The commercial harbour had been provided with a huge marine13 station, where transatlantic passengers in ever-increasing numbers were enabled to land or embark14 under shelter, continuing their journey either on land or sea with a modicum15 of in[Pg 52]convenience. It was the great aim of competing steam and railway companies to simplify the methods of travel and enable everybody to go everywhere and do everything with the greatest possible amount of comfort. Those who could not trust themselves, invaluable16 as they were to themselves, amid the chops of the Channel, now might travel by tunnel to and from the Continent, and thus avoid the risks of nausea17 or the inconsiderate assaults of wind or wave.
By one means or another thousands upon thousands of passengers of all nations and tongues streamed through Dover year after year. It was before all things a place of passage—in so far as it was not a place of arms. If one had repeated to most of these globe-trotters Gloster's question in King Lear: "Dost thou know Dover?" the answer would probably have been: "Well, I just caught a glimpse of it." From the Channel, Shakespeare's Cliff, to the westward19 of the Admiralty pier20, certainly was found less impressive than most people had expected. Like English life, as a whole, it seemed less spacious21 than it was considered to be in the days of good Queen Bess. But then, of course, Shakespeare, with his cloud-capp'd towers and gorgeous palaces, was always such a very imaginative dramatist. Still, there was the ancient, though slowly-crumbling, cliff remaining in evidence to remind English folk and foreigners of the splendid story of England's past. There, too, on Castle Hill, the ancient Roman Pharos—adjoining St. Mary's-in-Castro—reared its roofless walls towards the clouds. The mariners22 of England and of Gaul no longer needed the lights of the Pharos to guide them in the Channel, and, of course, the venerable bells that used to ring for matins and evensong were silent[Pg 53] many a year before Admiral Rooke removed them to Portsmouth parish church.
The great Castle, close at hand, was visited by very few excursionists. The climb between Castle Hill and the Western heights was found fatiguing23. More Americans than Englishmen appeared to interest themselves in the story of the Castle; its occupation by William of Normandy after the Battle of Hastings, its associations with King John's craven submission24 to the Papal Legate, its victorious25 defence by Hubert de Burgh, the French attack—fruitless again—of 1278, and other incidents of historic interest. The Long Gun, known as Queen Elizabeth's pocket-pistol, still pointed26 its muzzle27 sea-ward, and the inscription28 in low Dutch, very freely translated, rashly adjured29 the current generation to—
"Load me well and keep me clean,
I'll carry my ball to Calais Green."
But inspection30 of the Castle was not encouraged, and tourists of foreign appearance who showed a disposition31 to take snapshots in the vicinity were promptly32 checked in their pursuit of the pleasing but too common art of photography. Yet it was certain that, pigeon-holed in every war department, of continental33 and, perhaps, of certain Eastern powers, there were full details, or nearly full, of the elaborate defence works with which Dover was provided. It was known that Castle Hill was honeycombed with subterranean34 passages and galleries, and that the Castle (nowadays a barrack rather than a fortress35) was thus connected with the modern forts in its immediate36 vicinity.
Fort Burgoyne, to the north of the castle itself, was, until recent times, the strongest link in the chain of defence, its guns being of great calibre, and commanding a vast range over land and sea. But[Pg 54] far more powerful, and better equipped with modern armament and military resources, was Fort Warden37; such being the name given to the works which had been specially38 constructed as a safeguard against possible attack by means of the Channel Tunnel. The very hill had been hewn and carved and moulded to meet the needs of such a danger. Commanding the gradual sweep by which the railway descended39 towards the Tunnel, the great guns of Fort Warden were always trained upon the gaping40 archway from which the incoming trains were constantly emerging.
The highest battery of the Fort occupied a dominating position overlooking all the enceinte fortifications, which were armed with machine guns and small cannon41. There was a subterranean passage connecting the fort with the waterworks of a large service reservoir in a hollow of the hill, which had been constructed in modern times to ensure an adequate supply of water for the troops and the Duke of York's School. Fort Warden was complete in itself; but, linked up with the other fortifications, it formed, as it were, the citadel42 of a composite fortress where, in the event of attack, the last stand would be made by England's defenders43. Round the fort extended a double row of trenches44, and within these was a moat. Strong wire entanglements45 defended the trenches, and the loopholes in the breastworks were protected by 3/4-inch steel plates with a cross-shaped opening for the rifles. In addition, strong bomb-proofs were provided for the reserves, with wide bomb-proof passages leading to certain of the other forts. In all directions on the hill were placed howitzers and mortars46, most of the battery positions and gun epaulements being ingeniously masked and difficult for an advancing enemy to locate. The mili[Pg 55]tary scientist who had designed most of the elaborate defences and put finishing touches to those of earlier construction was Major Edgar Wardlaw of the Royal Engineers. His old friend General Hartwell held that from the point of view of an invading enemy, this quiet, unassuming officer was the most dangerous man in all the British army. Major Wardlaw certainly knew better than anyone else of what Dover Castle Hill was capable. The military authorities were very chary47 of rehearsing its possible performances, because, in the vulgar parlance48 of an earlier period, it would give the show away. It was a "show" that must be closely reserved and kept dark in times of international peace and quietness.
