The Maid of Sker · Chapter
Nelson and the Nile explained
Davy Llewellyn recounts the Battle of the Nile on August 1, 1798, where the British fleet under Admiral Nelson decisively defeated the French.
What happens
Davy Llewellyn recounts the Battle of the Nile on August 1, 1798, where the British fleet under Admiral Nelson decisively defeated the French. As master of the Goliath, Davy describes the strategic approach, the daring maneuver to attack the French from the inner side, and the fierce night battle. He is wounded by a chain-shot but survives, and witnesses the spectacular explosion of a French flagship.
Themes in this chapter
Maritime Life and Adventure
The chapter is a detailed, first-hand account of naval combat, seamanship, and the life of a master on a ship of the line.
Truth and Narrative Reliability
Davy asserts his own authority and reliability, while dismissing historians and claiming credit for the decisive stratagem, highlighting the subjective nature of historical memory.
Morality and Hypocrisy
Davy reflects on the moral gravity of battle, the silence after the explosion, and his own readiness for death, contrasting the violence with moments of introspection.
Characters to notice
- Davy Llewellyn
Master of the Goliath; provides a first-hand account of the Battle of the Nile, claiming credit for the stratagem to turn the enemy's line.
- Captain Foley
Captain of the Goliath; urges Davy to take the ship into action and is credited by some with the brilliant maneuver.
- Master Roger Berkrolles
Mentioned as a man of high principles and deep reading who tells Davy he helped produce the great victory.
- Captain Hood
Captain of the Zealous; some attribute the grand maneuver to him.
Key passages
“The first day of August in the year of our Lord 1798 is a day to be long remembered by every Briton with a piece of constitution in him.”
August 1, 1798, is a memorable day for every true Briton.
Davy opens by emphasizing the historic importance of the battle.
“Modesty forbids me to say what Welshman it was who devised this noble and most decisive stratagem, while patriotic duty compels me to say that it was a Welshman, and more than that a Glamorganshire man, born in a favoured part of the quiet village of N⸺ N⸺.”
I am too modest to name the Welshman who devised the stratagem, but patriotism requires me to say it was a Welshman from Glamorganshire.
Davy coyly hints that he himself was the one who suggested the key maneuver.
“I must have lain numb for an hour, I doubt, with the roar of the guns, and the shaking of bulkheads, like a shiver, jarring me, and a pool of blood curdling into me...”
I lay numb for about an hour, shaken by the guns and surrounded by blood.
Davy describes his wounding and near-death experience during the battle.