slipped their cables for the same
reason, were ashore and helpless. The spars of the three rear ships,
the "Guillaume Tell," "Genereux," and "Timoleon," were still standing,
and they had received little injury. At about noon these vessels,
commanded by Rear Admiral Villeneuve, got under way to go to sea; but
the "Timoleon" cast with her head inshore, and, after an ineffectual
attempt to wear, ran aground, bows on, her foremast going over the
side as she struck. The crew escaped to the beach, and she was then
set on fire by her captain, her colors flying as she burned. The two
other ships escaped, with two frigates which accompanied them. Only
one British ship, the "Zealous," was in condition to follow, and she
did so; but Nelson, seeing that she could not be supported, recalled
her from the unequal contest.

It is upon the chance that these sole survivors of the great
catastrophe might have been secured, by action during the night, that
the validity of Nelson's regrets turns. Concerning this, it is
impossible to affirm positively one way or the other; therefore his
regrets were well grounded. It is not certainties, but chances, that
determine the propriety of military action. Had Villeneuve, conscious
that he had done nothing as yet, and not fully aware how the fight had
gone, hesitated about running away, and had several British ships
dropped to leeward together, which was all they had to do, and what
the dismasted French had done, it was quite within the bound of
possibilities that the "Genereux" and the "Guillaume Tell" would have
been crippled at their anchors. "If" and "but," it may be objected.
Quite so; it is on if and but, not on yea and nay, that military
criticism justly dwells. A flash of lightning and a crash of thunder
may be seen and heard; it is the still small voice that leads the hero
to success. As regards Villeneuve, indecision was his distinguishing
trait; and Bonaparte wrote that if any error could be imputed to him,
it was that he had not got under way as soon as the "Orient" blew up,
for by that time the battle was lost beyond redemption.

The extent of the victory was decided by this retreat, and Nelson,
before devoting himself to the new duties entailed by his successes,
paused an instant that he might first acknowledge his debt of
gratitude to God and man. A memorandum was issued at once to the
captains of the Squadron:

Vanguard off the mouth of the Nile, 2d August, 1798.

Almight