Ramage And The Drum Beat (30 page)

‘He might be going to order us to tack together.’

It was Southwick’s turn to grunt

‘With those leading ships turning away from us? We’d never get near ’em.’

And again Ramage was forced to admit perhaps his own fears weren’t groundless: Southwick was making the same point.

‘Trouble is,’ Southwick grumbled. ‘I’m dam’ sure that with all this smoke they can’t see what’s happening from the Victory.’

Waiting until the two lines were abreast of each other – when the San Nicolas leading the Spanish van was level with the Excellent at the rear of the British line, and the Culloden at the head of the British line level with the last Spaniard – and then ordering the Fleet to tack together was standard and meant the whole line attacked at the same time. But it depended on one thing: that both lines were on opposite and parallel courses or, if not, that the ships farthest from the enemy had a chance to get up to their opposite numbers in the enemy line.

‘Look,’ Southwick said, ‘the San Nicolas has gone round even more, and I bet the Santísima Trindad’s going to follow in her wake. They don’t want to fight: mark my words, sir, they’re quitting!’

Ramage opened the telescope reluctantly, feeling like a child in bed who’d heard a strange noise in the night and was curious yet frightened, uncertain whether to look and confirm his fears or hide his head under the sheet.

There was no doubt: the San Nicolas’ turn was part of some plan Cordoba had devised; it wasn’t because she had sustained too much damage, or her captain was scared of British powder and shot. The ships bunched up astern had turned in her wake now, and were being followed by the rest. The Spanish line was becoming half-moon-shaped where they turned, but the trouble was they were turning after they’d passed the Victory, hidden from her by the smoke. Those ahead of her, which Sir John could see, hadn’t reached the point on the bulge where they turned…

Yet what on earth could he–

‘Flagship’s signalling sir.’ called Jackson. ‘General – number eighty. “To tack in succession”.’

In succession, not together! That proved Sir John could not see Cordoba’s van. And as far as Ramage could see – for the Kathleen was still to windward of the line, still bearing away slowly to get into position astern of the Excellent – the Culloden was well past the last ship in the Spanish line… Tacking in succession meant the Culloden would turn and might with a bit of luck and good seamanship get alongside the last ship, but the Blenheim and those astern of her would tack and find no opponents…

Ramage felt there was some terrible flaw in his reasoning as he drew another sketch of them tacking in succession; some simple factor he had overlooked which would be the key to it all, which would reveal Sir John’s real intentions. He then drew a diagram of them tacking together, and put a question mark beside that, too.

Southwick had no such doubts about Sir John’s intentions.

‘You’re sure it’s number eighty?’ he snapped to Jackson.

The American nodded but sensing the questions had a greater significance which was lost on him looked again. ‘Yes, sir, eighty it is.’

‘Give me the signal book a moment,’ and as he looked up the number he growled, ‘Watch in case they run up “Annul”.’

Turning to Ramage he said, ‘It’s right, sir, that’s number eighty. But d’you think there’s been a mistake? I was expecting “Tack together”.’

Ramage said nothing: he glanced at his watch – eight minutes past twelve – and then looked at the leading Spanish ships, an idea forming in his mind.

‘But sir,’ Southwick expostulated, ‘they’ll all escape if we tack in succession!’

‘Wait and see if the Victory hoists “Annul”.’

‘But the Culloden’s already coming round,’ wailed Southwick. ‘All we’re doing is grabbing the tip of the rat’s tail when we’ve got his whole body dam’ nearly alongside!’

‘That’ll be enough, Mr Southwick,’ Ramage said shortly. There was a chance Sir John had some trick up his sleeve, but he was beginning to doubt it: with a given wind a ship could sail only at a certain speed and in certain directions: likewise there were only four aces in a pack of cards.

By now the Kathleen was in position astern of the Excellent and at the end of the British line, the puppy following the huntsmen. From ahead the continuous rumble of broad-sides, and the Kathleens watched the Blenheim brace her yards round and tack in the wake of the Culloden. Ten minutes past noon and the Culloden was doing her best to catch up with the rearmost Spanish ship.