Meanwhile, the hillside showed but few signs of life; the winds of heaven blew over it, the rains descended, or the sun shone. Birds hopped49 about, and people came and went. Often there was hardly a sound to break the silence of the hill. A visitor who had climbed the heights could gaze over the town of Dover and the hills and valleys behind it, or look right across the Channel to the coast of France, quite undisturbed by human voice or sound of busy life. But Major Wardlaw could have told that visitor that on the instant, at a signal, this placid50 scene could be converted into one of awful violence and furious sound; that in a flash the hill would vomit51 forth52, as if from many avenues of hell, wholesale53, fiery54 death and indiscriminate destruction. On every side would rise the roar of monster ordnance55, the ceaseless rattle56 of machine guns, the deafening57 crack of musketry.
Such were Wardlaw's Works, as they were called throughout the British army. When the Major[Pg 56] retired60 from active service, he still lingered in the neighbourhood of his magnum opus. In a charming bungalow61, perched on the hillside of Folkestone Warren, he and Miss Flossie spent unruffled days amid eminently62 healthy surroundings.
The Warren, a bay of much natural beauty, had been rescued from neglect. A station on the line from Folkestone proper to Dover afforded easy access to the Bay; trees had been planted and roads cut in the hillside. Everywhere on summer nights the lights gleamed from villas63 and bungalows64, and down below on the new jetty, and at the mastheads of scores of pleasure craft. The place suited Major Wardlaw admirably, and even little Miss Wardlaw, who was by way of being exacting65, seemed quite satisfied with her surroundings. Her father kept a small cutter in the bay, and frequently took the young lady for health-giving sails upon the dancing sea. Usually their port of call was Dover. The Major was always going to Dover. He couldn't keep away from it. When the cutter was laid up for the winter, he went by train, or sometimes walked across the wind-swept downs. Dover town itself had no particular attractions for him. The magnet lay on Castle Hill. In short, Wardlaw could not keep away from Wardlaw's Works. Even when he was not visiting the Works, he was always thinking about them. When military friends of his came over from the Castle or from Shorncliffe, they seemed to talk of nothing else but Fort Warden—all that it was, and all that it would be if the critical hour of conflict or invasion ever came.
Flossie Wardlaw disapproved66 of the whole thing. It annoyed her—this constant absorption, this ever recurring67 topic of conversation. Personally, she refused to discuss the Works, and had it been[Pg 57] possible would have forbidden all allusion68 to the Fort when those tiresome69 friends dropped in and talked "shop" with her father. Poor Wardlaw, torn with conflicting emotions, knowing that the child was jealous of the Works, used to look at her apologetically when one of his cronies started the everlasting70 topic. But Flossie was not easily to be mollified. With her little nose in the air, she would glance severely71, disdainfully, at the author of her being, tossing back that mass of silky, sunny hair from which her pet name was derived72.
And now the hated subject of the "Works" was more to the fore18 than ever, for the military movement among the women of England had brought Fort Warden into prominence73 in the newspapers. The Vice-President of the Council, in pursuance of her policy, was turning the Fort to unforeseen account. The First Amazons, as they were popularly called, had been "enrolled74 and uniformed," and now the Fighting Girls (as some people styled them) were to have this wonderful fort placed at their disposal for the purpose of training and instruction in the art of war. The idea was very popular among the Amazons. Some two hundred of them were to spend a fortnight in the Fort, and then give place to another batch75, the Fort meanwhile being vacated by the artillerymen, save only a handful of gunnery instructors76 and lecturers. So the men marched out of the tortoise-backed "Works," and the Amazons, very smart in their new uniforms, and full of gleeful excitement, briskly and triumphantly77 marched in.
It was a picturesque78 episode in martial79 history which afforded excellent scope for lively descriptive reporting. Great numbers of people seemed to be pleasurably interested in the event, just as they used to be in the volunteer military picnics on Easter[Pg 58] Monday. There were others, however, who, like General Hartwell noisily, and Edgar Wardlaw quietly, condemned80 the whole thing as monstrous81, unseemly, and fraught82 with danger to the nation. The majority, however, laughed at the minority. What was there to be afraid of? There was not a cloud in the international sky. England's difficulties, they said, now were purely83 domestic. Greater Britain had been so cut up and divided that we had nothing further to fear. Surely no greedy Jezebel would dream of stirring up a Continental Ahab to covet84 and lay violent hands on the remnant of Naboth's Vineyard.
