Then they had an awful night, for it came on to blow hard, on a lee shore; all the ships were frightfully battered and leaking, masts and rigging cut to pieces, and the already exhausted crews had to turn to at the pumps for dear life. On board the _St. Jacques_ the Dutch prisoners were set to work to lighten the ship by throwing overboard all her upper-deck guns, spars, shot--everything movable, to keep her afloat. Day broke at length, the wind abated, and, with the assistance of boats from the shore, the ship was brought in: a sorry wreck, indeed, but the fruits of her labour soon came to hand--three Dutch men-of-war and twelve ships of the convoy. The _Sanspareil_ arrived twenty-four hours later, having barely survived the Dutchman's furious onslaught. For this service Du Guay Trouin received a commission as commander in the Navy, and was again presented to the king. As a regular naval officer, he no longer remains within the scope of these pages; but there is one incident which should not be omitted, even though it be somewhat to the discredit of the English. In the year 1704 Du Guay Trouin was in command of the _Jason_, 54 guns, in company with the _Auguste_, of equal force, when they fell in, at night, with the English ship _Chatham_, an old antagonist, which had before escaped them. At daybreak they were on either side of her, blazing away, the English vessel making every effort to escape, while maintaining creditably her part in the fighting, and the three of them ran into the English fleet. Then things became serious for the two French ships: some of the fastest sailers in the fleet were sent after them. The _Auguste_ was a poor sailer, so they agreed to separate. But the English had force enough to pursue them both, and the _Auguste_ was soon disposed of. The _Jason_ held on, and presently was tackled by the _Worcester_, of 50 guns, which was considerably knocked about, and dropped astern. Other ships came up, however, and, supported by their presence, the _Worcester_ again attacked indecisively. With the dusk, the wind dropped altogether, and there was the _Jason_, surrounded by foes in the darkness, only waiting for daylight to eat her up. Naturally, her captain did not find it easy to sleep; and it was characteristic of him that he still planned in his mind some desperate measure. He told his officers that he intended to go straight for the English flagship; that he himself would take the helm and run aboard her, and that he thus hoped to perform a brilliant feat of arms, by carrying this ship, before they succumbed to superior force--and in any case, his flag was not coming down unless the enemy could get there to haul it down themselves.