By this time the quarter-boats had been hoisted2 in, and the anchor got up "reluctant from its oozy4 cave"--no slight matter in the great troopship Urgent--when there was a stiff breeze even under the lee of the Isle5 of Wight; and as her head pitched into the sea, the water rushed through the hawse-holes, and the chain cables surged in such a fashion as almost to start the windlass-barrel when it revolved6 beneath the strength of many sturdy arms, and tough, though bending, handspikes. Leaning over the taffrail, and looking at the dim outline of the coast of Hampshire from St. Helen's Roads, to which two tugs7 had brought us from the great tidal dock at Southampton to a temporary anchorage, and seeing Portsmouth, with its spires8 and shipping9 steeped in a golden evening haze10, I recalled the events of the past bustling11 day--could it be that only a day had passed?--since "the first bugle12 sounded after réveil," and all our detachments, five in number, destined13 for the army of the East had paraded amid the gray light of dawn, in the barrack-square at Winchester, in heavy marching order, with packs, blankets, and kettles, and marched thence, their caps and muskets14 decked with laurel-leaves, the drums and fifes playing many a patriotic15 air, accompanied by the cheers of our comrades, and the tears of the girls who were left behind us--the girls "who doat upon the military."
Yet so had we marched--the drafts of the Scots Royals and Kentish Buffs, the two oldest regiments16 in the world, leading the way; then came those of the 7th Fusileers, my own of the Royal Welsh, the 46th, and the wild boys of the 88th bringing up the rear--to the railway station, when they were packed in carriages, eight file to each compartment--packed like sheep for the slaughter17, yet all were singing merrily, their spirits high though their purses were empty, the last of their "clearings" having gone in the grog-shop and canteen over night; and there by that railway platform many saw the last they were to see, in this life, at least, of those they loved best on earth--the wife of her husband, the parent of the child--separated all, with the sound of the fatal drum in their ears, and the sadness of remembered kisses on their lips, or tear-wetted cheeks, till, with a shriek18 and a snort, the iron horse swept them away on his rapid journey. I caught the enthusiasm of the brave fellows around me. It was impossible not to do so; and yet, amid it all, there was the recollection of a woman's face, so pale and beautiful, as I had seen it last (when bidding a brief and formal farewell at the drawing-room door of Walcot Park), with her mouth half open, her sorrowful eyes full of earnestness, and the tender under lip clenched19 by the teeth above it, as if to restrain emotion and repress tears--the face of Estelle Cressingham.
My heart and thoughts were with her, while mechanically I had, as in duty bound, to see to the most prosaic20 wants of my detachment, consisting of one officer (Hugh Price), two sergeants21, and forty rank and file of the Royal Welsh. To the latter were issued their coarse canvas fatigue-frocks. I had to see their muskets racked, their berths22 allotted23, the messes and watches formed, the ammunition24 secured, and fifty other things required by her Majesty's regulations. All baggage not required for the voyage was sent below; and we heartily25 quizzed poor Price, whose bullock trunks were alleged26 to contain only cambric handkerchiefs, odd tiny kids, variously-tinted locks of hair, and faded ribbons. But strict orders were issued concerning smoking, as we had gunpowder27 in the lower hold; and a number of four-wheeled hospital-waggons for the Land Transport Corps28, grimly suggestive, as each vehicle was divided into four compartments29, fitted to receive four killed or wounded men, on commodious30 stretchers, with under-carriages, canopies31, and medicine-chests.
Some of my brother officers were glad enough, glory apart, to be leaving Jews and lawyers, "shent. per shent." and legal roguery, behind them. One of the former tribe, having followed Raymond Mostyn concerning a bill discounted at only sixty per cent., came alongside, insisting that the balance should be taken half in cash, and half in a "warranted Correggio," with some villainous wine for the voyage, and some jewelry32 "for the girls at Malta;" but he was swamped in his boat under the counter, when the first mate unceremoniously cast loose the painter, and sent old Moses--"Mammon incarnate"--to leeward33, shrieking34 and cursing in rage and terror. So my short reverie was completely broken now, as the great ship, with her deck crowded by soldiers in forage-caps and gray greatcoats, swayed round, and our skipper, an old man-o'-war lieutenant35, from the poop continued his orders with that promptitude and tone of authority which are best learned under the long pennant36.
"Make sail on her, my lads, with a will!" he cried. And the watch rushed to the coils at the belaying-pins, aided by the soldiers told off for deck duty. "Cast loose the topsails! hoist3 away, and sheet home!"
