Patrick O'Brian - H.M.S. Surprise

‘Gentlemen,’ cried Jack at last, addressing himself to the three or four other determined men at the table, ‘this is no time for talking. There are only two things for it: we must either run or fight. If you run, Linois will snap up your fleet piecemeal, for I can stop only one of his frigates, while the Marengo can sail five leagues to your three and blow any two of you out of the water. If we fight, if we concentrate our force, we can answer him gun for gun.’

‘Who is to fight the guns?’ asked a voice.

‘I will come to that, sir. What is more, Linois is a sear out of a dockyard and he is three thousand miles from the isle of France: he is short of stores, and single spar or fifty fathom of two-​inch rope is of a hundred times more consequence to him than it is to us - I doubt there is a spare topmast in his whole squadron. In duty he must not risk grave damage: he must not press home his attack against a determined resistance.’

‘How do you know he has not refitted in Batavia?’

‘We will leave that for the moment, if you please,’ said Jack. ‘We have no time to lose. Here is my plan. You have three more ships than Linois reckoned for: the three best-​armed ships will wear men-​of-​war pendants and the blue ensign -,

‘We are not allowed to wear Royal Navy colours.’

‘Will you give me leave to proceed, sir? That is entirely my responsibility, and I will take it upon myself to give the necessary permission. The larger Indiamen will form in line of battle, taking all available men out of the rest of the convoy to work the guns and sending the smaller ships away to leeward. I shall send an officer aboard each ship supposed to be a man-​of-​war, and all the quarter-​gunners I can spare. With a close, well-​formed line, our numbers are such that we can double upon his van or rear and overwhelm him with numbers: with one or two of your fine ships on one side of him and Surprise on the other, I will answer for it if we can beat the seventy-​four, let alone the frigates.’

‘Hear him, hear him,’ cried Mr Muffit, taking Jack by the hand. ‘That’s the spirit, God’s my life!’

In the confusion of voices it became clear that although there was eager and indeed enthusiastic support, one captain even beating the table and roaring, ‘We’ll thump ‘em again and again,’ there were others who were not of the same opinion. Who had ever heard of merchant ships with encumbered decks and few hands holding out for five minutes against powerful men-​of-​war? - most of them had only miserable eighteen-​pounder cannonades - a far, far better plan was to separate: some would surely escape

- the Dorsetshire was certain she could outrun the French -could the gentleman give any example of a ship with a 270 lb broadside resisting an enemy that could throw 950 lb?

‘Whisht, Mr Craig,’ said Muffit before Jack could reply. ‘Do you not know Captain Aubrey is the gentleman who commanded the Sophie brig when she took the Cacafuego, a 32-gun frigate? And I believe, sir, Sophie threw no great broadside?’

‘Twenty-​eight pounds,’ said Jack, reddening.

‘Why,’ cried Craig. ‘I spoke only out of my duty to the Company. I honour the gentleman, I am sure, and I am sorry I did not just recollect his name. He will not find me shy, I believe. I spoke only for the Company and my cargo; not for myself.’

‘I believe, gentlemen,’ said Muffit, ‘that the sense of the council is in favour of Captain Aubrey’s plan, as I am myself. I hear no dissentient voice. Gentlemen, I desire you will repair aboard your ships, fill powder, clear away your guns, and attend to Captain Aubrey’s signals.’

Aboard the Surprise Jack called his officers to the cabin and said, ‘Mr Pullings, you will proceed to the Lushington Indiaman with Collins, Haverhill and Pollyblank. Mr

Babbington to Royal George with the brothers Moss. Mr Braithwaite, to the brig to repeat signals: take the spare set with you. Mr Bowes, can I persuade you to look to the Earl Camden’s guns? I know you can point them better than any of us.’

The purser flushed bright with pleasure, and chuckled: if the Captain wished, he would certainly abandon his cheese and candles, though he did not know how he should like it; and he begged for Evans and Strawberry Joe.

‘That is settled, then,’ said Jack. ‘Now, gentlemen, this is a delicate business: we must not offend the Company’s officers, and some of them are very touchy - the least sense of ill-​feeling would be disastrous. The men must be made to understand that thoroughly: no pride, no distance, no reference to tea-​waggons, or how we do things in the Navy. Our one aim must be to keep their guns firing briskly, to engage Linois closely, and to wound his spars and rigging as much as ever we can. Hulling him or killing his people is beside the point: he would give his bosun for a stuns’l boom, and with the best will in the world we shall never sink a seventy-​four. We must fire like Frenchmen for once. Mr Stourton, you and I will work out a list of the gunners we can spare, and while I am sharing them among the Indiamen you will take the ship to the eastward and watch Linois’s motions.’

Within an hour the line had formed, fifteen handsome Indiamen under easy sail a cable’s length apart and a fast-​sailing brig to repeat signals; boats plied to and from the smaller ships bringing volunteers for the guns; and all that forenoon Jack hurried up and down the line in his barge, dispensing officers, gunners, discreet advice and encouragement, and stores of affability. This affability was rarely forced, for most of the captains were right seamen, and given their fiery commodore’s strong lead they set to with a determination that made Jack love them. Decks were clearing fast; the three ships chosen for pendants, the Lushington, the Royal George and the Camden, began to look even more like men-​of-​war, with whitewashers over their sides disguising them fast, and royal yards crossed; and the guns ran in and out without a pause. Yet there were some awkward captains, lukewarm, despondent and reserved, two of them timid old fools; and the passengers were the cruellest trial - Atkins and the other members of Mr Stanhope’s suite could be dealt with, but the women and the important civilians called for personal interviews and for explanations; one lady, darting from an unlikely hatch, told him she should countenance no violence whatsoever - Linois should be reasoned with - his passions would certainly yield to reason - and Jack was kept very busy. It was only from time to time, as he sat in the barge next to Church, his solemn aide-​de-​camp, that he had leisure to ponder the remark ‘How do you know he has not refitted in Batavia?’

He did not know it: yet his whole strategy must be based upon that assumption. He did not know it, but still he was willing to risk everything upon his intuition’s being sound:

for it was a matter of intuition - Linois’s cautious handling of his ship, a thousand details that Jack could hardly name but that contrasted strongly with the carefree Linois of the Mediterranean with Toulon and its naval stores a few days’ sail away. Yet moral certainty could fade: he was not infallible, and Linois was old in war, a resourceful, dangerous opponent.

Dinner aboard the Lushington with Captain Muffit was a relief. Not only was Jack desperately sharp-​set, having missed his breakfast, but Muffit was a man after his own heart: they saw eye to eye on the formation of the line, the way to conduct the action - aggressive tactics rather than defence - and on the right dinner to restore a worn and badgered spirit.

Church appeared while they were drinking coffee. ‘Surprise signalling, sir, if you please,’ he said. ‘SŽmillante, Marengo and Belle Poule bearing east by south about four leagues: Marengo has backed topsails.’