The Story of Nelson | Page 6

day.
"The next day we were again at it, for we managed to cut off the `Ca Ira,' and the `Censeur,' which had her in tow. This time we got one on each side of us, and both of them fought well; but we fought better, and at length both struck, and our boats were sent on board to take possession I never before had witnessed such a scene as that I saw on board the `Ca Ira.' On her decks lay three hundred brave fellows, dead or dying, or badly wounded, besides those she had lost the day before, while the `Censeur' had lost three hundred and fifty. Our captain wanted to follow up the enemy, and it's my belief, if we had, we should have taken every one of them; but the admiral would not let him, and said we had done very well as it was. So we had; but, you see, our captain was the man who always wanted to do something better than well. Do well sits on the main-top--Do better climbs to the truck.
"The `Agamemnon' had been so knocked about, that the captain now shifted his flag into the `Minerva' frigate, and took me and many other men with him. One of our first duties was to carry off the English garrison and privateers and merchantmen from Corsica, which had declared for the French. We soon afterwards fought several actions with the enemy, and then war broke out between England and Spain, and we had a narrow escape from an overwhelming force of Spanish ships. We had just sailed from Gibraltar, when two Spanish line-of-battle ships followed us. We were keeping pretty well ahead when a man fell overboard. To let a man drown without trying to help him was against our captain's nature. A jolly-boat, commanded by Lieutenant Hardy, was lowered, and away she pulled to try and pick up the poor fellow. The boat was within range of the enemy's guns: the man was not to be seen. The captain had been anxiously watching all that took place. `I'll not lose Hardy,' he exclaimed. `Back the main-topsail!' No order was ever obeyed more readily, and soon we were dropping back towards our boat, and towards the enemy. We fully expected to be brought to action, but we did not care for that; we got back Mr Hardy and our boat, when what was our astonishment to see the headmost Spaniard shorten sail to wait for his consort. There can be no doubt he thought we had assistance not far off. The Spaniards were very timid of us in those days--they had good reason to be so. With flying colours we sailed out of the Straits, laughing at our enemy.
"Both officers and men were constantly being shifted from ship to ship in those days; and, as soon as we reached Cadiz we found ourselves transferred to the `Captain,' a fine seventy-four. Captain Nelson hoisted his pennant, as commodore, on board of her, with Captain Miller under him. You have heard speak of the battle of Saint Vincent. Sir John Jervis, who was made Earl Saint Vincent, was our admiral, and Commodore Nelson was second in command. He was now going to show all the world what he really was. The Spaniards had twice as many ships as we had. They were much bigger, and carried heavier guns; but what did Nelson or we care for that. It is the men who fight the battles, and Nelson knew the stuff British seamen are made of.
"Early in the morning of the 14th of February, the Spanish fleet hove in sight, and we bore down on them. They were in line, that is, one following the other. We managed to break that line, and cut off one part from the other, just as you cut a snake in two. We followed the head, the biggest part. That part bore away before the wind to join the tail. The `Captain' was instantly wore round, instead of tacking, according to a signal just then made by the admiral, and away after them we went, followed by the `Culloden,' `Blenheim' and `Diadem.' The `Captain' was in the rear of the British line; but by the manoeuvre just performed, we came up with the Spaniards, and in a short time we and the `Blenheim' were tooth and nail with no less than seven Spanish line-of-battle ships--one, the `Santissima Trinidade,' of 130 guns, and the `San Josef' and `Salvador del Mundo' of 112, the others being of 80 and 74-guns. For nearly an hour we pounded away at them, till Captain Collingwood, in the `Excellent,' came up, and gave us a helping hand by pouring a tremendous broadside into the `San Nicolas.'
"Our captain now let us fall close alongside that ship, and