her wounded spars and damaged
rigging bearing the press of sail she was obliged to carry; while the
crew, thus summoned to renewed exertion, were already quite worn out
with fatigue. The fate of the other ships was certain; for the _Amazon_
had all her principal sails disabled, and the _Droits de l'Homme_ was
unmanageable.

The _Indefatigable_ continued standing to the southward, until the
captain of the mizen-top gave the alarm of breakers on the lee-bow. The
ship was immediately wore in eighteen fathoms, and she stood to the
northward till half-past six, when land was again seen close a-head on
the weather-bow, with breakers under the lee. Running again to the
southward, she passed the _Droits de l'Homme_ lying on her broadside in
the surf, at the distance of about a mile, but without the possibility
of giving the smallest assistance. Her own situation, indeed, was almost
hopeless; and Sir Edward Pellew himself was deeply affected, when,
having done all that seamanship could accomplish, he could only commit
to a merciful Providence the lives of his gallant crew, all now
depending upon one of the many accidents to the masts and rigging which
there was so much reason to apprehend. Happily, the sails stood well;
the _Indefatigable_ continued to gain by every tack; and at eleven
o'clock, with six feet water in her hold, she passed about
three-quarters of a mile to windward of the Penmarcks; enabling her
officers and men, after a day and night of incessant exertion, at length
to rest from their toil, and to bless God for their deliverance.

She had scarcely bent new topsails and foresail, the others having been
shot to pieces, when two large ships were seen at some distance a-head,
crossing her course, and standing in a direction for L'Orient. One of
them was at first supposed to be the _Amazon_, of which nothing had been
seen since the close of the action, and the extent of whose damages was
not at all suspected. The other was considered to be a French frigate,
and Sir Edward gave orders to make sail in chase. But the officers
represented to him, that the crew, entirely exhausted by the
unparalleled length of the action, and by their subsequent labours, were
quite incapable of further exertion; that their ammunition was very
short, scarcely a cartridge filled, and every wad expended. Had the
French frigate been alone, this would have been a subject of much
regret; for she was the _Fraternite,_ with the two commanders-in