Victory’s crew.  She never fired a great gun after this single broadside.  A few minutes after this, the Temeraire fell likewise on board of the Redoutable, on the side opposite to the Victory; having also an Enemy’s ship, said to be La Fougueux, on board of her on her other side:  so that the extraordinary and unprecedented circumstance occurred here, of four ships of the line being on board of each other in the heat of battle; forming as compact a tier as if they had been moored together, their heads lying all the same way.  The Temeraire, as was just before mentioned, was between the Redoutable and La Fougueux.  The Redoutable commenced a heavy fire of musketry from the tops, which was continued for a considerable time with destructive effect to the Victory’s crew:  her great guns however being silent, it was supposed at different times that she had surrendered; and in consequence of this opinion, the Victory twice ceased firing upon her, by orders transmitted from the quarter-deck.

At this period, scarcely a person in the Victory escaped unhurt who was exposed to the Enemy’s musketry; but there were frequent huzzas and cheers heard from between the decks, in token of the surrender of different of the Enemy’s ships.  An incessant fire was kept up from both sides of the Victory; her larboard guns played upon the Santissima Trinidada and the Bucentaur; and the starboard guns of the middle and lower decks were depressed, and fired with a diminished charge of powder, and three shot each, into the Redoutable.  This mode of firing was adopted by Lieutenants Williams, King, Yule, and Brown, to obviate the danger of the Temeraire’s suffering from the Victory’s shot passing through the Redoutable; which must have been the case if the usual quantity of powder, and the common elevation, had been given to the guns.—­A circumstance occurred in this situation, which shewed in a most striking manner the cool intrepidity of the Officers and men stationed on the lower deck of the Victory.  When the guns, on this deck were run out, their muzzles came into contact with the Redoutable’s side; and consequently at every discharge there was reason to fear that the Enemy would take fire, and both the Victory and the Temeraire be involved in her flames.  Here then was seen the astonishing spectacle of the fireman of each gun standing ready with a bucket full of water which as soon as his gun was discharged he dashed into the Enemy through the holes made in her side by the shot.

It was from this ship (the Redoutable) that Lord Nelson received his mortal wound.  About fifteen minutes past one o’clock, which was in the heat of the engagement, he was walking the middle of the quarter-deck with Captain Hardy, and in the act of turning near the hatchway with his face towards the stern of the Victory, when the fatal ball was fired from the Enemy’s mizen-top; which, from the situation of the two ships (lying on board of each other), was