Within a quarter of an hour after Nelson was wounded, above fifty of the _Victory's_ men fell by the enemy's musketry. They, however, on their part, were not idle; and it was not long before there were only two Frenchmen left alive in the mizzen-top of the _Redoubtable_. One of them was the man who had given the fatal wound: he did not live to boast of what he had done. An old quartermaster had seen him fire; and easily recognized him, because he wore a glazed cocked hat and a white frock. This quartermaster, and two midshipmen, Mr. Collingwood and Mr. Pollard, were the only persons left on the _Victory's_ poop; the two midshipmen kept firing at the top, and he supplied them with cartridges. One of the Frenchmen, attempting to make his escape down the rigging, was shot by Mr. Pollard, and fell on the poop. But the old quartermaster, as he cried out, "That's he, that's he," and pointed at the other, who was coming forward to fire again, received a shot in his mouth, and fell dead. Both the midshipmen then fired, at the same time, and the fellow dropped in the top. When they took possession of the prize, they went into the mizzen-top, and found him dead; with one ball through his head, and another through his breast. The _Redoubtable_ struck within twenty minutes after the fatal shot had been fired from her. During that time she had been twice on fire,--in her fore-chains and in her forecastle. The French, as they had done in other battles, made use, in this, of fireballs and other combustibles--implements of destruction which other nations, from a sense of honour and humanity, have laid aside--which add to the sufferings of the wounded, without determining the issue of the combat--which none but the cruel would employ, and which never can be successful against the brave. [Illustration: AN OLD QUARTERMASTER HAD SEEN HIM FIRE] Once they succeeded in setting fire, from the _Redoubtable_, to some ropes and canvas on the _Victory's_ booms. The cry ran through the ship, and reached the cockpit; but even this dreadful cry produced no confusion: the men displayed that perfect self-possession in danger by which English seamen are characterized; they extinguished the flames on board their own ship, and then hastened to extinguish them in the enemy, by throwing buckets of water from the gangway. When the _Redoubtable_ had struck, it was not practicable to board her from the _Victory_; for, though the two ships touched, the upper works of both fell in so much, that there was a great space between their gangways; and she could not be boarded from the lower or middle decks, because her ports were down. Some of our men went to Lieutenant Quilliam, and offered to swim under her bows and get up there; but it was thought unfit to hazard brave lives in this manner.