Almost weeping with frustration, Ramage glared at the mass of ships forming the van of Cordoba’s division: an almost solid wedge, the San Nicolas still leading, with at least seven more ships in a tightly-packed group tucked in astern, two and three abreast, the rest scattered astern along the bulging line.

‘One thing about it,’ Southwick commented, ‘they sail like haystacks drifting to windward…’

‘Flagship sir,’ said Jackson, ‘number forty. “To pass through the enemy’s line”.’

Fifteen minutes past noon. So Sir John intended the Culloden to try to cut through Cordoba’s line, splitting it in two.

‘He’ll never do it,’ Southwick said quietly. ‘We’ll never catch up with ’em in this wind. And only the Culloden and Blenheim have tacked – thirteen more to go!’

With maddening slowness, the Prince George, Orion and Irresistible came round one after the other in the light breeze, and then as the Colossus began turning, her foretopgallant mast bent in the middle and began to fall – so slowly, so gracefully, that it took a moment for Ramage to realize it had been shot away, bringing with it the foretopmast. Then the foreyard and foretopsail yard slewed to one side and fell to the deck, a confused jumble of wood, cordage and sails, leaving her unable to tack. Her captain obviously decided to wear round to get out of the way of those astern because almost at once Ramage could see through the telescope that her mizzen topsail was beginning to shiver.

‘Wind’s backing a bit sir,’ Southwick reported. ‘Due west now.’

And it was falling even lighter. Ramage doubted if the British ships were making much more than a knot. But even allowing for the lack of wind, he was surprised at the slow pace of battle. Action between single ships – his only experience so far – was much faster, more clear cut: the difference between a game of draughts, perhaps (with the two players able to move in only one of two directions) and chess, where concentrating on the diagonal moves of the bishop, for instance, left you open to the dangerous jinking hop of the knight’s move. And at the moment Sir John was playing chess with more than half the board covered with smoke.

Fifteen minutes to one o’clock. His feet ached; he felt sick with hunger. And, like the warning of violent toothache to come, was the nagging question of why Cordoba was now steering to the north-west. It was taking him away from his lee division and, more important, away from Cadiz. It was a ruse: he was sure of that. The San Nicholas and Santísima Trinidad and the rest of the van would soon be abeam. But more important was that the Culloden, Blenheim and Prince George still had not caught up with the rearmost Spanish ships.

For ten minutes he paced up and down the starboard side, rubbing the scar on his forehead from time to time. His pistols – he’d found the box and his clothes still in the bread-room where he’d bundled them as the Kathleen was captured – were tucked in his belt and made his ribs ache. He pulled them out and gave them to Jackson. Not wanting to talk to Southwick, he sent him below for a quick meal and was grateful when the steward brought up some cold chicken, which he ate with his fingers as he walked.

Slowly Cordoba’s van ships drew abeam and farther away. It was nearly one o’clock and the Victory, next in line after the damaged Colossus, still had not tacked – the Colossus was probably in her way – but the Culloden seemed to be gaining a little on the Spanish rear ships and drawing well ahead of the Blenheim.

The steward came with a bowl of water and a napkin, and Ramage rinsed his greasy fingers. Pointless, perhaps, since he might be a pulpy mass of flesh and blood before the hands of the clock reached the next hour. What made him think of that? He shivered and tried to thrust aside his earlier wild idea, assuring himself that of all the ships in the British Fleet, the Kathleen was the safest: none of the Spaniards would attack her.

As he wiped his hands and gave the napkin to the steward he glanced over the man’s shoulder and his stomach shrivelled.

Instead of the Santísima Trinidad, San Nicolas and the rest of the leaders being almost broadside on, he found himself staring at their starboard bows: in the few moments he had been occupied washing his hands they had put their helms up, turning towards the Kathleen and obviously intending to pass very close round the end of the British line, probably raking the Excellent (and the Kathleen too, since she’d be in the line of fire) in the process.

Ramage felt he was looking down on the chess-board and could see the next half-dozen moves with unnatural clarity: unless Sir John signalled at once for the eight ships forming the rear of the British line to tack together and head them off, there was nothing to stop Cordoba’s ships running down to join his other six ships to leeward as soon as they rounded the Excellent’s stern, and with his fleet united once again, Cordoba could then resume his dash for the safety of Cadiz. And the banks of smoke were certainly hiding the whole manoeuvre from the Victory.

