Their Lordships Request: A Harry Heron Adventure (73 page)

             
The
packet
of
letters
was
received
with
delight
by
Mistress
Heron
in
the
old
farm
at
Scrabo.
She
gladly
paid
the
two
shillings
demanded
by
the
carrier,
an
enormous
sum
for
any
letter,
but
she
considered
it
a
small
price
for
this
battered
package.
She
bustled
through
to
her
husband
'
s
study
with
them
announcing
as
she
entered,
"
A
packet
of
letters,
my
dear,
from
Harry.
"

             
Receiving
the
packet
the
Major
smiled,
replying,
"
By
the
weight
he
has
spent
all
his
stipend
in
posting
it.
"
He
cut
the
twine
binding
the
package
and
slit
the
wafer
sealing
the
stiff
wrapping
of
oiled
paper
to
extract
the
neatly
folded
letters.
Handing
them
to
his
wife,
he
said,
"
I
shall
read
them
when
you
have
done
my
dear.
I
see
he
has
included
some
excellent
illustrations
of
their
voyage
and
the
places
he
has
seen.
I
shall
content
myself
with
those
for
the
moment.
"

             
"
Thank
you,
my
dear,
it
has
been
so
long
since
we
last
heard
from
him.
"
She
stared
at
the
pile
of
numbered
and
folded
sheets
of
paper
in
her
hand
and
said,
"
I
wonder
where
these
were
dispatched
from?
Surely
they
must
be
almost
in
the
Antipodes
by
this
time?
"

             
Picking
up
the
discarded
packet
the
Major
studied
the
various
instructions
and
endorsements
with
a
frown.
"
If
I
read
these
right
,
"
he
said
slowly.
"
This
was
put
aboard
the
Indiaman
Lord
Canning
at
the
Cape.
From
there
it
has
taken
a
journey
to
London,
thence
by
packet
boat
to
Bristol
and
by
another
to
Dublin
before
reaching
the
posting
office
here
in
Belfast.
"

             
"
Small
wonder
then
that
I
had
to
pay
two
shillings
for
the
delivery,
"
his
wife
remarked
absently,
already
engrossed
in
reading
the
first
of
the
precious
letters.

             
Major
Heron
scanned
the
small
bundle
of
sketches
and
watercolour
illustrations
Harry
had
included,
and
hesitated
over
one.
It
showed
a
part
of
the
battle
with
the
Xebecs
and
he
read
the
annotation
Harry
had
made
of
the
various
features.
He
was
about
to
put
it
aside
when
his
wife
exclaimed
in
distress.

             
"
Harry
has
been
engaged
in
a
seafight
with
slavers
and
says
they
were
almost
overwhelmed!
Surely
not
on
so
large
a
ship
as
Spartan
?
"
She
continued
reading,
then
said,
"
Oh,
I
see
he
was
not
on
his
own
ship,
but
on
a
transport
–
they
were
sent
to
assist
in
defending
them.
"

             
"
Unusual
I
would
have
thought,
"
the
Major
remarked
calmly
wishing
he
could
see
for
himself
what
the
letter
contained.
"
Though
I
expect
the
circumstances
required
it.
"
He
reached
for
the
first
of
the
letters
and
read
it
and
the
following
one
through
quickly,
taking
note
of
the
mention
of
the
Spanish
Fleet
and
the
tardiness
of
the
convoy
transports.
Finally
his
wife
relinquished
the
third
letter
and
he
was
able
to
read
for
himself
the
account
of
the
fight,
though
he
suspected
that
Harry
was
not
telling
the
whole
story.
He
frowned
again
over
the
mention
of
Harry
'
s
encounter
with
Cormac
Murphy
and
his
having
arranged
for
his
being
taken
onto
Spartan
'
s
books.
But
the
frown
deepened
as
he
read
of
an
accusation
made
against
Ferghal
by
the
Barclay
pup.
Once
again
he
reflected
that
Harry
had
not
told
all,
merely
mentioning
that
the
Second
Lieutenant
had
resolved
it
and
that
Barclay
had
had
an
interview
with
the
First
over
the
incident.

             
The
letters
amounted
to
a
journal
as
Harry
wrote
a
little
each
day
whenever
he
had
the
opportunity.
Now
his
parents
could
follow
the
events
of
the
voyage,
picking
up
the
interest
of
the
Parson
and
his
pursuit
of
the
sciences.
They
read
of
the
visit
to
Ascension
and
the
arrival
at
the
Cape
with
Harry
'
s
impressions
of
the
Castle
and
the
town
growing
around
it
at,
to
them,
the
southern
tip
of
the
African
continent.
Ferghal
featured
in
the
letters
too,
with
many
mentions
of
the
little
things
he
had
done
for
Harry
or
some
kindness
shown
to
the
other
boys
and,
of
course,
the
music
he
made.
There
was
even
a
brief
mention
of
the
fact
that
he
was
now
teaching
some
of
the
other
boys
the
art
of
playing
the
fife
and
the
fiddle,
something
that
made
the
Major
laugh
out
loud.