But - and it was a big but, getting bigger every moment - if the wind dropped as the leading ships of Nelson's column came in range of the enemy's broadsides they would be battered to pieces as they lay becalmed and helpless: scores of guns would be raking their unprotected bows with roundshot, grape and langridge while they could not reply - except from the laughable bowchasers.
For a moment Ramage pictured the Victory, Téméraire, Leviathan, Conqueror and Britannia in one column, and the Royal Sovereign, Belleisle, Mars and Tonnant in the other, wallowing becalmed, their bows exposed to the broadsides of a dozen or more French and Spanish ships. Imagine the Victory at the mercy of the raking broadsides of the Bucentaure and the enormous Santissima Trinidad . . .
And the same wind which was taking the Calypso along at the speed of a child dawdling to school was carrying Nelson's fleet down to fight what would be the greatest sea battle the world had ever known - if the wind kept up.
"It's going to be close," Southwick said gloomily. "If this wind dies on His Lordship ..."
"It's a risk he's calculated," Ramage said, taking his copy of Nelson's memorandum from his pocket and unfolding it. "Listen, halfway through His Lordship says: 'Something must be left to chance, nothing is sure in a sea fight beyond all others . . .' "
"Ah," Southwick said with a sniff, "we know what His Lordship is attempting and we agree with it, but what if he fails? The Board of Admiralty will sink him without a trace ..."
"Perhaps that's what he meant when he wrote 'Something must be left to chance,'" Ramage said with a grin. "Just pray the wind holds for another hour . . . the Victory has only a mile to go . . . The French and the Dons will soon be opening fire . . ."
Orsini reported: "From the Victory, 'Prepare to anchor at the close of day.'"
"Repeat it," Ramage said. So Lord Nelson recognized the weather warning in the sky: by tonight another gale would be blowing, judging from the clouds and watery sun.
Aitken said: "The Victory will be under fire for ten or fifteen minutes before she breaks through the line."
"A lot longer if this wind drops much more," Ramage said, "but don't forget all those enemy ships are rolling badly and their gunnery will suffer. And remember, providing he gets up to the enemy, the more the wind drops the more Lord Nelson's plan is likely to succeed: the leading enemy ships he's cut off from the main body will find it almost impossible to turn back to join the battle."
"What a gamble!" Southwick exclaimed. "It's all depending on a few puffs of wind. Dozens of ships, hundreds of lives . . ."
"And the safety of Britain," Ramage said. "That's why an admiral gets an earldom if he wins and disgrace if he loses. But a gamble? I think I'd call it a deliberate calculation."
Orsini called: "Signal to all ships from the Victory, sir. Telegraphic flag, then 253, 269, 863, 261, 471, 958, 220, 370 - and then, spelled out, 4, 20, 19, 24."
As soon as he had seen the answering pendant run up, Orsini took the slate on which Aitken had written the numbers, snatched up Home Popham's code book, and started writing in the words above the numbers, reading them out as he did so.
"The signal says, sir: England expects that every man will do his duty - they had to spell out the last word as it isn't in the book."
"Very well," Ramage said. "Repeat it." He then turned to Southwick: "You have the loudest voice: tell the ship's company what Lord Nelson says - not that they need reminding, but it's a good signal."
The master took up the speaking trumpet and with a bellowed "Now hear this!" told the men that the commander-in-chief, Lord Nelson, had just made them a signal which said - and he read from the slate as Orsini held it up for him.
Ramage was startled and then delighted as waves of cheering swept through the frigate: obviously Nelson had chosen just the right moment and just the right words. Both Aitken and Southwick were grinning.
At that moment, in a pause in the cheering, Ramage heard a snatch of "Heart of Oak" - the band on one of the ships of the line was striking up.
"Another signal, sir," Orsini exclaimed. "Numbers one and six." He opened the first page of the book. "'Engage the enemy more closely,' sir."
"Very well, Mr Orsini, repeat it," Ramage said. "Unfortunately that one doesn't concern us."
"No, sir," the youth said, and then repeated what he had heard said before: "'Frigates do not stand in the line of battle.'"
"If they did, they'd stand about one broadside from a 74," Southwick growled. "Have you forgotten Le Brave?"
"No," Paolo said, "I really meant it's a pity we have to miss a good fight!"
Aitken suddenly pointed. "Look, the first shots!"
Winking red eyes followed by spurts of oily grey smoke started out of the side of one of the enemy ships along the line, close to the Royal Sovereign. Almost immediately another broadside followed from her next astern.
Southwick gave one of his contemptuous sniffs. "Those ships are rolling so much the gun captains will see blue sky one moment and green sea the next. Might as well try using a pistol to shoot a woodpecker from the back of a runaway horse!"
"Don't forget that if they fire late on the upward roll the broadsides can bring down masts and spars, or tear sails," Aitken said.
"Better than firing on the downward roll and hitting the hulls," Southwick growled. "Better a torn sail than twenty men dead from shot and splinters."
Aitken shrugged. "With this light wind, no one can afford to lose much canvas. Look, stunsails set on the Victory, Téméraire, Neptune, Leviathan ..."
It was an interesting problem working out where the Victory and the Royal Sovereign would break the enemy line: because of the forward movement of the Combined Fleet's line, it would be four or five ships astern of the ones at present dead ahead of them. The Victory seemed at present to be heading for the second 74 ahead of the great Santissima Trinidad, which in turn was being followed by the French flagship, Villeneuve's Bucentaure.
And knowing Nelson, it was not hard to guess where the Victory was intended finally to arrive: Nelson's memorandum said that his column would try to cut through "two or three or four ships ahead of their centre", thus separating the enemy's van and centre squadrons, while Collingwood's column would cut through about the twelfth ship, separating the centre from the rear.
From the look of it, though, the Royal Sovereign would in fact (allowing for the enemy's forward movement) arrive at about the fifteenth ship from the rear while Lord Nelson would reach the twelfth from the van - attacking the Bucentaure, a happy coincidence: Nelson undoubtedly regarded it as his right to capture or destroy the French flagship!
But, Ramage cursed to himself, he was obliged to watch the battle from the deck of the Calypso, not firing a shot, with nothing to do but repeat any signals made by the Victory so that all the rest of the ships could see them. Yet, if he was honest, the brush with Le Brave had brought home to him that frigates getting into action with 74s were just asking to be blown out of the water.
It was a case of like against like. The Africa could be unlucky - she was one of the old 64-gun ships, most of which had now been replaced by 74s. In fact she was starting off the battle on the wrong foot: because she missed a signal during the night, she was only now catching up with the fleet and approaching the Combined Fleet's line of battle from the north-west.
Like against like: ship of the line against ship of the line; frigate against frigate - except that frigates did not get involved in a battle like this, even against enemy frigates . . .