THE DEATH OF NELSON. 267 



Eng-land lost another hero. The Sovereign, after her 

 first flourish with the Santa Anna, fell foul of every 

 ship, Spanish or French, within reach of her guns ; 

 whilst the Bellerophon, after breaking the line, got 

 aboard of the Aigle, an eighty-gun ship. The fore- 

 yard of the Bellerophon caught the main-yard of the 

 Frenchman, and a heavy fire was immediately di- 

 rected upon her from the starboard bow ; the larboard 

 bow guns were blazing away into the Monarca, at 

 the same time she was receiving and returning, 

 without much time being lost, the fire of the Bahama, 

 a Spanish eighty-gun ship, which had drifted on the 

 Bellerophon's larboard quarter; whilst a ship, as 

 large as her name was long, the St. Juan Nepomu- 

 cena, got athwart her stern, and a French eighty-gun 

 ship, the Swifttsure, touched her up on the starboard^ 

 quarter. 



The Bellerophon's men never thought of the odds 

 against them ; they fought like English tars — the 

 more they have upon them the stronger they rise. 



Several hand-grenades were thrown into the lower 

 deck ports of the Bellerophon, and caused great havoc 

 amongst the men, and had there been a breeze, they 

 must have mustered the sails to see which were 

 missing. The main and mizen top-mast fell over the 

 starboard side ; whilst the sails, the main-topsail, and 

 top-gallant sails caught fire. But still they gallantly 

 blazed away, still they were able to show that Col- 

 lingwood's line could fight under their admiral as 

 well as the Victory^s could fight under Nelson. 

 Cheer after cheer followed, as the men saw the 

 results of their bravery, and were convinced that the 

 signal which had been hailed witii such pride, *' Eng- 

 land expects that every man will do his duty," had 

 been most gloriously answered by every man and boy 

 in the fleet : — and if I was to give an account of what 

 Moorsom did, and every other captain throughout 

 the British fleet, why, I should never come to an end. 

 But I mention the Bellerophon, because the French- 

 men became better acquainted with her afterwards. 



The action had now been maintained with bravery 

 by the French and the Spaniards for three hours. The 



