266 THE DEATH OF NELSON. 



** Braee, my lord/' I replied. 



'* Not wounded, I hope ! 



** I have lost an eye and an arm, my lord/* said I, 

 '* and shall better resemble for the future my glorious 

 commander I" 



"■ Brace come nearer/' (his voice was g-etting very 

 weak and indistinct) ; " place your ear close to my 

 mouth ; listen/' — He then whispered/* She is provided 

 for; she can never know what it is to want; and so 

 far 1 have done my duty to one whose services to me I 

 can hardly ever requite — Hardy/' (the captain inclined 

 his head,) " this is my oldest follower, wounded — unfit 

 any longer to serve his Majesty ; to you I leave it to 

 place him in Greenwich." Whilst he was saying 

 this, I had taken his hand ; and ai I kissed it, he felt 

 the tears which dropped upon it. 



" Listen to me/' he said. — ** When you get to Eng- 

 land and are discharged, go to Merton, tell her of my 

 last moments — tell her I have left a memorial in her 

 behalf.^tell her that even now, when all is shortly to 

 pass away, I thought of he^r; that my last prayer was 



for her — tell her." At this moment, a loud eheer 



from the crew of theVictory startled him. 



*' What is that, Hardy V* he said ; but Hardy was on 

 deck ; he returned about a minute afterwards, when 

 Nelson repeated the question. 



*' It was the men cheering for the tenth ship of the 

 enemy's line which has struck/' 



'* None of ours have struck, 1 hope. Hardy V 



" There 's no fear of that, my lord/' replied the 

 captain. 



" Then I am more easy/' the admiral continued. 

 " Hardy, I am a dead man — I am going fast — it will 

 be all over with me soon." 



In the mean lime, whilst this overwhelming event 

 was taking place, the battle had been nobly fought 

 along the whole line. After Collingwood had raked 

 the Santa Anna and ranged up alongside of her, he 

 was nobly seconded by the Mars, commanded by 

 Worthy DuflT, as he was called — and he merited the 

 name. He, poor fellow! after fighting like a good 

 officer, was nearly cut in half by a round shot, and 



