ports square, and took right down the officer of the gun himself, and
almost every man of the gun's crew. Now you may say what you choose
about courage, but that is not a nice thing to see. But, as the men who
were not killed picked themselves up, and as they and the surgeon's
people were carrying off the bodies, there appeared Nolan, in his
shirt-sleeves, with the rammer in his hand, and, just as if he had been
the officer, told them off with authority,--who should go to the
cock-pit with the wounded men, who should stay with him,--perfectly
cheery, and with that way which makes men feel sure all is right and is
going to be right. And he finished loading the gun with his own hands,
aimed it, and bade the men fire. And there he stayed, captain of that
gun, keeping those fellows in spirits, till the enemy struck,--sitting
on the carriage while the gun was cooling, though he was exposed all the
time,--showing them easier ways to handle heavy shot,--making the raw
hands laugh at their own blunders,--and when the gun cooled again,
getting it loaded and fired twice as often as any other gun on the ship.
The captain walked forward by way of encouraging the men, and Nolan
touched his hat and said,--

"I am showing them how we do this in the artillery, sir."

And this is the part of the story where all the legends agree; the
commodore said,--

"I see you do, and I thank you, sir; and I shall never forget this day,
sir, and you never shall, sir."

And after the whole thing was over, and he had the Englishman's sword,
in the midst of the state and ceremony of the quarter-deck, he said,--