Read Online Their Lordships Request: A Harry Heron Adventure by Patrick G. Cox - Free Book Online
Authors: Patrick G. Cox
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Lad plays a fine tune ' e does. "
" So he does, " smiled Harry. " I could wish I had his talent for the music. " This was a genuine wish on Harry ' s part. Music was his way of calming down when his temper was pushed almost to break point; it was a joke among his family that Harry ' s temper was the most dangerous in a family of strong tempers and it was one thing he often struggled to control. His rigid control of himself often made him appear aloof and sometimes so ' controlled ' he was considered too much the perfectionist.
" ' e tells us ' n ' e be frum t ' same place as ' ee, sor, an ' ye wuz nippers together. " Yates risked being over familiar he knew, but Harry was somehow different from most of the other Midshipmen, a ' real gent ' as many on the lower deck put it, young, but sharp and quick witted.
Harry glanced at him sharply, but recognised only an honest interest. " So we are. Ferghal has been my friend these many years, though why is beyond me. " Harry laughed. " I think I have been responsible for almost every scrape he has been a party to – not least our present place in this ship. "
Yates studied the young midshipman in a sidelong glance for a few minutes, then chuckled. " Aye, sor, so ' e tell ' d us. " He finished his splice, whipping the tails neatly and then binding the whole tightly in twine. He looked up to see Harry ' s pencil busy recording the work, little annotations marking each part of it.
Harry caught the surprised glance. He grinned, " One never knows when such knowledge may be useful. " He indicated the sketch, " I shall include this in my Journal – who knows? Perhaps even an Admiral may need to study it someday so he may replicate it. "
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
" So he does, " smiled Harry. " I could wish I had his talent for the music. " This was a genuine wish on Harry ' s part. Music was his way of calming down when his temper was pushed almost to break point; it was a joke among his family that Harry ' s temper was the most dangerous in a family of strong tempers and it was one thing he often struggled to control. His rigid control of himself often made him appear aloof and sometimes so ' controlled ' he was considered too much the perfectionist.
" ' e tells us ' n ' e be frum t ' same place as ' ee, sor, an ' ye wuz nippers together. " Yates risked being over familiar he knew, but Harry was somehow different from most of the other Midshipmen, a ' real gent ' as many on the lower deck put it, young, but sharp and quick witted.
Harry glanced at him sharply, but recognised only an honest interest. " So we are. Ferghal has been my friend these many years, though why is beyond me. " Harry laughed. " I think I have been responsible for almost every scrape he has been a party to – not least our present place in this ship. "
Yates studied the young midshipman in a sidelong glance for a few minutes, then chuckled. " Aye, sor, so ' e tell ' d us. " He finished his splice, whipping the tails neatly and then binding the whole tightly in twine. He looked up to see Harry ' s pencil busy recording the work, little annotations marking each part of it.
Harry caught the surprised glance. He grinned, " One never knows when such knowledge may be useful. " He indicated the sketch, " I shall include this in my Journal – who knows? Perhaps even an Admiral may need to study it someday so he may replicate it. "
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
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