A ship of the line and three frigates. A French squadron which had been covering the convoy on its way across the Atlantic? Or Admiral Davis at long last?
He called to Orsini, showed him the two signals in the book and said: 'Make 359 with the Surcouf’s pendant and lower it at once when she answers; then her pendant and 360, lowering three times. You understand?'
The boy nodded and ran to the flag locker as Southwick ordered two seamen to help him.
'Mr Southwick, we'll go down to the Rock under topsails!'
'Aye, aye, sir!' Southwick said and began bellowing for topmen.
As the squaresails were furled and the staysails lowered and secured in the tops Ramage cursed the Diamond headland: it was still blocking his view right across the bight down to Pointe des Salines.
The moment the Juno was reduced to topsails, Ramage said quietly to the Master: 'Beat to quarters, Mr Southwick . . .'
The Master passed the order that set the calls of the bos'n's mates shrilling, but his face was sombre as he rejoined Ramage at the quarterdeck rail. ‘I can't help thinking our luck has run out at last,' he said, 'but the lads will put up a good fight, sir.'
Ramage shook his head and, seeing that no one else could hear them, said quietly but distinctly: 'I don't propose taking either ship into action against a ship of the line and three frigates. It would be the same as locking both ships' companies in a magazine and setting fire to it.'
‘We'll be hard put to get past them to make Barbados and raise the alarm,' Southwick said. 'We'd -'
'As soon as we're sure, we'll run round the north end of Martinique. That...'
Jackson's hail from aloft cut him short. 'Signal from the Diamond, sir ...'
Both Ramage and Southwick waited, staring aloft at the American, and listening for him to read out the flags. Orsini was watching through his telescope but said nothing.
'What's happening, blast you?' Southwick roared.
'Sorry, sir,' Jackson called down. 'They began hoisting a three-flag signal but they lowered it again suddenly.'
'More ships of the line coming round Pointe des Salines,' Southwick said sourly. 'I thought just one didn't sound right. . .'
'Hoisting again,' Orsini yelled, followed a moment later by Jackson, who shouted: ‘Three flags . . . three . . . two . . . one!'
Orsini had the signal book open in a moment. 'Sir - The chase is a friend . . .' He looked puzzled, held the book open between his legs and looked again with his telescope. He consulted the book again, shaking his head. 'Yes, it means that, but I do not understand it, sir. Perhaps they made a mistake.'
Ramage patted the boy on the shoulder. 'No, it's correct. They are having to use the best signal they can to tell us what they mean. The signals were never meant to be used by shore batteries. They are telling us that the Admiral has arrived.'
'Not the French Admiral, then?' The boy sounded disappointed,
'No, Admiral Davis from Barbados.’
The boy made a wry face. 'I suppose that will mean more signals, sir ...'
The Juno was just able to point high enough to pass inside the Diamond and Ramage could see the Invincible and her three frigates on the far side of the great bight, running with a quartering wind towards the Rock.
Suddenly Jackson hailed that the Juno battery had hoisted a signal, and a moment later called down the numbers. Orsini looked it up in the book and read it out to Ramage, doubt showing in his voice. 'Number 251 is Ships' companies will have time for dinner or breakfast, sir ...'
Both Ramage and Southwick laughed, and the Master said: 'They know they gave us a scare, and themselves too, I suspect!'
Ramage reached for the signal book, checked a page, and told Orsini: 'The Diamond's pendant and number 112.'
Southwick looked questioningly and Ramage said, 'Keep the maintopsail shivering. Not much of a joke, but the best I can do for the moment.'
As soon as the signal was hauled down he told Orsini to make number 242 with the Surcouf's pendant. There was no need for both frigates to go down to meet the Admiral, and the sight of the former French frigate tacking back and forth in front of La Comète and the seven merchantmen, obeying the order 'Stay by prizes', would help to impress the Admiral, Ramage hoped.
He knew he was going to have to be as sharp as a diamond to make any impression on the Admiral, but he wanted three things. He wanted to get a command for Aitken. Perhaps not the Surcouf, she was a tempting plum for one of the Admiral's favourites, but perhaps La Comète. After repairs and rerigging she would have to be taken to English Harbour to be careened so that the damaged planks could be replaced, and not many officers wanted to spend a few weeks in such a hot place. She might even have to go to the dockyard in Jamaica. There was also a chance that the Admiral might buy La Créole into the service and could be persuaded to put Wagstaffe in command. That would give him a good push up the ladder towards post rank. Lastly he wanted to ensure that the batteries on the Diamond were kept in service. It was a decision that only the Admiral could make, but somehow he felt a proprietary interest in them,
Southwick wanted nothing: he had been offered much in the past but asked only that he be allowed to serve with Ramage. There would be prize money for all the Junos. At a guess, the Surcouf should fetch about £16,000, so the seamen would share £4000, or about £25 each. La Comète would fetch less because she was damaged, say £20 a man. There would be as much again for the seven merchantmen and two schooners. That totalled some £65 a man - the equivalent of six years' pay. Aitken and Wagstaffe would get shares as commanding officers, and only Baker and the men in La Mutine would receive nothing because they were not present during the action.
Baker! Did La Mutine get to Barbados? Why wasn't she with the Admiral's squadron? Had the Admiral ordered Baker to stay in Bridgetown, with the twenty Junos on board La Mutine? Why was the Admiral so late? Plenty of questions, he thought sourly, and no answers...
'Hoist our pendant numbers,' Ramage told Orsini, 'and then watch the flagship. She'll be making a signal very soon.'
Southwick bustled up. 'We're ready to hoist out a boat, sir.' He looked at Ramage's stock and then down at his stockings. 'There's plenty of time for you to change, sir, if you wish.'
The Master was quite right: within half an hour he would probably be on board the flagship, making his report. Clean stock, best uniform, boots polished, hat squared and mind you do not trip over your sword ... At least he had recently shaved, and the report to the Admiral was in his cabin, already signed and sealed. The object, he told himself mockingly, is to make everything seem easy: four French frigates and seven merchantmen accounted for yesterday; today no sign of effort...
He was still in his cabin, his steward brushing his coat, when he heard through the skylight Orsini reporting a signal from the Invincible: the Juno's pendant and number 213. That was one that Ramage knew by heart - The Captain of the ship pointed out to come to the Admiral ... A moment later the boy was at his door, knocking urgently and delivering the message.
Ramage slung the sword belt over his shoulder and finished dressing, crouching as he slid into the coat held up by his steward. He jammed his hat on his head and picked up the canvas bag. It was bulky - not only did it contain his report and the orders he had written for Wagstaffe to take the merchantmen to Barbados, but he decided to take the Master's log and his own journal, as well as his order book. And there were the secret papers from La Comète, perhaps the most important of them all.
The Invincible was a mile away, steering towards them, with a frigate ahead and one on either beam. Southwick was waiting for orders. There had been no signal from the Invincible telling the Juno to take up a particular position in the squadron, which told him that either Admiral Davis was in a hurry to hear the news - by now he would have seen the cluster of ships at anchor off the Diamond - or he was not a fussy man who did not trust his captains.