rior in force
and inspirited with victory. All the Antilles except St. Lucia were his
own. Tobago, Grenada, the Grenadines, St. Vincent, Martinique, Dominica,
Guadaloupe, Montserrat, Nevis, Antigua, and St. Kitts, he held them all
in proud possession, a string of gems, each island large as or larger
than the Isle of Man, rising up with high volcanic peaks clothed from
base to crest with forest, carved into deep ravines, and fringed with
luxuriant plains. In St. Lucia alone, lying between St. Vincent and
Dominica, the English flag still flew, and Rodney lay there in the
harbour at Castries. On April 8, 1782, the signal came from the north
end of the island that the French fleet had sailed. Martinique is in
sight of St. Lucia, and the rock is still shown from which Rodney had
watched day by day for signs that they were moving. They were out at
last, and he instantly weighed and followed. The air was light, and De
Grasse was under the high lands of Dominica before Rodney came up with
him. Both fleets were becalmed, and the English were scattered and
divided by a current which runs between the islands. A breeze at last
blew off the land. The French were the first to feel it, and were able
to attack at advantage the leading English division. Had De Grasse 'come
down as he ought,' Rodney thought that the consequences might have been
serious. In careless imagination of superiority they let the chance go
by. They kept at a distance, firing long shots, which as it was did
considerable damage. The two following days the fleets manoeuvred in
sight of each other. On the night of the eleventh Rodney made signal for
the whole fleet to go south under press of sail. The French thought he
was flying. He tacked at two in the morning, and at daybreak found
himself where he wished to be, with the French fleet on his lee
quarter. The French looking for nothing but again a distant cannonade,
continued leisurely along under the north highlands of Dominica towards
the channel which separates that island from Guadaloupe. In number of
ships the fleets were equal; in size and complement of crew the French
were immensely superior; and besides the ordinary ships' companies they
had twenty thousand soldiers on board who were to be used in the
conquest of Jamaica. Knowing well that a defeat at that moment would be
to England irreparable ruin, they did not dream that Rodney would be
allowed, even if he wished it, to risk a close and decisive engagement.