the mirror of the sea-第44章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！




single…handed　in　his　seventy…four　to　a　whole　fleet；　the　man　of



enterprise　and　consummate　judgment；　the　old　Admiral　of　the　Fleet；



the　good　and　trusted　servant　of　his　country　under　two　kings　and　a



queen；　had　felt　correctly　Nelson's　influence；　and　expressed　himself



with　precision　out　of　the　fulness　of　his　seaman's　heart。







〃Exalted；〃　he　wrote；　not　〃augmented。〃　　And　therein　his　feeling　and



his　pen　captured　the　very　truth。　　Other　men　there　were　ready　and



able　to　add　to　the　treasure　of　victories　the　British　navy　has　given



to　the　nation。　　It　was　the　lot　of　Lord　Nelson　to　exalt　all　this



glory。　　Exalt！　the　word　seems　to　be　created　for　the　man。















XLVII。















The　British　navy　may　well　have　ceased　to　count　its　victories。　　It



is　rich　beyond　the　wildest　dreams　of　success　and　fame。　　It　may



well；　rather；　on　a　culminating　day　of　its　history；　cast　about　for



the　memory　of　some　reverses　to　appease　the　jealous　fates　which



attend　the　prosperity　and　triumphs　of　a　nation。　　It　holds；　indeed；



the　heaviest　inheritance　that　has　ever　been　entrusted　to　the



courage　and　fidelity　of　armed　men。







It　is　too　great　for　mere　pride。　　It　should　make　the　seamen　of　to…



day　humble　in　the　secret　of　their　hearts；　and　indomitable　in　their



unspoken　resolution。　　In　all　the　records　of　history　there　has　never



been　a　time　when　a　victorious　fortune　has　been　so　faithful　to　men



making　war　upon　the　sea。　　And　it　must　be　confessed　that　on　their



part　they　knew　how　to　be　faithful　to　their　victorious　fortune。



They　were　exalted。　　They　were　always　watching　for　her　smile；　night



or　day；　fair　weather　or　foul；　they　waited　for　her　slightest　sign



with　the　offering　of　their　stout　hearts　in　their　hands。　　And　for



the　inspiration　of　this　high　constancy　they　were　indebted　to　Lord



Nelson　alone。　　Whatever　earthly　affection　he　abandoned　or　grasped；



the　great　Admiral　was　always；　before　all；　beyond　all；　a　lover　of



Fame。　　He　loved　her　jealously；　with　an　inextinguishable　ardour　and



an　insatiable　desire　…　he　loved　her　with　a　masterful　devotion　and



an　infinite　trustfulness。　　In　the　plenitude　of　his　passion　he　was



an　exacting　lover。　　And　she　never　betrayed　the　greatness　of　his



trust！　　She　attended　him　to　the　end　of　his　life；　and　he　died



pressing　her　last　gift　（nineteen　prizes）　to　his　heart。　　〃Anchor；



Hardy　…　anchor！〃　was　as　much　the　cry　of　an　ardent　lover　as　of　a



consummate　seaman。　　Thus　he　would　hug　to　his　breast　the　last　gift



of　Fame。







It　was　this　ardour　which　made　him　great。　　He　was　a　flaming　example



to　the　wooers　of　glorious　fortune。　　There　have　been　great　officers



before　…　Lord　Hood；　for　instance；　whom　he　himself　regarded　as　the



greatest　sea　officer　England　ever　had。　　A　long　succession　of　great



commanders　opened　the　sea　to　the　vast　range　of　Nelson's　genius。



His　time　had　come；　and；　after　the　great　sea　officers；　the　great



naval　tradition　passed　into　the　keeping　of　a　great　man。　　Not　the



least　glory　of　the　navy　is　that　it　understood　Nelson。　　Lord　Hood



trusted　him。　　Admiral　Keith　told　him：　　〃We　can't　spare　you　either



as　Captain　or　Admiral。〃　　Earl　St。　Vincent　put　into　his　hands；



untrammelled　by　orders；　a　division　of　his　fleet；　and　Sir　Hyde



Parker　gave　him　two　more　ships　at　Copenhagen　than　he　had　asked　for。



So　much　for　the　chiefs；　the　rest　of　the　navy　surrendered　to　him



their　devoted　affection；　trust；　and　admiration。　　In　return　he　gave



them　no　less　than　his　own　exalted　soul。　　He　breathed　into　them　his



own　ardour　and　his　own　ambition。　　In　a　few　short　years　he



revolutionized；　not　the　strategy　or　tactics　of　sea…warfare；　but　the



very　conception　of　victory　itself。　　And　this　is　genius。　　In　that



alone；　through　the　fidelity　of　his　fortune　and　the　power　of　his



inspiration；　he　stands　unique　amongst　the　leaders　of　fleets　and



sailors。　　He　brought　heroism　into　the　line　of　duty。　　Verily　he　is　a



