impelled, the lively craft dashed
ahead, and was soon in her allotted berth, or half a cable's-length astern
of the Black Prince, as I afterwards heard was the name of the commanding
English ship, on this occasion. I may as well add here, that the French
Commodore's ship was named La Desiree, and _her_ consort Le Cerf. Mons.
Menneval was senior officer of the French, and Sir Hotham Ward of the
English. I never knew the name of the other French captain; or, if I did,
I have forgotten it.

My object had been, in bearing up, to get as far as possible from the
Speedy, in order that she might not recognise us, and especially that she
might not read the name on our stern. But this running off so much to
leeward, was not precisely the berth that one would wish to occupy, when a
sea-fight is going on directly to windward, and within half gun-shot. No
sooner was my Lord Harry Dermond in motion again, therefore, than we
hauled the Dawn up with her head to the westward, with a view to get as
soon as possible out of the probable range of the fire. It was true, the
combatants might vary their manoeuvres, so as to render all parts of the
periphery of a certain circle around them, anything but agreeable; but the
chances were greatly in favour of the battle's beginning, with one party
to windward of the other.

Our ship behaved well on this occasion, getting out of the way with
sufficient rapidity. While this was in the course of execution, I had an
opportunity to look after the corvette and the lugger. The last was still
leading, having managed, by means of short tacks, to work up considerably
to windward of the two French frigates. Here she had made a last tack to
the eastward, intending to run for the coast. The sloop-of-war was still
in her wake, and was following on her heels, at a rapid rate.

Chapter XVIII.

"You and I have known, sir."
"At sea, I think."
"We have, sir."
"You have done well by water."
"And you by land."

Antony and Cleopatra.

The reader will understand that I offer to his view a shifting panorama.
As soon as the Dawn had got about a mile and a half from the English
frigates, a distance that was a little increased by the advance of the
last towards their enemies, we again backed our top-sails, for I had an
ungovernable desire to be a spectator of what was to follow. This feeling
was common to all four of us, it being next to impossible to get either
Neb, or Diogenes, to pull a rope