out to be proper." In his haste to proceed,
and wishing to summon the "Amazon" frigate to rejoin him, he sent the
"Termagant" at once to Gibraltar, without understanding that she was
just from there and had on board his clothes left for washing; in
consequence of which precipitancy she "carried all my things, even to
my last shirt, back again." "As I fancied he came from Lisbon," he
explained, "I would not allow him to stop." "My dear Parker," he wrote
the frigate-captain, "make haste and join me. If all places fail you
will find me at Spithead." Parker, who was a favorite of the
admiral's, followed out the careful detailed instructions which
accompanied this note, but could not overtake the fleet, and from
incidents of the service never met Nelson again.

With a fresh easterly gale the squadron pressed again into the
Atlantic. As it went on for Cape St. Vincent, Collingwood's division
was seen some distance to leeward, but, as not infrequently happens in
and near the Mediterranean, the wind with it came from the opposite
quarter to that which Nelson had. The latter, therefore, would not
stop, nor lose a mile of the ground over which his fair breeze was
carrying him. "My dear Collingwood," he wrote, "We are in a fresh
Levanter. You have a westerly wind, therefore I must forego the
pleasure of taking you by the hand until October next, when, if I am
well enough, I shall (if the Admiralty please) resume the command. I
am very far from well; but I am anxious that not a moment of the
services of this fleet should be lost." Matters therefore were left
standing much as they were when he passed in a week before. He had
taken upon himself, however, with a discretion he could now assume
freely, to change the Admiralty's orders, issued during his absence,
withdrawing most of the small cruisers from about Malta, to reinforce
Collingwood's division. When he first learned of this step, he said it
was a mistake, for double the number he had left there were needed;
"but the orders of the Admiralty must be obeyed. I only hope officers
will not be blamed for the events which it is not difficult to foresee
will happen." With the crowd of enemy's privateers in those waters,
Malta, he was assured, would be cut off from all communication. He
soon made up his mind that he would use his own discretion and modify
the dispositions taken. "Malta cannot more than exist, and our troops
would be placed in a position of great distress," he told the