True Stories of Wonderful Deeds | Page 3

saved from a great
danger. He did not look like a famous admiral on board his ship, the
Victory, that day. He was a small man, and his clothes were shabby. He
had lost one arm and one eye in battle; but with the eye which remained
he could see more than most men with two, and his brain was busy
planning the course of the coming fight. Just before it began, he went
over his ship, giving orders to the crew, and cheering them with kind
words, which touched the hearts of the rough men, who loved their
leader and were proud of him. "England expects every man to do his
duty" was the last message he sent them. Every man did his duty nobly
that day, though the battle was fierce and long; but it was the last fight
of the brave commander. He was shot in the back as he walked the deck
with his friend Captain Hardy, and was carried below.

He lay dying for several hours, but, in spite of his great pain, his one
thought was of the battle. "How goes the day with us?" he asked of
Hardy; and when told that many of the enemies' ships were taken, he
cried eagerly, "I am glad. Whip them, Hardy, as they have never been
whipped before." Later, when his friend came to tell him that the
victory was won, Nelson pressed his hand. "Good-bye, Hardy!" said he,
"I have done my duty, and I thank God for it." These were the last
words of one of England's bravest sons.
[Illustration: NELSON ON THE "VICTORY" AT TRAFALGAR]

=Watt and the Kettle=
There was once a little Scotch boy named James Watt. He was not a
strong child, and could not always run and play with other boys, but
had often to amuse himself at home. One holiday afternoon little James
amused himself in this way. He held a saucer over the stream of steam
which came from the spout of a boiling kettle, and as he watched he
saw little drops of water forming on the saucer. He thought this was
very strange, and wondered why it happened, for he did not know that
steam is just water changed in form by the heat, and that as soon as it
touches something cold it turns again into water. He asked his aunt to
explain it, but she only told him not to waste his time. If she could have
foreseen the work which her nephew would do when he became a man,
she would not have thought he was wasting his time.
When James Watt grew up, he was as much interested in steam and its
wonderful power, as he had been as a boy. He was sure it could be
made of great service to men. It was already used for driving engines,
but the engines were not good, and it cost much money to work them.
Watt thought they could be improved, but it was long before he found
out the way to do this. Often, he sat by the fire watching the lid of the
kettle as it was made to dance by the steam, and thinking of many plans;
and at last a happy thought came to him. His plan enabled great
improvements to be made in the working of engines, and now steam
drives our trains and ships, our mills and factories, and is one of our

most useful servants.
[Illustration: WATCHING THE BOILING KETTLE]

=Queen Victoria and her Soldiers=
Queen Victoria was always proud of her brave soldiers. In time of war,
she gave orders that news of them was to be sent to her every day, and
when the generals returned home, they were commanded to visit her,
and to tell her of the bravery of the troops.
During the long war with the Russians in the Crimea, the British
soldiers suffered greatly from the freezing winds, and rain, and snow,
of that cold land. When Queen Victoria heard of this, she and her
children worked with their own hands to make warm clothing for them.
A great many of the wounded and sick men were sent home in ships, to
be nursed in the English hospitals, and the Queen paid several visits to
the poor fellows as they lay there. Moving from one bed to another, she
cheered them with hopeful words, and listened gladly to their stories of
the battles in which they had fought. When she saw that the hospitals
were crowded, and not very comfortable, she told Parliament that better
ones ought to be provided, and after a time this was done, and the fine
hospital of Netley was built, of which the Queen laid the first stone.
Once, Queen Victoria herself gave medals