The headmost fired a shot at the schooner--to try the range, I suppose--but it fell short.
A shot from the headmost one could now have reached us, but she appeared to be waiting for the other to get up with her.
We left the Mersey with a fine breeze and soon passed the headmost vessels in the fleet.
Onward went the miserable blacks, the line becoming thinner and thinner; still the headmost were flying, when an enormous sea, dashing on the shore, enfolded the stranded dhow in its embrace.
Don't any of you fire till I tell you," he said to his men, while he took aim so as to strike the ground a few yards in front of the headmost of the party.
The terriers were lost; but as the fox went to ground in view of the headmost hounds, and it was the concluding day of the season, it was resolved to dig him out, and two men from Sudbury brought a couple of terriers for that purpose.
During the chase, which occupied six hours, he frequently turned upon the headmost hounds, and wounded several so badly as to disable them.
We were now the headmost line of battle ship and gaining fast upon the enemy; but the main part of our fleet seemed rather to drop from them.
The headmost of the French fleet were apparently hove to, but made no effort to relieve their comrade.
Otherwise the two headmost had not received much apparent injury, at least in the rigging.
Dr Fitchett has rather overstated the case in saying that “a battery of mortars on the island guarded, as with a sword of fire, the gap betwixt the headmost ship and the island.
Thus doubled on each other, the Excellent gave the two ships her fire; and then moved forwards to assist the headmost ships in their attack on the Spanish admiral, and the other ships of the enemy’s centre.
It was two in the afternoon before our headmost ships could get up with his rear; but at that time the Warspite and Dorsetshire began to fire.
About four o'clock the headmost ships began to engage.
Soon after noon on July 30th several Indian canoes were seen advancing in a regular line and, on their approach, the chief was discovered in the headmost which was paddled by two men.
We reserved our fire until within a quarter of a mile, when we poured our broadside into the headmost frigate, exchanging with her on opposite tacks.
The breeze was favourable and fresh; but we were clear of the Sound, but a long way astern of the convoy, and none of the headmost men-of-war to be seen.
Also this Observation: 'It may happen that theheadmost of their fleet may be the most leewardly, then in such case you are to follow this instruction, whereas before it was said to stand with the headmost ships of the enemy.
When the squadron is in a line of battle ahead, and the signal is made for the headmost and weathermost to tack, the ship that leads on the former tack is to continue to lead after tacking.
The numeral signal or pennants, counting always from the van, will show the headmost ship to proceed on this service.
The other mode would be to stand under an easy but commanding sail directly for theirheadmost ship, so as to prevent the enemy from knowing whether I should pass to leeward or to windward of him.
And when any part of the fleet or ships wherein you are concerned are ordered to tack and gain the wind of the enemy, you are to make all the sail you can and keep up with the headmost ships that first tack.
For 'headmost of the enemy's ships' the Admiralty MS.
If the enemy stay to fight us, we having the wind, the headmost squadron of his majesty's fleets shall steer for the headmost of the enemy's ships.
It was with great delight I found the Orion sail extremely well, and in the morning we were one of the headmost ships of the squadron.
At seven o'clock the headmost ships were dismasted; a fire-raft was observed dropping down from them on the Orion.
The two headmost ships of the enemy kept up a brisk fire as they came up; which was returned, but at too great a distance to do any considerable damage.
The batteries on the island of Bequir or Aboukir, and the headmost ships, opened their fire as the leading ship approached; and they in return opened theirs on rounding the advanced ship of the enemy's line.
The Irresistible, Russell, Colossus, and Sanspareil were theheadmost of our fleet after the Orion and Queen Charlotte, and engaged the enemy as they came up.
Our headmost ships denoted by signal that they consisted of fourteen sail of the line and eleven frigates.
As they required to make several tacks for this purpose, it was past one o'clock before the headmost ships could clear Cabrita Point, when they brought to, to wait for the others to join them.
Few were the stragglers, following far, That reached the lake of Vennachar; And when the Brigg of Turk was won, The headmost horseman rode alone.
A shot from the former brought the headmost to an anchor, but the second, the King William, hauled her wind and stood away close to the Goodwins, out of range of the frigate's guns.
The Sandwich lay that morning above Blackstakes, the headmost ship of the fleet, and at the moment when Parker leapt from her cathead scaffold a boat containing his wife shot out into the stream.
I saw that I must depend on myself; I halted, and, kneeling down, took a steady aim at the headmost of my pursuers.
I was shouting to his brothers to stop and go back with me to look for him, when half-a-dozen more Indians, joining the others, galloped up at the same moment to attack the headmost wagon.
The headmost ship proved a two-decker of at least fifty guns.
This proved to be the case; for in a few minutes the headmost had pushed forward on a line with the butte; and our young hunters could distinguish the shaggy, lion-shaped bodies of the bulls that formed the vanguard of the "gang.
In this way they advanced, until the headmost had got within a few paces of the wolves, who lay all the while as still as mice or as cats waiting for mice.
The three headmost canoes were paddled by elderly men, who, most probably, had been selected to open the communication.
The tents were scarcely pitched before we saw two kaiyacks coming towards us from the westward, and the man in the headmost accepted, without hesitation, our invitation to land.
In addition, it had a fringe of gunboats and frigates, while a battery of mortars on the island guarded, as with a sword of fire, the gap betwixt the headmost ship and the island.
With all sail set to stem the current, they approached the batteries, which immediately opened fire on the headmost vessels.
As the headmost boats neared the fort the fire became hotter.
