elson was then at anchor off the coast of
Sardinia. Supposing that they had gone to Egypt, he sailed in chase,
but found that they had put back into Toulon. Hence again Villeneuve
sailed, and escaping through the straits, was joined by the Spanish
fleet at Cadiz, which had 4500 troops on board. The combined fleet of
the enemy now numbered 20 sail of the line and 10 frigates, while Nelson
had but 10 sail of the line and 3 frigates. With these, however, he
chased Villeneuve to the West Indies, where, after threatening several
of the islands, he fled back to Europe, with Nelson after him. When
about twenty leagues west of Finisterre, on the 22nd of July, the French
admiral was attacked by Sir Robert Calder, with 15 line-of-battle ships,
but escaped into Cadiz, with the loss of two of the Spanish ships.
Nelson, meantime, had sought the enemy on the north-west coast of
Ireland, and then came back into the channel, where his ships reinforced
the fleet under Admiral Cornwallis off Ushant, and he himself, worn out
with fatigue and anxiety, went on shore for a short rest.

It was now that Napoleon urged Villeneuve to come into the channel,
ending with the words, "England desires us, we are all ready, all is
embarked, appear, and within four-and-twenty hours all is finished." No
sooner did Nelson hear that the French and Spanish fleet had entered
Cadiz than, again offering his services, he arrived at Portsmouth on the
14th of September, and the next morning, putting off in his barge to the
_Victory_, he bade his last farewell to England. On the 29th of
September, his birthday, he was off Cadiz, and joining Collingwood, took
command of the British fleet, then amounting to 27 sail of the line.
Villeneuve had been waiting till the Spaniards were ready, and till a
favourable wind would allow him to sail. On the 9th of October Nelson
sent Collingwood his plan of attack, his intention being to advance
towards the enemy in two lines, led by eight of his fastest
three-deckers, and thus to break through the enemy's line. Collingwood,
having the command of one line, was to break through the enemy about the
twelfth ship from the rear, Nelson intending to lead through the centre,
while the advanced squadron was to cut off three or four ships ahead of
the centre. He would make few signals: no captain could do wrong who
placed his ship close alongside that of an enemy. Not till the 19th did
the admiral learn that Villeneuve had put t