nd many of their ships and
floating batteries were sinking or on fire. For three hours or more we
were at it, pounding away without being able to silence them. They were
cutting us up too, let me tell you, riddling our hull, and round-shot,
and red-hot shot, and chain-shot, and bar shot flying around, about, and
through us. It seemed a wonder that a man was left alive on our decks.
Lord Nelson kept pacing the quarterdeck, watching everything that was
going on. A young Danish officer had got a big raft, with a breastwork
mounting some twenty guns, and in spite of our marines, who kept up a
sharp fire on him, he held his post till the battle was over. The
admiral praised him for his gallantry, and, I believe, would have been
very sorry if he had been killed, much as he was annoying us. A shot
now struck our mainmast, sending the splinters flying on every side. I
saw the admiral smile. `This is hot work,' he observed to one of the
officers; `in another moment not one of us may be alive, but, mark you,
I would not be anywhere else for thousands.' It's my opinion that most
men would have thought we were getting the worst of it; and if we hadn't
had Lord Nelson for our chief; we should have thought so likewise.

"Sir Hyde Parker's flag-ship was near enough for us to make out his
signals. It was reported that the signal for discontinuing the action
had been made. `Acknowledge it!' cried Lord Nelson. `Is our signal for
close action still hoisted?' `Yes, sir,' was the answer. `Then keep it
so,' he replied. Soon afterwards he put his glass up to his blind eye,
and turning to Captain Foley, he exclaimed, `I have a right to be blind
sometimes, and really I don't see the signal. Never mind it, I say,
nail mine to the mast.' Admiral Graves in like manner disobeyed the
order, and the rest of the squadron, looking only to Lord Nelson,
continued the action.

"I was telling you about the brave Captain Riou and his frigates. The
`Amazon,' his ship, had suffered much, and was so surrounded by smoke
that he could see nothing of the batteries to which he was opposed. He
ordered, therefore, his men to cease firing to let the smoke clear off;
that they might see what they were about. This allowed the Danes to
take better aim at them, and so tremendous was the fire opened on them
that there seemed every chance of the frigates being sent to the bottom.
Just then, Sir Hyde Parker's signal was seen flying. Captain Riou
judged