water, lay outermost on the north-west edge of the Palles Shoal,
nearest the deep water, where she was most exposed to attack; whilst
all, by the fall of the tide, were lying on their bilge, with
their bottoms completely exposed to shot, and therefore beyond the
possibility of resistance."

The French fleet had not been destroyed; yet it was so paralysed by
the shock that its utter defeat seemed easy to Lord Cochrane. To the
mast of the _Impérieuse_, between six o'clock in the morning of the
12th and one in the afternoon, he hoisted 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 _Impérieuse_; 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 _Impérieuse_ came to an anchor