the life of horatio lord nelson-第61章

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ve　the　English　and　assist　the　French　in　any　manner　which　has　been　but　too　common　among　his　countrymen；　affirmed　that　he　had　been　boarded　off　Granada　a　few　days　before　by　the　French；　who　were　standing　towards　the　Bocas　of　Trinidad。　This　fresh　intelligence　removed　all　doubts。　The　ships　were　cleared　for　action　before　daylight；　and　Nelson　entered　the　Bay　of　Paria　on　the　7th；　hoping　and　expecting　to　make　the　mouths　of　the　Orinoco　as　famous　in　the　annals　of　the　British　navy　as　those　of　the　Nile。　Not　an　enemy　was　there；　and　it　was　discovered　that　accident　and　artifice　had　combined　to　lead　him　so　far　to　leeward；　that　there　could　have　been　little　hope　of　fetching　to　windward　of　Granada　for　any　other　fleet。　Nelson；　however；　with　skill　and　exertions　never　exceeded；　and　almost　unexampled；　bore　for　that　island。

Advices　met　him　on　the　way；　that　the　combined　fleets；　having　captured　the　Diamond　Rock；　were　then　at　Martinique　on　the　fourth；　and　were　expected　to　sail　that　night　for　the　attack　of　Granada。　On　the　9th　Nelson　arrived　off　that　island；　and　there　learned　that　they　had　passed　to　leeward　of　Antigua　the　preceding　day；　and　had　taken　a　homeward…bound　convoy。　Had　it　not　been　for　false　information；　upon　which　Nelson　had　acted　reluctantly；　and　in　opposition　to　his　own　judgment；　he　would　have　been　off　Port　Royal　just　as　they　were　leaving；　it；　and　the　battle　would　have　been　fought　on　the　spot　where　Rodney　defeated　De　Grasse。　This　he　remembered　in　his　vexation；　but　he　had　saved　the　colonies；　and　above　200　ships　laden　for　Europe；　which　would　else　have　fallen　into　the　enemy's　hands；　and　he　had　the　satisfaction　of　knowing　that　the　mere　terror　of　his　name　had　effected　this；　and　had　put　to　flight　the　allied　enemies；　whose　force　nearly　doubled　that　before　which　they　fled。　That　they　were　flying　back　to　Europe　he　believed；　and　for　Europe　he　steered　in　pursuit　on　the　13th；　having　disembarked　the　troops　at　Antigua；　and　taking　with　him　the　SPARTIATE；　seventy…four；　the　only　addition　to　the　squadron　with　which　he　was　pursuing　so　superior　a　force。　Five　days　afterwards　the　AMAZON　brought　intelligence　that　she　had　spoke　a　schooner　who　had　seen　them　on　the　evening　of　the　15th；　steering　to　the　north；　and　by　computation；　eighty…seven　leagues　off。　Nelson's　diary　at　this　time　denotes　his　great　anxiety　and　his　perpetual　and　all…observing　vigilance。　〃June　21。　Midnight；　nearly　calm；　saw　three　planks；　which　I　think　came　from　the　French　fleet。　Very　miserable；　which　is　very　foolish。〃　On　the　17th　of　July　he　came　in　sight　of　Cape　St。　Vincent；　and　steered　for　Gibraltar。　〃June　18th；〃　his　diary　says；〃Cape　Spartel　in　sight；　but　no　French　fleet；　nor　any　information　about　them。　How　sorrowful　this　makes　me！　but　I　cannot　help　myself。〃　The　next　day　he　anchored　at　Gibraltar；　and　on　the　20th；　says　he；　〃I　went　on　shore　for　the　first　time　since　June　16；　1803；　and　from　having　my　foot　out　of　the　VICTORY　two　years；　wanting　ten　days。〃

Here　he　communicated　with　his　old　friend　Collingwood；　who；　having　been　detached　with　a　squadron；　when　the　disappearance　of　the　combined　fleets；　and　of　Nelson　in　their　pursuit；　was　known　in　England；　had　taken　his　station　off　Cadiz。　He　thought　that　Ireland　was　the　enemy's　ultimate　object；　that　they　would　now　liberate　the　Ferrol　squadron；　which　was　blocked　up　by　Sir　Robert　Calder；　call　for　the　Rochefort　ships；and　then　appear　off　Ushant　with　33　or　34　sail；　there　to　be　joined：　by　the　Brest　fleet。　With　this　great　force　he　supposed　they　would　make　for　Ireland　the　real　mark　and　bent　of　all　their　operations；　and　their　flight　to　the　West　Indies；　he　thought；　had　been　merely　undertaken　to　take　off　Nelson's　force；　which　was　the　great　impediment　to　their　undertaking。

