Ramage's Diamond by Dudley Pope

Author:Dudley Pope [Pope, Dudley]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Historical Naval Fiction
ISBN: 9780935526899
Google: W75RPgAACAAJ
Amazon: 0935526897
Goodreads: 160958
Publisher: McBooks Press
Published: 1977-01-01T11:00:00+00:00

tacks will give him more confidence.'

'He's going to need it,' Southwick said grimly. 'If he arrives five minutes late it might be all up with us!'

'And if we arrive five minutes early it might be all up with him.'

The Master chuckled. 'I think he took the point when you gave him his orders, sir.' He looked aft at the anchor cable, which covered most of the quarterdeck like an enormous thick carpet patterned like a regular maze. 'If that confounded cable kinks when it begins to run out it'll tear the transom off!'

'Oh, come now,' Ramage said mildly. 'We might need some repairs to the taffrail, and Aitken will grumble about chafed paintwork.' He turned and gestured to the quartermaster, who hurriedly signalled to the men to give a slight yaw.

Southwick lifted the quadrant he had been holding and looked towards the anchored frigate. He knew the heightof theSurcouf's mainmast and had already set the quadrant at an angle the mast would subtend at the distance of one mile.

'Half a mile to go, sir. I mean, she's a mile and a half away.'

Ramage nodded as he looked at a white dome of a building at the western end of the city. It was dead ahead and made an easy reference point for the quartermaster. He turned and gave the order. For the time being theJuno would not be steering by the compass; it was going to be nip and tuck as the frigate stretched up towards that dome until the anchoredSurcouf was to the seaward of theJuno; to seaward and, when theJuno tacked as the water shallowed, fine on the starboard bow.

La Créoletacked again and thenLa Mutine tacked and suddenly Southwick pointed at Fort St Louis. Ramage saw a single puff of smoke drifting westward and began counting the seconds.

He reached five when there was another puff of smoke. Damnation, he had forgotten the Fort might fire a salute to the victors! TheJuno's guns were loaded with case and there was no time to start drawing shot now to return a salute.

The thud of a gun close by startled him and he saw smoke drafting away fromLa Créole. 'Good for Aitken!' he exclaimed. 'He was quick!'

Five seconds later another ofLa Créole's guns fired as those on the Fort continued a salute.-'Hope he doesn't get carried away,' Southwick muttered. 'It's time all those popguns of his were loaded with shot!'

TheSurcouf was gradually drawing round on theJuno's starboard bow as the British frigate reached the seaward end of the anchorage. Southwick lowered his quadrant and said: 'One mile exactly, sir.'

Ramage looked at his watch and then over atLa Créole, which tacked yet again and began to reach across theJuno's stern. Aitken was keeping his head: he had orders to tack under theJuno's stern when he judged the frigate was a mile from theSurcouf, and perhaps young Orsini, who was on board with him, was using a quadrant.

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