The very air seemed hot and almost solid and the slightest effort soaked a man in perspiration. Noon came and the men were piped to dinner. With the sun almost overhead, Shadows were nearly vertical and the pitch soft in the deck seams. Southwick commented gloomily that they could be in the Doldrums for all the chance they had of getting a wind.

Five minutes later, as the men finished dinner, the wind came. A fitful puff from the north at first which caught every sail aback and started Ramage bellowing orders, and which died a moment later. A longer puff from the east lasted less than five minutes, and then a steady wind set in from the north-east.

Soon the Juno was making seven knots with every stitch of canvas set - courses, topsails, topgallants, royals and staysails. Ramage had set every able-bodied man to work: Bowen hauled on a rope next to the Captain's clerk; the cook's mate found himself hauling a halyard and being encouraged by the Captain's steward, who complained that his hands were too soft for that sort of work.

The wind reached the Surcouf ten minutes after the Juno was under way and Ramage watched as Aitken let fall sail after sail. At last the bays, beaches and headlands were beginning to slide past: Grande Anse d'Arlet and Pointe Bourgos; Petite Anse d'Arlet and then the headland separating it from Petite Anse du Diamant. Jackson was aloft with a telescope, while Orsini waited by the binnacle with the signal book in his hand and a telescope under his arm.

Diamond Rock suddenly came in sight beyond the headland and a moment later Jackson hailed that no flags were flying from the Juno battery mast. Ramage realized he had been standing rigid waiting for that hail, and as he relaxed he turned to Southwick and grinned. 'The nest is safe!'

'Deck there!' Jackson's voice was urgent. 'They're hoisting a signal now . . . three flags . . . three . . . five . , . nine!'

Ramage snatched the signal book from Orsini and read: The strange ships are of the line; when answered, the signal is to be hauled down once for every ship discovered . . .

'Acknowledge it,' he snapped at the boy, and shouted up at Jackson: 'The moment we answer they'll haul the signal down, but they may hoist and lower it several times. Count the number of times they lower it!'

He trained his telescope on the top of the Rock. He could just make out the signal, and it was lowered once. There was a long pause. One ship of the line. Then three flags were hoisted again and for a moment Ramage thought it was the signal being hoisted again before being lowered a second time, but Jackson shouted down: 'Deck there! A second hoist... three ... six ... nought!'

Ramage hurriedly opened the signal book again. Against the figure 360 was printed: The strange ships are frigates; when answered, the number of frigates to be shewn, as in the preceding signal.

'Acknowledge,' he told Orsini and again shouted a warning to Jackson. The signal was lowered and hoisted, then again, and then a third time.

A ship of the line and three frigates. A French squadron which had been covering the convoy on its way across the Atlantic? Or Admiral Davis at long last?

He called to Orsini, showed him the two signals in the book and said: 'Make 359 with the Surcouf’s pendant and lower it at once when she answers; then her pendant and 360, lowering three times. You understand?'

The boy nodded and ran to the flag locker as Southwick ordered two seamen to help him.

'Mr Southwick, we'll go down to the Rock under topsails!'

'Aye, aye, sir!' Southwick said and began bellowing for topmen.

As the squaresails were furled and the staysails lowered and secured in the tops Ramage cursed the Diamond headland: it was still blocking his view right across the bight down to Pointe des Salines.

The moment the Juno was reduced to topsails, Ramage said quietly to the Master: 'Beat to quarters, Mr Southwick . . .'

The Master passed the order that set the calls of the bos'n's mates shrilling, but his face was sombre as he rejoined Ramage at the quarterdeck rail. ‘I can't help thinking our luck has run out at last,' he said, 'but the lads will put up a good fight, sir.'

Ramage shook his head and, seeing that no one else could hear them, said quietly but distinctly: 'I don't propose taking either ship into action against a ship of the line and three frigates. It would be the same as locking both ships' companies in a magazine and setting fire to it.'

‘We'll be hard put to get past them to make Barbados and raise the alarm,' Southwick said. 'We'd -'

'As soon as we're sure, we'll run round the north end of Martinique. That...'

Jackson's hail from aloft cut him short. 'Signal from the Diamond, sir ...'

Both Ramage and Southwick waited, staring aloft at the American, and listening for him to read out the flags. Orsini was watching through his telescope but said nothing.

'What's happening, blast you?' Southwick roared.

'Sorry, sir,' Jackson called down. 'They began hoisting a three-flag signal but they lowered it again suddenly.'

'More ships of the line coming round Pointe des Salines,' Southwick said sourly. 'I thought just one didn't sound right. . .'

'Hoisting again,' Orsini yelled, followed a moment later by Jackson, who shouted: ‘Three flags . . . three . . . two . . . one!'

Orsini had the signal book open in a moment. 'Sir - The chase is a friend . . .' He looked puzzled, held the book open between his legs and looked again with his telescope. He consulted the book again, shaking his head. 'Yes, it means that, but I do not understand it, sir. Perhaps they made a mistake.'

Ramage patted the boy on the shoulder. 'No, it's correct. They are having to use the best signal they can to tell us what they mean. The signals were never meant to be used by shore batteries. They are telling us that the Admiral has arrived.'

'Not the French Admiral, then?' The boy sounded disappointed,

'No, Admiral Davis from Barbados.’

The boy made a wry face. 'I suppose that will mean more signals, sir ...'

The Juno was just able to point high enough to pass inside the Diamond and Ramage could see the Invincible and her three frigates on the far side of the great bight, running with a quartering wind towards the Rock.

Suddenly Jackson hailed that the Juno battery had hoisted a signal, and a moment later called down the numbers. Orsini looked it up in the book and read it out to Ramage, doubt showing in his voice. 'Number 251 is Ships' companies will have time for dinner or breakfast, sir ...'

Both Ramage and Southwick laughed, and the Master said: 'They know they gave us a scare, and themselves too, I suspect!'

Ramage reached for the signal book, checked a page, and told Orsini: 'The Diamond's pendant and number 112.'

Southwick looked questioningly and Ramage said, 'Keep the maintopsail shivering. Not much of a joke, but the best I can do for the moment.'

As soon as the signal was hauled down he told Orsini to make number 242 with the Surcouf's pendant. There was no need for both frigates to go down to meet the Admiral, and the sight of the former French frigate tacking back and forth in front of La Comète and the seven merchantmen, obeying the order 'Stay by prizes', would help to impress the Admiral, Ramage hoped.

He knew he was going to have to be as sharp as a diamond to make any impression on the Admiral, but he wanted three things. He wanted to get a command for Aitken. Perhaps not the Surcouf, she was a tempting plum for one of the Admiral's favourites, but perhaps La Comète. After repairs and rerigging she would have to be taken to English Harbour to be careened so that the damaged planks could be replaced, and not many officers wanted to spend a few weeks in such a hot place. She might even have to go to the dockyard in Jamaica. There was also a chance that the Admiral might buy La Créole into the service and could be persuaded to put Wagstaffe in command. That would give him a good push up the ladder towards post rank. Lastly he wanted to ensure that the batteries on the Diamond were kept in service. It was a decision that only the Admiral could make, but somehow he felt a proprietary interest in them,