April. As commonly happened, the rear got less close than the van
(Position I). The fourth ship in the French order, the _Brillant_, 64
(a), losing her mainmast early, dropped to leeward of the line, (a'),
and astern of her place (a"). At half-past noon the wind flew suddenly
to south-south-east,--the sea-breeze,--taking the ships a little on
the port bow. Most of them, on both sides, paid off from the enemy,
the British to starboard, the French to port; but between the main
lines, which were in the momentary confusion consequent upon such
an incident, were left six ships--four British and two French--that
had turned the other way (Positions II and III).[145] These were the
_Burford_, _Sultan_ (s), _Worcester_, and _Eagle_, fourth, fifth,
eighth and tenth, in the British order; and the _Severe_ (b), third
in the French, with the dismasted _Brillant_, which was now towards
the rear of the fight (a). Under these conditions, the _Severe_, 64,
underwent a short but close action with the _Sultan_, 74; and with
two other British ships, according to the report of the _Severe's_
captain. The remainder of the incident shall be given in the latter's
own words.

"Seeing the French squadron drawing off,--for all the
ships except the _Brillant_ had fallen off on the other
tack,--Captain de Cillart thought it useless to prolong his
defence, and had the flag hauled down. The ships engaged
with him immediately ceased their fire, and the one on the
starboard side moved away. At this moment the _Severe_ fell
off to starboard, and her sails filled. Captain de Cillart
then ordered the fire to be resumed by his lower-deck guns,
the only ones which remained manned, and he rejoined his
squadron."

When the _Severe's_ flag came down, Suffren was approaching with his
flagship. The _Sultan_ wore to rejoin her fleet, and was raked by the
_Severe_ in so doing. The _Brillant_, whose mainmast had been shot
away in conflict with either the _Sultan_ or the _Burford_, both much
heavier ships, had at this later phase of the fight fallen under the
guns of the _Worcester_ and the _Eagle_. Her captain, de Saint-Felix,
was one of the most resolute of Suffren's officers. She was rescued by
the flagship, but she had lost 47 killed and 136 wounded,--an almost
incredible slaughter, being over a third of the usual complement of a
sixty-four; and Suffren's ships were undermanned.

These spirited episodes, and the fact