divisions.  An hour or so later he made the signal to form the single column, which was the usual fighting order of those days.  The fleet being already properly disposed for manoeuvres, this change of order was effected, to use his own words, “with the utmost celerity.”  Nelson’s ship was thirteenth in the new order, therefore nearly the last.  Next after him came the sixty-four, the “Diadem,” while Collingwood, in the “Excellent,” brought up the rear.  Immediately ahead of Nelson was the “Barfleur,” carrying the flag of one of the junior admirals, to whom naturally fell the command in that part of the line.

Three of the larger Spanish body succeeded in crossing ahead of the British column and joining the lee group, thus raised to nine ships.  No others were able to effect this, the headmost British ships anticipating them in the gap.  Jervis’s plan was to pass between their two divisions with his one column, protracting this separation, then to go about in succession and attack the eighteen to windward, because their comrades to leeward could not help them in any short time.  This was done.  The lee ships did attempt to join those to windward by breaking through the British order, but were so roughly handled that they gave it up and continued to the south-southwest, hoping to gain a better opportunity.  The weather ships, on the other hand, finding they could not pass, steered to the northward,—­nearly parallel, but opposite, to the course which both the British and their own lee group were then following.

A heavy cannonade now ensued, each British ship engaging as its batteries came to bear, through the advance of the column to the south-southwest.  After an hour of this, the admiral made the signal to tack in succession.  This was instantly obeyed by the leader, the “Culloden,” which was expecting it, and each following ship tacked also as it reached the same point.  But as the Spaniards were continually receding from this point, which the British rear was approaching, it was evident that in time the latter would leave uncovered the ground that had so far separated the two hostile divisions.  This the Spanish admiral expected to be his opportunity; it proved to be Nelson’s.

At 1 P.M.,[43] by Nelson’s journal, the “Captain,” standing south by west, had come abreast the rearmost of the eighteen weather ships, having passed the others.  He then noticed that the leaders of that body were bearing up before the wind, to the eastward, to cross behind the British column.  If this were carried out unmolested, they could join the lee ships, which heretofore had been separated from them by the centre and rear of the British line, and at this moment were not very far distant, being still engaged with the British centre; or else, so Nelson thought, they might fly before the wind, making ineffective all that had been done so far.  “To prevent either of their schemes from taking effect, I ordered the ship to be wore, and passing between the Diadem and Excellent,