"Obvious? Not to me, my dear sir."
"When I was a midshipman - and even now - it is not very tactful to have a title when your senior officers have none! As it is, I have a title senior to and much older than that of the minister!"
The man held out his hand. "Yes, I think you are whom you claim to be." They shook hands, and Perez said gracefully: "Please introduce your assistant."
Ramage introduced Orsini, and then Perez sat down, giving a quiet laugh. "Captain Ramage, indeed. Yes, I know that name well. It would not be true to say you are a popular figure among the French: Le Moniteur frequently refers to you as a cross between a pirate and a sorcerer! You have had considerable success against the French Navy over the years."
Ramage shrugged. "Over the years one is bound to be in action many times . . ."
"True, but you are more successful than most. Well, tell me what Lord Nelson wishes to know - I think I can guess."
Ramage smiled and said: "I imagine you can. First, he wants to know the size and condition of the Combined Fleet in Cadiz."
Perez made a face as though tasting something very sour. "The French - the condition of their ships fairly good but there is no spare canvas, cordage or spars available for them. They could get no replacements either when they visited Ferrol or Coruña.
"The Spanish ships are in far worse condition. They have not been to sea for months (at least Villeneuve crossed the Atlantic twice with the French fleet). Sails and cordage have rotted on the masts; those ships that put their sails below have had much of the canvas eaten by rats. Thanks to your blockade no replacements are available. Many have rotted spars."
Perez, now sitting down, sighed. "This is not easy for me, Captain Ramage. I am describing my country, even if those in control are my enemies."
He sighed again, and then continued. "So much for the ships. Far worse is the condition of the captains and officers, particularly the Spanish. As far as the French are concerned, the problem is mainly with Admiral Villeneuve. My informant - and he is in a position to know, although obviously I dare not reveal who he is - tells me that Admiral Villeneuve is out of favour with Bonaparte and will probably be replaced very soon by Admiral Decrès."
"But Admiral Decrès is the Minister of Marine!" Ramage exclaimed.
Perez nodded. "Yes, but presumably Bonaparte knows that everything depends on this fleet, and he must get it to sea. I don't think he believes Villeneuve is the man to do the job."
"When is this change expected?"
"I gather Villeneuve is afraid that Decrès will arrive any day, and he regards it as a dishonour."
"You mentioned the Spanish captains."
"Ah, yes. You are a practical man, Captain Ramage. Would you care to command a ship of the line and sail under the command of someone like this Villeneuve - and with your ship equipped with rotten rope, rotten sails, and short of provisions, those you have being rotten?"
Ramage grinned and shook his head. "Not even a rowing boat, let alone a ship of the line!"
"Exactly, so you can imagine in what a dreadful position the Spanish Admiral Gravina finds himself: his most senior captains come to him daily, begging for equipment he cannot supply; they beg him to tell the French it is suicide to sail with the English fleet waiting for them."
Perez shook his head, as though saddened by what he was going to say. "I'm afraid some of the captains are meeting among themselves and their talk is close to treason."
"But is the city of Cadiz so short of food and supplies?"
"The people are starving," Perez said frankly. "Every able-bodied man has been taken up for the ships, so women and children starve because they have lost the - how do you say, 'the breadwinner'.
"As you can see, this is not a fertile part of the country. No grain can get in because of your blockade - nor, of course, anything that can be used to fit out the ships."
Perez now looked haggard in the dim lamplight: telling such a tale of disaster seemed to be emphasizing it for him. Probably, Ramage thought, he thrusts it away at the back of his mind whenever he can, unless he can pass the word to the British in Gibraltar.
"Lord Nelson was concerned about the position of other French ships," Ramage said. "How many, in which ports, and so on."
"Well now, let me see. Brest - yes, Admiral Gantaume is there with twenty-one Iine-of-battle ships, and from what I hear you people are blockading him so that he can't get out.
"Then Admiral Allemand is at sea - I don't know where - with four ships of the line. Difficult for him to break in and join either Gantaume at Brest or Villeneuve here. He could make for Ferrol or Coruña, I suppose. That's all the ships I know about. And, of course, Villeneuve commands thirty-four French and Spanish ships here. A very large fleet - on paper."
"You have no hint when Villeneuve is likely to sail, I suppose?"
Perez shook his head, his white hair flowing. "No - but I'm sure he will sail as soon as he gets a fair wind. Not so much because he wants to fight your Nelson, but he feels deeply the dishonour there would be if he is replaced by Decrès."
"So we can expect the Combined Fleet to sail the minute there is an east wind. Heading for the English Channel?"
Perez held up a hand as though restraining Ramage. "I hear reports that Villeneuve has received new orders. Reports? Rumours, more likely, and you must emphasize that to Lord Nelson. You came to me for information, but I must ask you a question - and please feel free not to answer. Is there a big British convoy at sea somewhere carrying troops into the Mediterranean?"
Ramage thought for several moments, and then decided that the French knew it was at sea and its destination - that was hardly a secret even before General Craig's ships left England bound for Italy.
Ramage nodded. "Yes, I believe there is such a convoy at sea."
"Ah, that might explain it!" Perez exclaimed. "You see, I know that until very recently Admiral Villeneuve's orders from Bonaparte were to leave Cadiz and sail north to the English Channel, and guard his flotillas waiting at Calais and Boulogne as they crossed to invade England.
"But this rumour I heard - or, rather, my informant heard - was to the effect that Villeneuve had just received entirely new orders: he was to break out of Cadiz and sail into the Mediterranean, to find and destroy this English convoy or, if it had already gone through and landed its men in Italy to help the Russians, to land troops - this city is full of them, eating what little food is left - and drive the English into the sea."
Ramage felt himself tensing as he thought about the rumour. If it was true, then Bonaparte was no longer threatening England. Had he lost his nerve? Had the difficulties and dangers of getting his boats and barges across the Channel frightened him? Or (more likely) had he lost faith in Villeneuve's ability to get the fleet up to the Channel and therefore abandoned the invasion? But what about Decrès - did Bonaparte not trust him either?
And, of course, it was late in the year. Who would dare guarantee even a day and night's decent weather in the Channel (let alone an easterly wind, which the invasion fleet had to have) in October? - and it would be late October even if Villeneuve broke out now. Even if he escaped Lord Nelson and even if he had fair winds, and even if he could control his mixed fleet - more ifs than hopes - he could not be off Calais and Dover before the last week in October.
Ramage found himself feeling sorry for Villeneuve: the poor man's Emperor had, it seemed, given him the choice of defeat or dishonour . . .
Perez looked at Ramage. "Yes, I understand the importance of that rumour, because if Villeneuve sails for the Mediterranean there can be no invasion of England. But I beg you, Captain Ramage, do emphasize to Lord Nelson that it is only a rumour. My informant has tried to get more information but as you can imagine, even if he has received such orders, Admiral Villeneuve will guard them carefully. After all, his success will depend on surprising Lord Nelson by breaking out and turning south for the Strait rather than north for England ..."