dward of it. The latter therefore stood on, across the bows of the
British, to rejoin their consorts, and then all hauled their wind to
the south-west, standing in column (bb) towards the enemy. Cornwallis
on his part had kept on (b) to reconnoitre the force opposed to him;
but one of his ships, the _Ruby_, 64, was so far to leeward (b') that
the French, by keeping near the wind, could pass between her and
her squadron (b, b, b'). She therefore went about (t) and steered
southwest, on the port tack (c'), close to the wind. The French, who
were already heading the same way, were thus brought on her weather
quarter in chase. Cornwallis then wore his division (w), formed line
of battle on the same tack as the others (c), and edged down towards
the _Ruby_. If the French now kept their wind, either the _Ruby_ (c')
must be cut off, or Cornwallis, to save her, must fight the large
odds against him. De Ternay, however, did not keep his wind but bore
up,--yielded ground (cc). "The enemy," wrote Cornwallis, "kept edging
off and forming line, though within gunshot. At 5.30 P.M., seeing
we had pushed the French ships to leeward sufficiently to enable the
_Ruby_, on our lee bow, to join us, I made the signal to tack." As
the British squadron went about to stand east again (d), the French,
heading now west-south-west (cc), hoisted their colours and opened
fire in passing. The _Ruby_ kept on till she fetched the wake of the
British column (d'), when she too tacked. The French then tacked also,
in succession (d), and the two columns stood on for awhile in parallel
lines, exchanging shots at long range, the British to windward.
Cornwallis very properly declined further engagement with so superior
a force. He had already done much in saving a ship so greatly exposed.

[Illustration]

The account above followed is that of the British commander, but it
does not differ in essentials from the French, whose captains were
greatly incensed at the cautious action of their chief. A French
_commissaire_ in the squadron, who afterwards published his journal,
tells that de Ternay a few days later asked the captain of one of the
ships what English admiral he thought they had engaged, and received
the reply, "We have lost our opportunity of finding out." He gives
also many details of the talk that went on in the ships, which need
not be repeated. Chevalier points out correctly, however, that de
Ternay had to consider that an equal or even a superior