Herrick looked at his hands. They were quite steady, yet he felt as if every bone and muscle was quivering uncontrollably. He could imagine the Phalarope’s boats drifting astern, and thought of Bolitho’s earlier words to the crew.

“. . . below us it is a thousand fathoms to the bottom!” Herrick winced as another thunderous broadside sent a dull vibration through the planks at his feet. A thousand fathoms, and now not even a boat to save the survivors!

He looked up and saw that Bolitho had returned to the quarterdeck rail and was staring at him. He did not speak, but gave a strange, lingering smile, as if he was trying to convey some personal message to him.

Then Bolitho called sharply, “Mr Neale, do not run like that! Remember our people are watching you today!”

Herrick turned away. The message could have been for him, he thought. He felt strangely calmed by this realisation and walked to the larboard battery and looked down the line of guns. In a few minutes every one of them would be firing. In a few minutes. He studied the faces of the men beside them and felt suddenly humble.

“Well, lads, this is better than practice, eh?”

Surprisingly they laughed at his stupid joke, and in spite of the cold fingers around his stomach Herrick was able to join them.

* * *

Bolitho blinked in the reflected sunlight and peered across the weather rail. Ahead of the Phalarope the flagship was holding her course, but the frigate Volcano which had been leading the line was pulling away to larboard, breaking the pattern as two French frigates drove down towards her.

Rennie gasped, “He’s done for! We cannot give him any help!”

The sea’s surface shimmered as another crashing broadside rippled along the Volcano’s gunports. Gun by gun, each one carefully aimed and fired in rapid succession.

Undeterred, the two frigates, with the wind in their favour, swept down on either beam.

Proby said sharply, “Volcano’s luffing!”

Bolitho breathed out painfully. Fox was no fool, and as wily as his name. As the two enemy frigates swept downwind for a quick kill the Volcano swung lazily into the wind, her sails flapping in violent protest. The nearest French ship realised her mistake just too late. As her yards started to swing, the Volcano presented her opposite side and fired a full salvo. The French ship seemed to stagger as if dealt a body blow. Across the water Bolitho could hear the crash of falling spars and the sliding thunder of overturned cannon. All else was hidden in the billowing clouds of smoke, but above it he could see Volcano’s ensign and all three masts still standing.

“Flagship signalling! ‘Close on Flag!’ ” Maynard ran to hoist an acknowledgment.

Bolitho tore his eyes from Captain Fox’s lithe frigate as it went about to take the wind’s advantage from the two Frenchmen. Cassius was heading straight for the powerful two-decker with the command flag. She would need all the help she could get. Fox would have to manage for himself for a while.