Chapter O

 ORLEANS.—France.—Besieged by John Talbot, the Earl of Salisbury, October 12th, 1428; relieved, and the siege raised by the Maid of Orleans—Joan of Arc—from which circumstance she received her name.

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ORLEANS NEW.—The British made an attack on New Orleans, December, 1814; they were repulsed¹ by the Americans, under General Jackson, with great loss January, 7th, 1815. The American troops were entrenched² behind a large number of cotton bales, and the British were obliged to advance in an open and exposed plain for more than a mile, during which they were literally³ mowed⁴ down by the shot from the cotton batteries. Some of the bravest Peninsular heroes fell here and met a soldier’s grave.

ORTHES, BATTLE OF.—Fought, February 27th, 1814, between the British and Spanish armies, on the one side, and the French on the other. The Allies were commanded by Wellington—the French by Soult. In this memorable⁵ engagement the Allies gained a complete victory.

OSTROLENKA, BATTLE OF.—Between the Poles and Russians. It was one of the most sanguinary and desperate battles fought between the two countries, and took place May 26th, 1831. On both sides the slaughter⁶ was immense, but the Poles remained masters of the field.

OTTERBURN, BATTLE OF.—Fought, July 31st, 1388. The following is a graphic⁷ account of this engagement:—

“One of the Scotch⁸ inroads into England, in the time of Robert II, led to the famous battle of Otterburn, or “Chevy Chase.” This was considered, by the judges of fighting in those days, to have been the best fought, and, for the numbers engaged, the most severe of all the battles of that age. There was not a man, knight⁹ or squire¹⁰, that did not acquit¹¹ himself gallantly¹², fighting hand to hand with his enemy. It was about the time of Lammas, when the moor¹³ men were busy with their hay harvest, that the Earl of Douglas rode into England to drive a prey¹⁴. The warders on the walls of Newcastle and Durham saw, rising in all directions, thick columns of smoke. This was the first intimation of the presence of the Scots. In their return homeward they halted three days before Newcastle, where they kept up an almost continual skirmish. The Earl of Douglas had a long combat with Sir Henry Percy, and took his pennon. “Hotspur, I will carry this pennon into Scotland,” said the Douglas, “and fix it on the tower of my castle of Dalkeith, that it may be seen from far.” “That shall you never, Earl of Douglas,” said Hotspur; “be assured you shall never have this pennon to boast of.” “I will fix your pennon before my tent,” said Douglas, “and shall see if you will venture to take it away.”

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The Scots resumed their march homeward. They encamped at Otterburn, “upon the bent¹⁵ so brown,” and Douglas declared his resolution to wait there for two or three days, and see if the Percy would come to recover his pennon. On the evening of the second day the Scots were supping, some, indeed, had gone to sleep, when a loud shout of “Percy! Percy!” was heard, and the English were upon them. It was a sweet moonlight evening in August, clear and bright, and the breeze blew soft and fresh. The Scots, though somewhat taken by surprise, rose to the fight cool and “siccar,” as at Bannockburn itself. The lances crossed, and many on both sides went down at the first shock. Douglas, shouting his war cry, ordered his banner to advance. Percy, eager to encounter the Douglas, advanced his banner also. The two banners met, and many valiant¹⁶ deeds of arms were done around them. But the English were three to one, and the Scots were beginning to be forced back.

Seeing this, the Earl of Douglas seized a battle-axe with both hands and dashed into the midst of the enemy, his men following close. He struck right and left, and cut a lane deep into the battalion¹⁷ of the English. At last three spears were thrust against him all at once. One struck him on the shoulder, one on the breast, and the stroke glanced off his armour¹⁸ down into his groin; the third struck him in the thigh¹⁹. With these three strokes he was borne to the earth, and as soon as he fell a battle-axe hewed²⁰ deep into his head. The English marched over him without knowing who he was.

Sir John Sinclair, cousin to the Earl, knelt beside him, supported his bloody²¹ head, and asked, “Cousin, how fares it with you?” “Indifferently,” said he. “Thanks be to God, there are but few of my ancestors who have died in their beds. I bid you revenge my death, for my heart grows every moment more faint. Lift up my banner, which is on the ground, from the death of the valiant squire who bore it. Shout ‘Douglas!’ and tell neither friend nor foe²² but what I am with you.” Having spoken thus he expired. His orders were obeyed. They cast a mantle²³ over his body, took his banner from the dead hand of the squire, raised it, and shouted, “Douglas!” The Scots came thronging²⁴ up to the cry. They levelled their lances, and pushed with such courage that the English were soon driven beyond the spot where the Douglas lay. Again the shout of “Douglas!” rose more vehement²⁵ and loud. The Scots in a dense²⁶ mass renewed the onset²⁷, bore the enemy before them, and broke them so completely that they never rallied again. Percy himself was made prisoner. He and his pennon, too, had to go to Scotland.

