Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan.djvu/338

332 At, noon the sea-breeze sprung up from the s. w. which gave the wind to the English ships. Both squadrons formed their lines anew to the wind, with their heads w. N. w. and as soon as this was done in the English line, Mr. Pococke at 20 minutes past 12 made the signal to bear down.

The enemy's line consisted of eight sail; the Sylphide, which appeared in it in the last engagement, was kept out to repeat signals: the Comte de Provence, which had not been in it, supplied the place of the Bienaime, which was stranded in the surf. The Elizabeth stood for the Comte de Provence, and hauled up abreast of her before the rest of the line were in their proper form; for it is impossible that several ships can correspond instantaneously in the same operations. Mr. D'Aché immediately made the signal for engagement, and the Comte de Provence had given her broadside upon the Elizabeth before Mr. Pococke threw out his signal, at twenty minutes past one, when his whole line was completely formed in closed order at the proper distance from each other, and as the line admitted, from the enemy, who were not so regularly drawn up, curving inwards from the extremities: the two admirals, as in the former engagement, were in the center of their respective lines. The fire was in both as hot as possible: but the French fired high, the English only at the hulls, and both with much certainty, for they were near, the sea smooth, and the breeze light. In ten minutes the mizen of the Comte de Povence took fire, which obliged her to bear away, and cut away the mast. The Due de Bourgogne took her place against the Elizabeth. A little after the wheel of the Zodiac's rudder was carried away by a shot from the Yarmouth, to repair which she passed under the lee of the Due D'Orleans, and no sooner returned again into the line, than one of her lower-deck guns in the gun-room burst, and beat through the deck above. This mischance was soon followed by a greater, for the bulk-head of her powder-room took fire; whilst extinguishing it, the rudder gave way again, and the ship fell foul of the Due d'Orleans, her second ahead; and both, whilst disentangling, were exposed almost defenceless, to the hottest fire from their opponents the Yarmouth and Tyger: the Condé and the Moras