r to head towards the enemy. Rodney's flagship (5, a)
luffed, and led through the French line just astern of the _Glorieux_,
74, (g), which was the nineteenth in their order. She was followed
by five ships; and her next ahead also, the _Duke_ (d), seeing her
chief's movement, imitated it, breaking through the line astern of the
twenty-third French. The _Glorieux_, on the starboard hand of Rodney's
little column, received its successive broadsides. Her main and mizzen
masts went overboard at 9.28, when the _Canada_, third astern of
the _Formidable_, had just passed her; and a few moments later her
foremast and bowsprit fell. At 9.33 the _Canada_ was to windward of
the French line. The flagship _Formidable_ was using both broadsides
as she broke through the enemy's order. On her port hand, between her
and the _Duke_, were four French ships huddled together (c), one of
which had paid off the wrong way; that is, after the shift of wind
took her aback, her sails had filled on the opposite tack from that
of the rest of her fleet.[120] These four, receiving the repeated
broadsides, at close quarters, of the _Formidable_, _Duke_, and
_Namur_, and having undergone besides the fire of the British van,
were very severely mauled. While these things were happening, the
_Bedford_, the sixth astern of the _Formidable_, perhaps unable to
see her next ahead in the smoke, had luffed independently (b), and was
followed by the twelve rearmost British ships, whom she led through
the French order astern of the _Cesar_, 74, (k), twelfth from the van.
This ship and her next ahead, the _Hector_, 74, (h), suffered as did
the _Glorieux_. The _Barfleur_, which was in the centre of this column
of thirteen, opened fire at 9.25. At 10.45 she "ceased firing, having
passed the enemy's van ships;" that is, she was well on the weather
side of the French fleet. Some of the rearmost of Hood's division,
however, were still engaged at noon; but probably all were then to
windward of the enemy.

[Illustration]

The British ships ahead of the _Duke_, the van and part of the centre,
in all sixteen sail, had continued to stand to the northward. At the
time Rodney broke the line, several of them must have passed beyond
the French rear, and out of action. One, the _America_, the twelfth
from the van, wore without signals, to pursue the enemy, and her
example was followed at once by the ship next ahead, the _Russell_,
Captain Saumarez. No signal following, the _Am