 Call all hands speak to quarters This time a battery one broadside into an issue. Please Captain Bush point us on target Then stops ready Bad C.S. Forester's indomitable man of the sea a ratio hornblower On that particular morning Lieutenant Bush shared my feelings. He was grinning like a gargoyle as he joined me And only my determination to maintain my pose as a man of iron preventive me from grinning back Very good sir, and it'll blow more before it's over You can blow all it likes mr. Bush, but that's it will blow some French ships out of port Oh, not much chance of that time afraid more likely you'll have to go in and find him Mr. Vincent to ask a number please. All right, sir. No need sir. She's signaling. Well, she said Cassandra Captain Frederick cook cook Yes, I remember him he's junior to me posted captain six months after me by Joe sir He's signaling there are four French ships of Stannover coming up from the Southwest beat the quarters of you Please mr. Bush and wear the ship directly. Oh, yeah, sir four to two that will be a fight worth having sir Push that old war horse was to be disappointed Was not my task to fight against heavy odds until I made sure that the situation demanded it Other British ships might be in pursuit Rushing into battle without thought might be as bad as rushing out of it Further signaling elicited the information that the French ships were six miles a stern of Cassandra bearing nor east Another message stated that no other British ships were at hand This confirmed my suspicion that these four enemy vessels have broken out of too long harbor with or with a band Bush I Think they must be on a reading expedition, sir. I doubt it forgets a bit cheaper and more effective for rating My guess is that they're laden with stores for Barcelona If I know bonaparte, he said that there are three British ships in these waters And he's hoping that all Frenchmen can get through with stores and crush the British squadron on the way Well, we're all ready to show them how wrong bonnie is, sir I'm sorry to disappoint your bush, but that's just what I'm not going to do the flagship and the Caligula No, we're near us if we get knocked out the French ships may get through before our squadron can reach them You must keep between them and that objective and out of sight Surprise will be off the battle. Mr. Vincent I'll send this message the radius of Sutherland to Cassandra set all sail to westward seek ships Pluto and Caligula Bring them down to Barcelona. Hi. Hi, sir. Mr. Savage, take a glass and come to the Misen Topmost cross trees Let us know what you can see of the enemy What do you see, Mr. Savage? Four sails, sir, about half a mile between each Rolling along in lovely French fashion, sir. Well, stay there and watch them, huh? I want to hear instantly if they ought to course or gain on us or if we gain on them. Can you hear me? Nothing to do but wait now, Mr. Bush. No, sir Still there's bound to be a battle of some sort tomorrow, sir If we don't lose them, if we lose them bush we lose My honor and reputation also I'm not worried about either. No, sir. Of course not, sir. For the Pluto and Caligula I thought I felt the loom of the land a while back, sir. Yeah. Hmm. That'll be Cape Curr. I expect Ah, here comes the sum The spin that the lookout can see begging your pardon, sir. It's the other direction. I'm interested in Mouth head there. Do you see anything of the army? Don't say we've lost them. Uh-huh Put the ship about Mr. Deriden layer on the starboard technology Dear, I felt I was confident that no trace of it showed in my manner The French might have altered course in the night and be lost now in the middle of the western Mediterranean But I thought it unlikely It was more probable that my officers had made insufficient allowance for the unhandiness of the French crews Many French captains went to practice of eating two at night in which case we could easily have gained 20 miles on them I retracing my course. I was confident that I should cite them again. At least I tried to be confident And I I think my officers thought me, sir I think the captain's a bit worried, mr. Bush He doesn't show it of course, but if we have lost those frogs, it's a fair thing about mr. Gerard Admiral Leighton would break him for it But I've never known his judgment to be wrong yet No, sir, but anyone can make a mistake I hope we haven't lost them anyway. I was looking forward to a real scrap today. We may get it yet Oh, you think the captain's worried Look at him taking his bath under the deck pump there. He's no more concerned than if he were in portsmouth harbour Shaving too, that's his way, sir But I'll bet that pump is no colder than the children round his heart this morning You're a pessimist mr. Gerard as in the case there's enough to worry the captain If we've lost the french, there's trouble and if we haven't it means a fight now a fight is just fun for us It's a heavy responsibility for a captain the safety of ship and men are his responsibility Oh, mr. Bush, I should go below Call me if anything stands all right The wind's still working well. I'm sorry, sir. I should think the Barcelona with this wind I'm at and they're heading for the shelter of those earth's bay. If they reach the bay we We lose them They'll have the protection of the shore batteries there. Then then we'll have to engage them, sir I'm afraid so War to one is heavy odds But if we can shoot away a few of their spires, we may delay them until the Pluto and the Caligula arrive If they're right The wind is foul for them. We won't manage without them, sir That big three-decker in the lead is flying an Edmonds flag. The other three are two-deckers. Yes I imagine we have about a quarter of an hour Yes, we see that the men get a bite to eat in that time. Ah, I sir Sick wave of excitement and apprehension flowed over me as I watched the four ships bearing