Collingwood　was　gifted　with　great　political　penetration。　As　yet；　however；　all　was　conjecture　concerning　the　enemy；　and　Nelson；　having　victualled　and　watered　at　Tetuan；　stood　for　Ceuta　on　the　24th；　still　without　information　of　their　course。　Next　day　intelligence　arrived　that　the　CURIEUX　brig　had　seen　them　on　the　19th；　standing　to　the　northward。　He　proceeded　off　Cape　St。　Vincent；　rather　cruising　for　intelligence　than　knowing　whither　to　betake　himself；　and　here　a　case　occurred　that　more　than　any　other　event　in　real　history　resembles　those　whimsical　proofs　of　sagacity　which　Voltaire；　in　his　Zadig；　has　borrowed　from　the　Orientals。　One　of　our　frigates　spoke　an　American；　who；　a　little　to　the　westward　of　the　Azores；　had　fallen　in　with　an　armed　vessel；　appearing　to　be　a　dismasted　privateer；　deserted　by　her　crew；　which　had　been　run　on　board　by　another　ship；　and　had　been　set　fire　to；　but　the　fire　had　gone　out。　A　log…book　and　a　few　seamen's　jackets　were　found　in　the　cabin；　and　these　were　brought　to　Nelson。　The　log…book　closed　with　these　words：　〃Two　large　vessels　in　the　W。N。W。：〃　and　this　led　him　to　conclude　that　the　vessel　had　been　an　English　privateer；　cruising　off　the　Western　Islands。　But　there　was　in　this　book　a　scrap　of　dirty　paper；　filled　with　figures。　Nelson；　immediately　upon　seeing　it；　observed　that　the　figures　were　written　by　a　Frenchman；　and　after　studying　this　for　a　while；　said；　〃I　can　explain　the　whole。　The　jackets　are　of　French　manufacture；　and　prove　that　the　privateer　was　in　possession　of　the　enemy。　She　had　been　chased　and　taken　by　the　two　ships　that　were　seen　in　the　W。N。W。　The　　prizemaster；　going　on　board　in　a　hurry；　forgot　to　take　with　him　his　reckoning：　there　is　none　in　the　log…book；　and　the　dirty　paper　contains　her　work　for　the　number　of　days　since　the　privateer　last　left　Corvo；　with　an　unaccounted…for　run；　which　I　take　to　have　been　the　chase；　in　his　endeavour　to　find　out　her　situation　by　back　reckonings。　By　some　mismanagement；　I　conclude　she　was　run　on　board　of　by　one　of　the　enemy's　ships；　and　dismasted。　Not　liking　delay　（for　I　am　satisfied　that　those　two　ships　were　the　advanced　ones　of　the　French　squadron）；　and　fancying　we　were　close　at　their　heels；　they　set　fire　to　the　vessel；　and　abandoned　her　in　a　hurry。　If　this　explanation　be　correct；　I　infer　from　it　that　they　are　gone　more　to　the　northward；　and　more　to　the　northward　I　will　look　for　them。〃　This　course　accordingly　he　held；　but　still　without　success。　Still　persevering；　and　still　disappointed；　he　returned　near　enough　to　Cadiz　to　ascertain　that　they　were　not　there；　traversed　the　Bay　of　Biscay；　and　then；　as　a　last　hope；　stood　over　for　the　north…west　coast　of　Ireland　against　adverse　winds；　till；　on　the　evening　of　the　12th　of　August；　he　learned　that　they　had　not　been　heard　of　there。　Frustrated　thus　in　all　his　hopes；　after　a　pursuit；　to　which；　for　its　extent；　rapidity；　and　perseverance；　no　parallel　can　he　produced；　he　judged　it　best　to　reinforce　the　Channel　fleet　with　his　squadron；　lest　the　enemy；　as　Collingwood　apprehended；　should　bear　down　upon　Brest　with　their　whole　collected　force。　On　the　15th　he　joined　Admiral　Cornwallis　off　Ushant。　No　news　had　yet　been　obtained　of　the　enemy；　and　on　the　same　evening　he　received　orders　to　proceed；　with　the　VICTORY　and　SUPERB；　to　Portsmouth。




CHAPTER　IX

1805

Sir　Robert　Calder　falls　in　with　the　combined　FleetsThey　form　a　Junction　with　the　Ferrol　Squadron；　and　get　into　CadizNelson　is　reappointed　to　the　CommandBattle　of　TrafalgarVictory；　and　Death　of　Nelson。

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At　Portsmouth；　Nelson　at　length　found　news　of　the　combined　fleet。　Sir　Robert　Calder；　who　had　been　sent　out　to　intercept　their　return；　had　fallen　in　with　them　on　the　22nd　of　July；　sixty　leagues　off　Cape　Finisterre。　Their　force　consisted　of　twenty　sail　of　the　line；　three　fifty…gun　ships；　five　frigates；　and　two　brigs：　his；　of　fifteen　line…of…　battle　ships；　two　frigates；　a　cutter；　and　a　lugger。　After　an　action　of　four　hours　he　had　captured　an　eighty…four　and　a　seventy…four；　and　then　thought　it　necessary　to　bring…to　the　squadron；　for　the　purpose　of　securing　their　prizes。　The　hostile　fleets　remained　in　sight　of　each　other　till　the　26th；　when　the　enemy　bore　away。　The　capture　of　two　ships　from　so　superior　a　force　would　have　been　　considered　as　no　inconsider…　able　victory；　a　few　years　earlier；　but　Nelson　had　introduced　a　new　era　in　our　naval　history；　and　the　nation　felt　respecting　this　action　as　he　had　felt　on　a　somewhat　similar　occasion。　They　regretted　that　Nelson；　with　his　eleven　ships；　had　not　been　in　Sir　Robert　Calder's　place；　and　their　disappointment　w