ared with its foes. Such
isolated ships ran the gantlet of the fleets in Cadiz, Ferrol, and
Brest flanking the routes.

[Footnote 70: An anchorage three miles to seaward of Spithead.]

[Footnote 71: Chevalier, "Marine Francaise," 1778, p. 165. Author's
italics.]

[Footnote 72: In line "abreast," as the word indicates, the ships are
not in each other's wake, as in line "ahead," but abreast; that is,
ranged on a line perpendicular to the course steered.]

[Footnote 73: Rodney's Report. Chevalier says that one of them was
retaken by her crew and carried into Cadiz.]

[Footnote 74: Now the British Mauritius.]

CHAPTER VIII

RODNEY AND DE GUICHEN'S NAVAL CAMPAIGN IN WEST INDIES. DE GUICHEN
RETURNS TO EUROPE, AND RODNEY GOES TO NEW YORK. LORD CORNWALLIS IN THE
CAROLINAS. TWO NAVAL ACTIONS OF COMMODORE CORNWALLIS. RODNEY RETURNS
TO WEST INDIES

When Rodney arrived at Santa Lucia with his four ships of the line, on
March 27, 1780, he found there a force of sixteen others, composed in
about equal proportions of ships that had left England with Byron in
the summer of 1778, and of a reinforcement brought by Rear-Admiral
Rowley in the spring of 1779.

During the temporary command of Rear-Admiral Hyde Parker, between
the departure of Byron and the arrival of Rodney, a smart affair had
taken place between a detachment of the squadron and one from the
French division, under La Motte-Picquet, then lying in Fort Royal,
Martinique.

On the 18th of December, 1779, between 8 and 9 A.M., the British
look-out ship, the _Preston_, 50, between Martinique and Santa Lucia
made signal for a fleet to windward, which proved to be a body of
French supply ships, twenty-six in number, under convoy of a frigate.
Both the British and the French squadrons were in disarray, sails
unbent, ships on the heel or partially disarmed, crews ashore for
wood and water. In both, signals flew at once for certain ships to
get under way, and in both the orders were executed with a rapidity
gratifying to the two commanders, who also went out in person. The
British, however, were outside first, with five sail of the line and
a 50-gun ship. Nine of the supply vessels were captured by them, and
four forced ashore. The French Rear-Admiral had by this time got
out of Fort Royal with three ships of the line,--the _Annibal_, 74,
_Vengeur_, 64, and _Reflechi_, 64,--and, being to windward, covered
the entrance of the remainder of the convoy. As the two hos