the mirror of the sea-第45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！




guns；　nothing；　it　seems；　could　have　saved　the　headmost　ships　from



capture　or　destruction。　　No　skill　of　a　great　sea　officer　would　have



availed　in　such　a　contingency。　　Lord　Nelson　was　more　than　that；　and



his　genius　would　have　remained　undiminished　by　defeat。　　But



obviously　tactics；　which　are　so　much　at　the　mercy　of　irremediable



accident；　must　seem　to　a　modern　seaman　a　poor　matter　of　study。　　The



Commander…in…Chief　in　the　great　fleet　action　that　will　take　its



place　next　to　the　Battle　of　Trafalgar　in　the　history　of　the　British



navy　will　have　no　such　anxiety；　and　will　feel　the　weight　of　no　such



dependence。　　For　a　hundred　years　now　no　British　fleet　has　engaged



the　enemy　in　line　of　battle。　　A　hundred　years　is　a　long　time；　but



the　difference　of　modern　conditions　is　enormous。　　The　gulf　is



great。　　Had　the　last　great　fight　of　the　English　navy　been　that　of



the　First　of　June；　for　instance；　had　there　been　no　Nelson's



victories；　it　would　have　been　wellnigh　impassable。　　The　great



Admiral's　slight　and　passion…worn　figure　stands　at　the　parting　of



the　ways。　　He　had　the　audacity　of　genius；　and　a　prophetic



inspiration。







The　modern　naval　man　must　feel　that　the　time　has　come　for　the



tactical　practice　of　the　great　sea　officers　of　the　past　to　be　laid



by　in　the　temple　of　august　memories。　　The　fleet　tactics　of　the



sailing　days　have　been　governed　by　two　points：　　the　deadly　nature



of　a　raking　fire；　and　the　dread；　natural　to　a　commander　dependent



upon　the　winds；　to　find　at　some　crucial　moment　part　of　his　fleet



thrown　hopelessly　to　leeward。　　These　two　points　were　of　the　very



essence　of　sailing　tactics；　and　these　two　points　have　been



eliminated　from　the　modern　tactical　problem　by　the　changes　of



propulsion　and　armament。　　Lord　Nelson　was　the　first　to　disregard



them　with　conviction　and　audacity　sustained　by　an　unbounded　trust



in　the　men　he　led。　　This　conviction；　this　audacity　and　this　trust



stand　out　from　amongst　the　lines　of　the　celebrated　memorandum；



which　is　but　a　declaration　of　his　faith　in　a　crushing　superiority



of　fire　as　the　only　means　of　victory　and　the　only　aim　of　sound



tactics。　　Under　the　difficulties　of　the　then　existing　conditions　he



strove　for　that；　and　for　that　alone；　putting　his　faith　into



practice　against　every　risk。　　And　in　that　exclusive　faith　Lord



Nelson　appears　to　us　as　the　first　of　the　moderns。







Against　every　risk；　I　have　said；　and　the　men　of　to…day；　born　and



bred　to　the　use　of　steam；　can　hardly　realize　how　much　of　that　risk



was　in　the　weather。　　Except　at　the　Nile；　where　the　conditions　were



ideal　for　engaging　a　fleet　moored　in　shallow　water；　Lord　Nelson　was



not　lucky　in　his　weather。　　Practically　it　was　nothing　but　a　quite



unusual　failure　of　the　wind　which　cost　him　his　arm　during　the



Teneriffe　expedition。　　On　Trafalgar　Day　the　weather　was　not　so　much



unfavourable　as　extremely　dangerous。







It　was　one　of　these　covered　days　of　fitful　sunshine；　of　light；



unsteady　winds；　with　a　swell　from　the　westward；　and　hazy　in



general；　but　with　the　land　about　the　Cape　at　times　distinctly



visible。　　It　has　been　my　lot　to　look　with　reverence　upon　the　very



spot　more　than　once；　and　for　many　hours　together。　　All　but　thirty



years　ago；　certain　exceptional　circumstances　made　me　very　familiar



for　a　time　with　that　bight　in　the　Spanish　coast　which　would　be



enclosed　within　a　straight　line　drawn　from　Faro　to　Spartel。　　My



well…remembered　experience　has　convinced　me　that；　in　that　corner　of



the　ocean；　once　the　wind　has　got　to　the　northward　of　west　（as　it



did　on　the　20th；　taking　the　British　fleet　aback）；　appearances　of



westerly　weather　go　for　nothing；　and　that　it　is　infinitely　more



likely　to　veer　right　round　to　the　east　than　to　shift　back　again。



It　was　in　those　conditions　that；　at　seven　on　the　morning　of　the



21st；　the　signal　for　the　fleet　to　bear　up　and　steer　east　was　made。



