"Yes, sir - had we failed. But unless my memory betrays me, it resulted in the capture of four Spanish line-of-battle ships, two of which you took yourself."
"Two line-of-battle ships and a baronetcy, and all thanks to you, Ramage, which is why I hope one day to render you a service in return."
"You are not in my debt, sir," Ramage said hastily.
"I'll be judge of that," Nelson said briskly. "Now," and his face became sterner, and he gestured with his left hand to emphasize his words, "Mr Scott here tells me he understands you speak passable Spanish."
Ramage nodded, waiting for what was to come. Speak Spanish? What on earth had that to do with commanding a frigate in His Lordship's fleet?
"Just how 'passable'? Don't be modest and don't boast: it might lead to you getting your throat cut."
"It's fluent," Ramage admitted. "A Castilian accent."
"And if you were caught and questioned you could tell a convincing story, eh?"
Ramage nodded. "A story it'd take them three or four weeks to check."
Nelson looked up at Scott who, Ramage realized, had been watching him closely. "What do you think?"
"I agree with you," the chaplain said enigmatically.
"Very well, Ramage, I have a special job for you, but there's no time to tell you about it before the rest of my captains arrive on board, so wait behind when they go. I'm shifting the fleet further out tonight - fifty miles to the west - and I want to give you your orders before then. Ah, I hear the first of the rest of the captains. Scott, will you take up your duties by the door - and speak the names clearly, man: I don't know at least half these fellows!"
Ramage stood back as two captains were announced: Blackwood of the Euryalus, whom he had met briefly in London, and a burly, fleshy-faced man with fair hair and red cheeks whom Scott introduced as Captain George Duff, of the Mars.
Ramage heard Duff greet the admiral and realized he was a Scot.
After thanking him for birthday greetings, Nelson said: "And how is the family ship? Hardy tells me you have most of the Duff clan on board. Are there any Duffs left behind in Banffshire?"
Duff gave a delighted laugh. "Aye, sir, just a few!"
"How many are on board the Mars?"
"Well, m'son Norwich - he's just turned thirteen - joined the ship a few days ago and brought his young cousin Thomas with him. Thomas's elder brother Alexander is an acting lieutenant. Both are sons of my brother Lachlan."
"Why 'acting'?" Nelson asked.
"Too young, sir. He's passed his examination but has to bide a few months for his twentieth birthday."
Nelson nodded. "So your wife will be waiting for news of you all, eh? Where is she?"
"Ah, Sophie is living in Edinburgh. It's probably an anxious time in Castle Street until the letter arrives!"
The next captain to arrive was Thomas Fremantle of the Neptune, and at the sound of his name Nelson gave a delighted laugh.
"Ah, Fremantle - which would you have, a boy or a girl?"
Fremantle, who Ramage knew already had two sons and two daughters, said quickly: "A girl, sir."
"Be satisfied," Nelson said, smiling broadly, "and here is a letter for you from Betsy's sister Harriet."
A flush-faced Fremantle, who Ramage remembered had helped Nelson when he was badly wounded and lost an arm at Tenerife, withdrew to read his letter.
Several more captains arrived, among them Captain Edward Codrington of the Orion, who was immediately greeted by Nelson, who took something from the pocket of his armchair.
He turned to Codrington and gave him a letter. "I was entrusted with this by a lady, so I make a point of delivering it myself."
Codrington glanced down at the writing and grinned. "I haven't heard from Jane for a long time."
Finally Scott told the admiral that all the captains were present. The great cabin was now crowded with happy and chattering men, and Ramage took the opportunity to cross over to the larboard side to examine a small portrait in a gilt frame which was screwed to the bulkhead near the sternlight. It showed a smiling, curly-haired young child. It was a good portrait of Horatia.
The cabin sole, covered in the usual canvas as a carpet, had been painted in black and white squares so that the captains stood on it like so many chessmen. The most important piece, also by far the smallest, was of course Lord Nelson. The second was Vice-Admiral Collingwood, the second-in-command who had been handling the fleet off Cadiz in Nelson's absence. Tall, going bald, and with a cleft chin, although Collingwood talked with several of the captains clearly he was a withdrawn man.
The third piece on this giant chessboard was the third-in-command, Rear-Admiral the Earl of Northesk. Ramage remembered as a young lieutenant meeting him. Northesk was another Scot, one of the Carnegies and a Scottish peer, one of the older creations.
After a while Nelson's chaplain came up to him. "You don't know many of the other captains, Ramage?"
"No - don't forget I've never served with His Lordship, and I'm sure most of these men were with him in the Mediterranean."
"Oh, goodness me, no: most of them have never even spoken to His Lordship before! Let me see -" he looked round, counting.
"Yes, only five of these captains served with His Lordship in our famous chase round the Mediterranean and across to the West Indies. One joined us over there. And the rest -" he counted, "- the other twenty-one have all joined recently from the Channel Fleet, many of them while Lord Nelson was in England."
He looked over the captains, counting yet again. "My dear Ramage, you started me off on a train of thought. Would you believe it, but of the twenty-seven captains here in this cabin (excluding you), only eight of them have ever before served with Lord Nelson!"
Scott paused a moment, thinking and looking round the cabin. "What's more, only two of them have served with His Lordship since the year before last, and one of those is Captain Hardy! So, believe it or not, nineteen of the captains in this cabin have never before served with His Lordship!
"You'd never believe it, to watch them all talking together! Well, I don't know when the Combined Fleet is going to come out and fight, but His Lordship hasn't much time to train his fleet."
Ramage looked round him and sensed the camaraderie that already existed. "I don't know how or why," he admitted to Scott, "but I think most of them share his spirit!"
"Well, that's the extraordinary effect His Lordship has on men," Scott said confidentially. "You should have seen him at Copenhagen. Wonderful with Sir Hyde Parker - they were both in a very difficult situation - and wonderful with the Danes after the battle."
At that minute they heard Nelson's high-pitched nasal voice. "Gentlemen, let me have your attention. Gather round. I want to explain how I propose - intend, rather - to beat the Combined Fleet, providing we can lure it out of Cadiz. My plan is simple: it will so surprise the French Admiral Villeneuve that his advantage in number of ships will be lost. I count on taking or destroying at least twenty of the enemy: I trust you won't disappoint me. And this is how we are going to do it."
Ramage, like every other man in the cabin, listened spellbound. Nelson did not hesitate once or use any of the "umms", "ers" or other hesitancies one might have expected. Nor had he exaggerated when he said his plan was simple. Ramage realized he might equally well have called it revolutionary. One thing was certain - if he succeeded with this plan he would be a hero; if he failed, he would be lucky to escape Their Lordships bringing him to a court-martial, and (whatever the verdict) he would never be employed again by the Admiralty, even as a rat-catcher in a sail loft.