venty-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 then he
called for boarders, and away we dashed into her. Right through her we
went; her flag was hauled down, and then, more boarders coming up, on we
dashed aboard the big `San Joseph,' and in a little time we had her
also. We followed our captain to the quarterdeck, and then the Spanish
officers assembled, and their captain and all of them presented their
swords to Commodore Nelson. As he received them he gave them to one of
his barge-men, William Fearney, who, with no little pleasure, tucked
them under his arm, just as you see in the picture in the Painted Hall
yonder. All the seven ships were taken, and if the Spaniards had had
any pluck we should have taken the remainder; but they hadn't, and made
off