down on us They were obviously intent on destroying the single ship of the line which stood between them and safety I could not hope to turn back All I could do would be to Dismasque and damage some to delay them in the hope that the other ships of the British squadron might arrive in time to destroy them What would happen to my ship and the process did not bear thinking about it The leading French ship mounted 80 guns. I could see their muzzles drilling at me through their open ports I glanced once at the battered red ensign cluttering at my peak And then plunged into the realities of the situation Answer the basis mr. Bush. I want to sit handle like lightning when the time comes Mr. Jen I don't have every gun captain flag do fires before his gun bears every salt is to tell Aye, sir. I promise they will give it up best, sir She's coming at us bow to bow if she holds that course. We'll ram her better ram If I know my friend captain, he'll swing to lured at the last You are all of her steady. Whatever happens steady, it is, sir Half from my oh, I wonder which way he'll swing He's firing up bow jesus. Do you think those pop guns will frighten us off? Proper way is foggy. We don't mind a few holes in our canvas Quarter of a mile. Which way will he go? Which way? He's holding on longer than I thought Do you think he means to ram us, sir? Not unless he wants to sing both ships Helm where? Move that wheel at your peril He is going to war! There he goes! Only a few hundred yards to spare. Hold your fire Stand fast everyone His guns are beginning to bear. Now Helmsman, helm the weller Slow, cross our stairs Guns were thrusted into the weakened gun muzzle The moment they were withdrawn the pilot and the rammer and the shot were ready for insertion Almost simultaneously the gun trucks rumbled as the crews flung themselves from attack And the guns up It was hard to think in the fearful din The marines were lined along the side firing at the enemy with muskets It was obvious that the French crews were suffering from their months in harbour Their firing was ragged and we were firing three broadsides to their fill Because their firing slackening, sir, I expect... Look at these men, Mark! He's coming down, sir! Get her tidy enough, sir. She don't seem to be coming back Now, Mr. Bush, come here Yes, sir. We have a great decision to make A decision? What decision, sir? Well, we contact the safety now if we wish Fighting off the others if they interfere Or we can throw ourselves into their path and fight it out, yes Our squadron must be mccarmed or they would be in sight We can expect no help from them If we fight, we must expect to lose our ship Try to forget your natural desire to fight, Mr. Bush What we have to decide is can we afford to lose a 74 gun ship merely to delay the French for an hour or two I think we must, sir If we damage them enough, they'll have to wait in Rosas for repairs And the squadron can attack them there Besides... Yes, what? Well, we can't run away, sir They'll think that... That was the decision I had already reached But, Bush, your life is at stake, too Oh, you were entitled to be consulted Play the ship on the port tack, if you please We'll go in and fight Fight! Hey, Mr. Breachies! We fight off! They're at their own death centers We will attack their flagship Let her pay off slowly, Mr. Bush Bring her up on the same course as the flag Mr. Gerrider, carefully time broadside as you bear Aye, aye, sir Now, now, give her everything you've got, men The starboard side The book I ran followed with a group of men from disabled guns So hack it clear I seized an axe and joined the party Shots from the fourth friendship were smashing into us on that side And smoke was pouring up from the canvas Where the flames of the guns had set it alight The old deck was littered with dead and dying men The wheel was gone The masts and bulwarks were beaten flat But still our guns which could be worked were firing The enemy ships looming through the smoke on either side were in a little better case The wreckage at which I was stashing Suddenly broke away and plunged into the sea I staggered back to the quarter deck I am amazed at the miracle by which I was still alive and done She's swinging round! Mr. Bearhouse, for a few moments we can take stock The precious little stock to take, sir I've still got a few guns left though Father, until we sink We've left our mark in the frog though They're nearly as wrecked as we are The two deckers still fighting Their guns are beginning to wear again Yes, we must strike our colors, I fear No colors to strike? No one to strike, God knows The men are paid good exhaustion They cannot fire the guns And here come two gunboats from Rosas They mine forty pounders Yes, comrade, what is it? It's four feet of water in the world, sir There are no pumps left No men to walk him as there was none there Gerard, Hooker, Gristle What do you say? Shall we sink or surrender? We mark floats for another twenty-four hours, sir And I shall surrender Is there any man against surrender? Well, I can't see what else we can do, sir It's no disgrace We've done our best plenty of British captains have surrendered with less cause Mr. Strike Not only you are there Did you get it, sir? I was barely conscious so dazed with weirdness I was unpierced through the drifting smoke glides and fell upon our shattered decks My career was wrecked I felt very hot up on my head I was dizzy and weary Take your blasted hands off him, do you hear? We'll lift him He's our captain, Dummo Our captain, Captain Horatio Hombler The finest seaman and the greatest man who ever set foot in a deck You can throw him in a dungeon if you like You can flatten him down for a lifetime But England will never forget him As long as the flag of England flies the spirit of Captain Hombler will live Flip your other arm round his shoulder, Mr. Crystal Right, sir We're ready