What did De Grasse himself think of his men's poor show? What did he think now--he could hardly have forgotten it--of his polite challenge to Rodney from Fort Royal by Captain Vashon a few weeks ago 'that nothing would give him greater pleasure than to meet 'le Chevalier Rodney,' and that he 'looked forward to personally welcoming the British Admiral on board the _Ville de Paris_'? It was the second opportunity for a personal encounter with his antagonist that De Grasse had lost that week.[36] He was to have no more. As to his welcome of 'le Chevalier Rodney,' he would have the opportunity of making the acquaintance of the British Admiral face to face and within twenty-four hours--though not on board the _Ville de Paris_. The French flagship took her hammering from the _Formidable_ and passed on to run the gauntlet of the other British ships astern. It was apparently just as the _Ville de Paris_ was passing that a French cannon-ball struck a fowl-coop on deck where a number of pullets for the admiral's table were kept. The coop was smashed to splinters and the fowls flew out. One of them, the story goes, a little bantam cock, fluttered up and perched on a spar above the quarter-deck, where it set-to crowing lustily and clapping its wings at every broadside from the guns. Rodney passed at the moment and pointed the bird out to Dr. Blane. 'Look at that fellow,' said Rodney, 'look at him; I declare he is a credit to his country.' The Admiral gave orders that the little cock should not be killed, but be taken care of and made a special pet for the reminder of its days. Following in the wake of the _Ville de Paris_ came the big _Couronne_, a powerful eighty-four, whose efficiency in war Rodney had personally tested on a former day; the _Eveille_, Le Gardeur de Tilly's little sixty-four, showing signs of what she had gone through; and then the _Sceptre_, the Comte de Vaudreuil's ship, a seventy-four.