KISMET, HARDY

 In the middle of his dramatic victory in the Battle of Trafalgar, Admiral Horatio Nelson was shot by a French sniper and mortally wounded.  Nelson was carried below deck while the battle raged.  The captain of the HMS Victory was able to come visit Nelson as he lay dying.  Nelson asked Capt. Hardy to look after Nelson’s longtime mistress Lady Hamilton and then said:  “Kiss me, Hardy.”  Hardy leaned over and kissed his friend on the cheek.  Nelson:  “Now I am satisfied.  Thank God, I have done my duty.”  A little later, Hardy bent over and kissed him on the forehead.  Nelson’s famous last words were:  “God bless you, Hardy.”  When the press had to decide how to cover this exchange, it was decided “Kiss me, Hardy” was too controversial, so it was changed to “Kismet, Hardy” which was explained to mean “It’s fate, Hardy.”  This is the way British schoolchildren learned Nelson’s last words.  P.S. Nelson’s body was preserved in a cask of brandy for the trip home.  

                –  maroon 23

from Wikipedia Commons