Chapter 18 - Page 2

This was fighting sail, and everything
indicated that Monsieur Menneval intended to make a day of it.

The first gun was fired, on this occasion, from the Désirée, the leading
French ship. It was directed at the Black Prince, and the shot probably
told, as Sir Hotham Ward immediately kept away, evidently with a desire to
escape being raked. The French did the same to keep square with their
adversaries, and the four vessels now ran on parallel lines, though going
different ways, and a short cable's-length asunder. La Désirée followed up
her single gun with each division as it would bear, until her whole
broadside was delivered. The Black Prince stood it all without answering,
though I could see that she was suffering considerably, more especially
aloft. At length Sir Hotham Ward was heard in the affair. He let fly his
whole broadside, almost simultaneously; and a spiteful, threatening roar
it was. The smoke now began to hide his ship, though la Désirée, by moving
towards us, kept ahead of her own sulphurous canopy.

The Speedy soon opened on the French Commodore; then, by the roar astern,
I knew Le Cerf was at work in the smoke. All four ships shivered their
top-sails, to pass more slowly; and there was a minute during which, as it
appeared to me, all four actually stopped under the fiery cloud they had
raised, in order to do each other all the harm they could. The Frenchmen,
however, soon issued from behind the curtain, and the cessation in the
firing announced that the ships had parted. I could not see much of the
English, at first, on account of the smoke; but their antagonists came out
of the fray, short as it had been, with torn sails, crippled yards, and Le
Cerf had her mizen top-mast actually hanging over to leeward. Just as I
got a view of this calamity, I caught a glimpse of the Black Prince,
close-hauled, luffing up athwart the wake of her enemies, and manifestly
menacing to get the wind. The Speedy followed with the accuracy of
clock-work, having rather closed with her leader, instead of falling
farther behind. Presently, the Black Prince tacked; but, in so doing, down
came her main-top-gallant-mast, bringing with it the yard and the sail, as
a matter of course. This was a sign that Mr. Menneval had not been
firing a salute.

The French stood on, after this first rude essay with their enemies, for
several minutes, during which time we could see their people actively, but
irregularly, employed, in clearing away the wrecks, stoppering rigging,
and otherwise repairing damages. Le Cerf, in particular, was much troubled
with the top-mast that was dangling over her lee-quarter; and her people
made desperate and tolerably well-directed efforts to get rid of it.