A midshipman fired the first shot on the British side at Trafalgar--by accident. It came from the _Bellerophon_. To the surprise of the whole fleet, as they were nearing the enemy a spurt of smoke flew out from the side of the _Bellerophon_ followed by the boom of a single gun. It was, according to the _Spartiate's_ log--the _Bellerophon_ herself does not record it--just as Nelson's great message was going up. On board every other ship they were holding their hands: the officers of the batteries had orders to wait until their ship was in the act of passing through the enemy. A boy midshipman of the _Bellerophon_ tripped, or caught his foot, in the loose end of a gun-lock lanyard and let off one of the ship's 32-pounders. His name is not on record, nor what they did to him. The shot had the unfortunate effect of drawing the enemy's attention specially to the _Bellerophon_, and as they got the ship's range a little later they turned their guns on her and pounded at her heavily, under the impression that the gun had been meant as a signal, and that some officer of distinction was on board that particular ship. Collingwood opened the battle on the British side and first of all broke the enemy's line at Trafalgar, as all the world knows. All the world knows also how he did it. The _Royal Sovereign's_ first broadside, as she broke through immediately astern of the Spanish flagship _Santa Ana_, struck down 400 men and dismounted fourteen guns. 'Il rompait todos,' it smashed down everything--as a Spanish officer on board the _Santa Ana_ afterwards wrote. 'What sheep,'--asked in broken English the Spanish officer who came on board Collingwood's flagship on the surrender of the _Santa Ana_ to give up his sword on behalf of the wounded Vice-Admiral Alava,--'What sheep is dis?' He was told. '_Royal Sovereign!_' the Spaniard exclaimed, 'Madre de Dios! she should be named de _Royal Devil_!' The ships immediately facing Nelson as he advanced began their firing a few minutes after the others, the _Victory_ and _Temeraire_ and the leading ships of that column being farther off from the enemy. The _Bucentaure_, an 80-gun ship, on board which Admiral Villeneuve was, led off here.