ngwood's line, Orion in the rear of Nelson's held her fire even
when she got into action, and cruised about the _melee_, carefully
seeking points where she could do most damage to an enemy, or best
help an overmatched friend--well-judged piece of service, on which he
dwells in his correspondence over and over again with pardonable
complacency. He was thus able undoubtedly to do admirable service in
the crisis of the action.

That the bulk of his colleagues thought all idea of a reserve squadron
had been abandoned by Nelson is clear, and the resulting change was
certainly great enough to explain why some of the captains thought the
plan of the memorandum had been abandoned altogether. For not only was
the attack made in two divisions instead of one, and in line ahead
instead of line abreast, but its prescribed balance was entirely
upset. Instead of Nelson having the larger portion of the fleet for
containing the van and centre, Collingwood had the larger portion for
the attack on the rear. In other words, instead of the advanced
squadron being under Nelson's direction, the bulk of it was attached
to Collingwood. If some heads--even as clear as Codrington's--were
puzzled, it is little wonder.

As to the way in which this impulsive change of plan was brought
about, Codrington says, 'They [the enemy] suddenly wore round so as to
have Cadiz under their lee, with every appearance of a determination
to go into that port. Lord Nelson therefore took advantage of their
confusion in wearing, and bore down to attack them with the fleet in
two columns.' This was in the note dictated to Lady Bourchier, and in
a letter of October 28, 1805, to Lord Garlies he says, 'We all
scrambled into battle as soon as we could.'[31]

Codrington's allusion to Nelson's alleged feint on the enemy's van
brings us to the last point; the question, that is, as to whether,
apart from the substitution of the perpendicular for the parallel
attack, and in spite of the change of balance, the two lines were
actually handled in the action according to the principles of the
memorandum for the intended attack from to-windward.

Lady Bourchier's note continues, after referring to Nelson's intention
to make a feint on the van, 'The Victory did accordingly haul to port:
and though she took in her larboard and weather studding sails, she
kept her starboard studding sails set (notwithstanding they had become
the lee ones and were shaking), thus proving that he prop