Holding　a　clear　recollection　of　these　languid　easterly　sighs



rippling　unexpectedly　against　the　run　of　the　smooth　swell；　with　no



other　warning　than　a　ten…minutes'　calm　and　a　queer　darkening　of　the



coast…line；　I　cannot　think；　without　a　gasp　of　professional　awe；　of



that　fateful　moment。　　Perhaps　personal　experience；　at　a　time　of



life　when　responsibility　had　a　special　freshness　and　importance；



has　induced　me　to　exaggerate　to　myself　the　danger　of　the　weather。



The　great　Admiral　and　good　seaman　could　read　aright　the　signs　of



sea　and　sky；　as　his　order　to　prepare　to　anchor　at　the　end　of　the



day　sufficiently　proves；　but；　all　the　same；　the　mere　idea　of　these



baffling　easterly　airs；　coming　on　at　any　time　within　half　an　hour



or　so；　after　the　firing　of　the　first　shot；　is　enough　to　take　one's



breath　away；　with　the　image　of　the　rearmost　ships　of　both　divisions



falling　off；　unmanageable；　broadside　on　to　the　westerly　swell；　and



of　two　British　Admirals　in　desperate　jeopardy。　　To　this　day　I



cannot　free　myself　from　the　impression　that；　for　some　forty



minutes；　the　fate　of　the　great　battle　hung　upon　a　breath　of　wind



such　as　I　have　felt　stealing　from　behind；　as　it　were；　upon　my　cheek



while　engaged　in　looking　to　the　westward　for　the　signs　of　the　true



weather。







Never　more　shall　British　seamen　going　into　action　have　to　trust　the



success　of　their　valour　to　a　breath　of　wind。　　The　God　of　gales　and



battles　favouring　her　arms　to　the　last；　has　let　the　sun　of



England's　sailing…fleet　and　of　its　greatest　master　set　in　unclouded



glory。　　And　now　the　old　ships　and　their　men　are　gone；　the　new　ships



and　the　new　men；　many　of　them　bearing　the　old；　auspicious　names；



have　taken　up　their　watch　on　the　stern　and　impartial　sea；　which



offers　no　opportunities　but　to　those　who　know　how　to　grasp　them



with　a　ready　hand　and　an　undaunted　heart。















XLIX。















This　the　navy　of　the　Twenty　Years'　War　knew　well　how　to　do；　and



never　better　than　when　Lord　Nelson　had　breathed　into　its　soul　his



own　passion　of　honour　and　fame。　　It　was　a　fortunate　navy。　　Its



victories　were　no　mere　smashing　of　helpless　ships　and　massacres　of



cowed　men。　　It　was　spared　that　cruel　favour；　for　which　no　brave



heart　had　ever　prayed。　　It　was　fortunate　in　its　adversaries。　　I　say



adversaries；　for　on　recalling　such　proud　memories　we　should　avoid



the　word　〃enemies；〃　whose　hostile　sound　perpetuates　the　antagonisms



and　strife　of　nations；　so　irremediable　perhaps；　so　fateful　…　and



also　so　vain。　　War　is　one　of　the　gifts　of　life；　but；　alas！　no　war



appears　so　very　necessary　when　time　has　laid　its　soothing　hand　upon



the　passionate　misunderstandings　and　the　passionate　desires　of



great　peoples。　　〃Le　temps；〃　as　a　distinguished　Frenchman　has　said；



〃est　un　galant　homme。〃　　He　fosters　the　spirit　of　concord　and



justice；　in　whose　work　there　is　as　much　glory　to　be　reaped　as　in



the　deeds　of　arms。







One　of　them　disorganized　by　revolutionary　changes；　the　other　rusted



in　the　neglect　of　a　decayed　monarchy；　the　two　fleets　opposed　to　us



entered　the　contest　with　odds　against　them　from　the　first。　　By　the



merit　of　our　daring　and　our　faithfulness；　and　the　genius　of　a　great



leader；　we　have　in　the　course　of　the　war　augmented　our　advantage



and　kept　it　to　the　last。　　But　in　the　exulting　illusion　of



irresistible　might　a　long　series　of　military　successes　brings　to　a



nation　the　less　obvious　aspect　of　such　a　fortune　may　perchance　be



lost　to　view。　　The　old　navy　in　its　last　days　earned　a　fame　that　no



belittling　malevolence　dare　cavil　at。　　And　this　supreme　favour　they



owe　to　their　adversaries　alone。







Deprived　by　an　ill…starred　fortune　of　that　self…confidence　which



strengthens　the　hands　of　an　armed　host；　impaired　in　skill　but　not



in　courage；　it　may　safely　be　said　that　our　adversaries　managed　yet



to　make　a　better　fight　of　it　in　1797　than　they　did　in　1793。　　Later



still；　the　resistance　offered　at　the　Nil