osed to
resume his course, as those sails would be immediately wanted to get
the Victory into her former station.' The note in Nicolas is to the
same effect, but adds that Codrington had no doubt that having taken
in his weather studding sails he kept the lee ones 'set and shaking in
order to make it clear to the fleet that his movement was merely a
feint, and that the Victory would speedily resume her course and
fulfil his intention of cutting through the centre.' And in admiration
of the movement Codrington called his first lieutenant and said, 'How
beautifully the admiral is carrying his design into effect!' Though
all this was written long after, when his memory perhaps was fading,
it is confirmed by a contemporary entry in his log: 'The Victory,
after making a feint as of attacking the enemy's van, hauled to
starboard so as to reach their centre.'[32] This is all clear enough
so far, but now we have to face a signal mentioned in the log of the
Euryalus which, as she was Nelson's repeating frigate, cannot be
ignored. According to this high authority Nelson, about a quarter of
an hour before making his immortal signal, telegraphed 'I intend to
push or go through the end of the enemy's line to prevent them from
getting into Cadiz.' It is doubtful how far this signal was taken in,
but those who saw it must have thought that Nelson meant to execute
Howe's manoeuvre upon the enemy's leading ships. At this time,
according to the master of the Victory, he was standing for the
enemy's van. Nelson also signalled to certain ships to keep away a
point to port. The Victory's log has this entry: 'At 4 minutes past 12
opened our fire on the enemy's van, in passing down their line.' At 30
minutes past 12 the Victory got up with Villeneuve's flagship and then
broke through the line. Now at first sight it might appear that Nelson
really intended to attack the van and not the centre, on the principle
of Hoste's old manoeuvre which Howe had reintroduced into the Signal
Book for attacking a numerically superior fleet--that is, van to van
and rear to rear, leaving the enemy's centre unoccupied.[33] For the
old signal provided that when this was done 'the flag officers are, if
circumstances permit, to engage the flag officers of the enemy,' which
was exactly what Nelson was doing. On this supposition his idea would
be that his ships should attack the enemy ahead of Villeneuve as they
came up. And this his second, the Temeraire, actually d