They were joined afterwards by two new French line-of-battle ships, and one forty-four.
Nelson pursued them with ten sail of the line and three frigates.

"Take you a Frenchman apiece," said he to his captains, "and leave me the Spaniards: when I haul down my colours, I expect you to do the same, and not till then." The enemy had five-and-thirty days' start; but he calculated that he should gain eight or ten days upon them by his exertions.

May 15th he made Madeira, and on June 4th reached Barbadoes, whither he had sent despatches before him; and where he found Admiral Cochrane, with two ships, part of our squadron in those seas being at Jamaica.

He found here also accounts that the combined fleets had been seen from St.Lucia on the 28th, standing to the southward, and that Tobago and Trinidad were their objects.

This Nelson doubted; but he was alone in his opinion, and yielded it with these foreboding words: "If your intelligence proves false, you lose me the French fleet." Sir W.Myers offered to embark here with 2000 troops; they were taken on board, and the next morning he sailed for Tobago.