fo
'
c
'
s
'
le
itself
was
a
seething
mass
of
boarders
and
defenders,
with
the
defenders
apparently
holding
their
own
at
this
point.
Harry
looked
overside
and
found
himself
staring
downward
at
several
more
boarders
attempting
to
clamber
up
the
ship
'
s
side.
"
At
them
men,
"
he
shouted
and
stabbed
wildly
at
the
nearest
boarder
with
his
dirk.
Several
men
joined
him
and
soon
they
had
dislodged
all
but
one
corsair,
a
wiry
individual,
who
succeeded
in
reaching
the
deck
and
now
gave
a
good
account
of
himself
as
he
confronted
two
of
Harry
'
s
men.
Another
group
began
to
clamber
up
the
ship
'
s
side,
making
use
of
trailing
rigging
and
shot
damage
to
the
hull
to
do
so.
Harry
took
stock.
His
men
were
slowly
being
drawn
into
the
general
melee
and
he
could
not
hope
to
hold
off
another
group
without
help.
Then
he
spied
something
that
would
make
a
difference.

             
"
Palmer,
Ellis.
Get
that
swivel
and
ship
it
here.
We
can
use
it
to
clear
these
boarders!
"

             
The
two
men
glanced
at
where
Harry
was
pointing
and
jumped
to
obey.
It
took
the
combined
efforts
of
both
to
move
the
gun
from
its
mounting
on
the
rail
where
it
could
fire
through
the
grating
on
the
main
deck,
and
carry
it
to
where
Harry
found
another
mounting
point
on
the
gangway.