a gun to
enforce obedience. Her own side being still turned towards the
British, as she waited, the report was taken by the flagship's men
below decks to be the signal for opening fire, and her whole broadside
was discharged. This example was followed by the other ships, so that
the engagement, instead of being close, was begun at half cannon-shot.

[Illustration]

Owing to his measured and deliberate retreat, Hughes had his fleet
now in thoroughly good shape, well aligned and closed-up. The French,
starting from a poor formation to perform a difficult evolution,
under fire, engaged in utter disorder (B). Seven ships, prematurely
rounding-to to bring their broadsides to the enemy, and fore-reaching,
formed a confused group (v), much to windward and somewhat ahead
of the British van. Imperfectly deployed, they interfered with one
another and their fire consequently could not be adequately developed.
In the rear a somewhat similar condition existed. Suffren, expecting
the bulk of his line to fight the British to windward, had directed
the _Vengeur_, 64, and the _Consolante_, 36, to double to leeward
on the extreme rear; but they, finding that the weather sides of the
enemy were not occupied, feared to go to leeward, lest they should be
cut off. They attacked the rear British ship, the _Worcester_, 64 (w),
to windward; but the _Monmouth_, 64 (m), dropping down to her support,
and the _Vengeur_ catching fire in the mizzen top, they were compelled
to haul off. Only Suffren's own ship, the _Heros_, 74 (a), and her
next astern, the _Illustre_, 74, (i), came at once to close action
with the British centre; but subsequently the _Ajax_, 64, succeeding
in clearing herself from the snarl in the rear, took station ahead (j)
of the _Heros_. Upon these three fell the brunt of the fight. They not
only received the broadsides of the ships immediately opposed to them,
but, the wind having now become light yet free, the British vessels
ahead and astern, (h, s,) by luffing or keeping off, played also upon
them. "The enemy formed a semicircle around us," wrote Suffren's chief
of staff, "and raked us ahead and astern, as the ship came up and
fell off with the helm to leeward." The two seventy-fours were crushed
under this fire. Both lost their main and mizzen masts in the course
of the day, and the foretopmast of the flagship also fell. The _Ajax_,
arriving later, and probably drawing less attention, had only a
topmast shot away.

The B