sing his foot.
Both stopped, and looked anxiously at each other, each supposed the
other to be wounded. Nelson then smiled, and said, "This is too warm
work, Hardy, to last long."

The VICTORY had not yet returned a single gun: fifty of her men had
been by this time killed or wounded, and her main-top-mast, with all her
studding-sails and her booms, shot away. Nelson declared, that, in all
his battles, he had seen nothing which surpassed the cool courage of his
crew on this occasion. At four minutes after twelve she opened her fire
from both sides of her deck. It was not possible to break the enemy's
line without running on board one of their ships: Hardy informed him of
this, and asked him which he would prefer. Nelson replied: "Take your
choice, Hardy, it does not signify much." The master was ordered to put
the helm to port, and the VICTORY ran on board the REDOUTABLE, just as
her tiller ropes were shot away. The French ship received her with a
broadside; then instantly let down her lower-deck ports, for fear of
being bearded through them, and never afterwards fired a great gun
during the action. Her tops, like those of all the enemy's ships, were
filled with riflemen. Nelson never placed musketry in his tops; he had a
strong dislike to the practice; not merely because it endangers setting
fire to the sails, but also because it is a murderous sort of warfare,
by which individuals may suffer, and a commander now and then be picked
off; but which never can decide the fate of a general engagement.

Captain Harvey, in the TEMERAIRE, fell on board the REDOUTABLE on the
other side. Another enemy was in like manner on board the TEMERAIRE;
so that these four ships formed as compact a tier as if they had been
moored together, their heads lying all the same way. The lieutenants of
the VICTORY, seeing this, depressed their guns of the middle and lower
decks, and fired with a diminished charge, lest the shot should pass
through, and injure the TEMERAIRE. And because there was danger that
the REDOUBTABLE might take fire from the lower-deck guns, the muzzles of
which touched her side when they were run out, the fireman of each
gun stood ready with a bucket of water; which, as soon as the gun was
discharged, he dashed into the hole made by the shot. An incessant fire
was kept up from the VICTORY from both sides; her larboard guns playing
upon the BUCENTAURE and the huge SANTISSIMA TRINIDAD.

It had been part of Nelson's prayer th