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1
counteract
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| vt.对…起反作用，对抗，抵消 | |
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2
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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3
soothe
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| v.安慰；使平静；使减轻；缓和；奉承 | |
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apprehensions
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| 疑惧 | |
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notably
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| adv.值得注意地，显著地，尤其地，特别地 | |
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6
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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7
dwindled
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| v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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8
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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9
naval
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| adj.海军的，军舰的，船的 | |
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Augmented
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| adj.增音的 动词augment的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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haven
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| n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所 | |
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12
warships
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| 军舰，战舰( warship的名词复数 )； 舰只 | |
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13
marine
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| adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵 | |
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14
embark
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| vi.乘船，着手，从事，上飞机 | |
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15
modicum
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| n.少量，一小份 | |
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16
invaluable
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| adj.无价的，非常宝贵的，极为贵重的 | |
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17
nausea
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| n.作呕，恶心；极端的憎恶(或厌恶) | |
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18
fore
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| adv.在前面；adj.先前的；在前部的；n.前部 | |
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19
westward
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| n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西 | |
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20
pier
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| n.码头；桥墩，桥柱；[建]窗间壁，支柱 | |
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21
spacious
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| adj.广阔的，宽敞的 | |
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mariners
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| 海员，水手（mariner的复数形式） | |
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23
fatiguing
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| a.使人劳累的 | |
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24
submission
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| n.服从，投降；温顺，谦虚；提出 | |
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25
victorious
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| adj.胜利的，得胜的 | |
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26
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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27
muzzle
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| n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默 | |
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28
inscription
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| n.（尤指石块上的）刻印文字，铭文，碑文 | |
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29
adjured
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| v.（以起誓或诅咒等形式）命令要求( adjure的过去式和过去分词 )；祈求；恳求 | |
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30
inspection
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| n.检查，审查，检阅 | |
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31
disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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32
promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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33
continental
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| adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的 | |
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34
subterranean
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| adj.地下的，地表下的 | |
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35
fortress
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| n.堡垒，防御工事 | |
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36
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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37
warden
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| n.监察员，监狱长，看守人，监护人 | |
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38
specially
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| adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地 | |
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39
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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40
gaping
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| adj.口的；张口的；敞口的；多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 )；张开，张大 | |
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41
cannon
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| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
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42
citadel
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| n.城堡；堡垒；避难所 | |
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43
defenders
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| n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者 | |
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44
trenches
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| 深沟，地沟( trench的名词复数 )； 战壕 | |
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45
entanglements
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| n.瓜葛( entanglement的名词复数 )；牵连；纠缠；缠住 | |
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46
mortars
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| n.迫击炮( mortar的名词复数 )；砂浆；房产；研钵 | |
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47
chary
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| adj.谨慎的，细心的 | |
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48
parlance
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| n.说法；语调 | |
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49
hopped
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| 跳上[下]( hop的过去式和过去分词 )； 单足蹦跳； 齐足（或双足）跳行； 摘葎草花 | |
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50
placid
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| adj.安静的，平和的 | |
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51
vomit
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| v.呕吐，作呕；n.呕吐物，吐出物 | |
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52
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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53
wholesale
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| n.批发；adv.以批发方式；vt.批发，成批出售 | |
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54
fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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55
ordnance
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| n.大炮，军械 | |
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56
rattle
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| v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓 | |
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57
deafening
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| adj. 振耳欲聋的, 极喧闹的 动词deafen的现在分词形式 | |
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58
woe
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| n.悲哀，苦痛，不幸，困难；int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌 | |
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59
foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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60
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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61
bungalow
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| n.平房，周围有阳台的木造小平房 | |
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62
eminently
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| adv.突出地；显著地；不寻常地 | |
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63
villas
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| 别墅，公馆( villa的名词复数 )； （城郊）住宅 | |
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64
bungalows
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| n.平房( bungalow的名词复数 )；单层小屋，多于一层的小屋 | |
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65
exacting
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| adj.苛求的，要求严格的 | |
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66
disapproved
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| v.不赞成( disapprove的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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67
recurring
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| adj.往复的，再次发生的 | |
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68
allusion
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| n.暗示，间接提示 | |
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69
tiresome
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| adj.令人疲劳的，令人厌倦的 | |
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70
everlasting
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| adj.永恒的，持久的，无止境的 | |
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71
severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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72
derived
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| vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取 | |
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73
prominence
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| n.突出；显著；杰出；重要 | |
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74
enrolled
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| adj.入学登记了的v.[亦作enrol]( enroll的过去式和过去分词 )；登记，招收，使入伍（或入会、入学等），参加，成为成员；记入名册；卷起，包起 | |
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75
batch
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| n.一批(组，群)；一批生产量 | |
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76
instructors
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| 指导者，教师( instructor的名词复数 ) | |
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77
triumphantly
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| ad.得意洋洋地；得胜地；成功地 | |
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78
picturesque
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| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
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79
martial
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| adj.战争的，军事的，尚武的，威武的 | |
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80
condemned
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| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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81
monstrous
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| adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的 | |
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82
fraught
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| adj.充满…的，伴有(危险等)的；忧虑的 | |
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83
purely
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| adv.纯粹地，完全地 | |
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84
covet
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| vt.垂涎；贪图(尤指属于他人的东西) | |
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