The Dutch admiral was as deliberate as Parker was headlong.  An English witness writes:—­

“They appeared to be in great order; and their hammocks, quarter-cloths, etc., were spread in as nice order as if for show in harbour.  Their marines also were well drawn up, and stood with their muskets shouldered, with all the regularity and exactness of a review.  Their politeness ought to be remembered by every man in our line; for, as if certain of what happened, we came down almost end-on upon their broadsides; yet did not the Dutch admiral fire a gun, or make the signal to engage, till the red flag was at the Fortitude’s masthead, and her shot finding their way into his ship.  This was a manoeuvre which Admiral Zutman should not be warmly thanked for by their High Mightinesses; as he had it in his power to have done infinite mischief to our fleet, coming down in that unofficer-like manner.  Having suffered Admiral Parker to place himself as he pleased, he calmly waited till the signal was hoisted on board the Fortitude, and at the same time we saw the signal going up on board Admiral Zutman’s ship.”

The British, thus unmolested, rounded-to just to windward of the enemy.  A pilot who was on board their leading ship was for some reason told to assist in laying her close to her opponent.  “By close,” he asked, “do you mean about a ship’s breadth?” “Not a gun was fired on either side,” says the official British report, “until within the distance of half musket-shot.”  Parker, whom an on-looker describes as full of life and spirits, here made a mistake, of a routine character, which somewhat dislocated his order.  It was a matter of tradition for flagship to seek flagship, just as it was to signal a general chase, and to bear down together, each ship for its opposite, well extended with the enemy.  Now Parker, as was usual, was in the centre of his line, the fourth ship; but Zoutman was for some reason in the fifth.  Parker therefore placed his fourth by the enemy’s fifth.  In consequence, the rear British ship overlapped the enemy, and for a time had no opponent; while the second and third found themselves engaged with three of the Dutch.  At 8 A.M. the signal for the line was hauled down, and that for close action hoisted,—­thus avoiding a mistake often made.

All the vessels were soon satisfactorily and hotly at work, and the action continued with varying phases till 11.35 A.M.  The leading two ships in both orders got well to leeward of the lines, the British two having to tack to regain their places to windward.  Towards the middle of the engagement the Dutch convoy bore away, back to the Texel, as the British had steered for England before it began; the difference being that the voyage was abandoned by the Dutch and completed by the British.  At eleven o’clock Parker made sail, and passed with the flagship between the enemy and the Buffalo, his next ahead and third in the British order; the three rear ships following