酷兔英语
    当前位置:
  1. 首页
  2. 文章
  3. 娱乐英语
  4. 原版小说
  5. 正文

The Life of Horatio Lord Nelson-Part18_Robert Southey(1774-1843)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

0 收藏 0 分享 0 赞

章节正文
文章总共2页


the minds of our men could be Impressed with such sentiments after so

great a victory, and at a moment of such confusion. The French at



Rosetta, seeing their four ships sail out of the bay unmolested,

endeavoured to persuade themselves that they were in possession of the



place of battle. But it was in vain thus to attempt, against their own

secret and certain conviction, to deceive themselves; and even if they



could have succeeded in this, the bonfires which the Arabs kindled along

the whole coast, and over the country, for the three following nights,



would soon have undeceived them. Thousands of Arabs and Egyptians lined

the shore, and covered the house tops during the action, rejoicing in



the destruction which had overtaken their invaders. Long after the

battle, innumerable bodies were seen floating about the bay, in spite of



all the exertions which were made to sink them, as well from fear of

pestilence as from the loathing and horror which the sight occasioned.



Great numbers were cast up upon the Isle of Bekier (Nelson's Island, as

it has since been called), and our sailors raised mounds of sand over



them. Even after an interval of nearly three years Dr. Clarke saw them,

and assisted in interring heaps of human bodies, which, having been



thrown up by the sea where there were no jackals to devour them,

presented a sight loathsome to humanity. The shore, for an extent of



four leagues, was covered with wreck; and the Arabs found employment for

many days in burning on the beach the fragments which were cast up, for



the sake of the iron. Part of the ORIENT's main-mast was picked up by

the SWIFTSURE. Captain Hallowell ordered his carpenter to make a coffin



of it; the iron, as well as the wood, was taken from the wreck of the

same ship; it was finished as well and handsomely as the workman's skill



and materials would permit; and Hallowell then sent it to the admiral

with the following letter:--"Sir, I have taken the liberty of presenting



you a coffin made from the main mast of L'ORIENT, that when you have

finished your military career in this world you may be buried in one of



your trophies. But that that period may be far distant is the earnest

wish of your sincere friend, Benjamin Hallowell."--An offering so



strange, and yet so suited to the occasion, was received by Nelson in

the spirit with which it was sent. As if he felt it good for him, now



that he was at the summit of his wishes, to have death before his eyes,

he ordered the coffin to be placed upright in his cabin. Such a piece of



furniture, however, was more suitable to his own feelings than to those

of his guests and attendants; and an old favourite servant entreated him



so earnestly to let it be removed, that at length he consented to have

the coffin carried below; but he gave strict orders that it should be



safely stowed, and reserved for the purpose for which its brave and

worthy donor had designed it.



The victory was complete; but Nelson could not pursue it as he would

have done for want of means. Had he been provided with small craft,



nothing could have prevented the destruction of the store-ships and

transports in the port of Alexandria: four bomb-vessels would at that



time have burned the whole in a few hours. "Were I to die this moment."

said he in his despatches to the Admiralty, "WANT OF FRIGATES would be



found stamped on my heart! No words of mine can express what I have

suffered, and am suffering, for want of them." He had also to bear up



against great bodilysuffering: the blow had so shaken his head, that

from its constant and violent aching, and the perpetualsickness which



accompanied the pain, he could scarcely persuade himself that the skull

was not fractured. Had it not been for Troubridge, Ball, Hood, and



Hallowell, he declared that he should have sunk under the fatigue of

refitting the squadron. "All," he said, "had done well; but these



officers were his supporters." But, amidst his sufferings and exertions,

Nelson could yet think of all the consequences of his victory; and that



no advantage from it might be lost, he despatched an officer overland

to India, with letters to the governor of Bombay, informing him of the



arrival of the French in Egypt, the total destruction of their fleet,

and the consequentpreservation of India from any attempt against it on



the part of this formidablearmament. "He knew that Bombay," he said,

"was their first object, if they could get there; but he trusted that



Almighty God would overthrow in Egypt these pests of the human race.




文章总共2页
文章标签:名著  

章节正文
Copyright © 2023 Qeto All rights reserved.
商务合作 | 联系我们 | 关于我们 | 版权声明 | 隐私条款 | 如果智培

京ICP备05059198号-1 京公网安备 11011202003401号