These men
continued firing at Captains HARDY and ADAIR, Lieutenant ROTELY of the
Marines, and some of the Midshipman on the Victory's poop, for some
time afterwards. At length one of them was killed by a musket-ball: and
on the other's then attempting to make his escape from the top down the
rigging, Mr. POLLARD (Midshipman) fired his musket at him, and shot him
in the back; when he fell dead from the shrouds, on the Redoutable's
poop.
The Writer of this will not attempt to depict the heart-rending sorrow,
and melancholy gloom, which pervaded the breast and the countenance of
every individual on board the Victory when His LORDSHIP'S death became
generally known. The anguish felt by all for such a loss, rendered
doubly heavy to _them_, is more easy to be conceived than described: by
his lamented fall they were at once deprived of their adored commander,
and their friend and patron.
The battle was fought in soundings about sixteen miles to the westward
of Cape Trafalgar; and if fortunately there had been more wind in the
beginning of the action, it is very probable that Lord NELSON would
still have been saved to his Country, and that every ship of the line
composing the Combined Fleets would have been either captured or
destroyed: for had the Victory been going fast through the water, she
must have dismasted the Redoutable, and would of course have passed on
to attack another ship; consequently His LORDSHIP would not have been so
long nor so much exposed to the Enemy's musketry.
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