Ramage snapped: ‘My compliments to Mr Southwick: would he come on deck at once. Quartermaster, edge us up to windward but I don’t want it to be too noticeable.’

The idea – fantasy, almost – was gripping him more strongly. Was this how a man worked himself up before committing suicide? The thought made him feel dizzy.

Jackson saw him rubbing his brow and looking anxiously at the ships ahead, and guessing he was looking for signals from the Commodore, from Admiral Thompson in the Britannia, or Sir John in the Victory, the American watched carefully with his telescope. And almost at once a string of flags fluttered from the flagship.

‘Minerve’s pendant, sir, and’ – Jackson glanced at the signal book, – ‘and the Colossus’, “To take in tow”.’

Ramage, who had instinctively walked towards Jackson in anticipation of the order ‘Tack together’, spun on his heel to hide his anger and disappointment and looked yet again at Cordoba’s leading ships. They now had the wind about three points abaft the beam – almost their fastest point of sailing.

Southwick clattered up the companionway, his sword scabbard clanking, and even before Ramage turned to speak, exclaimed, ‘There! They’re doing it! I knew they would!’

He looked ahead, saw the Victory and the eight ships astern of her still had not tacked, and added viciously:

‘Nothing can stop those fish-eaters unless we all tack together! So help me, that I should live to see the day! Just look at them – coming down like a flock of sheep and not even a dog to give ’em a fright by barking! Why, if that leading ship yawed a couple of times at least half a dozen of ’em would run aboard each other!’

Ramage clenched his fists. The idea, plan, fantasy, dream – he wasn’t sure what to call it – was becoming clearer: the significance of Cordoba’s move and its danger to the British fleet was making him think so fast he was momentarily surprised when he looked up to find the Kathleen and Cordoba’s van still sailing on their respective courses. Nothing had happened – except in his imagination: he was still alive – yet in his imagination, he had, a few seconds earlier, died along with every man on board the cutter.

Perhaps through the smoke the Victory’s next astern had glimpsed Cordoba’s change of course; perhaps even now Commodore Nelson was trying to signal to the Victory. But the facts were clear enough: Sir John was in grave danger of being defeated by smoke, the light wind – and time. Whatever he might order to be done now, it would still take time for ships to move from position A to position B. And Ramage knew he had to face up to one other unpleasant – and for himself probably fatal – fact: that there was only one chance of giving Sir John time. Yet…he turned violently and he paced up and down, watched by Southwick and Jackson.

His face was drained of blood, leaving the tanned flesh yellow: concentration and the horror of his knowledge made him clench his teeth so the jawbone was a hard white line, the muscles tight knots beneath the skin. His eyes were no longer deep-set but sunken, as though he was in the last stages of a grave illness. Both Southwick and Jackson knew their captain was alone in some private and desperate hell, and they felt empty and angry at their inability to help him.

Ramage felt the fingers of his right hand almost breaking as he squeezed some small object and, coming back from a long way off, tried to focus his eyes on it: Gianna’s ring, still on the ribbon round his neck. He thrust it back inside his shirt and as though waking from a dream realized the gulls were still mewing in the Kathleen’s wake; the guns were still rumbling ahead; a weak sun was doing its best to shine through the haze; and several of the ship’s company were still laughing and joking. And Southwick was standing in front of him, pointing, a puzzled look on his face.

The Captain had begun turning to larboard out of the line and away from the enemy. There was not one signal flag flying. It was as if she was out of control – except her sails were being trimmed. And she kept turning.

‘She’s leaving the line and wearing round!’ Southwick exclaimed incredulously. Ramage realized at once the Commodore’s intention. But the Captain was a mile farther away than the Kathleen: a mile she’d take twenty minutes to cover. And unless Cordoba’s leading ships could be delayed for twenty minutes, she’d arrive too late.

The fantasy which had become an idea now became a necessity if the Commodore was to succeed, and Ramage felt fear. Swiftly he sketched on the pad, did some calculations in his head, and then turned to Southwick. He could not look the old man in the eye as he said in a strangled voice barely recognizable as his own: ‘Mr Southwick, I’ll trouble you to tack the ship and steer to intercept the San Nicolas.’