two bluejackets ran forward and carried him
below. Though in great agony he pulled out his handkerchief and, with
his one hand, carefully covered his face, in the hope that the men
between decks would not see who was hit.

While Nelson lay dying below, the fight raged worse than ever round the
_Victory_. The _Redoutable's_ tops were full of snipers, who not only
plied their muskets to good effect but also used hand grenades (something
like the bombs of the present day). The _Victory's_ deck was almost
cleared by the intense fire of these men, and the crew of the
_Redoutable_ got ready to board. But on the word "_Repel boarders_!" so
many marines and blue-jackets rushed up from below that the French gave
up the attempt. The musketry fire was still very hot from one ship to
another; and the French snipers were as bad as ever. But those in the
mizzentop from which Nelson was hit were all sniped by his signal
midshipman, young Jack Pollard, who, being a dead shot, picked off the
Frenchmen one by one as they leaned over to take aim. In this way
Pollard must have hit the man who hit Nelson.

[Illustration: MODEL OF THE BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR. (Reproduced by
permission from the model at the Royal United Service Institution.)]

An hour after Nelson had fallen the _Victory_ had become so battered, so
hampered by a maze of fallen masts and rigging, and so dangerously holed
between wind and water, that Hardy was glad of her sheering off a bit,
out of the thick of the fight. He then ran below to see Nelson, who at
once asked, "Well, Hardy, how goes the battle?" "Very well, my Lord,"
said Hardy, "we have twelve of the enemy's ships." "I hope," said
Nelson, "that none of ours have struck." "There's no fear of that," said
Hardy. Another hour passed before Hardy could come back to say, "I am
certain that fourteen or fifteen have struck." "That's well," said
Nelson, "but I bargained for twenty." Then, rousing himself to give his
last order, he said, "Anchor, Hardy, anchor!" for he knew a storm was
coming and that Cape Trafalgar was a bad lee shore (that is, a shore
toward which the wind is blowing). A few minutes later he died,
murmuring with his latest breath, "Thank God, I've done my duty."

Trafalgar was so complete a victory that Napoleon gave up all attempts to
conquer the British at sea. But he renewed his "Continental System" and
made it ten times worse than before. Having smashed the Austrian and
Russian armies