ships to carry the same
sail as the Admiral,--topsails and foresails,--followed, just before
noon, by the order to prepare to anchor, with springs on the cables.
The French, who were steering south, on the port tack, while the
British were hove-to, went about as soon as the latter filled, and
stood towards them in bow and quarter line.[109]

[Illustration]

At noon the British fleet was running along close under the high land
of Nevis; so close that the _Solebay_, 28, one of the frigates inshore
of the line, grounded and was wrecked. No signals were needed, except
to correct irregularities in the order, for the captains knew what
they were to do. The French were approaching steadily, but inevitably
dropping astern with reference to the point of the enemy's line for
which they were heading. At 2 P.M. de Grasse's flagship, the _Ville
de Paris_, fired several shot at the British rear, which alone she
could reach, while his left wing was nearing the _Barfleur_, Hood's
flagship, and the vessels astern of her, the centre of the column,
which opened their fire at 2.30. Hood, trusting to his captains,
disregarded this threat to the rear half of his force. Signals flew
for the van to crowd sail and take its anchorage, and at 3.30 P.M. the
leading ships began to anchor in line ahead, (Fig. 1, a), covered as
they did so by the broadsides of the rear and the rear centre (b).
Upon the latter the French were now keeping up a smart fire. Between
the _Canada_ and her next astern, the _Prudent_, 64,--which was a
dull sailer,--there was a considerable interval. Towards it the
French admiral pressed, aiming to cut off the three rear vessels; but
Cornwallis threw everything aback and closed down upon his consort,--a
stirring deed in which he was imitated by the _Resolution_ and
_Bedford_, 74's, immediately ahead of him. De Grasse was thus foiled,
but so narrowly, that an officer, looking from one of the ships which
had anchored, asserted that for a moment he could perceive the _Ville
de Paris's_ jib inside the British line. As the rear of the latter
pushed on to its place, it cleared the broadsides of the now anchored
van and centre, (Fig. 2, a), and these opened upon the enemy, a
great part of whom were strung out behind the British column, without
opponents as yet, but hastening up to get their share of the action.
Hood's flagship, (f), which anchored at 4.03, opened fire again at
4.40 P.M. Thus, as the _Canada_ and her few companions,