He sought them for three months without any decisive result; it was only on the 4th of July in the morning, at the moment when Hyder Ali was to attack Negapatam, that a serious engagement began between the hostile fleets.  The two squadrons had already suffered severely; a change of wind had caused disorder in the lines:  the English had several vessels dismantled; one single French vessel, the Severe, had received serious damage; her captain, with cowardly want of spirit, ordered the flag to be hauled down.  His lieutenants protested; the volunteers to whom he had appealed refused to execute his orders.  By this time the report was spreading among the batteries that the captain, was giving the order to cease firing; the sailors were as indignant as the officers:  a cry arose, “The flag is down!” A complaisant subaltern had at last obeyed the captain’s repeated orders.  The officers jumped upon the quarter-deck.  “You are master of your flag,” fiercely cried an officer of the blue, Lieutenant Dien, “but we are masters as to fighting, and the ship shall not surrender!” By this time a boat from the English ship, the Sultan, had put off to board the Severe, which was supposed to have struck, when a fearful broadside from all the ship’s port-holes struck the Sultan, which found herself obliged to sheer off.  Night came; without waiting for the admiral’s orders, the English went and cast anchor under Negapatam.

M. de Suffren supposed that hostilities would be resumed; but, when the English did not appear, he at last prepared to set sail for Gondelour to refit his vessels, when a small boat of the enemy’s hove in sight:  it bore a flag of truce.  Admiral Hughes claimed the Severe, which had for an instant hauled down her flag.  M. de Suffren had not heard anything about her captain’s poltroonery; the flag had been immediately replaced; he answered that none of the French vessels had surrendered.  “However,” he added with a smile, “as this vessel belongs to Sir Edward Hughes, beg him from me to come for it himself.”  Suffren arrived without hinderance at Gondelour (Kaddalore).

Scarcely was he there, when Hyder Ali expressed a desire to see him, and set out for that purpose without waiting for his answer.  On the 26th of July, M. de Suffren landed with certain officers of his squadron; an escort of cavalry was in waiting to conduct him to the camp of the nabob, who came out to meet him.  “Heretofore I thought myself a great man and a great general,” said Hyder Ali to the admiral; “but now I know that you alone are a great man.”  Suffren informed the nabob that M. de Bussy-Castelnau, but lately the faithful lieutenant of Dupleix and the continuer of his victories, had just been sent to India with the title of commander-in-chief; he was already at Ile de France, and was bringing some troops.  “Provided that you remain with us, all will go well,” said the nabob, detaching from his