four o'clock before
And then to our amazement we saw the Defiance and the Windsor , though they had received but two or three broadsides apiece -LRB- in one of which Dick Cludde got a severe hurt -RRB- luff out of gunshot , so that the two sternmost ships of the French were free to lay upon the Breda . I think I never saw a man in such a passion of anger as Mr. Benbow was then . He mingled hot reproaches of the erring captains with words of cheer to our gunners , and though we were the target for three of the enemy 's ships , he bade Captain Fogg keep us in touch with them and swore that he would fight the whole squadron single-handed . 'T was four o'clock before the action became general , so sluggish were our vessels in coming into line , and the firing continued till nightfall , by which time we on the Breda had suffered severely . We kept the French company all night , and during the night watches the admiral , believing that if he led himself on both tacks the captains for very shame could not fail to follow his example , altered the line of battle accordingly , the Defiance coming next to the Breda . At daybreak the Breda was near the enemy , but only the Ruby was up with us , the rest of the squadron lying three , four , and five miles astern , and there was little wind . We were within gunshot of the French , but they were civil enough not to fire , and indeed 't was clear as the day went on that they were not eager to fight us , for on a sea breeze coming up they got into a line and made what sail they could .