"What odd names the Spaniards give to their ships, Swinburne?"
"Why yes, they do; it would almost appear wicked to belabour the _Holy Trinity_ as we did. But why they should call a four-decked ship the _Holy Trinity_, seeing as how there's only three of them, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, I can't tell. Bill Saunders said that the fourth deck was for the Pope, who was as great a personage as the others; but I can't understand how that can be. Well, Mr Simple, as I was head signalman, I was perched on the poop, and didn't serve at a gun. I had to report all I could see, which was not much, the smoke was so thick; but now and then I could get a peep, as it were through the holes in the blanket. Of course I was obliged to keep my eye as much as possible upon the admiral, not to make out his signals, for Commodore Nelson wouldn't thank me for that; I knew he hated a signal when in action, so I never took no notice of the bunting, but just watched to see what he was about. So while we are repairing damages, I'll just tell you what I saw of the rest of the fleet. As soon as old Jervis had done for the Spanish admiral, he hauled his wind on the larboard tack, and followed by four or five other ships, weathered the Spanish line, and joined Collingwood in the _Excellent_. Then they all dashed through the line; the _Excellent_ was the leading ship, and she first took the shine out of the _Salvador del Mondo_, and then left her to be picked up by the other ships, while she attacked a two-decker, who hauled down her colours--I forget her name just now. As soon as the _Victory_ ran alongside of the _Salvador del Mondo_, down went her colours, and _excellent_ reasons had she for striking her flag. And now, Mr Simple. The old _Captain_ comes into play again. Having parted company with the four-decker, we had recommenced action with the _San Nicolas_, a Spanish eighty, and while we were hard at it, old Collingwood comes up in the _Excellent_. The _San Nicolas_, knowing that the _Excellent's_ broadside would send her to old Nick, put her helm up to avoid being raked: in so doing, she fell foul of the _San Josef_, a Spanish three-decker, and we being all cut to pieces and unmanageable--all of us indeed reeling about like drunken men--Nelson ordered his helm a-starboard, and in a jiffy there we were, all three hugging each other, running in one another's guns, smashing our chain-plates, and poking our yard-arms through each other's canvas.