388 THE CANNONADE OF CHAP. Agamemnon and the Sanspareil left hardly the ^^^^' room that was needed for another line-of-battle- sliip* As the liodney, stern foremost, moved slowly to the southward in search of a berth, the lead was kept constantly going, and the water was found to he shoaling. Mr Craigie, the master, could not believe it safe to be going on towards the edge of the shoal in less then seven fathoms.f His belief was that, both for the object of fight- ing the ship and that of keeping her clear of the shoal, the space between the Sanspareil and the Agamemnon was the only one which offered a good berth. Captain Graham, however, rejected the plan of trying to thrust in between two other ships at ihe risk of fouling them ; and presently over- ruling the master, he resolved to go to the south- ward of the Agamemnon. In that direction, accordingly, his ship continued to move ; and whilst she was passing the Agamemnon, Lyons signalled, 'Well done, liodney!' It was not till her starboard bow had just passed the starboard bow of the Agamemnon that the Rodney let go an anchor. She then came to, with her starboard bow anchor in six fathoms and a half. The bows of the two ships were then abreast, but divided the one from the other by a distance of some thirty or forty yards.
- See the Plan.
t The ship, I think, drew 244 feet — i.e., four fatlioms and half a foot.
