He watched as the boarding party scrambled down to the frigate - whose name he had noticed was the Sirène - and he wished he could have sent Hill along as well, so that his French would make sure that orders were obeyed quickly, but felt he could not spare an officer from his quarters with a lot more shooting still to be done.
He suddenly remembered the stern lanterns and snatched up the speaking trumpet. He then realized that leading a prize crew taking command of a frigate was too much for a midshipman, and decided that after all Hill would have to go.
'Send Hill over to take command of the frigate,' he told Aitken, 'and tell him to douse the stern lanterns. Then put the frigate's wheel over otherwise we'll never get free of her.'
Another midshipman was sent below to fetch Hill, who suddenly appeared on the quarterdeck. Ramage repeated his orders and added: 'If we don't see you again make for Barbados. I'll send the Scourge to collect you. If you see any merchantmen they'll be the ones we've captured, so escort them.'
Hill, delighted at once again commanding a prize frigate, eagerly scrambled over the side of the Dido and down on to the frigate's deck. Ramage could just make out movement on board the frigate as fighting lanterns were brought up from below. In the starlight he could see that most of the boats on the booms had been smashed and a thirty-foot length of bulwark beaten in, making an unsightly kink in the frigate's sheer. But it was too dark to see other damage and anyway Ramage knew that most of it would be below decks, because the Dido's gunners had orders to fire into the hull. The boats had probably been smashed by the carronades, whose task was to sweep the decks, killing men and cutting rigging.
Ramage looked astern and could just make out the first of the merchantmen faithfully following in the frigate's wake. Their masters must now be in something of a panic: they had suddenly seen their pilot attacked by an unknown ship, and Ramage thought it very unlikely that they had charts for the voyage up to Fort Royal - charts on a large enough scale, anyway.
By now Hill should be putting the frigate's wheel over, turning her to larboard so that she came clear of the Dido, which in turn would be turning to larboard as she wore round to tackle the first of the merchant ships.
'That was a wise move sending over Hill as prizemaster,' Southwick said. 'He'll be quick to spot if the French try any tricks. You never can tell with these Frenchmen: once they haven't got us alongside pouring broadsides into them, they might get their courage back ...'
'That's just what I thought,' Ramage agreed. 'That's why I sent over some extra Marines.'
By now Aitken was giving the orders which wore the ship, and once again the sails slatted as she turned. Ramage changed his position on the quarterdeck to get a better view of the first merchantman, and Southwick growled: 'I shall be very surprised if we have to fire a shot to take this one!'
Ramage had already reached the same conclusion and was conning the Dido round to come alongside the ship, within hailing distance. 'Pass the word that no guns are to fire without receiving orders,' he told Aitken, 'and make sure Orsini's carronades understand.'
Quickly the sheets were trimmed and the yards braced, and the Dido turned on to the same course as the merchantman and started to overhaul her.
'She's reefed down - can you believe it?' exclaimed Southwick. 'These mules are all the same, whether French or British.'
As the Dido began to overhaul the merchantman, Ramage picked up the speaking trumpet and went to the ship's side. As the bowsprit drew level with the merchantman, Ramage bellowed in French: 'Surrender - or I'll fire a broadside into you!'
He quickly reversed the trumpet and put it to his ear, and almost immediately heard an agitated yell: 'We surrender . . . we surrender!'
'Heave-to - I'm coming alongside,' Ramage shouted back, and gave a quick helm order so that the Dido turned slightly, her big hull with its pronounced tumblehome crashing into the side of the merchant ship.
'Get that second boarding party over,' Ramage snapped at Aitken, and while the two ships pressed together a midshipman led his mixed party of seamen and Marines, jumping down several feet on to the deck of the merchant ship. Ramage waited to see that they were in control and then ordered the Dido to wear.
Once again the Dido repeated the manoeuvre which had separated her from the frigate, and Southwick said: 'Six more merchantmen and another frigate.' With that he snapped the nightglass shut.
'Let's hope these merchantmen give no more trouble than that one,' Ramage said.
'Yes, leave the frigate until last,' Southwick said. 'No chance of taking him by surprise!'
Ramage looked round for the next merchantman and pointed her out to Aitken, who conned the ship round until she was overtaking her from astern. Ramage picked up the speaking trumpet as the Dido's bowsprit drew level with the ship and then began to pass it.
'Surrender and heave-to!' Ramage shouted in French, but when he reversed the speaking trumpet to hear the reply he was startled by the stream of defiance and French obscenities.
He recognized the Gascon accent and the voice seemed very determined. He reversed the speaking trumpet and shouted: 'If you do not surrender I will fire a broadside into you.'
This threat brought more cursing and it was obvious the French master did not intend either to surrender or to heave-to.
Ramage thought for a moment. A broadside would almost certainly destroy the ship. He decided to give him one more chance. 'Heave-to or I'll blow you out of the water!'
More curses and shouts of defiance showed that the Gascon master was determined to take no notice of the British ship of the line almost alongside him and Ramage told Aitken: 'He refuses to surrender or heave-to. Give him a whiff of the carronades!'
Aitken called up to Orsini on the poop and a few moments later the carronades barked out, sweeping the merchantman's decks with caseshot. Again Ramage hailed through the speaking trumpet and received a shower of abuse in reply.
Very well, he thought to himself, you've brought it on yourself: the carronades gave you a taste of what to expect. 'Fire a broadside into him, Mr Aitken,' he said. 'I've given him four chances to surrender.'
The flash and crash of the broadside caught him unawares, before he could close an eye, and he was blinded for several seconds. He had just heard Southwick exclaim: 'Look, she's afire,' when he saw flames coming up her forehatch. The hatch cover had obviously ripped off and the flames were lighting up the foot of the sails.
He shouted to Jackson to turn two points to starboard and then ordered Aitken: 'Man the fire engine!'
As he quickly looked round the flames began spreading and lighting up the night sky. He caught a glimpse of the surrendered frigate and merchantman ahead, and saw the string of merchantmen astern, their sails lit up.
The Dido seemed to be turning very slowly and already the flames were licking up the sails of the merchantman. Ramage could hear the crackling of burning wood and as, horrified, he watched the flames, the ship's foremast slowly, almost lazily, leaned over forward and crashed down on to the bowsprit.
This stopped the ship as if she had run into a wall, and the Dido continued sailing, passing her as she began her turn away.
'I hope she isn't carrying powder,' Southwick said.
'We're too close if she is,' Aitken commented.
'If she's carrying powder, her master is a fool,' Ramage said. 'You don't invite a broadside from a ship of the line if you've got powder in the hold. Even if you're a Gascon,' he added, half to himself, remembering the reputation that Gascons had for boasting - indeed, giving their name to the word gasconnade.