l of
the vessels, and were making off with them with loads of Frenchmen on
board, when, would you believe it, if the enemy didn't open their fire
on the boats, killing their own people as well as us. To my mind, those
French, in war, are as bad as cannibals--that's what Lord Nelson always
said of them. If it hadn't been for this we should have burned or
captured most of them. While I was just springing on board another
vessel, among the flashes from the guns, the flames and smoke, the
hissing and rattling shot, I got a knock on my head which sent me back
into the bottom of the boat. I knew nothing more till I found myself on
board my own ship, and heard that we had lost some hundred and seventy
poor fellows. I was sent to the hospital, where one of our gallant
leaders, Captain Parker, died of his wounds.

"The next ship I found myself on board was the `Victory.' There wasn't
a finer ship in the navy, more weatherly or more handy--steered like a
duck, and worked like a top. Lord Nelson himself got me appointed to
her. Away we sailed for the Mediterranean. While Admiral Cornwallis
watched the French fleet at Brest, we kept a look-out over that at
Toulon under the command of Admiral La Touche Treville, who had
commanded at Boulogne, and boasted that he had beat off Lord Nelson from
that port. He could not boast, though, that he beat him off from
Toulon; for, for eighteen long months, from the 1st of July, 1803, to
the 11th of January, 1805, did we keep watch off that harbour's mouth.
If such a gale sprung up as would prevent the French getting out, we
went away, only leaving a frigate or so to watch what took place; but we
were soon to be back again. Thus the time passed on. We saw the shore,
but were not the better for it; for few of us, from the admiral
downwards, ever set foot on it. At last the French admiral, La Touche
Treville, died, and a new one, Admiral Villeneuve, was appointed. We
now began to hope that the French would come out and fight us; for you
see Lord Nelson did not want to keep them in--only to get at them when
they came out. If it hadn't been for the batteries on shore, we should
have gone in and brought them out. We had gone away to the coast of
Sardinia, when news was brought that the French fleet was at sea.
Instantly we got under weigh, passing at night through a passage so
narrow that only one ship could pass at a time, and fully expecting the
next morning to be engaged with the en