The _Victory_, as she approached the _Bucentaur_, fired a 68-pounder carronade containing a round-shot and a keg with 500 musket-balls, from the larboard side of her forecastle, right into the cabin-windows of that ship; and as she forged slowly ahead, the whole of her 50 broadside guns, all doubly and some trebly shotted, so as completely to rake her, killing or wounding as many men as the _Bucentaur_ had lost, and dismounting 20 of her guns. Receiving the fire of an 80-gun ship, the _Neptune_, the _Victory's_ helm being put hard a-port, she ran on board the _Redoutable_, into which she poured a heavy fire, while with her aftermost starboard guns she engaged the _Santissima Trinidad_. Besides the heavy fire of great guns and musketry she was enduring from other ships, she received the shot of the _Redoutable's_ main-deck guns, and also constant discharges of musketry from the three tops of that ship. It was from the mizen-top of the _Redoutable_, at about 1:25 p.m., that, as Nelson and Captain Hardy were walking the deck together, the admiral was shot by a musket-ball, which entered his left shoulder, and descending lodged in his spine. Hardy, who had just turned, saw him in the act of falling, with his left hand just touching the deck. He was removed by the sergeant of marines and two seamen to the cock-pit. In the meantime the action raged furiously. Soon after the first four ships of the lee division had cut through between the centre and rear of the enemy's line. The remainder, as they came up, forced their way into the dense mass and engaged such ships as they could best attack. The weather division was doing the same, rather ahead of the centre, and at about 1:30 p.m. the battle was at its height. At about 3 p.m. the firing began to slacken, and two hours afterwards had wholly ceased, by which time 9 French sail of the line, including one burnt, and 9 Spanish were captured. Nine French and 6 Spaniards escaped, of which 4 French ships made sail to the southward, and 11, 5 of which were French and 6 Spanish, reached Cadiz, most of them much knocked about; while all the frigates and smaller craft also escaped. Within twenty minutes after the fatal shot had been fired from her, the _Redoutable_ struck her colours, and about three hours after Nelson had received his wound, he breathed his last. In the whole action the British lost 449 killed and 1241 wounded, while several of the ships lost two of their masts, and five were totally dismasted. Lord Nelson intended to anchor the fleet and prizes, but this Lord Collingwood did not think fit to do, and a gale coming on from the south-west, some of the prizes went down, others were driven ashore, one escaped into Cadiz, some were destroyed, and only four by the greatest exertions were saved. To the credit of the Spaniards it must be recorded that the English prize-crews which landed from the wrecks were treated with the greatest kindness.