Nelson indeed, in the West Indies, as an unknown captain, had done that which as a junior admiral he did later at Copenhagen, at a moment far more critical to Great Britain.  By his own unusual powers of impulse and resolve he had enforced, as far as was possible against the passive, inert lethargy—­not to say timidity—­of his superior, the course of action which at the moment was essential to the interests of his country.  Truly great in his strength to endure, he knew not the perturbations nor the vacillations that fret the temper, and cripple the action, of smaller men; and, however harassed and distressed externally, the calmness of a clear insight and an unshaken purpose guided his footsteps, unwavering, in the path of duty, through all opposition, to the goal of success.  It is reported that an officer of the “Boreas,” speaking to him of the vexations and odium he had undergone, used the word “pity.”  Nelson’s reply showed the profound confidence which throughout had animated him, keenly as he had undoubtedly felt the temporary anxieties.  “Pity, did you say?  I shall live, Sir, to be envied; and to that point I shall always direct my course.”

By the departure of Sir Richard Hughes Nelson was left senior officer upon the station until his own return home, a twelvemonth later.  In November he renewed his acquaintance with Prince William Henry, whom he had known as a midshipman in 1782, and who now came to the Leeward Islands a post-captain, in command of the frigate “Pegasus.”  The two young men were not far apart in age, and an intimacy between them soon arose, which ended only with the death of Nelson.  The latter had a profound reverence for royalty, both as an institution and as represented in its members; and to this, in the present case, was added a strong personal esteem, based upon the zeal and efficiency in the discharge of official duties, which he recognized in one whose rank would assure him impunity for any mere indifference.  The prince, on the other hand, quickly yielded to the charm of Nelson’s intercourse, so vividly felt by most who knew him, and to the contagious enthusiasm which animated his conversation when talking of his profession.  This, also, his ardent imagination endowed with possibilities and aspirations, not greater, indeed, than its deserts, but which only the intuitions of a genius like his could realize and vivify, imparting to slower temperaments something of his own fire.  To this association the prince afterwards attributed the awakening of that strong interest in maritime affairs which he retained to the day of his death.  The two friends dined alternately one with the other, and, in their association of some six months at this time, they together fought over all the naval battles that during the recent war had illustrated the waters through which they were then cruising.