They communicated their fears to each other; and the surgeon, Mr. Beatty, spoke to the chaplain, Dr. Scott, and to Mr. Scott the public secretary, desiring that some person would entreat him to change his dress, or cover the stars; but they knew that such a request would highly displease him. "In honour I gained them," he had said when such a thing had been hinted to him formerly, "and in honour I will die with them."Nelson"s column was steered about two points more tothe north than Collingwood"s, in order to cut off the enemy"sescape into Cadiz; the lee line, therefore, was first engaged. "See!" cried Nelson, pointing to the Royal Sovereign , as she steered right for the centre of the enemy"s line, cut through it astern of the Santa Anna three-decker, and engaged her at themuzzle of her guns on the starboard side,⑤ "see how that noblefellow, Collingwood, carries his ship into action!" Collingwood, delighted at being first in the heat of the fire, and knowing the feelings of his commander and old friend, turned to his captain and exclaimed, "Rotherham,⑥ what would Nelson give to be here!"The enemy continued to fire one gun at a time at the Victory , till they saw that a shot had passed through her main- top-gallant sail; then they opened their broadsides, aiming chiefly at her rigging, in the hope of disabling her before she could close with them. Nelson, as usual, had hoisted several flags, lest one should be shot away. The enemy showed no colours till late in the action, when they began to feel the necessity of having them to strike! For this reason the Santissima Trinidad, Nelson"s old acquaintance, as he used to call her, was distinguishable only by her four decks; and to the bow of this opponent he ordered the Victory to be steered.
Meantime an incessant raking fire was kept up upon the Victory. The Admiral"s secretary was one of the first who fell: he was killed by a cannon-shot while conversing withHardy.⑦ Captain Adair of the marines, with the help of a sailor,endeavoured to remove the body from Nelson"s sight, who had a great regard for Mr. Scott; but he anxiously asked, "Is that poor Scott that"s gone?" and being informed that it was indeed so, exclaimed, "Poor fellow!" Presently a double-headed shot struck a party of marines, who were drawn up on the poop,⑧and killed eight of them; upon which Nelson immediately desired Captain Adair to disperse his men round the ship, that they might not suffer so much from being together.
A few minutes afterwards, a shot struck the fore-brace bits⑨ on the quarter-deck, and passed between Nelson and Hardy, a splinter from the bit tearing off Hardy"s buckle and bruising his foot. Both stopped, and looked anxiously at each other; each supposed the other to be wounded. Nelson then smiled and said, "This is too warm work, Hardy, to last long."The Victory had not yet returned a single gun; fifty of her men had been by this time killed or wounded, and her⑩main-top-mast shot away, with all her studding-sailsand herbooms. Nelson declared that in all his battles he had seen nothing which surpassed the cool courage of his crew on this occasion. At four minutes after twelve she opened her fire from both sides of her deck.
It was not possible to break the enemy"s line without running on board one of their ships. Hardy informed him of this, and asked him which he would prefer. Nelson replied, "Take your choice, Hardy; it does not signify much." The master was ordered to put the helm to port, and the Victory ran on board the Redoubtable , just as her tiller-ropes were shot away. The French ship received her with a broadside, then instantly let down her lower deck ports, for fear of being boarded through them, and never afterwards fired a great gun during the action.
- SOUTHEY
WORDS
anxiously, concernedly.
apprehensions, fears.
bayonets, spears or swords fixed on guns. communicated, conveyed. conspicuous, prominent.
declared, asserted. despatched, concluded. determination, resolution.
dispersed, scattered. distinguishable, recognizable. engaged, in action.
entirely, completely. entreat, beseech. exempt, free. fervently, warmly. humane, merciful.
incessant, unceasing. invested, decorated. necessity, need. ominous, boding evil. persuasion, conviction. prediction, prophecy.
predominant, over-ruling.
prudently, discreetly. splinter, chip. superiority, ascendency. surpassed, excelled. tarnish, sully. triumphant, victorious. understand, comprehend.
NOTES
① Battle Of Trafalgar-Important because the destruction of the French fleet removed thedanger of invasion.
② Tyrolese, natives of the Tyrol, an Alpine province of Austria, and famous as marksmen with the rifle before it became the usual military small arm. The Tyrol was conquered by France in 1805, and annexed to Bavaria; but it revolted in 1809, and was restored to Austria at the peace.
③ Captain Suckling, Nelson"s maternal uncle, on board of whose ship he had first enteredthe service, in his twelfth year.
④ The lee line, the line on the side opposite to that from which the wind blows; in this case the line nearest the land. The other side-that nearest the wind-is called the weather line.
⑤ The starboard side, the side on the right hand of the steersman. The left hand side is thelarboard (lower-board) or port .
⑥ Collingwood and Rotherham.-"Both these brave officers, perhaps, at this moment thought of Nelson with gratitude for a circumstance which had occurred on the preceding day. Admiral Collingwood, with some of the captains, having gone on board the Victory to receive instructions, Nelson inquired of him where his captain was, and was told in reply that they were not upon good terms with each other, "Terms!" said Nelson; "good terms with each other!" Immediately he sent a boat for Captain Rotherham; led him, as soon as he arrived, to Collingwood, and saying, "Look, yonder are the enemy!" bade them shake hands like Englishmen."-Southey .
⑦ Hardy (afterwards Sir Thomas), Nelson"s flag-captain on board the Victory . He died in 1839.
⑧ The poop, a raised part of the deck towards the stern.
⑨ The brace bits, two upright pins or pieces of timber round which the braces (yard-arm ropes) are fastened.
⑩ Studding-sails, sails set outside of principal or square sails.
Booms, long poles or beams, used to extend the bottom of sails. To port, to the left hand side. (See 5.)Tiller-ropes.-The tiller is the bar or lever used to turn the rudder; and the tiller-ropes connect the tiller with the steering-wheel.
QUESTIONS
What was peculiar in the feeling of Englishmen towards Nelson? How was this shown at his last departure? What presentiment had Nelson regarding the day of the battle? Who commanded the lee line? What did Nelson do when all was ready? What was his last signal? How did Nelson make himself conspicuous? Why did none of his officers request him to avoid this? Who began the attack? To what vessel did Nelson order the Victory to be steered? How had she suffered before she opened her guns? Why was the Redoubtable attacked? With what effect?