The main garrison now were quickly on the _qui vive_, and the south-east bastion took up the firing; but for the moment the light was too uncertain for the gunners in Fort d’Orleans to shoot with much effect, until the _Tyger_ and _Kent_ had nearly drawn up abreast of the fort. Then, however, they got their chance. The French gunners took advantage of it to the full before the men-of-war were in position. As it were by signal, a tremendous burst of artillery fire flashed out all along the ramparts from end to end, from bastions and curtain and ravelin. The tornado of iron beat on the _Tyger_ heavily, but she stood up to it, forging her way ahead stolidly, and then let go anchor within her allotted station to a yard. The flagship was not so lucky. She was following at a half cable’s length astern—a hundred yards—when, almost at the moment that the _Tyger_ anchored, the tide turned, and began to race back, swirling down the river. It checked the _Kent’s_ way instantly, and she hung back at a dead standstill, unable to breast her way against it. At the same moment a heavy concentrated fire from the ramparts beat upon her, and the ship, reeling under the terrific battering began to drift down, stern first. First one anchor was let go, then another. Both anchors dragged, and the big seventy-gun ship drove down astern right across the bowsprit of the smaller _Salisbury_. The Frenchmen yelled and cheered and redoubled their efforts, and there was for a space intense excitement. Would the two ships collide and get foul? At the moment that the flagship first checked her way, Captain Speke had fallen severely wounded, with, close to him, his little son, a boy midshipman, acting as aide-de-camp to his father, who was struck down by the same shot and mortally wounded. In a few seconds the _Kent’s_ anchors held, and the ship was brought up; but she had got into a bad position. The forward-half of the ship lay partially opposite the south-east bastion, with the after-half overlapping the southern face of the fort in such a way that some of the guns of the further bastion on that side, the south-west bastion, could play upon the quarters and stern. Most of the guns mounted on the ravelin and along the curtain of the river front could at the same time train on her bows with a raking fire, assisted by some of the guns on the north-east or flagstaff bastion, facing the _Tyger_, some of which could be brought to bear. More serious still was this. The _Salisbury_ had been pushed entirely out of the fight: had been placed practically out of action for the day. The channel was not wide enough to let the _Salisbury_ tow ahead and pass the flagship, and the _Salisbury_ had to anchor at a spot whence only one or two of her guns could engage. Thus it came about that the whole brunt of fighting Fort d’Orleans fell on two ships, the _Tyger_ and the _Kent_, by themselves.