The _Redoutable's_ fire shot away the head of the _Temeraire's_ mizen-topmast. She held on, however, standing to the south-east and outside the enemy's line, until at length she bore up to avoid being raked by the _Neptune_ and to go through the line. There was scarcely any wind at all now, and the smoke hung heavily all round. Slowly the _Temeraire_ forged her way ahead, groping her course forward in some little uncertainty as to her own whereabouts. As she passed through the line, she unavoidably gave a chance to the French _Neptune_, which ship, getting her port broadside to bear on the _Temeraire's_ starboard bow, attacked her fiercely. The _Neptune_ shot away the _Temeraire's_ main-topmast and foreyard, and crippled the foremast and bowsprit, besides causing other damage which rendered the _Temeraire_ almost unmanageable. In the dense smoke all round her officers hardly knew for the moment where they had got to. 'We were engaged with the _Santisima Trinidad_ and the other ships,' wrote Captain Harvey in his letter home, 'when for a minute or two I ceased my fire, fearing I might, from the thickness of the smoke, be firing into the _Victory_.' Then for a brief space there was a rift in the smoke. It showed the _Victory_ alongside a French two-decker (the _Redoutable_), and foul of her. The two ships were seen not far off and were drifting down directly on to the _Temeraire_. Every effort was made to move out of the way and keep clear, but in her disabled state it was impossible to get the _Temeraire_ under control. Within the past few minutes, under the _Neptune's_ punishing fire, all three of the _Temeraire's_ topmasts had been shot away, her mizen yard had come down, the rudder head had been smashed off. All that could be done was to cannonade the _Redoutable_ as she gradually drifted nearer until the actual collision came.