Their Lordships Request: A Harry Heron Adventure (24 page)

             
The
sun
was
now
almost
half
below
the
horizon
and
the
chiming
of
the
bell
in
the
fo
'
c
'
s
'
le
belfry
warned
it
wanted
but
another
hour
before
Harry
must
report
himself
on
the
Quarterdeck
for
the
Evening
Watch.
He
carefully
packed
his
pad
and
pencils
into
a
satchel
he
kept
by
him
and
gazed
at
the
early
stars.
Almost
to
himself
he
mused,
"
I
wonder
if
mankind
will
ever
walk
among
the
stars?
See?
The
moon
is
a
body
which
could
easily
be
large
enough
for
men
to
walk
upon.
And
beyond
it
–
Venus
is
bright
in
our
skies,
but
through
a
telescope
has
clouds
and
must
surely
have
water
and
land
much
like
our
own.
"

             
Yates
stared
at
the
moon
for
a
moment.
"
Not
fer
the
likes
o
'
us,
sor.
This
earth
be
havin
'
enough
t
'
keep
the
likes
o
'
us
'
busy
–
'
oo
'
ud
want
to
go
ter
places
like
that?
It
be
bad
enough
in
Noo
Suff
Wales
an
'
Van
Diemen
'
s
Land
wi
'
out
lookin
'
ter
go
ter
places
like
as
the
moon,
begging
yer
pardon,
sor.
"

             
Harry
laughed
at
this.
"
I
expect
you
'
re
right,
do
you
think
we
shall
see
any
fabled
beasties
in
the
South
Sea?
I
hear
the
Great
Southern
Ocean
is
desolate
with
only
the
great
wandering
albatross
alive
upon
it
–
and
the
great
leviathan
within
it.
"

             
"
If
'
n
it
'
s
the
whales
you
'
m
lookin
'
ter
see,
sor.
"
Yates
grinned.
"
Ye
'
ll
see
plenty
o
'
they
as
we
goes
southerly.
"

             
The
stars
were
now
gradually
filling
the
sky
overhead,
the
great
blaze
of
the
Milky
Way
forming
an
almost
solid
bar
across
the
heavens
and
Harry
sat
enthralled
as
the
light
faded
in
the
West
and
the
moon
took
her
place
in
the
night
sky.
He
barely
noticed
as
Yates
took
his
leave
and
descended
and
he
reached
the
Gunroom
himself
almost
too
late
for
his
supper,
though,
by
some
miracle,
Ferghal
managed
to
keep
enough
aside
for
his
young
friend
'
s
appetite.

***

             
The
Classroom
was
hot
and
stifling
as
Harry
and
the
other
younger
midshipmen
sat
in
the
cramped
confines.
The
Parson,
Mr
Bentley,
had
a
very
soporific
voice
and
manner
of
speaking,
what
Harry
considered
to
be
a
'
Parson
'
s
voice
'
.
It
was
an
almost
sepulchral
delivery
which
could
turn
the
liveliest
subject
into
pure
purgatory
–
especially
in
the
overcrowded
and
overheated
classroom.
He
droned
on,
while
his
charges
struggled,
some
unsuccessfully,
to
remain
at
least
attentive
and
awake.

             
His
lesson
today
was
on
the
subject
of
mathematics,
a
subject
Harry
excelled
at,
though
now
he
was
struggling
to
follow
the
trigonometry
as
explained
by
the
Parson.

             
"
I
can
scarce
follow
this,
"
whispered
Kit
Tanner.
"
He
confuses
me
–
or
the
air
in
here
is
so
stale
my
wits
have
taken
leave
of
me.
"

             
"
Both
I
think,
"
replied
Harry.
"
I
need
to
recall
what
Mr
Carrigan
my
tutor
taught
on
this
or
I
will
not
understand
it
at
all.
"

             
They
were
spared
a
few
minutes
later
when
the
cry
filtered
down
to
them
of;
"
All
hands,
all
hands,
to
make
sail!
"

             
The
pipes
twitter
was
almost
drowned
by
the
rush
as
the
midshipmen
hurriedly
packed
their
slates
and
rushed
to
respond,
relief
at
their
release
and
the
prospect
of
some
fresh
air
on
deck
making
them
boisterous.

             
Mr
Bentley
sighed
and
mopped
his
brow,
he
did
his
best,
he
really
did,
and
some
of
the
boys
responded
well.
Others,
in
his
view,
were
blockheads
who
would
never
grasp
anything
esoteric
or
scientific.
He
tugged
at
his
neck
cloth,
perhaps
if
he
could
persuade
the
Captain
to
allow
them
the
use
of
a
cooler
space
in
the
ship
as
a
classroom.
He
had
to
admit
he
was
struggling
in
the
close
confines
of
this
space
and
the
heat
was
oppressive.
He
would
apply
to
the
First
Lieutenant
and
see
what
could
be
done.