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 said, "Look, yonder are the
enemy! Shake hands like Englishmen."

The enemy continued to fire a gun at a time at the _Victory_, till they
saw that a shot had passed through her main-topgallant-sail; then they
opened their broadsiders, 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 colors 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 with Hardy. 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, and 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 bits 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 supposing 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 her main-topmast, with all her
studding sails and their booms, shot away. 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 t