Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan.djvu/735

Book XIII. three hours after day-light, have met with 100 together in a condition to resist them. The wish of every one then turned to expectation that the ships from Madagascar might arrive in the interval before the English ships in the road were repaired, or others joined them from the sea: but the excellence of the opportunity did not alter Mr. Lally's mistrust of the resource; and letters were immediately dispatched to the agents at Puliacate, Tranquebar, and Negapatam, ordering them to send away provisions with instant expedition, at every risque, on any kind of embarkation.

The anxiety for the missing ships continued until sun-set of the next day, when the Norfolk with Admiral Steven's flag was discovered in the offing. The ship, prepared at all points, before the south-east storm arose, scudded before it with a stay-sail, without losing a mast, and without being obliged to anchor until the wind fell, when in the morning they discovered Sadrass. The apprehension of more bad weather made the Admiral put out again to sea; when he met the Liverpool, entirely dismasted. This ship, having parted her cable, and got under sail before the others, had gained more sea-room than any of them; but the south-east storm had carried away all her masts; soon after they were joined by the Grafton, who gave the welcome information that she had left, on the 28th of December, the Lenox, Admiral Cornish, with the York, and Weymouth, 30 leagues off the land: they were all returning together from Trincomaly: the Grafton, after parting with them, met hard weather during the hours in which the storm was raging near the coast. The Admiral, leaving her to take care of the Liverpool, anchored in the road of Pondicherry the next morning, and they in the afternoon. The other three ships came in the next day. On the 7th came in the Salisbury, with the prize la Compagnie des lndes, likewise from Trincomaly, and the Tyger from Madrass, where the violence of the storm had not reached. No more were to be expected; for the Elizabeth and the Southsea-castle, wanting the dock, were sailed for Bombay, with the two other prizes, the Hermione and Baleine. But by this time, the four dismasted ships, although not quite refitted, were again in a condition to