the life of horatio lord nelson-第54节

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at　time　an　admiral　in　the　Portuguese　service；　the　same　person　who　had　given　important　tidings　to　Earl　St。　Vincent　of　the　movements　of　that　fleet　from　which　he　won　his　title；　a　second　time　gave　timely　and　momentous　intelligence　to　the　flag　of　his　country。　He　went　on　board　the　VICTORY；　and　communicated　to　Nelson　his　certain　knowledge　that　the　combined　Spanish　and　French　fleets　were　bound　for　the　West　Indies。　Hitherto　all　things　had　favoured　the　enemy。　While　the　British　commander　was　beating　up　again　strong　southerly　and　westerly　gales；　they　had　wind　to　their　wish　from　the　N。E。；　and　had　done　in　nine　days　what　he　was　a　whole　month　in　accomplishing。　Villeneuve；　finding　the　Spaniards　at　Carthagena　were　not　in　a　fit　state　of　equipment　to　join　him；　dared　not　wait；　but　hastened　on　to　Cadiz。　Sir　John　Orde　necessarily　retired　at　his　approach。　Admiral　Gravina；　with　six　Spanish　ships　of　the　line　and　two　French；　come　out　to　him；　and　they　sailed　without　a　moment's　loss　of　time。　They　had　about　three　thousand　French　troops　on　board；　and　fifteen　hundred　Spanish：　six　hundred　were　under　orders；　expecting　them　at　Martinique；　and　one　thousand　at　Guadaloupe。　General　Lauriston　commanded　the　troops。　The　combined　fleet　now　consisted　of　eighteen　sail　of　the　line；　six　forty…four　gun　frigates；　one　of　twenty…six　guns；　three　corvettes；　and　a　brig。　They　were　joined　afterwards　by　two　new　French　line…of…battle　ships；　and　one　forty…four。　Nelson　pursued　them　with　ten　sail　of　the　line　and　three　frigates。　〃Take　you　a　Frenchman　apiece；〃　said　he　to　his　captains；　〃and　leave　me　the　Spaniards：　when　I　haul　down　my　colours；　I　expect　you　to　do　the　same；　and　not　till　then。〃

The　enemy　had　five…and…thirty　days'　start；　but　he　calculated　that　he　should　gain　eight　or　ten　days　upon　them　by　his　exertions。　May　15th　he　made　Madeira；　and　on　June　4th　reached　Barbadoes；　whither　he　had　sent　despatches　before　him；　and　where　he　found　Admiral　Cochrane；　with　two　ships；　part　of　our　squadron　in　those　seas　being　at　Jamaica。　He　found　here　also　accounts　that　the　combined　fleets　had　been　seen　from　St。　Lucia　on　the　28th；　standing　to　the　southward；　and　that　Tobago　and　Trinidad　were　their　objects。　This　Nelson　doubted；　but　he　was　alone　in　his　opinion；　and　yielded　it　with　these　foreboding　words：　〃If　your　intelligence　proves　false；　you　lose　me　the　French　fleet。〃　Sir　W。　Myers　offered　to　embark　here　with　2000　troops；　they　were　taken　on　board；　and　the　next　morning　he　sailed　for　Tobago。　Here　accident　confirmed　the　false　intelligence　which　had；　whether　from　intention　or　error；　misled　him。　A　merchant　at　Tobago；　in　the　general　alarm；　not　knowing　whether　this　fleet　was　friend　or　foe；　sent　out　a　schooner　to　reconnoitre；　and　acquaint　him　by　signal。　The　signal　which　he　had　chosen　happened　to　be　the　very　one　which　had　been　appointed　by　Col。　Shipley　of　the　engineers　to　signify　that　the　enemy　were　at　Trinidad；　and　as　this　was　at　the　close　of　the　day；　there　was　no　opportunity　of　discovering　the　mistake。　An　American　brig　was　met　with　about　the　same　time；　the　master　of　which；　with　that　propensity　to　deceive　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　th