Now the Calypso's bow was turning towards the harbour entrance, pulled by the boats which were out of sight from the quarterdeck, hidden by the bow. And the closer the frigate approached, the narrower the channel seemed to become.
"Brother Aitken, " Ramage said, "take your mutinous thoughts to the fo'c'sle and pass them aft at the top of your voice if we seem to be straying out of the fairway. I can't see properly from here."
"Aye, aye."
At that moment Southwick sidled up to him and sniffed: "Don't like this one bit, sir - brother, rather."
"How so?"
"I don't know. The feeling that those damned Dons are watching every move we make. It's uncanny. Here we are, towing in, large as life, and they're just staring at us . . ."
"You'd sooner they were shooting, eh?"
Southwick laughed, a laugh which began deep in his large belly. "Not at this range! But I never guessed, and that's a fact; I had it all wrong! "
"Never guessed what?"
"How you were going to get us into the place, sir - brother! I thought all the blood on the deck was to show how the Santa Barbara captured us. Didn't seem very likely to me; I nearly said so. Aitken was worried, too."
Ramage swung round and stared at the Master. "You never guessed? Why, it was so obvious I didn't bother to explain! "
"Not to us, it wasn't, not until you said we'd mutinied and we were to call each other 'brother'. I suppose we'd got it into our heads that you'd take the Santa Barbara in, and leave the Calypso anchored outside. Fill the brig up with men and send her in under the Spanish flag to cut out the Jocasta."
"Too risky, " Ramage said, and stared up at Castillo San Antonio, now towering over the Calypso's larboard side. He counted the muzzles. "Fourteen guns facing this way, and fourteen to seaward. And that other one over there, El Pilar, has twenty to seaward and sixteen covering the channel."
"Why too risky with the Santa Barbara alone, sir - brother?" Southwick persisted.
"The Dons in the forts would get suspicious. Just think about it. If mutineers had handed the Calypso over to Lopez his first concern would be to get her into Santa Cruz. He wouldn't trust them an inch and he wouldn't leave her anchored outside with her ship's company still on board while he went in with the Santa Barbara. Why leave her there? No, he'd want to see her go in first."
Southwick sniffed again, showing his doubts. "He might want to rush in first to make sure he gets all the credit."
"No one else can take that away from him. Anyway, if the Santa Barbara went in first, the Mayor, Port Captain, Bishop - they'd all swarm on board. Where would you hide your boarding party? How would you persuade the real Lopez to make the right answers?"
"Didn't think of that, " Southwick admitted cheerfully. "We tied ourselves up with the idea of making use of the Santa Barbara. Here! Look at that! "
Flags had been hoisted from on top of San Antonio. Ramage grabbed a telescope and saw that they made up a three-number signal. Three? There were only one- and two-flag signals in the Spanish book. It was obviously addressed to the Santa Barbara, and whoever had ordered it to be hoisted knew that Lopez would understand it. What the devil could it mean? Suddenly the fourteen muzzles came into sharp focus. Through the telescope he could see the heads of the Spanish artillerymen. There was an officer peering down at them, using a small glass.
What if they opened fire? The Calypso must not fire back. Cause confusion - yes, if San Antonio opened fire, Ramage decided, then the Calypso would hoist signal flags wherever a signal halyard was rove. Two-flag signals which would send the Spaniards running to the book; two-flag signals which would buy time because every minute that passed saw the Calypso getting further along the channel, further from the muzzles of those guns.
Fear was chilling him; the breeze dried the cold perspiration that was soaking his shirt. Three flags, three pieces of coloured bunting flapping at the top of San Antonio's flagstaff, could wreck everything. He glanced at the channel. If there was any chance of the Calypso being badly damaged, he'd sink her so that she blocked the middle of the channel.
He swung the telescope round to look at the Santa Barbara and remembered telling Wagstaffe that the whole operation could depend on him. It could, and at this moment it did. He saw two flags being hoisted on board the brig: number 50. Yes, Wagstaffe had been quick to react; number 50 meant: "Signal not understood though flags distinguished."
What the devil were the Dons asking Lopez? Something was needed to divert their attention! Ramage picked up the speaking trumpet, noting that the Calypso was now in the middle of the channel and precisely between the two forts.
"All you men - quickly, get up in the rigging and stand by to cheer. You on the fo'c'sle, get muskets and pistols and stand by to fire into the air when I give the word! "
In a minute the shrouds of all three masts were thick with men.
"Now - wave like madmen. Stand by to cheer. Hip, hip . . ."
"Hurrah! " two hundred voices shouted and the roar echoed down the channel, the sound bouncing from the hills.
"Hip, hip . . ."
"Hurrah! "
"Hip, hip .
"Hurrah! "
By now startled birds were wheeling and more faces appeared along the walls of the forts.
"Stand by with those muskets and pistols. Ready? Fire! "
A ragged volley echoed along the hills. More faces appeared at the walls.
"Now, just cheer like madmen! You're mutineers getting your freedom! "
The men shouted, screamed and waved, and for a moment Ramage wondered if the Jocasta's men had behaved like that when they arrived off La Guaira. Someone waved back from the walls of San Antonio and was followed by another man. Soon twenty or thirty Spaniards were waving, and more joined in from the walls of El Pilar.
"That should convince 'em, " Southwick grunted. "It's nearly convinced me! "
The wind in the channel was not as strong as Ramage had expected; the four boats were towing the Calypso at a good speed, two knots or more, because the forts had now drawn aft until they were on each quarter.
"We've got through the gate, " Southwick commented. "I hope we don't find it closed when we want to get out! How do you reckon we're doing for time, sir - brother, rather. Sorry, sir, I can't get used to it."
Ramage looked at his watch. "We're doing well enough. It'll be dark in about forty-five minutes."
"Supposing the captain of the Jocasta - or whatever they call her now - supposing he hasn't received the word that we're coming in?"
Ramage walked to the ship's side and peered out through a gun port, then returned to the rail. "He'll have his orders by now, but even if he hasn't the musket shots will rouse him enough to find out what's going on."
The steep hills on either side of the channel were now beginning to slope down; a hundred yards ahead the land was flat. Then Ramage saw the hills to larboard stop abruptly and the eastern half of the lagoon came in sight - with the Jocasta lying there, her bow to the north, seeming placid and content, like a cow in a meadow.
Southwick, telescope to his eye, began describing what he saw, as though reading from a list: "All her sails bent on - courses, topsails and t'gallants. Sheets and braces are rove - that's a relief. Headsails are bent on and the sheets leading to larboard; she's ready to get under way on the starboard tack. Gun ports closed. Hey, what the devil is going on?"