Page:Final French Struggles in India and on the Indian Seas.djvu/81

Rh At four o'clock in the afternoon, the fight having lasted then one hour and a half, the situation of the French commodore had become extremely critical. The Ajax had been so riddled as to be able to retire only with the greatest difficulty. The Héros, the Illustre, and the Brillant had to bear unsupported the weight of the concentrated fire of the centre division of the English fleet. At four o'clock the Artésien came to the commodore's rescue; but even then the odds were too great. About five o'clock the mainmast, the fore topmast, and the mizen topmast of the Héros came down with a tremendous crash. The hurrahs of the English first showed Suffren that they thought he had struck his flag. Not for long did they remain under this delusion. Rushing on the poop, Suffren cried with a voice that sounded above the roar of the combat: "Bring flags; bring up all the white flags that are below and cover my ship with them." These words inspired his men with renewed energy. The contest continued with greater fury than ever. The Burford, the Sultan, and the Superb had already felt, and now felt again its effects. Hope was beginning to rise, when at the moment it was whispered to Suffren that he had already expended 1800 rounds of shot, and that his ammunition was exhausted!

Powder, however, remained, and with powder alone he continued the fire, so as to delude the enemy. But he had begun to despair; already he was thinking of spiking the guns, and, enticing the enemy's ships close