h demands. During its absence a breeze from the
sea sprang up, and the fleet stood in to a mile from the works, where
it stopped to await the reply. At two P.M. the boat was seen returning,
with the signal that no answer had been given. The flag-ship queried,
"Are you ready?" Each ship at once replied, "Yes;" and all filling away
together stood down to the attack, the admiral leading.

The Algerine batteries were fully manned; the mole, moreover, was
crowded with troops. With singular temerity, they fired no gun as the
ships came on, thus relieving the most anxious of Exmouth's
preoccupations concerning the difficulties before him; fearing,
seemingly, that, if otherwise received, the prey might turn and escape.
The British, on their side, observed the utmost silence; not a gun, not
a cheer, marred the solemn impression of the approach. The flag-ship,
_Queen Charlotte_,[16] piloted by an officer who had served continuously
with Exmouth since 1793, anchored by the stern across the mole head, at
a distance of fifty yards, her starboard batteries pointing to sweep it
from end to end. Still no sound of battle, as she proceeded to lash her
bows to those of an Algerine brig lying just within the mole. This done,
her crew gave three cheers, as well they might. Then the stolid,
unaccountable apathy of the barbarians ceased, and three guns in quick
succession were fired from the eastern battery. Stirred by a movement
of compassion, Lord Exmouth, from the flag-ship's poop, seeing the
Moorish soldiery clustered thick upon the parapets to watch the ships,
waved to them with his hand to get down. At the first hostile gun he
gave the order "Stand by!" at the second, "Fire!" and simultaneously
with the third the _Queen Charlotte's_ broadside rang out, and the
battle began.

The other vessels of the squadron were not all as successful as the
flag-ship in taking the exact position assigned, and the admiral's plan
thereby suffered some of that derangement to which every undertaking,
especially military and naval, is liable. This, however, produced no
effect upon the general result, except by increasing somewhat the lists
of killed and wounded, through loss of advantageous offensive position,
with consequent defect in mutual support. But the first broadside is
proverbially half the battle. It was a saying of Collingwood to his
crew, in a three-decker like the _Queen Charlotte_, that if they could
deliver three effective fires in the first