Page:Final French Struggles in India and on the Indian Seas.djvu/43

Rh fifteen hundred were out foraging; and Commodore Johnstone himself so little expected an attack that he was at the moment engaged in giving directions for altering the position of some of his ships which had drifted too near to each other.

Suffren did not forego his chance. Despatching La Fortune to collect and guard the transports, he, at half-past ten in the morning, led the way in the Héros, and standing in close to the shore, followed by the other ships of his squadron, he made for the largest English vessel, also called the Hero, and cast anchor between her and the Monmouth.

The concentrated fire of the English squadron was for a few moments directed on the daring invader; but very quickly the Annibal came to her aid, and diverted to herself much of the enemy's attention.

The Artésien, which was following, was not fortunate. The smoke of the combat caused her captain, Cardailhac, to mistake one of the armed transports for a man-of-war. He was about to board her, when he was shot dead through the heart. La Boixière who replaced him was incompetent. He, too, mistook another transport for a frigate. Whilst engaged in boarding her, the freshening breeze took both his vessel and his prize quite out of the line of fire.

The Vengeur, which had followed, went along the line of the enemy, exchanging broadsides, but her captain's order to anchor not having been attended to, she