our
minutes after twelve she opened with both her broadsides. Captain Hardy
now informed Nelson that it was impossible to break the enemy's line
without running on board one of their ships. "Take your choice--go on
board which you please," was the answer.

The _Victory_, as she approached the _Bucentaur_, fired a 68-pounder
carronade containing a round-shot and a keg with 500 musket-balls, from
the larboard side of her forecastle, right into the cabin-windows of
that ship; and as she forged slowly ahead, the whole of her 50 broadside
guns, all doubly and some trebly shotted, so as completely to rake her,
killing or wounding as many men as the _Bucentaur_ had lost, and
dismounting 20 of her guns. Receiving the fire of an 80-gun ship, the
_Neptune_, the _Victory's_ helm being put hard a-port, she ran on board
the _Redoutable_, into which she poured a heavy fire, while with her
aftermost starboard guns she engaged the _Santissima Trinidad_. Besides
the heavy fire of great guns and musketry she was enduring from other
ships, she received the shot of the _Redoutable's_ main-deck guns, and
also constant discharges of musketry from the three tops of that ship.
It was from the mizen-top of the _Redoutable_, at about 1:25 p.m., that,
as Nelson and Captain Hardy were walking the deck together, the admiral
was shot by a musket-ball, which entered his left shoulder, and
descending lodged in his spine. Hardy, who had just turned, saw him in
the act of falling, with his left hand just touching the deck. He was
removed by the sergeant of marines and two seamen to the cock-pit.

In the meantime the action raged furiously. Soon after the first four
ships of the lee division had cut through between the centre and rear of
the enemy's line. The remainder, as they came up, forced their way into
the dense mass and engaged such ships as they could best attack. The
weather division was doing the same, rather ahead of the centre, and at
about 1:30 p.m. the battle was at its height. At about 3 p.m. the
firing began to slacken, and two hours afterwards had wholly ceased, by
which time 9 French sail of the line, including one burnt, and 9 Spanish
were captured. Nine French and 6 Spaniards escaped, of which 4 French
ships made sail to the southward, and 11, 5 of which were French and 6
Spanish, reached Cadiz, most of them much knocked about; while all the
frigates and smaller craft also escaped.

Within twenty minutes after the fatal s