the enterprise was not hopeless; and, as the breeze allowed his vessels
to head for the enemy, he steered to engage at once. Unfortunately, the
wind fell as the squadron drew nigh, and only four ships were able to
take their intended places; the other two had to anchor outside their
consorts, and fire as they could through the intervals. This mishap
lessened by one-third the fighting power of the British, and, coupled
with the acknowledged superiority of guns on solid ground over those
afloat, reduced them to inferiority. Their disadvantage was increased by
the arrangements of the French admiral, carefully elaborated during the
two preceding days. Had the preparations of Brueys at the Nile equalled
those of Linois at Algeciras, Nelson's task must have been harder and
his victory less complete. Nevertheless, after an engagement of an hour
and a half, the British fire so far prevailed that the enemy resorted to
a measure for which precautions had been taken beforehand. Lines had
been run from each French ship to the shoal water lying close inside
them; and by means of these they were warped away from their opponents
until they took the ground. This increase of distance was in every way a
gain to the party standing on the defensive, and a corresponding loss to
the assailants. Saumarez ordered the cables cut and sail made to close
once more; but the light and fickle airs both baffled this effort and
further embarrassed the British, through the difficulty of keeping their
broadsides in position. Here happened the great disaster of the day. One
of the outer ships, the _Hannibal_, tried to pass inside the headmost of
the French, not realizing that the latter had moved. In so doing she ran
aground close under a battery, to whose fire she could make no reply.
After a brave and prolonged resistance, in which she lost seventy-five
killed and seventy wounded out of a crew of six hundred, and had many of
her guns dismounted, she hauled down her flag. By this time another
ship, the _Pompee_, was dismasted, and success was plainly hopeless. The
British admiral, therefore, ordered the action discontinued, and
withdrew to the Gibraltar side; the _Pompee_ having to be towed away by
the boats of the squadron.

Saumarez had failed, and failure, however explained, can hardly be
carried to a man's credit; but his after course, by wresting success out
of seemingly irretrievable disaster, has merited the highest eulogium.
Maintaining both cou