isted signal after signal, urging
Lord Gambier, who was with the main body of the fleet about fourteen
miles off, to make an attack. Failing in all these, and growing
desperate in his zeal, especially as every hour of delay was enabling
the French to recover themselves and rendering success less sure, he
suffered his single frigate to drift towards the enemy. "I did not
venture to make sail," wrote Lord Cochrane, in his very modest account
of this daring exploit, "lest the movement might be seen from the
flag-ship, and a signal of recall should defeat my purpose of making
an attack with the _Imperieuse_; my object being to compel the
Commander-in-Chief to send vessels to our assistance. We drifted by
the wind and tide slowly past the fortifications on Isle d'Aix; but,
though they fired at us with every gun that could be brought to bear,
the distance was too great to inflict damage. Proceeding thus till
1.30 p.m., we then suddenly made sail after the nearest of the enemy's
vessels escaping. In order to divert our attention from the vessels
we were pursuing, these having thrown their guns overboard, the
_Calcutta_, a store-ship carrying fifty-six guns, which was still
aground, broadside on, began firing at us. Before proceeding further,
it became therefore necessary to attack her, and at 1.50 we shortened
sail and returned the fire. At 2.0 the _Imperieuse_ came to an anchor
in five fathoms, and, veering to half a cable, kept fast the spring,
firing upon the _Calcutta_ with our broadside, and at the same time
upon the _Aquillon_ and _Ville de Varsovie_, two line-of-battle ships,
each of seventy-four guns, with our forecastle and bow guns, both
these ships being aground stern on, in an opposite direction. After
some time we had the satisfaction of observing several ships sent
to our assistance, namely, the _Emerald_, the _Unicorn_, the
_Indefatigable_, the _Valiant_, the _Revenge_, the _Pallas_, and the
_Aigle_. On seeing this, the captain and the crew of the _Calcutta_
abandoned their vessel, of which the boats of the _Imperieuse_ took
possession before the vessels sent to our assistance came down." Soon
after the arrival of the new ships, the two other vessels were also
forced to surrender.

Most of the ships sent to his assistance returned to Lord Grambier on
the 13th. Lord Cochrane, seeing that it would be easy for him to do
much further mischief, made ready for the work on the morrow. But from
this he was prevented by