Page:Royal Naval Biography Marshall v4p1.djvu/28

 “Proceeding thus under easy sail, in order to allow the Boadicea time to get up, the Africainc, as soon as it grew dark, begun firing rockets and burning blue-lights, to point out her situation. At 9 the Boadicca saw a flush in the S.E., and at 9-30 observed the enemy and the Africaine burn blue-lights. At 1-50 on the 13tb, in the midst of a fresh squall, the French frigates bore up; and immediately the Africaine, fearing their intention might be to run or wear, bore up also, and manned her starboard guns. At 2-10, the Astrée and Iphigénie again hauled to the wind on the same tack; and the Africaine, having hauled up likewise, found herself within less than musket-shot distance on the Astrée’s weather quarter. The Boadicea was now four or five miles distant on the lee quarter of the Africaine; but having been thrown, by accident, into so good a position, and knowing that a run of two or three hours more would bring the enemy to Port Louis, Captain Corbett could not refrain from becoming the assailant.

“Accordingly, at 2-20 the Africaine fired her larboard guns, loaded with two round shot each, into the weather quarter of the Astrée, who immediately returned the fire. The second broadside from that ship mortally wounded Captain Corbett, a shot striking off his right foot above the ankle, and a blow from a splinter causing a compound fracture of the thigh of the same leg. The command of the Africaine now devolved upon Lieutenant Joseph Crew Tullidge, who was ordered by Captain Corbett, as he was removing below, to bring the enemy to close action. At 2-30, having had her jib-boom and the weather-clue of her fore-topsail shot away, and fearing that her bowsprit had suffered, the Astrée ranged a-head clear of her opponent’s guns. On this the men at the Africaine’s foremost main-deck guns began hurraing, and the remainder of the ship’s company caught and repeated the cheer. The lightness of the breeze, which had been gradually falling since the action commenced, would have deprived the Africaine of her former advantage in point of sailing, even had the Astrée’s fire not cut away the greater part of her running rigging: hence she had scarcely steerage-way through the water. The Iphigénie, meanwhile, had bore up, and now took a station on the lee quarter of her consort. The breeze freshening a little at this time, the Africaine made sail, and running alongside the Iphigénie to windward, recommenced the action, having the Astrée on her weather-bow. A sudden fall in the wind enabled the latter ship to retain her position; and thus lay the Africaine, with one ship of equal force within half pistol-shot on her larboard-beam, and another, of the same or a greater force, close on her starboard-bow, raking her with a most destructive fire of round, grape, and langridge.

“At 3-30 the Africaine had her jib-boom and fore-topmast shot away, and shortly afterwards her mizen-topmast. Lieutenant Tullidge, by this time, had been severely wounded in four places, but could not be persuaded to go below. Lieutenant Robert Forder, the next officer in