Page:Final French Struggles in India and on the Indian Seas.djvu/78

50 or effectually disable, the fleet of Sir Edward Hughes, everything was still possible. Bussy was on the point of arriving; Haidar Ali still lived, threatening the English possessions all round Madras; the attenuated English army, deprived of its fleet, would be unable to keep the field; and there was nothing to prevent the victorious French fleet from sailing with the monsoon wind to Madras, and crushing out the domination of the English in the countries south of the river Krishna. There was the one obstacle offered by the twelve ships of Sir Edward Hughes; and Suffren had fourteen.

That Suffren entertained such hopes is beyond a doubt. Writing to a friend on the 14th, after the battle I am about to describe, and alluding to the excellent conduct of the captain of the Illustre M. de Bruyères de Chalabre, he used this expression: "No one could have borne himself better than he did; if all had done like him, we should have been masters of India for ever."

But let us now turn to the events of this memorable day. Decided by the signal from the Bellona to fight, Suffren, after a short exhortation to his captains, weighed anchor, and stood out towards the enemy who appeared inclined to entice him gently away from the harbour. As he approached, he signalled to form line in the pre-arranged order. This signal, though repeated again and again, was so badly executed by some of the