Part 17 (1/2)
THE DEATH OF NELSON
It was the 21st October, 1805 The English fleet had been forfor the navies of France and Spain to leave their shelter in Cadiz harbour At length, to his joy, Lord Nelson received the signal that they had put out to sea; and he now prepared to attack the combined fleet (which consisted of forty vessels) with his thirty-one shi+ps Yet, though the eneer than his own, Nelson confidently expected victory, and told Captain Blackwood he would not be satisfied unless he captured twenty shi+ps Having ements, Nelson went down to his cabin and wrote this prayer:--
”May the great God whorant to reat and glorious victory; and may no misconduct in any one tarnish it, and may humanity after victory be the predominant feature in the British fleet! For myself individually, I coht onn myself, and the just cause which is entrusted to me to defend Aan Nelson nal which stirred every heart in the fleet on that day, and has since reland expects every man will do his duty”
It was received with an outburst of cheering
Nelson wore, as usual, his adlittered four stars of the different orders which had been given hier for the fray
His officers represented to him how desirable it was that he should keep out of the battle as long as possible; and, knowing the truth of this, he signalled to the other shi+ps to go in front Yet his desire to be in the forefront of the attack was so great that he would not take in any sail on The Victory, and thus rendered it impossible for the other vessels to obey his orders
At ten an; by four minutes past twelve fifty men on board Nelson's shi+p _The Victory_ had been killed or wounded, and many of her sails shot away
The fire of the ene, said, ”This is too ork, Hardy, to last long” Up to that time not a shot had been fired from _The Victory_; and Nelson declared that never in all his battles had he seen anything which surpassed the cool courage of his crew Then, however, when they had come to close quarters with the enemy, frouns, carrying swift destruction a the foe
[Illustration: Nelson's Tomb in St Paul's Cathedral]
The French shi+p next which they were lying, _The Redoutable_, having ceased firing her great guns, Nelson twice gave instructions to stop firing into her, with the hue to say, that from this shi+p at a quarter past one was fired a shot which struck him in the left shoulder, and proved fatal
Within twenty minutes after the fatal shot had been fired from _The Redoutable_ that shi+p was captured, thehimself been shot by a midshi+pman on board _The Victory_
When he had been taken down to the cockpit he insisted that the surgeon should leave hi for reat, but he was cheered by the nehich they brought him from time to time At half-past two Hardy could report ”ten shi+ps have struck” An hour later he came with the news that fourteen or fifteen had struck ”That's well,” cried Nelson, ”but I bargained for twenty”
A little later he said, ”Kiss me, Hardy” Hardy knelt down, and Nelson said, ”Now I am satisfied Thank God I have done my duty” After that it became difficult for him to speak, but he several times repeated the words, ”Thank God I have done my duty” And these were the last words he uttered before he died At half-past four o'clock he expired
Thus Nelson died in the hour of victory He had won a battle which once and for all broke the naval power of France and Spain, and delivered Great Britain froreat Napoleon
A WOMAN WHO SUCCEEDED BY FAILURE
THE STORY OF HARRIET NEWELL
This is rather an exceptional chapter: for it tells of a very little life judged by length of days, a very sad life judged by some of its incidents, a very futile life considered by what it actually accoht of the results which followed
Harriet Attas born in Massachusetts, Airlhood she looked forward to assisting inbefore anyout female irl was to devote herself to the mission cause
Not that she drealected her every-day duties She was reence and dutiful conduct; and froious convictions, and was constant in her daily prayers and Bible reading