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Thus the dead Douglas won the field. The Scots laid the body of their leader in a coffin²⁸, which they placed on a car, and began their march home. They came without interruption to Melrose, and there, in the fair abbey, the Douglas was laid. The banner, about which his dying charge had been given at Otterburn, was hung above the place of the warrior’s rest.”

OUDENARDE, BATTLE OF.—Fought, July 11th, 1708, between the Allies, commanded by Marlborough, and Prince Eugene and the French. The French were defeated, and completely routed, with great loss. The result of this victory was, that the French King entered into a negotiation²⁹ for peace.

OULART, BATTLE OF.—Fought, May 27th, 1798, between a body of 3000 Irish insurgents³⁰ and the King’s troop, a small number. In this engagement the North Cork³¹ Militia³² were cut to pieces—the Lieut. Colonel, one Sergeant³³ and three Privates alone remaining.

OURIQUE, BATTLE OF.—Fought, July 25th, 1139. Alfonso, Count of Portugal, encountered five Saracen Kings and an immense army of Moors³⁴ on the plains of Ourique. After a glorious victory, he was hailed King by his soldiers on the spot. He afterwards entered Lisbon in triumph, and overthrew³⁵ the Moorish³⁶ dominion³⁷ in Portugal. This was, perhaps, the greatest battle recorded in the History of Portugal.

1 repulsed   

v.击退( repulse的过去式和过去分词 )；驳斥；拒绝

参考例句：

• I was repulsed by the horrible smell. 这种可怕的气味让我恶心。
• At the first brush,the enemy was repulsed. 敌人在第一次交火时就被击退了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 entrenched   

adj.确立的，不容易改的(风俗习惯)

参考例句：

• Television seems to be firmly entrenched as the number one medium for national advertising.电视看来要在全国广告媒介中牢固地占据头等位置。
• If the enemy dares to attack us in these entrenched positions,we will make short work of them.如果敌人胆敢进攻我们固守的阵地，我们就消灭他们。

3 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

4 mowed   

v.刈，割( mow的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The enemy were mowed down with machine-gun fire. 敌人被机枪的火力扫倒。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Men mowed the wide lawns and seeded them. 人们割了大片草地的草，然后在上面播种。 来自辞典例句

5 memorable   

adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的

参考例句：

• This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
• The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。

6 slaughter   

n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀

参考例句：

• I couldn't stand to watch them slaughter the cattle.我不忍看他们宰牛。
• Wholesale slaughter was carried out in the name of progress.大规模的屠杀在维护进步的名义下进行。

7 graphic   

adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的

参考例句：

• The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。

8 scotch   

n.伤口，刻痕；苏格兰威士忌酒；v.粉碎，消灭，阻止；adj.苏格兰(人)的

参考例句：

• Facts will eventually scotch these rumours.这种谣言在事实面前将不攻自破。
• Italy was full of fine views and virtually empty of Scotch whiskey.意大利多的是美景，真正缺的是苏格兰威士忌。

9 knight   

n.骑士，武士；爵士

参考例句：

• He was made an honourary knight.他被授予荣誉爵士称号。
• A knight rode on his richly caparisoned steed.一个骑士骑在装饰华丽的马上。

10 squire   

n.护卫, 侍从, 乡绅

参考例句：

• I told him the squire was the most liberal of men.我告诉他乡绅是世界上最宽宏大量的人。
• The squire was hard at work at Bristol.乡绅在布里斯托尔热衷于他的工作。

11 acquit   

vt.宣判无罪；(oneself)使(自己)表现出

参考例句：

• That fact decided the judge to acquit him.那个事实使法官判他无罪。
• They always acquit themselves of their duty very well.他们总是很好地履行自己的职责。

12 gallantly   

adv. 漂亮地，勇敢地，献殷勤地

参考例句：

• He gallantly offered to carry her cases to the car. 他殷勤地要帮她把箱子拎到车子里去。
• The new fighters behave gallantly under fire. 新战士在炮火下表现得很勇敢。

13 moor   

n.荒野，沼泽；vt.(使)停泊；vi.停泊

参考例句：

• I decided to moor near some tourist boats.我决定在一些观光船附近停泊。
• There were hundreds of the old huts on the moor.沼地上有成百上千的古老的石屋。

