“fortunate” occurrences which attend—­and in Nelson’s career repeatedly attended—­the happy meeting of opportunity and readiness.  Doubtless they were beaten ships, but other beaten ships have escaped in general actions—­did at St. Vincent.  “I pretend not to say,” wrote Nelson a week later, “that these ships might not have fell, had I not boarded them; but truly it was far from impossible but they might have forged into the Spanish fleet as the other two ships did.”  He was there, he could do nothing else, he saw with his rapid glance that he might do this, and he did it.  And, after all, it was a big thing,—­this boarding a first-rate ship over the decks of another hostile ship, not inaptly characterized in the fleet as “Nelson’s patent bridge.”  We must mark, too, or we shall miss significant indications of character, that the same qualities which led him to the quarter-deck of the “San Josef” had led him but an hour before from the rear of the fleet to the van to save the fight,—­the same quickness to see opportunity, the same promptness to seize it, the same audacity to control it.  The brilliant crowning of the day may be but an ornament, but it sits well and fitly upon the knightly deed that rolled back the tide of battle in the hour of need.

Those Spanish ships of the weather division which were first encountered by Nelson, after he wore out of the line, bore the brunt of the fighting.  As the whole division continued to stand on close to the wind, these ships, becoming crippled, dropped astern of their consorts, and so first received the broadsides of the British van as that arrived.  Being also the leaders in the movement frustrated by Nelson, they became the most leewardly; and, as the British van on coming up passed to leeward, this contributed farther to concentrate fire upon the same vessels.  Among them was the “Santisima Trinidad,” of four decks and one hundred and thirty guns, then the largest ship of war in the world.  When Collingwood passed ahead of Nelson, he engaged her, but not as near as he wished, and could have done, had not the “Excellent’s” rigging been so cut as to prevent her hauling close to the wind.  She was also brought to action by Sir James Saumarez, in the “Orion,” and towards the close of her contest with the latter ship showed a British Union Jack,—­a token of submission possibly unauthorized, as it was almost immediately hauled in again.  Besides those boarded by Nelson, two other enemy’s ships had already struck.

It was now after four o’clock, and the other Spanish division, of eight ships, was heading for the scene and near at hand.  Although effectually blocked in their first attempt to pierce the British line, these had not received such injury as to detract seriously from their efficiency.  Continuing to stand south-southwest, after the British began tacking, they at last gained ground sufficiently to come up to windward, the side on which their other division was.  In view of the now inevitable junction of a great number of comparatively fresh ships, and of the casualties in his own vessels, Jervis decided to discontinue the action.  He ordered his fleet to form on the starboard tack, covering the four prizes and the “Captain;” and with this done the firing soon ceased.  The Spanish divisions united, and carried off their other disabled ships.