"Bear a hand, forecastle, there! cat and fish the anchor!" added the first mate; and in a few minutes, with a heavy head sea--the same sea where, by that shore now lessening37 in the distance, Danish Canute taught his servile Saxon courtiers the lesson of humility--we bore past Sandown Bay, with its old square fort of bluff38 King Harry's day upon its level beach: and Portsmouth's spires and Selsey Point sunk fast upon our lee, while our bugles39 were announcing sunset. And then something of sadness and silence seemed to steal over the once noisy groups, as they gathered by the starboard side, when we cleared the Isle of Wight. When the yards were squared, more sail was made on the Urgent; and before the north wind we stood down the Channel, and ere the same bugles sounded again, for all save the deck-watches to turn-in below, we were standing40 well over to the coast of France. The white cliffs had melted into the world of waters, and we had bidden a long good-night to dear old England. The twinkling light on St. Catharine's Point lingered long at the horizon, and was watched by many an eye, as Mostyn, Clavell, and I, with others, cigar in mouth, walked to and fro on the poop, surmising41 what awaited us in the land for which we were bound.
As yet the land forces of the Allies had not come to blows with the Russians; but the imperial fort and mole42 at Odessa (works constructed at vast cost and care by Catharine and Alexander) had been destroyed, and all their ships of war lying there had been burnt or sunk by the Anglo-French fleet. The Russians had taken and burned our war-steamer the Tiger, and cruelly bombarded Sinope. The Turks had driven them across the Danube, and defeated them at Giurgevo, but had lost a subsequent battle in Armenia. Napier had bombarded and destroyed the forts upon the Aland Isles43 in the Baltic; and we on board the Urgent, with many other successive drafts departing eastward44, from every British port south of Aberdeen, were full of ardour and of hope to be in time to share in the landing that was to be made at last upon the coast of the enemy, though no one knew where.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
hoarse
|
|
| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
hoisted
|
|
| 把…吊起，升起( hoist的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
hoist
|
|
| n.升高，起重机，推动；v.升起，升高，举起 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
oozy
|
|
| adj.软泥的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
isle
|
|
| n.小岛，岛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
revolved
|
|
| v.（使）旋转( revolve的过去式和过去分词 )；细想 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
tugs
|
|
| n.猛拉( tug的名词复数 )；猛拖；拖船v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
spires
|
|
| n.（教堂的） 塔尖，尖顶( spire的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
shipping
|
|
| n.船运（发货，运输，乘船） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
haze
|
|
| n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
bustling
|
|
| adj.喧闹的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
bugle
|
|
| n.军号，号角，喇叭；v.吹号，吹号召集 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
destined
|
|
| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
muskets
|
|
| n.火枪，（尤指）滑膛枪( musket的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
patriotic
|
|
| adj.爱国的，有爱国心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
regiments
|
|
| （军队的）团( regiment的名词复数 )； 大量的人或物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
slaughter
|
|
| n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
shriek
|
|
| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
clenched
|
|
| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
prosaic
|
|
| adj.单调的，无趣的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
sergeants
|
|
| 警官( sergeant的名词复数 )； （美国警察）警佐； （英国警察）巡佐； 陆军（或空军）中士 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
berths
|
|
| n.（船、列车等的）卧铺( berth的名词复数 )；（船舶的）停泊位或锚位；差事；船台vt.v.停泊( berth的第三人称单数 )；占铺位 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
allotted
|
|
| 分配，拨给，摊派( allot的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
ammunition
|
|
| n.军火，弹药 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
heartily
|
|
| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
alleged
|
|
| a.被指控的，嫌疑的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
gunpowder
|
|
| n.火药 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
corps
|
|
| n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
compartments
|
|
| n.间隔( compartment的名词复数 )；（列车车厢的）隔间；（家具或设备等的）分隔间；隔层 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
commodious
|
|
| adj.宽敞的；使用方便的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
canopies
|
|
| （宝座或床等上面的）华盖( canopy的名词复数 )； （飞行器上的）座舱罩； 任何悬于上空的覆盖物； 森林中天棚似的树荫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
jewelry
|
|
| n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
leeward
|
|
| adj.背风的；下风的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
shrieking
|
|
| v.尖叫( shriek的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
lieutenant
|
|
| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
pennant
|
|
| n.三角旗；锦标旗 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
lessening
|
|
| 减轻，减少，变小 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
bluff
|
|
| v.虚张声势，用假象骗人；n.虚张声势，欺骗 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
bugles
|
|
| 妙脆角，一种类似薯片但做成尖角或喇叭状的零食； 号角( bugle的名词复数 )； 喇叭； 匍匐筋骨草； （装饰女服用的）柱状玻璃（或塑料）小珠 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
standing
|
|
| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
surmising
|
|
| v.臆测，推断( surmise的现在分词 )；揣测；猜想 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
mole
|
|
| n.胎块；痣；克分子 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
isles
|
|
| 岛( isle的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
eastward
|
|
| adv.向东；adj.向东的；n.东方，东部 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |