THE PANORAMA. 139 



great guns ; some of the officers were busied in giving 

 orders, and others with great anxiety were looking 

 through their glasses as if to catch every movement of 

 the enemy. In truth, the deception was so complete 

 that, forgetting the ground upon which I stood, I fancied 

 myself just on the eve of a great battle, and felt my 

 mind impressed with that indescribable emotion which, in 

 the reality of such a circumstance, the young soldier al- 

 ways feels. This scene was soon changed, and in its 

 place another represented which displayed all the terrible 

 confusion of the engagement. The first only showed us 

 the cloud that concealed the storm : here it was repre- 

 sented as if bursting in its full fury. It was the deck of 

 the Victor i/, as it appeared at the moment Nelson received 

 his death-wound. You will have some idea of the size 

 of the picture when I tell you that there were above two 

 hundred figures, all as large as life, at once under my 

 eye. In the middle of these was Nelson : the sword 

 was falling from his hand ; his features were distorted as 

 if by sudden and acute pain ; and the pale cadaverous 

 hue of his countenance betokened speedy dissolution. 

 The attention of the figures nearest him seemed to be 

 entirely engrossed by his fall ; an anxious expression of 

 the countenance or a sudden turn of the head showed 

 that those at a greater distance had some faint perception 

 of what had happened, while others in the outskirts of 

 the picture were busied in working the guns or in sup- 

 plying those who wrought them with ammunition. A 

 few paces from Nelson, a young officer was eagerly point- 

 ing out to a marine the main-top of one of the vessels 

 with which the Victory was engaged, from which the 

 fatal bullet was supposed to have come, and he, with 

 great deliberation, was levelling his musket in that di- 

 rection. The third scene was of a terrific description. 



