Victory, although by no means to so great an extent, the damage and loss sustained by the head of the weather column from the enemy’s heavy and incessant raking fire. Shortly after the Victory had poured her larboard broadside into the Bucentaure’s stern, the Temeraire opened her fire at the Neptune and Redoubtable. When the Victory put her helm a-port to steer towards the Redoubtable, the Temeraire, to keep clear of her leader, was compelled to do the same; receiving as she passed the Redoubtable a fire that carried away the head of her mizen-top-mast. When the Victory again brought her head to the northward, the Temeraire stood slowly on a short distance to the S.E.; and then hauled up to pass through the enemy’s line. Meanwhile the Victory had dropped alongside the Redoubtable, and the two ships were paying off to the eastward.
“Scarcely had she begun to haul up, so as to avoid being raked by the Neptune, (French 80) ere the Temeraire discovered, through the smoke, the Redoubtable, (74) driving towards and almost on board of her. Even had the breeze, now barely sufficient to fill the sails, permitted the Temeraire to manoeuvre to clear herself from the Redoubtable, the Neptune, who, to avoid getting foul of the Redoubtable and Victory, had wore and come to again, with her larboard broadside bearing upon the starboard bow of the Temeraire, opened so heavy a raking fire, that in a few minutes the latter’s fore-yard and main-top-mast were shot away, and her fore-mast and bowsprit, particularly the latter, greatly damaged. In this unmanageable state, the Temeraire could do no more than continue to cannonade the Redoubtable with her larboard guns. This she did until the latter having closed her lower-deck ports, fell onboard, her bowsprit passing over the British ship’s gangway, a little before the main-rigging, where, in order to have the benefit of bestowing a raking fire, the crew of the Temeraire immediately lashed it. The effect of this raking fire was terrible upon the crew of the Redoubtable, the whole of whom were then assembled upon the forecastle, gangway, and quarter deck. Nearly 200 were placed hors de combat.
“Less considerate than either of her antagonists about fire, although in equal if not greater danger from its effects, the Redoubtable continued throwing hand-grenades from her tops and yard-arms, some of which set fire to her own larboard fore-chains and starboard fore-shrouds. The fire from the shrouds presently communicated to the foresail of the Temeraire, but, by the active exertions of the forecastle men, the flames on board both ships were presently extinguished. The Victory’s crew, after having put out a fire that had spread itself among some ropes and canvas on the booms, also lent their assistance in extinguishing the flames on board the Redoubtable, by throwing buckets of water from their gangway upon her chains and fore-castle. * * * * * * After quitting the Belleisle, the Fougueux, (74) stood slowly across the wide space between the Santa Anna, (Spanish first rate) and Redoubtable, steering a course directly for the starboard beam of the Temeraire, then with her head nearly east. The object of the Fougueux was probably to pass to windward of the Temeraire and rake her or, it might have been (and the French crew were actually assembled on
