the supposing there is no certain
account of the enemy's destination. I believe this ill-luck will go
near to kill me; but as these are times for exertion, I must not be cast
down, whatever I may feel." In spite of every exertion which could be
made by all the zeal and all the skill of British seamen, he did not get
in sight of Gibraltar till the 30th of April; and the wind was then so
adverse that it was impossible to pass the Gut. He anchored in Mazari
Bay, on the Barbary shore; obtained supplies from Tetuan; and when, on
the 5th, a breeze from the eastward sprang up at last, sailed once more,
hoping to hear of the enemy from Sir John Orde, who commanded off Cadiz,
or from Lisbon. "If nothing is heard of them," said he to the Admiralty,
"I shall probably think the rumours which have been spread are true,
that their object is the West Indies; and, in that case, I think it my
duty to follow them--or to the Antipodes, should I believe that to be
their destination." At the time when this resolution was taken, the
physician of the fleet had ordered him to return to England before the
hot months.

Nelson had formed his judgment of their destination, and made up his
mind accordingly, when Donald Campbell, at that time an admiral in the
Portuguese service, the same person who had given important tidings to
Earl St. Vincent of the movements of that fleet from which he won his
title, a second time gave timely and momentous intelligence to the flag
of his country. He went on board the VICTORY, and communicated to Nelson
his certain knowledge that the combined Spanish and French fleets were
bound for the West Indies. Hitherto all things had favoured the enemy.
While the British commander was beating up again strong southerly and
westerly gales, they had wind to their wish from the N.E., and had done
in nine days what he was a whole month in accomplishing. Villeneuve,
finding the Spaniards at Carthagena were not in a fit state of equipment
to join him, dared not wait, but hastened on to Cadiz. Sir John Orde
necessarily retired at his approach. Admiral Gravina, with six Spanish
ships of the line and two French, come out to him, and they sailed
without a moment's loss of time. They had about three thousand French
troops on board, and fifteen hundred Spanish: six hundred were under
orders, expecting them at Martinique, and one thousand at Guadaloupe.
General Lauriston commanded the troops. The combined fleet now consisted
of eightee