The Death of Lord Nelson | Page 6

William Beatty
to say while looking through his glass,
"There is a top-gallant-yard gone." His LORDSHIP eagerly asked,
"Whose top-gallant-yard is that gone? Is it the Royal Sovereign's?" and
on being answered by Lieutenant PASCO in the negative, and that it
was the Enemy's, he smiled, and said: "COLLINGWOOD is doing
well."[10]
At fifty minutes past eleven the Enemy opened their fire on the
Commander in Chief. They shewed great coolness in the
commencement of the battle; for as the Victory approached their line,
their ships lying immediately ahead of her and across her bows fired
only one gun at a time, to ascertain whether she was yet within their
range. This was frequently repeated by eight or nine of their ships, till
at length a shot passed through the Victory's main-top-gallant-sail; the
hole in which being discovered by the Enemy, they immediately
opened their broadsides, supporting an awful and tremendous fire. In a
very short time afterwards, Mr. SCOTT, Public Secretary to the
Commander in Chief, was killed by a cannon-shot while in
conversation with Captain HARDY. Lord NELSON being then near
them, Captain ADAIR of the Marines, with the assistance of a Seaman,

endeavoured to remove the body from His LORDSHIP'S sight: but he
had already observed the fall of his Secretary; and now said with
anxiety, "Is that poor SCOTT that is gone?" and on being answered in
the affirmative by Captain ADAIR, he replied, "Poor fellow!"
LORD NELSON and Captain HARDY walked the quarter-deck in
conversation for some time after this, while the Enemy kept up an
incessant raking fire. A double-headed shot struck one of the parties of
Marines drawn up on the poop, and killed eight of them; when His
LORDSHIP, perceiving this, ordered Captain ADAIR, to disperse his
men round the ship, that they might not suffer so much from being
together. In a few minutes afterwards a shot struck the fore-brace-bits
on the quarter-deck, and passed between Lord NELSON and Captain
HARDY; a splinter from the bits bruising Captain HARDY'S foot, and
tearing the buckle from his shoe. They both 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."
The Victory by this time, having approached close to the Enemy's van,
had suffered very severely without firing a single gun: she had lost
about twenty men killed, and had about thirty wounded. Her
mizen-topmast, and all her studding-sails and their booms, on both
sides were shot away; the Enemy's fire being chiefly directed at her
rigging, with a view to disable her before she could close with them.[11]
At four minutes past twelve o'clock she opened her fire, from both
sides of her decks, upon the Enemy; when Captain HARDY
represented to His LORDSHIP, that "it appeared impracticable to pass
through the Enemy's line without going on board some one of their
ships." Lord NELSON answered, "I cannot help it: it does not signify
which we run on board of; go on board which you please; take your
choice."
At twenty minutes past twelve, the tiller-ropes being shot away, Mr.
ATKINSON, the Master, was ordered below to get the helm put to port;
which being done, the Victory was soon run on board the Redoutable
of seventy-four guns. On coming alongside and nearly on board of her,

that ship fired her broadside into the Victory, and immediately let down
her lower-deck ports; which, as has been since learnt, was done to
prevent her from being boarded through them by the Victory's crew.
She never fired a great gun after this single broadside. A few minutes
after this, the Temeraire fell likewise on board of the Redoutable, on
the side opposite to the Victory; having also an Enemy's ship, said to be
La Fougueux, on board of her on her other side: so that the
extraordinary and unprecedented circumstance occurred here, of four
ships of the line being on board of each other in the heat of battle;
forming as compact a tier as if they had been moored together, their
heads lying all the same way. The Temeraire, as was just before
mentioned, was between the Redoutable and La Fougueux. The
Redoutable commenced a heavy fire of musketry from the tops, which
was continued for a considerable time with destructive effect to the
Victory's crew: her great guns however being silent, it was supposed at
different times that she had surrendered; and in consequence of this
opinion, the Victory twice ceased firing upon her, by orders transmitted
from
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