14 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

15 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

16 valiant   

adj.勇敢的，英勇的；n.勇士，勇敢的人

参考例句：

• He had the fame of being very valiant.他的勇敢是出名的。
• Despite valiant efforts by the finance minister,inflation rose to 36%.尽管财政部部长采取了一系列果决措施，通货膨胀率还是涨到了36%。

17 battalion   

n.营；部队；大队(的人)

参考例句：

• The town was garrisoned by a battalion.该镇由一营士兵驻守。
• At the end of the drill parade,the battalion fell out.操练之后，队伍解散了。

18 armour   

（=armor）n.盔甲；装甲部队

参考例句：

• His body was encased in shining armour.他全身披着明晃晃的甲胄。
• Bulletproof cars sheathed in armour.防弹车护有装甲。

19 thigh   

n.大腿；股骨

参考例句：

• He is suffering from a strained thigh muscle.他的大腿肌肉拉伤了，疼得很。
• The thigh bone is connected to the hip bone.股骨连着髋骨。

20 hewed   

v.（用斧、刀等）砍、劈( hew的过去式和过去分词 )；砍成；劈出；开辟

参考例句：

• He hewed a canoe out of a tree trunk. 他把一根树干凿成独木舟。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He hewed out an important position for himself in the company. 他在公司中为自己闯出了要职。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

21 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

22 foe   

n.敌人，仇敌

参考例句：

• He knew that Karl could be an implacable foe.他明白卡尔可能会成为他的死敌。
• A friend is a friend;a foe is a foe;one must be clearly distinguished from the other.敌是敌，友是友，必须分清界限。

23 mantle   

n.斗篷，覆罩之物，罩子；v.罩住，覆盖，脸红

参考例句：

• The earth had donned her mantle of brightest green.大地披上了苍翠欲滴的绿色斗篷。
• The mountain was covered with a mantle of snow.山上覆盖着一层雪。

24 thronging   

v.成群，挤满( throng的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Architects from around the world are thronging to Beijing theacross the capital. 来自世界各地的建筑师都蜂拥而至这座处处高楼耸立的大都市——北京。 来自互联网
• People are thronging to his new play. 人们成群结队地去看他那出新戏。 来自互联网

25 vehement   

adj.感情强烈的；热烈的；(人)有强烈感情的

参考例句：

• She made a vehement attack on the government's policies.她强烈谴责政府的政策。
• His proposal met with vehement opposition.他的倡导遭到了激烈的反对。

26 dense   

a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的

参考例句：

• The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。
• The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。

27 onset   

n.进攻，袭击，开始，突然开始

参考例句：

• The drug must be taken from the onset of the infection.这种药必须在感染的最初期就开始服用。
• Our troops withstood the onset of the enemy.我们的部队抵挡住了敌人的进攻。

28 coffin   

n.棺材，灵柩

参考例句：

• When one's coffin is covered,all discussion about him can be settled.盖棺论定。
• The coffin was placed in the grave.那口棺材已安放到坟墓里去了。

29 negotiation   

n.谈判，协商

参考例句：

• They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判，他们的食糖生意成交了。
• The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。

30 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

31 cork   

n.软木，软木塞

参考例句：

• We heard the pop of a cork.我们听见瓶塞砰的一声打开。
• Cork is a very buoyant material.软木是极易浮起的材料。

32 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

33 sergeant   

n.警官，中士

参考例句：

• His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
• How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？

34 moors   

v.停泊，系泊（船只）( moor的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• the North York moors 北约克郡的漠泽
• They're shooting grouse up on the moors. 他们在荒野射猎松鸡。 来自《简明英汉词典》

35 overthrew   

overthrow的过去式

参考例句：

• The people finally rose up and overthrew the reactionary regime. 人们终于起来把反动的政权推翻了。
• They overthrew their King. 他们推翻了国王。

36 moorish   

adj.沼地的，荒野的，生[住]在沼地的

参考例句：

• There was great excitement among the Moorish people at the waterside. 海边的摩尔人一阵轰动。 来自辞典例句
• All the doors are arched with the special arch we see in Moorish pictures. 门户造成拱形，形状独特，跟摩尔风暴画片里所见的一样。 来自辞典例句

37 dominion   

n.统治，管辖，支配权；领土，版图

参考例句：

• Alexander held dominion over a vast area.亚历山大曾统治过辽阔的地域。
• In the affluent society,the authorities are hardly forced to justify their dominion.在富裕社会里，当局几乎无需证明其统治之合理。