White pendant from Clam , sir, called the masters mate.
That means range too great, said Mound. A pound and a half of powder this time, please, Mr. Jones.
Moth had two red swallowtails hoisted, and two were hoisted in reply by Clam. Hornblower had foreseen the possibility of confusion, and had settled that signals to do with Moth should always be doubled. Then there would be no chance of Harvey making corrections for Moths mistakes, or vice versa. Moth s mortar roared out, its report echoing over the water. From the Harvey they could see nothing of the flight of the shell.
Double yellow flag from Clam , sir.
That means Moth s shell dropped short, said Mound. Hoist our red swallowtail.
Again he fired the mortar, again the spark of the fuse soared towards the sky and disappeared, and again nothing more happened.
White pendant from Clam , sir.
Too long again? said Mound, a little puzzled. I hope theyre not cross-eyed over there.
Moth fired again, and was rewarded by a double white pendant from Clam. This shell had passed over, when her preceding one had fallen short. It should be easy for Moth to find the target now. Mound was checking the bearing of the target.
Still pointing straight at her, he grumbled. Mr. Jones, take one half a quarter-pound from that pound and a half.
Hornblower was trying to imagine what the captain of the Blanchefleur was doing at that moment on his own side of the sandspit. Probably until the very moment when the bomb-ketches opened fire he had felt secure, imagining that nothing except a direct assault on the battery could imperil him. But now shells must be dropping quite close to him, and he was unable to reply or defend himself in any active way. It would be hard for him to get under way; he had anchored his ship at the far end of the long narrow lagoon. The exit near him was shoal water too shallow even for a skiffas the breakers showedand with the wind as it was at present it was impossible for him to try to beat up the channel again closer to the battery. He must be regretting having dropped so far to leeward before anchoring: presumably he had done so to secure himself the better from the claws of a cutting-out attack. With boats or by kedging he might be able to haul his ship slowly up to the battery, near enough for its guns to be able to keep the bomb-ketches out of mortar-range.
Red swallowtail at the dip, sir! reported the masters mate excitedly.
That meant that the shell had fallen short but close.
Put in two pinches more, Mr. Jones, said Mound.
Moth s mortar roared out again, but this time they saw the shell burst, apparently directly above the Blanchefleur s mastheads. They saw the big ball of smoke, and the sound of the explosion came faintly back to them on the wind. Mound shook his head gravely; either Duncan over there had not cut his fuse correctly or it had burnt away more rapidly than usual. Two blue flags at Clam s peak indicated that the fall of Moth s shot had been unobservedthe signalling system was still functioning correctly. Then Mound bent his gangling body over and applied the linstock to fuse and touch-hole. The mortar roared; some freak of ballistics sent a fragment of blazing wad close over Hornblowers head, making
him duck while the smoke billowed round him, but as he looked up again he just caught sight of the spark of the fuse high up against the sky, poised at the top of its trajectory, before it disappeared from sight in its swift downward swoop. Hornblower, Mound, Jones, the whole mortars crew stood waiting tensely for the shell to end its flight. Then over the rim of the sand-dune they saw a hint of white smoke, and the sound of the bursting shell came back to them directly afterwards.
I think weve hit her, sir, said Mound, with elaborate carelessness.
Black ball at Clam s masthead, sir! shouted the masters mate.
That meant a hit. A thirteen-inch shell, soaring that immense distance into the air, had come plunging down onto Blanchefleurs decks and had exploded. Hornblower could not imagine what destruction it might cause.
Both mortars together, now, snapped Mound, throwing aside all lackadaisical pose. Jump to it, you men.
Two white pendants at the dip from Clam meant that Moths next shot had fallen close but too far. Then both of Harvey s mortars roaredthe little ketch dipped and plunged as the violence of the recoil forced her bows down. Up went the black ball to Clam s masthead.
Another hit! exulted Mound.
Blanchefleur s topmasts, seen over the dunes, suddenly began to separate. She was turning roundher desperate crew was trying to tow her or kedge her back up the channel.
Please God we wreck her before she gets away! said Mound. Why in hell doesnt Moth fire?
Hornblower watched him closely; the temptation to fire his mortars the moment they were loaded, without waiting for Moth to take her turn, was powerful indeed, but to yield to it meant confusion for the observer over in Clam and eventual losing of all control. Moth fired, and two black balls at Clam s masthead showed that she, too, had scored a hit. But Blanchefleur had turned now; Hornblower could see the tiniest, smallest movement of her topmast against the upper edge of the dunes, only a yard or two at most. Mound fired his two mortars, and even while the shells were in the air his men leaped to the capstan and flung themselves on the bars. Clankclank! Twice the pawl slipped over the ratchet as they hauled in on the spring and swung the ketch round to keep her mortars trained on the target. At that instant Blanchefleur s fore-topmast fell from view. Only main and mizzen were in sight now.