Cursing with vexation at this violation
of orders, the admiral saw himself forced to open fire upon the
nearest French ship, which had already given us a harmless
broadside.
And then to our amazement we saw the Defiance and the Windsor,
though they had received but two or three broadsides apiece (in one
of which Dick Cludde got a severe hurt) luff out of gunshot, so
that the two sternmost ships of the French were free to lay upon
the Breda. I think I never saw a man in such a passion of anger as
Mr. Benbow was then. He mingled hot reproaches of the erring
captains with words of cheer to our gunners, and though we were the
target for three of the enemy's ships, he bade Captain Fogg keep us
in touch with them and swore that he would fight the whole squadron
single-handed.
'Twas four o'clock before the action became general, so sluggish
were our vessels in coming into line, and the firing continued till
nightfall, by which time we on the Breda had suffered severely. We
kept the French company all night, and during the night watches the
admiral, believing that if he led himself on both tacks the
captains for very shame could not fail to follow his example,
altered the line of battle accordingly, the Defiance coming next to
the Breda. At daybreak the Breda was near the enemy, but only the
Ruby was up with us, the rest of the squadron lying three, four,
and five miles astern, and there was little wind. We were within
gunshot of the French, but they were civil enough not to fire, and
indeed 'twas clear as the day went on that they were not eager to
fight us, for on a sea breeze coming up they got into a line and
made what sail they could.
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