rojects of the campaign." On this a
French professional writer naturally remarks, that if an attack were
made at all, it would be more prudent to make it in force; less injury
would fall on individual ships, while in the end the whole fleet would
inevitably be drawn in to support any which, by losing spars, could
not return to windward.

Three times in one year had Fortune thrown before De Grasse the
opportunity of attacking English fleets with decisive odds on his
side.[204] Her favors were now exhausted. Three days more were to show
how decidedly the ulterior projects of a campaign may be affected by a
battle and the loss of a few ships. From the 9th to the morning of the
12th the French fleet continued beating to windward between Dominica
and the Saints, in no regular order. On the night of the 9th the
English hove-to to repair damages. The next day the chase to windward
was resumed, but the French gained very decidedly upon their pursuers.
On the night of the 10th two ships, the "Jason" and "Zele," collided.
The "Zele" was the bane of the French fleet during these days. She was
one of those that were nearly caught by the enemy on the 9th, and was
also the cause of the final disaster. The injuries to the "Jason"
forced her to put into Guadeloupe. On the 11th the main body was to
windward of the Saints, but the "Zele" and another had fallen so far
to leeward that De Grasse bore down to cover them, thus losing much of
the ground gained. On the night following, the "Zele" was again in
collision, this time with De Grasse's flag-ship; the latter lost some
sails, but the other, which had not the right of way and was wholly at
fault, carried away both foremast and bowsprit. The admiral sent word
to the frigate "Astree" to take the "Zele" in tow; and here flits
across the page of our story a celebrated and tragical figure, for the
captain of the "Astree" was the ill-fated explorer Lapeyrouse, the
mystery of whose disappearance with two ships and their entire crews
remained so long unsolved. Two hours were consumed in getting the ship
under way in tow of the frigate,--not very smart work under the
conditions of weather and urgency; but by five A.M. the two were
standing away for Basse Terre, where the "Caton" and "Jason," as well
as the convoy, had already arrived. The French fleet had thus lost
three from its line-of-battle since leaving Martinique.

The disabled ship had not long been headed for Basse Terre, when the
fain