LESSON 29 The Overland Route

第29课 陆路

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.

我们在南安普顿登上了半岛东方公司的一艘豪华轮船，之后很快经过了怀特岛并向驶向大海。第二天我们便见到了比斯开湾那汹涌的波涛。从菲尼斯特雷角大概就能看到西班牙海岸，在这里，英国人会以某种爱国和自豪的心情来追忆同胞们在半岛以及周围水域取得过的许多场胜利。1805年，罗伯特·考尔德爵士在这里重创了法国海军上将维尔纳夫，几个月之后法军全军覆没。而在离这里不远的拉科鲁尼亚，摩尔英勇地将法国人困在了港湾里，直至其登船计划取得成功。

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.

我们从在葡萄牙的西南角位置驶出圣文森角——一个孤独、浪漫的海角，它的底部有一些断裂的岩石伸入大海，最高处是一个漂亮的灯塔，灯塔里射出一束明亮的光束，每隔两到三分钟便旋转一次。好望角是英国舰队两次战胜西班牙的战场，其中在第二场胜利之中，它把他的头衔给了英国的一位最优秀的水手。西班牙于1780在那里被乔治·罗德尼爵士打败，1793年又被约翰·杰维斯爵士(后来的圣文森特伯爵)打败。在后来的战役之中，海军准将纳尔逊通过窗户进入敌军船舱，夺取了一艘西班牙战舰，即圣尼古拉号。圣约瑟夫号的船长看到后向俘虏们放了一枪，纳尔逊随即和圣约瑟夫号会合，并从圣尼古拉号的甲板登上了敌军的战舰。