asse saw this he signalled his fleet to keep away (c), as
Rodney wished, and at the same time to form the line-of-battle, thus
calling down to him the ships to windward. The English line was also
formed rapidly, and the chasing ships recalled at seven A.M. De
Grasse, seeing that if he stood on he would lose the weather-gage
altogether, hauled up again on the port tack (c'); and the breeze
changing to east-southeast and east in his favor and knocking the
English off, the race of the two fleets on opposite tacks, for the
advantage of the wind, became nearly equal. The French, however, won,
thanks to a superiority in sailing which had enabled them to draw so
far to windward of the English on the previous days, and, but for the
awkwardness of the "Zele," might have cleared them altogether (Plate
XXI., B). Their leading ships first reached and passed the point where
the rapidly converging tracks intersected, while the English leader,
the "Marlborough," struck the French line between the sixth and
tenth ships (variously stated). The battle, of course, had by this
time begun, the ninth ship in the French line, the "Brave," opening
fire at twenty minutes before eight A.M. upon the "Marlborough." As
there was no previous intention of breaking the line, the English
leader kept away, in obedience to a signal from Rodney, and ran close
along under the enemy's lee, followed in succession by all the ships
as they reached her wake. The battle thus assumed the common and
indecisive phase of two fleets passing on opposite tacks, the wind
very light, however, and so allowing a more heavy engagement than
common under these circumstances, the ships "sliding by" at the rate
of three to four knots. Since the hostile lines diverged again south
of their point of meeting, De Grasse made signal to keep away four
points to south-southwest, thus bringing his van (B, a) to action with
the English rear, and not permitting the latter to reach his rear
unscathed. There were, however, two dangers threatening the French if
they continued their course. Its direction, south or south-southwest,
carried them into the calms that hung round the north end of Dominica;
and the uncertainty of the wind made it possible that by its hauling
to the southward the enemy could pass through their line and gain the
wind, and with it the possibility of forcing the decisive battle which
the French policy had shunned; and this was in fact what happened. De
Grasse therefore m