sked, `What would Nelson have done?'
While the admiral was on shore we were busily employed in refitting the
`Victory,' while a number of other ships he had wished to have with him
were got ready for sea. On the 14th of September he once more came
aboard the `Victory,' and hoisted his flag. The next day, we sailed for
Cadiz. We arrived off that place on the 29th, where we found the
squadron of Admiral Collingwood blockading the French and Spanish fleets
under Admiral Villeneuve.

"What Lord Nelson wanted, you see, was to get the enemy out to fight
him. He wanted also, not only to win a victory, but to knock the
enemy's ships to pieces, so that they could do no more harm. To get
them out we had to cut off their supplies; so we had to capture all the
neutral vessels which were carrying them in. You must understand we in
the `Victory' with the fleet did not go close into Cadiz, but kept some
fifty or sixty miles off so that the enemy might not know our strength.
We had some time to wait, however. Lord Nelson had already given the
French and Spaniards such a taste of his way of going to work, that they
were in no hurry to try it again. You'll understand that there was a
line of frigates, extending, like signal-posts, all the way from the
fleet to the frigate cruising just off the mouth of the harbour--that is
to say, near enough to watch what was going on there.

"Early in the morning on the 19th of October, the `Mars,' the ship
nearest the chain of frigates, repeated the signal that the enemy were
leaving port, and, at two p.m., that they were steering S.E. On this
Lord Nelson gave orders for the fleet to chase in that direction, but to
keep out of sight of the enemy, fearful of frightening them back into
port. Still, you'll understand, the frigates kept in sight of them, and
gave notice to the admiral of all their movements. The enemy had
thirty-three sail of the line, and seven frigates, with above 4000
riflemen on board. Our fleet numbered only twenty-seven sail of the
line, and four frigates. We were formed in two lines. Admiral
Collingwood, in the `Royal Sovereign,' led fourteen ships, and Lord
Nelson, in the `Victory,' eleven.

"On the morning of the 21st of October, 1805--you'll not forget that
day, it was a glorious one for England, let me tell you--we sighted the
French and Spanish fleet from the deck of the `Victory' off Cape
Trafalgar. They were formed in a double line in a curve, one ship in
t