Page:Royal Naval Biography Marshall sp2.djvu/180

  “The Nereide, still with stay-sails only, cleared the tortuous channel, and stood along the edge of the reef that skirts the harbour directly for the rearmost French ship. The Sirius, about a quarter of an hour or 20 minutes after she had weighed, keeping this time too much on the starboard hand, touched the ground. Very shoal water appearing ahead, the best bower anchor was let go; but the velocity of the ship was so great; as to run the cable out in spite of stoppers and every other effort to check her way. The small-bower was then let go, but to no purpose, the ship continuing to tear both cables out with great rapidity; and unfortunately, the helm having been put a-port, the ship struck on a coral reef, which, a minute or two before, must have been on her starboard bow. Just as the Sirius had taken the ground, the French ships began firing, and their shot passed over the Nereide.

“With the Sirius as a beacon, the Magicienne and Iphigenia successively cleared the channel; but, at 5-15 P.M., while steering for her station, and of course wide of the track in which the Nereide, with the only pilot in the squadron was steering, the Magicienne grounded on a bank, in such a position, that only three of her foremost guns on each deck could bear upon the enemy; from whom she was then distant about 400 yards. Seeing what had befallen the Magicienne, the Iphigenia, who was close in her rear, dropped her stream anchor, and came to by the stern in six fathoms: she then let go the best bower under foot, thereby bringing her starboard broadside to bear upon the Minerve; into whom, at a pistol-shot distance, the Iphigenia immediately poured a heavy and destructive fire. By this time the Nereide was also in hot action, and to her we must now attend.

“Just as, regardless of the raking fire opened upon the Nereide in her approach, he was about to take up his allotted position on the bow of the Victor, Captain Willoughby saw what had befallen the Sirius; and, with characteristic gallantry, steered for, and in his 12-pounder frigate anchored upon the beam of the Bellone, at the distance of less than 200 yards. Between these two ill-matched ships, at about 5-15 P.M., a furious cannonade commenced; the Victor, from her slanting position on the Nereide’s quarter, being also enabled to take an occasional part in it. At 6-15, after having received an occasional fire from the bow guns of the Magicienne, and the quarter guns of the Iphigenia, the Ceylon hauled down her colours, and Captain Lambert immediately hailed the Magicienne to take possession: at that instant the Ceylon was seen with her top-sails set, running