268 THE DEATH OF NELSON. 



victory was won, ten ships had struck, but the last 

 sad result was yet to take place. It is of no use 

 drawing- a picture of what occurred in the midship- 

 men's berth of the Victory ; the greatest admiral 

 England ever produced was now stretched out breath- 

 ing his last. From time to time, as the service would 

 permit. Hardy came below and reported to the ad- 

 miral how the day went, and it was when Hardy re- 

 turned and reported that ten had struck, that Nelson 

 said, '* I am growing weaker and weaker, it is impos- 

 sible I can live, my back-bone is shot through, I have 

 no feeling below my breast, it is all gone ; — you 

 know it," he said, as he looked at Beattie. " I know 

 it, I feel something rising in my breast.*' It was 

 when a partial lull had occured that the Victory fired 

 her whole larboard broadside at once, it shook the 

 ship from stem to stern, then came a silence again. 

 Nelson said, in a firm tone of voice. " Oh ! victory, 

 victory!'' and then added, ** How dear is life to all 

 men! Hardy,'* he continued, "send my carcass to 

 England." Carcass was the word ; it was an odd 

 word to use at such a moment, but I '11 swear to it, 

 for it struck me as a cool disdain of death, although 

 he had, not a minute before, declared how sweet was 

 life. 



In a few minutes. Hardy, who had been on deck, 

 returned again. 



" Fourteen, my lord," he said, " fourteen have 

 struck !" A gleam of animation lighted up lord Nel- 

 son's countenance before he died. 



*' I bargained for twenty !" he said. " What have 

 you done. Hardy V* 



The captain answered, '' I have sent Lieutenant 

 Hill to Lord Collingwood, to mention you are woun- 

 ded my lord, and to beg of him to make the requi- 

 site signals." 



*' Not whilst I live !" he said with some energy, — 

 *" not whilst I am alive, Hardy, anchor. Hardy, an- 

 chor !''' And had that order been obeyed in spite of 

 all that has been said, Portsmouth harbour would 

 have had more prizes in Rotten Row. 



*'God bless yon, Hardy!'' he murmured. '^ Kiss 

 me.' 



