LESSON 29 The Overland Route
第29課 陸路
Embarking at Southampton in one of the splendid steamers of the Peninsular and Oriental Company, we soon pass the Isle of Wight, and make for the open sea. The second day brings us in contact with the rough waters of the Bay of Biscay. The Spanish coast is probably sighted off Cape Finisterre; and here the Englishman begins to recall with patriotic pride the many triumphs achieved by his countrymen on the Peninsula and in the surrounding waters. Here, in 1805, Sir Robert Calder inflicted a partial defeat on Villeneuve, the French admiral; who, a few months later, was completely overthrown at Trafalgar. Coruna is not far off, where Moore so gallantly held the French at bay till he completed his plans for embarkation.
我們在南安普頓登上了半島東方公司的一艘豪華輪船,之后很快經(jīng)過了懷特島并向駛向大海。第二天我們便見到了比斯開灣那洶涌的波濤。從菲尼斯特雷角大概就能看到西班牙海岸,在這里,英國人會以某種愛國和自豪的心情來追憶同胞們在半島以及周圍水域取得過的許多場勝利。1805年,羅伯特·考爾德爵士在這里重創(chuàng)了法國海軍上將維爾納夫,幾個月之后法軍全軍覆沒。而在離這里不遠的拉科魯尼亞,摩爾英勇地將法國人困在了港灣里,直至其登船計劃取得成功。
At the south-western angle of Portugal we are off Cape St. Vincent—a lone, romantic promontory, with some fractured rocks at its base standing out into the ocean, and having on its summit a fine light-house with a brilliant light revolving every two or three minutes. The cape was the scene of two great victories gained by the English fleet over that of Spain; in connection with the second of which it gave his title to one of England's foremost sailors. There the Spaniards were defeated by Sir George Rodney in 1780, and still more signally by Sir John Jervis (afterwards Earl St. Vincent) in 1793. It was on the latter occasion that Nelson, then bearing the rank of commodore, took one of the Spanish ships, the San Nicolas, by entering through its cabin windows! Seeing this, the captain of the San Josef discharged a volley on the captors. Nelson thereupon closed with the San Josef and boarded her from the deck of the San Nicolas.
我們從在葡萄牙的西南角位置駛出圣文森角——一個孤獨、浪漫的海角,它的底部有一些斷裂的巖石伸入大海,最高處是一個漂亮的燈塔,燈塔里射出一束明亮的光束,每隔兩到三分鐘便旋轉(zhuǎn)一次。好望角是英國艦隊兩次戰(zhàn)勝西班牙的戰(zhàn)場,其中在第二場勝利之中,它把他的頭銜給了英國的一位最優(yōu)秀的水手。西班牙于1780在那里被喬治·羅德尼爵士打敗,1793年又被約翰·杰維斯爵士(后來的圣文森特伯爵)打敗。在后來的戰(zhàn)役之中,海軍準將納爾遜通過窗戶進入敵軍船艙,奪取了一艘西班牙戰(zhàn)艦,即圣尼古拉號。圣約瑟夫號的船長看到后向俘虜們放了一槍,納爾遜隨即和圣約瑟夫號會合,并從圣尼古拉號的甲板登上了敵軍的戰(zhàn)艦。