'Yes, but he'll be reinforced by a frigate or two - maybe another ship of the line: who knows, the French might be determined to get this convoy through, and have given it a big escort.'

'In that case,' Ramage said wryly, 'we are going to be bustling about, but whatever the escort, they'll be coming round Cabrit Island.'

'You don't think they'd risk coming north-about, guessing we'd be waiting off Cabrit?'

'No, they daren't risk the whole convoy losing the wind and being carried off to the north by the current. It was different for that frigate - the northgoing current would help him. But I can't see those merchant ships making a couple of knots to windward in light airs.'

'No, sir,' Southwick agreed. 'They'd be colliding with each other, especially if they were trying to get in at night.'

'I can't see them attempting it at night,' Aitken said. 'The French merchantmen must be as mulish as the British, and we'd never risk it.'

'No,' said Ramage, 'it will be south-about. By the way,' he told Aitken, 'you can fetch Orsini down now.'

If the frigate had brought news of the convoy, Ramage told himself, then the Achille must be making ready for sea. And that was a good point that Southwick had made - that the convoy might have another ship of the line with it. To let the Achille join the convoy meant making sure of having to tackle two ships of the line at once. If he could deal with the Achille before she joined the convoy . . .

What about going north to look at the Achille this afternoon, to see if she had swayed up her yards? He could rely on the brig to warn him, but he admitted he would feel happier if he had a look himself. Would the Dido's sudden appearance off Fort Royal alarm the Achille, or warn her what she might expect if she ventured out? Ramage doubted it: the French would know, from lookouts on the coast, that the Dido was round the corner, so it should not make any difference.

Well, what was he going to do, go for the Achille on the way out or on the way back? He needed to make up his mind. The prospect of another ship of the line with the convoy finally decided him.

By late afternoon the Dido was heading into Fort Royal with a brisk easterly wind knocking up white caps as she beat in towards Fort St Louis and the Carénage.

Southwick, Aitken and Ramage were all watching the Achille with their telescopes. Finally Southwick said: 'She's as ready for sea as she'll ever be. There's no doubt that frigate brought her the news she's been waiting for.'

'I wonder how far out the convoy is?' Aitken said, speculatively. 'Probably fairly close.'

'Close enough for the frigate to leave it and return, giving enough time for the Achille to get out to it.'

Southwick said: 'Why doesn't she sail now? She knows she's got to fight us, and a night action is always risky.'

'These nights are dark: no moon yet. She might think she can dodge us - and she might be lucky!' Ramage said. 'If we sit hove-to off Pointe des Nègres she's going to have trouble getting past us - unless it's squally and she manages to dodge us in a patch of poor visibility.'

Ramage looked round at the sky: the usual Trade wind clouds were coming off the island and the weather looked settled enough. 'Not much chance of squalls tonight,' he said. 'It looks as though the Achille is going to have to come out in clear visibility.'

'We need some luck after missing that damned frigate,' Southwick growled.

Ramage finally made up his mind. 'We'll wait off Pointe des Nègres, and the Scourge can watch to the south. Mr Aitken, I'll trouble you to hoist the brig's pendant and the signal for her captain.'

After the brig had sailed in and hove-to a hundred yards to windward, hoisting out a boat, Lieutenant Bennett came on board, nervous as though expecting a broadside from Ramage for missing the frigate when she sailed during the night. But Ramage did not mention the episode. Instead he said: 'I am fairly sure the Achille will sail tonight. I am equally sure that she will try to get out to the northwards. I shall be waiting off Pointe des Nègres and I want you to watch to the south.

'I'll be hove-to between the Banc de la Vierge and the Pointe, somewhere on the sixteen-fathom line. You can be waiting in your normal position. If you sight her under way, fire two white rockets if she is heading north, and three if south. And you shadow her as close as you can without her getting in a broadside. Set off a false fire at five-minute intervals, so we know where you are, and burn two if there's a radical change of course.'

'What if she attacks me, sir?' Bennett asked.

'You either dodge her or you get sunk,' Ramage said drily. 'But try to shadow her from astern. She might loose off her sternchase guns, but you won't have much to worry about after the first round: the muzzle flash will blind the French gunners.

'Now don't forget,' Ramage said. 'Two white rockets mean he's going northwards and three south. False fires at five-minute intervals and two together for a radical change of course. Do you want me to give you that in writing?'

'No, I can remember it, sir,' Bennett said, showing a sudden surge of confidence, as though listening to Ramage had made him more sure of himself.

Bennett returned to the brig, which went back to her patrol line, where she would wait until twilight before returning close in to the Passe du Carénage.

Southwick sniffed. 'I wish I could make up my mind about that lad,' he said. 'One minute he seems confident enough and the next he seems too nervous.'

'I think he expected trouble over that frigate,' Ramage said. 'From his point of view it was entirely his fault.'

'Aye, and if you weren't the man you are, your report to the admiral would say so.'

Ramage shrugged his shoulders and laughed. 'Well, it wasn't so long ago I was commanding a brig. Perhaps I feel sorry for him.'

Southwick shook his head. 'I hope you're not going soft, sir!'

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Twilight turned to darkness with the suddenness for which the Tropics are notorious, and the Dido hove-to a mile from Pointe des Nègres, her bow heading into the cliffs which lined the shore.

The Pointe itself stuck out to the south-west like a stubby tail, cliffs right to the narrow end. At one mile Ramage could, with the nightglass, just make out the blacker blur of the land, but he was not sure he would be able to distinguish a ship. The Achille, coming out of the Baie du Carénage, would have to sail south for more than half a mile before turning north-west so that she avoided the shallow Banc du Fort St Louis. But what would she do after that if she intended making a bolt to the north - follow the land round to Pointe des Nègres, or head out to the west to make an offing before turning north?

If she went out to the west and the Scourge was not following her and burning false fires, the Dido would miss her: Ramage was betting that she would keep close to the land. The Achille had plenty of choices. She could come out to the south-west before turning north-west: an arc of some three miles which the Dido could not hope to cover. Did young Bennett realize how much depended on him? It was probably a good thing if he did not: he might get so nervous that his judgement was affected.

'How many lookouts do we have?' Ramage asked Aitken.

'Eight, sir: two extra ones. One on the starboard bow, one aft on the starboard side.'

'We'll beat to quarters now. If they sailed as soon as it was dark they could be along here within twenty minutes or so, and it takes us fifteen minutes to get to general quarters.'

Aitken gave the order and in a couple of minutes the two Marine drummers were striking up. Once again, even though it was dark, Ramage was reminded of an anthill being stirred up as the men hurried to their positions. They would be loading the 32-pounders, which had a range of 2,080 yards, and the 24-pounders, which could fire a shot 1,800 yards, while the 12-pounders could manage 1,500 yards. Nor were the shot insignificant - the 32-pounders were 6.1 inches in diameter, the 24-pounders 5.6 inches, and the 12-pounders were a comparatively modest 4.4 inches.