do things in the Navy. Our one aim must be to keep their guns firing briskly, to engage Linois closely, and to wound his spars and rigging as much as ever we can. Hulling him or killing his people is beside the point: he would give his bosun for a stuns’l boom, and with the best will in the world we shall never sink a seventy-?four. We must fire like Frenchmen for once. Mr Stourton, you and I will work out a list of the gunners we can spare, and while I am sharing them among the Indiamen you will take the ship to the eastward and watch Linois’s motions.’
Within an hour the line had formed, fifteen handsome Indiamen under easy sail a cable’s length apart and a fast-?sailing brig to repeat signals; boats plied to and from the smaller ships bringing volunteers for the guns; and all that forenoon Jack hurried up and down the line in his barge, dispensing officers, gunners, discreet advice and encouragement, and stores of affability. This affability was rarely forced, for most of the captains were right seamen, and given their fiery commodore’s strong lead they set to with a determination that made Jack love them. Decks were clearing fast; the three ships chosen for pendants, the Lushington, the Royal George and the Camden, began to look even more like men-?of-?war, with whitewashers over their sides disguising them fast, and royal yards crossed; and the guns ran in and out without a pause. Yet there were some awkward captains, lukewarm, despondent and reserved, two of them timid old fools; and the passengers were the cruellest trial - Atkins and the other members of Mr Stanhope’s suite could be dealt with, but the women and the important civilians called for personal interviews and for explanations; one lady, darting from an unlikely hatch, told him she should countenance no violence whatsoever - Linois should be reasoned with - his passions would certainly yield to reason - and Jack was kept very busy. It was only from time to time, as he sat in the barge next to Church, his solemn aide-?de-?camp, that he had leisure to ponder the remark ‘How do you know he has not refitted in Batavia?’
He did not know it: yet his whole strategy must be based upon that assumption. He did not know it, but still he was willing to risk everything upon his intuition’s being sound:
for it was a matter of intuition - Linois’s cautious handling of his ship, a thousand details that Jack could hardly name but that contrasted strongly with the carefree Linois of the Mediterranean with Toulon and its naval stores a few days’ sail away. Yet moral certainty could fade: he was not infallible, and Linois was old in war, a resourceful, dangerous opponent.
Dinner aboard the Lushington with Captain Muffit was a relief. Not only was Jack desperately sharp-?set, having missed his breakfast, but Muffit was a man after his own heart: they saw eye to eye on the formation of the line, the way to conduct the action - aggressive tactics rather than defence - and on the right dinner to restore a worn and badgered spirit.
Church appeared while they were drinking coffee. ‘Surprise signalling, sir, if you please,’ he said. ‘S?millante, Marengo and Belle Poule bearing east by south about four leagues: Marengo has backed topsails.’
‘He is waiting for Berceau to come up,’ said Jack. ‘We shall not see him for an hour or two. What do you say, sir, to a turn on deck?’
Left alone, the midshipman silently devoured the remains of the pudding, pocketed two French rolls, and darted after his captain, who was standing with the commodore on the poop, watching the last boats pull away from the line, filled with passengers bound for the hypothetical safety of the leeward division.
‘I cannot tell you, sir,’ said Muffit in a low voice, ‘what a feeling of peace it gives me to see them go: deep, abiding peace. You gentlemen have your admirals and commissioners, no doubt, and indeed the enemy to bring your spirits low; but passengers . . . “Captain, there are mice in this ship! They have ate my bonnet and two pairs of gloves. I shall complain to the directors: my cousin is a director, sir.” “Captain, why cannot I get a soft-?boiled egg in this ship? I told the young man at India House my child could not possibly be expected to digest a hard yolk.” “Captain, there are no cupboards, no drawers in my cabin, nowhere to hang anything, no room, no room, no room, d’ye hear me, sir?” There will be all the room you merit where you are going to - ten brimstone shrews packing into one cabin in a country ship, ha ha. How I love to see ‘em go; the distance cannot be too great for me.’
‘Let us increase it, then. Give them leave to part company, throw out the signal to tack in succession again, and there you have two birds in one bush. It is a poor heart that never rejoices.’
The flags ran up, the ships to leeward acknowledged and made sail, and the line prepared to go about. First the Alfred, then the Coutts, then the Wexford, and now the Lushington: as she approached the troubled wake where the Wexford had begun her turn, Mr Muffit took over from his chief mate and put her about himself, smooth, steady, and exact. The Lushington swung through ninety degrees and the Surprise came into view on her port bow.
The sight of her low checkered hull and her towering masts lifted Jack’s heart, and his grave face broke into a loving smile; but after this second’s indulgence his eyes searched beyond her, and there, clear on the horizon, were the topgallantsails of Linois’s squadron.
The Lushington steadied on her course. Mr Muffit stepped back from the rail, mopping his face, for the turn had brought the sun full on to the poop, where the awning had long since been replaced by splinter-?netting, which gave no protection from the fiery beams:
he hurried to the side and stood watching the centre and the rear. The line was re-?formed, heading south-? east with the larboard tacks aboard, a line of ships a mile and a half long, lying between the enemy and the rest of the convoy, a line of concentrated fire, nowhere strong, but moderately formidable from its quantity and from the mutual support of the close order. A trim line, too: the Ganges and the Bombay Castle were sagging away a little to leeward, but their intervals were correct. The East India captains could handle their ships, of that there was no doubt. They had performed this manoeuvre three times already and never had there been a blunder nor even a hesitation. Slow, of course, compared with the Navy; but uncommon sure. They could handle their ships: could they fight them too? That was the question.
‘I admire the regularity of your line, sir,’ said Jack. ‘The Channel fleet could not keep station better.’
‘I am happy to hear you say so,’ said Muffit. ‘We may not have your heavy crews, but we do try to do things seaman-?like. Though between you and me and the binnacle,’ he added in a personal aside, ‘I dare say the presence of your people may have something to do with it. There is not one of us would not sooner lose an eye-? tooth than miss stays with a King’s officer looking on.’
‘That reminds me,’ said Jack, ’should you dislike wearing the King’s coat for the occasion, you and the gentlemen who are to have pendants? Linois is devilish sly, and if his
spyglass picks up the Company’s uniform in ships that are supposed to be men-?of-?war, he will smoke what we are about: it might encourage him to make a bolder stroke than we should care for.’
It was a wounding suggestion; it was not happily expressed; Muffit felt it keenly. He weighed the possible advantage, the extreme gravity of the situation, and after a moment he said he should be honoured - most happy.
‘Then let us recall the frigate, and I will send across all the coats we possess.’
