[20]
The two Midshipmen of the Victory had just boarded the Redoutable, and
got their men out of the boat, when a shot from the Enemy's van ships
that were making off cut the boat adrift. About ten minutes after taking
possession of her, a Midshipman came to her from the Temeraire; and had
hardly ascended the poop, when a shot from one of those ships took off
his leg. The French Officers, seeing the firing continued on the prize
by their own countrymen, entreated the English Midshipmen to quit the
deck, and accompany them below. The unfortunate Midshipman of the
Temeraire was carried to the French Surgeon, who was ordered to give his
immediate attendance to him in preference to his own wounded: his leg
was amputated, but he died the same night. The Redoutable suffered so
much from shot received between wind and water, that she sunk while in
tow of the Swiftsure on the following evening, when the gale came on;
and out of a crew originally consisting of more than eight hundred men,
only about a hundred and thirty were saved: but she had lost above three
hundred in the battle.[21]
It is by no means certain, though highly probable, that Lord NELSON was
particularly aimed at by the Enemy. There were only two Frenchmen left
alive in the mizen-top of the Redoutable at the time of His LORDSHIP'S
being wounded, and by the hands of one of these he fell.
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