not much, the smoke was so
thick; but now and then I could get a peep, as it were, through the
holes in the blanket. Of course I was obliged to keep my eye as much as
possible upon the admiral, not to make out his signals, for Commodore
Nelson wouldn't thank me for that; I knew he hated a signal when in
action, so I never took no notice of the bunting, but just watched to
see what he was about. So while we are repairing damages, I'll just
tell you what I saw of the rest of the fleet. As soon as old Jervis had
done for the Spanish admiral, he hauled his wind on the larboard tack,
and, followed by four or five other ships, weathered the Spanish line
and joined Collingwood in the _Excellent_. Then they all dashed through
the line; the _Excellent_ was the leading ship, and she first took the
shine out of the _Salvador del Mondo_, and then left her to be picked up
by the other ships, while she attacked a two-decker, who hauled down her
colours--I forget her name just now. As soon as the _Victory_ ran
alongside of the _Salvador del Mondo_, down went her colours, and
_Excellent_ reasons had she for striking her flag. And now, Mr Simple,
the old _Captain_ comes into play again. Having parted company with the
four-decker, we had recommenced action with the _San Nicolas_, a spanish
eighty, and while we were hard at it, old Collingwood comes up in the
_Excellent_. The _San Nicolas_, knowing that the _Excellent's_
broadside would send her to old Nick, put her helm up to avoid being
raked: in so doing, she fell foul of the _San Josef_ a Spanish
three-decker, and we being all cut to pieces, and unmanageable--all of
us indeed reeling about like drunken men--Nelson ordered his helm a
star-board, and in a jiffy there we were, all three hugging each other,
running in one another's guns, smashing our chain-plates, and poking our
yard arms through each other's canvas.

"`All hands to board!' roared Nelson, leaping on the hammocks and waving
his sword.

"`Hurrah! hurrah!' echoed through the decks, and up flew the men, like
as [men] angry bees out of a bee-hive. In a moment pikes, tomahawks,
cutlasses, and pistols were seized (for it was quite unexpected, Mr
Simple), and our men poured into the eighty-gun ship, and in two minutes
the decks were cleared, and all the Dons pitched below. I joined the
boarders and was on the main-deck when Captain Miller came down, and
cried out, `On deck again immediately.' Up we went, and what do y