terrible　ancestor。







And　the　men　of　his　day　loved　him。　　They　loved　him　not　only　as



victorious　armies　have　loved　great　commanders；　they　loved　him　with



a　more　intimate　feeling　as　one　of　themselves。　　In　the　words　of　a



contemporary；　he　had　〃a　most　happy　way　of　gaining　the　affectionate



respect　of　all　who　had　the　felicity　to　serve　under　his　command。〃







To　be　so　great　and　to　remain　so　accessible　to　the　affection　of



one's　fellow…men　is　the　mark　of　exceptional　humanity。　　Lord



Nelson's　greatness　was　very　human。　　It　had　a　moral　basis；　it　needed



to　feel　itself　surrounded　by　the　warm　devotion　of　a　band　of



brothers。　　He　was　vain　and　tender。　　The　love　and　admiration　which



the　navy　gave　him　so　unreservedly　soothed　the　restlessness　of　his



professional　pride。　　He　trusted　them　as　much　as　they　trusted　him。



He　was　a　seaman　of　seamen。　　Sir　T。　B。　Martin　states　that　he　never



conversed　with　any　officer　who　had　served　under　Nelson　〃without



hearing　the　heartiest　expressions　of　attachment　to　his　person　and



admiration　of　his　frank　and　conciliatory　manner　to　his



subordinates。〃　　And　Sir　Robert　Stopford；　who　commanded　one　of　the



ships　with　which　Nelson　chased　to　the　West　Indies　a　fleet　nearly



double　in　number；　says　in　a　letter：　　〃We　are　half…starved　and



otherwise　inconvenienced　by　being　so　long　out　of　port；　but　our



reward　is　that　we　are　with　Nelson。〃







This　heroic　spirit　of　daring　and　endurance；　in　which　all　public　and



private　differences　were　sunk　throughout　the　whole　fleet；　is　Lord



Nelson's　great　legacy；　triply　sealed　by　the　victorious　impress　of



the　Nile；　Copenhagen；　and　Trafalgar。　　This　is　a　legacy　whose　value



the　changes　of　time　cannot　affect。　　The　men　and　the　ships　he　knew



how　to　lead　lovingly　to　the　work　of　courage　and　the　reward　of　glory



have　passed　away；　but　Nelson's　uplifting　touch　remains　in　the



standard　of　achievement　he　has　set　for　all　time。　　The　principles　of



strategy　may　be　immutable。　　It　is　certain　they　have　been；　and　shall



be　again；　disregarded　from　timidity；　from　blindness；　through



infirmity　of　purpose。　　The　tactics　of　great　captains　on　land　and



sea　can　be　infinitely　discussed。　　The　first　object　of　tactics　is　to



close　with　the　adversary　on　terms　of　the　greatest　possible



advantage；　yet　no　hard…and…fast　rules　can　be　drawn　from　experience；



for　this　capital　reason；　amongst　others　…　that　the　quality　of　the



adversary　is　a　variable　element　in　the　problem。　　The　tactics　of



Lord　Nelson　have　been　amply　discussed；　with　much　pride　and　some



profit。　　And　yet；　truly；　they　are　already　of　but　archaic　interest。



A　very　few　years　more　and　the　hazardous　difficulties　of　handling　a



fleet　under　canvas　shall　have　passed　beyond　the　conception　of



seamen　who　hold　in　trust　for　their　country　Lord　Nelson's　legacy　of



heroic　spirit。　　The　change　in　the　character　of　the　ships　is　too



great　and　too　radical。　　It　is　good　and　proper　to　study　the　acts　of



great　men　with　thoughtful　reverence；　but　already　the　precise



intention　of　Lord　Nelson's　famous　memorandum　seems　to　lie　under



that　veil　which　Time　throws　over　the　clearest　conceptions　of　every



great　art。　　It　must　not　be　forgotten　that　this　was　the　first　time



when　Nelson；　commanding　in　chief；　had　his　opponents　under　way　…　the



first　time　and　the　last。　　Had　he　lived；　had　there　been　other　fleets



left　to　oppose　him；　we　would；　perhaps；　have　learned　something　more



of　his　greatness　as　a　sea　officer。　　Nothing　could　have　been　added



to　his　greatness　as　a　leader。　　All　that　can　be　affirmed　is；　that　on



no　other　day　of　his　short　and　glorious　career　was　Lord　Nelson　more



splendidly　true　to　his　genius　and　to　his　country's　fortune。















XLVIII。















And　yet　the　fact　remains　that；　had　the　wind　failed　and　the　fleet



lost　steerage　way；　or；　worse　still；　had　it　been　taken　aback　from



the　eastward；　with　its　leaders　within　short　range　of　the　enemy's



guns；　nothing；　it　seems；　could　have　saved　the　headmost　s