The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1910-03-12
BATTLE OF THE NILE,
Where @the Boy Stood on the
Burning Deck"
cAsAslAAcA AND HIS FATE.
The Faets About the Little Hero u
Mrs.. hsmans' Famous Poem, His
Father and the Tragedy Of the
Doomed French Flagship. the Orient.

l
Father and the Tragedy Of the
Doomed French Flagship. the Orient.
Tint was a lucky child who In the
latter part Of the last century escaped
the ordeal Of standing up before cir
Gle Of relatives and frisnds-outwardly
enthusiastic and admiring, inwardly
often greatly bored-to repeat those
well known II somewhat Inaccurate
lines that tell us how "the boy stood
on the burning deck" Whether, nine
times out Of ten, the infant reciter or.
for that matter. any Of the members
of the appluuding family circle could
have given the date and place OF the
occurrence may be doubtful. The forty
lines of Mrs. Hemans gave them all
the history that they craved, and when
the parrot-lIke performance closed with
faithful heart a sentimental maiden
aunt would sigh. liberal uncle be-
stow largesse to the extent Of half
crown. and that was all.
1t was in 1908 that young Casabf-
anca, the ten-year-old son Of the COM
modore Of the French flagship Orient.
stood amid the awful devastation Of
the battle of the Nile. Bonaparte had
himself sailed in the Ill fated Orient
from Toulon In the previous May. TAX
ing with him a good stock OF bur-
gundy and also that famous camp H.
brary" of cabinet editions including
forty volumes Of English novels. In
which the Bible and the Koran were
chased under the head Of politics"
More important still for those who love
the picturesque details Of history and
great men, he was accompanied by his
then private secretary. Louis Antoine
1rauvelet de Bourrienne, from whose
always entertaining II not invariably
accurate pen we have capital &C.
count Of the voyage to Egypt.
Much of the time was passed BY Ma
poleon lying In his berth while Bour.
rienne read to him and in promoting
discussions on various questions among
the scientific and other distinguished
men who accompanied the expedition.
The flagship carried population OF
more than 1000 souls. and the cry OF
"afan overboard!" was not infrequent.
ION these occasions Bonaparte display.
ed side Of his character to which full
justice is not always done. Bour-
rienne describes his agitation till res
cue was effected as extreme. On one
occasion false alarm was raised dur
ing the darkness Of night. and the sup
posed "man" proved to be the quarter
Of bullock which had dropped from
tho rigging. but Napoleon rewarded
/ a.. lhnp 10
usual, pointing out that their exertiou
had been for what they believed hu-
man life.
The feet arrived OF the coast Of Az
RIGA on July I, and here Bourrienne
and his Memoirs" leave tho squadron
to accompany the army and his chief
on land. Brueys, the French admiral.
had during the voyage expressed fore
holdings as to the result Of an encoun-
ter with the British feet. Nelson.
who sailed from Syracuse on July ..
was confident. but well knew the price
he might be called upon to pay. When
1 Captain Berry said, III we succeed,
what will the world sayT Nelson r.
piled: There Is no II in the case. That
we shall succeed Is certain. Who may
live to tell the story Is a very differ
ent question" For himself he made
that famous anticipation. "a peerags
or Westminster abbey"
The battle began at $50 O'Clock, half
an hour before nightfall. Nelson. on
board the Vanguard. flew bis colors
in six places lest they should be shot
away. In few minutes after the
shin had gone into action the crews
Of the first six guns were swept away
by the terrible fire Of the French 6eet.
and twice again during the fight were
fresh crews called for. The shot
which struck Nelson on the head tore
from his forehead n piece Of skin
which. falling over his one useful eye.
rendered him for the time being to-
tally blind. Carried to the cockpit. he
insisted on taking his proper turn
among the wounded for the surgeon's
attention. Soon after 0 O'Clock at
night, while he was still below. cry
arose that the Orient was on IRE
Unaided and unnoticed in the confu-
sion. Nelson made his way up. and
presently from the quarterback his
voice was heard shouting orders that
tho boats should be lowered to 60 to
the assistance Of the Orient's crew.
The doomed French flagship had but
Just been painted, and quantities Of
oil and inflammable material Uttered
her deck. Brueys. the admiral. was
| dead, but Louis Casabianca and bis
little son were still on deck. At 10
o'clock the ship blew up. There came
a burst OF thunder sound" and. al
though the commodore was not at the
time lying "unconscious of his son."
MS the poetess has It, for both were
seen clinging to floating mast after
the explosion. neither father nor son
was among the seventy members OF
the crew who were saved by the Eng