What the devil were the French escorts going to do? At the moment the convoy and escorts were still sailing the same course, coming down into the Fours Channel and heading straight for the Juno. The only sign that they had seen the two British frigates was the two signals and the merchantmen bunching up.
A third signal was hoisted on board the leading frigate and he watched carefully. There were answering signals from the frigates only. Very well, they had received orders - but what were they going to do? He looked back at the merchant ships and stifled an oath of surprise. 'Just look!' he exclaimed unbelievingly to Southwick. 'Some of them are clewing up their courses! They're going to jog along under their topsails alone!'
'Just like all merchantmen,' the Master said cheerfully. 'If they were making five knots before, they'll make three now, if they're lucky. Our lads at the Diamond batteries must be rubbing their hands!'
'Are they acting under orders?' Ramage wondered aloud, and at the same moment saw more signals hoisted by the leading frigate. He watched carefully but none of the other frigates answered, so the signal must have been for the merchantmen.
The merchant ship leading the centre column let fall her courses again, as if in response to the signal, and was followed by her next astern, but the other merchant ships were still busy furling, obviously ignoring the order. A minute later the two centre-column ships clewed up their courses again, clearly anxious not to find themselves ahead of the rest.
By now the Surcouf had rounded the Diamond and tacked to the northwards and La Créole had tacked, too, as though trying to keep well up to windward of her pursuer and reach the safety of the convoy. Ramage pointed them out. 'I think we'll match the Surcouf tack for tack for the time being.'
As the Master snatched up his speaking trumpet, Ramage saw that the leading frigate was altering course slightly, as though intending to sail the convoy through the precise centre of the Fours Channel. Obviously the French captain had decided on the change to keep both British frigates on his larboard bow. It was a good move from his point of view because it left the convoy still covered by the coast to the north.
'Belay that!' Ramage called to Southwick, 'we'll stay on this tack!' He wanted to be sure that all the ships in the convoy followed the leading frigate, and the Juno tacking might scare them off. Their new course would take them half-way between the headland and the Diamond and would reduce the range for the Diamond batteries to half a mile. It would also leave a wider gap between the convoy and the coast.
Southwick rejoined him and saw what was happening. 'The Rock's a magnet for them,' he said.
Ramage shook his head. ‘I think he knows about the current and is afraid the merchantmen under topsails alone will get swept too close to the headland.'
'What's he going to do with those other two frigates, sir?'
'I'm damned if I know. He made them a signal which they answered, but they're still keeping station.'
Southwick gestured towards the Surcouf. ‘Just look at her, sir, she's eating up to windward. She's at least a knot faster than us.'
'A point which hasn't escaped Aitken,' Ramage said wryly, and began to recast his plans slightly. Two unexpected things had happened. First the French merchantmen had obligingly reduced sail and cut the convoy's speed, and second the Surcouf was not only proving faster to windward than he had expected, but she was pointing higher. On this tack, unless the convoy altered course, Aitken could actually intercept the convoy, sailing into the middle of it, instead of arriving astern of it to cut off its retreat.
Ramage began rubbing the scars over his brow and the moment Southwick noticed it he made a mental note not to interrupt the Captain's thoughts. Rubbing the scar meant concentration and perhaps a sudden change of plan. From past experience it resulted in something even more desperate than originally intended but usually more effective. He tried to guess what it would be.
At the moment Southwick thought that the situation was more or less as they had anticipated. The convoy was beginning to come through the Fours Channel towards them; the Surcouf was well round the Diamond and heading up towards the convoy to shut the escape door; La Créole was almost up to the rear of the convoy. Wagstaffe was making another tack, which was unnecessary unless he was trying to waste time until the Juno and the Surcouf were in position. The convoy had reduced speed and the leading French frigate was going to bring them through the middle of the Fours Channel.
Southwick shrugged his shoulders. The original plan had been for the Juno to try to fight her way through the leading frigates to get at the merchantmen while the Surcouf did the same from astern, with La Créole doing her best to get into the middle and use her nimbleness to savage the merchantmen like a stoat running amok in a hen run. That seemed good enough to Southwick, particularly when the Diamond batteries joined in.
Ramage looked round for Orsini. 'Give me the signal book and stand by.'
He thumbed through the pages. Making a signal which gave a precise order was frequently difficult for a captain or admiral who wanted to do something out of the ordinary. There were nearly four hundred signals in the book, ranging from Engage the enemy more closely to The ship has sprung a leak, from Send boats tomorrow morning for water, for fresh beef, or for any other supplies of which the ship may be in need to The physician of the fleet is to come to the Admiral.
For all that, he was going to have to use two separate signals to give his new order to Aitken. The problem was that the new order was not a complete change. The Surcouf was still to attack the convoy, but not from the rear: Aitken was to attack the middle of the convoy from the seaward side. Signal number 33 said Engage the centre of the enemy, but might be misunderstood by Aitken as meaning that he was also to attack the frigates which, forming a half circle round the convoy on his side, would immediately close up to drive him off. No, Ramage had to make it clear that the English frigate's target was stil the merchant ships, Very well, there would have to be two signals. The first would be number 22, Attack the enemy's convoy of transports or trading ships, followed immediately by number 33, Engage the centre of the enemy.
He looked across at the convoy. It was also time to make the agreed signal for the Diamond and indicate to them that their orders were unchanged.
'Orsini, hoist number 13.'
'Number 13, Prepare for battle, sir,' the boy said, running to the halyard,
Ramage gestured to one of the four men to leave the wheel and give him a hand, and watched the Surcouf acknowledge.
He then said carefully to the boy; 'Now the Surcouf's pendant, and then two signals, number 22, and number 33.'
‘Aye, aye, sir,’ said the boy, repeating the meanings. Ramage nodded and prayed that the Diamond batteries would not be so excited that they did not notice that the second signal was addressed only to the Surcouf.
'We’ll tack now, Mr Southwick,' he said and tried to look at the Surcouf. The Master had heard him tell Orsini the signals and was obviously puzzled as he walked to the quarterdeck rail with his speaking trumpet. In a few moments more Aitken would not be puzzled: he would know that he had to keep the Surcouf on the same tack and heading for a point, at the moment unmarked, where the frigate and the convoy would meet. Then, whatever the French frigates did to try and stop him, he must luff up or bear away, tack, wear, or do anything else that let him dodge the escorts and break through to attack the centre of the convoy.
What would Aitken think? Ramage knew it did not matter, because the battle had to be fought, but the young Scot might think that, at the last minute, his senior officers had left him the desperate part of the fighting, ordering him to make a suicidal attack.