in the van, and 19 in the rear, with an interval between them of at least three quarters of a mile.

Just as she had got within about 500 yards of the larboard beam of the Bucentaure the Victory's mizen topmast was shot away about two thirds up. A shot also struck and knocked to pieces the wheel ; and the ship was obliged to be steered in the gun-room, the first lieutenant (John Quilliam) and master (Thomas Atkinson) relieving each other at this duty. Scarcely had two minutes elapsed before a double-headed shot killed eight marines on the poop, and wounded several others : on which the admiral ordered Captain Adair to disperse his men round the ship, that they might not suffer so much from being together. Presently a shot, that had come through a thickness of four hammocks near the larboard chess-tree, and had carried away a part of the larboard quarter of the launch as she lay on the booms, struck the fore-brace bits on the quarterdeck, and passed between Lord Nelson and Captain Hardy ; a splinter from the bits bruising the left foot of the latter, and tearing the buckle from his shoe. " They both, " says Doctor Beatty, " instantly stopped, and were observed by the officers on deck to survey each other with inquiring looks, each supposing the other to be wounded. His lordship then smiled and said, ' This is too warm work, Hardy, to last long ; and declared that, through all the battles he had been in, he had never witnessed more cool courage than was displayed by the Victory's crew on this occasion."*

In a few seconds afterwards, as the Bucentaure slowly forged ahead, a large French ship was seen upon her lee quarter, and another ship astern of the former, in the act of ranging up, as if with the intention of completely closing the interval. Now it was that Captain Hardy, represented to Lord Nelson the impracticability of passing through the line without running on board one of the ships. His lordship quickly replied, " I cannot help it : it does not signify which we run on board of. Go on board which you please : take your choice." � At this moment, such had been the effect of the heavy and unremitting fire to which she had so long been exposed, the loss on board the Victory amounted to 20 officers and men killed, and 30 wounded ; a loss that would have been still more severe, had not the enemy's guns been pointed at the rigging and sails, rather than at the hull of the ship. In consequence of this, every studding-sail boom on the foremast the Victory, unlike other-ships, had no booms rigged out upon her mainmast had been shot off close to the yard-arm, and every sail, especially on the foremast, was like a riddle : her almost new foresail, indeed, had from 80 to 100 yards of it stripped from the yard. This clearly shows what an advantage the centre and rear had lost in not having opened an earlier fire

*  Beatty's Narrative, p. 27.

�  Ibid., p. 30.

^ back to top ^