From end to end of the great Middle Sea wherein we hold but those dots upon the map, Gibraltar and Malta and Cyprus, whose shores bristle9 with hostile populations, our stately squadrons parade, not on sufferance, but as a right, none daring to say them nay10. Their business is peaceful, although they have enormous force ready to use if need be, the duty of keeping Britain’s trade routes clear, that the shuttles weaving the vast web of world-wide trade that we have built up may glide11 to and fro in security even though envious12 nations gnash upon us with their teeth, and vainly endeavour by every species of chicane and underhand meanness to rob us of the fruits of centuries of industry. In two Mediterranean13 countries alone are our ships of war heartily14 welcome. Italy and Greece remember gratefully our constant friendship. Italians of all classes are acquainted with the practical good-will of Great Britain, and so man-o’-war Jack16 is sure of warm reception throughout that lovely country. Not that the manner of his reception troubles the worthy17 tar8 at all. Oh no. The keynote of the chorus that is perpetually being chanted in the British Navy is duty. The word is seldom mentioned, but better than that, it is lived. It enables the sailor to spend unmurmuringly long periods of absolute torture under the blazing furnace of the Persian Gulf18, an oven that while it burns does not dry; where the soaking dews of the night lie thickly upon the decks throughout the scorching19 day, and are not dispersed20 because the291 molten air is overloaded21 with moisture, and life is lived in a vapour-bath. Here you will find the young men of gentle birth who govern in our fighting ships, forgetting their own physical miseries22, in the brave effort to make the severe conditions more tolerable to the crews they command. Do their dimmed eyes often in the steaming night turn wistfully westward23 to the cool green English country-side, where the old home lies embowered amid the ancestral oaks? Why, certainly, but that does not make the young officer’s zeal24 any weaker, does not damp his ardour to sustain the great traditions which are the pride and glory of the service to which it is his greatest delight to belong.
Or creep down the coast of East Africa, throbbing25, palpitating under that fervent26 heat glare, and see the St. George’s Cross proudly waving over the sterns of the gun-boats set by Britain to quell27 the bloodthirsty Arab’s lust28 for slavery. Here is manifest such devotion to an ideal, albeit29 that ideal is never formulated30 in so many words, as should stir the most prosaic31, matter-of-fact minds among us. I well remember—could I ever forget?—a visit I once paid to H.M.S. London, sometime depôt ship at Zanzibar. It was a privilege that I valued highly, not knowing then that with a high courtesy our country’s men-o’-war are always accessible at reasonable times to any citizen who would see with his own eyes how his home is defended and by whom. I was then mate of a trading vessel32 that had brought supplies from home for the use of the East Indian fleet, and consequently my business took me on board the depôt ship often. First of all I was292 shown the hospital, a long airy apartment on the upper deck, kept as cool as science could devise in that burning climate, and fitted with all the alleviations for sickness that wise skill and forethought could compass. Here they lay, the heroes of the long, long fight, the never-ending battle of freedom against slavery, the men who had left their pleasant land for service under the flag of England against a foreign foe33; yes, and far more than that. For we know that they who fight in the deadliest combat with lethal34 weapons are upheld and swept onward35 by the fierce joy of strife36; so that death when it comes is no terror, and fear vanishes under the pressure of primitive37 instincts. But here there is no glitter, no glamour38 of battle. Forgotten by the world, unknown to the immense majority of their countrymen, these Britons suffer and die that the fair fame of their country may live. There, in that miniature hospital, on board H.M.S. London, I saw rows of pale, patient figures, their faces drawn39 and parchment-like with fever, the deadly malaria40 of that poisonous coast, while amongst them passed silently doctors and sick-bay attendants, each doing his part in the universal warfare41. Passing thence on to the main deck, I came across a bronzed, busy group hoisting42 up a steam pinnace that had just returned from a cruise among the slimy creeks44 and backwaters of the mainland and adjacent islands, busily seeking for hunters of human flesh. A dozen men formed her crew, men who had once been white Anglo-Saxons, but were now, after a week’s cruise under such conditions as that, so disguised by ingrained dirt, so scorched45 and dried by exposure293 to that terrible sun, that they were indistinguishable save by their clothing from the Arabs they had been set to watch. They were not happy, because having chased a dhow, which they were sure was packed with slaves, throughout a day and a night, they had been baffled upon coming up with her, by her hoisting the tricolour of France, the Flag of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity, sold for a few paltry46 dollars, to cover a traffic which the French nation had covenanted47 to assist in putting down. More than that, a deep gloom pervaded48 the whole ship on account of their recent loss; a loss which to them seemed irreparable. Their captain, idolized by them all, had been killed while engaged in an act of gallantry, typical of the service. He had gone off like any sub-lieutenant with all his honours to win, in a chase after a dhow, with only a weak boat’s crew. The villainous Arabs in the dhow, seeing their advantage, turned and fought desperately49. Outnumbered by five to one, and being moreover the attacking party, the Britons were beaten off, while a shot from one of the antiquated50 guns carried by an Arab slaver slew51 Captain Brownlow on the spot. And all his men mourned him most deeply and sincerely.
But cross over the Indian Ocean, and thread the tortuous52 ways of the East Indian Archipelago, and you shall find the beautiful white flag with its red cross flying in the most out-of-the-way nooks among that tremendous maze53. Here with never-ceasing labours the highly trained officers of our navy work with loving care to make perfect our geographical54 knowledge of those intricate current-scoured channels. By294 reason of this long-drawn-out toil55 our merchant ships are enabled to pursue their peaceful way with perfectly56 trustworthy charts to guide them. Not only so, but, owing to the dauntless courage, energy, and perseverance57 of these nameless seafarers, those tortuous waters have been cleansed58 of the human tigers that had for so long infested59 them, swooping60 down upon hapless merchantmen of all nations, pitiless and insatiable as death itself. Within the lifetime of men of middle age those seas were like a hornet’s nest. In every creek43, estuary61, and channel lurked62 Portuguese63, Malay, and Chinese pirates, the terror of the Eastern seas. Now, solely64 through the exertions65 of our countrymen, or by their good example putting heart into the Chinese sailors, those waters are as safe as the English Channel. So, too, have the coasts of China itself been purged66 of pirates, although there, since every Chinese, of whatever grade, is a potential pirate or brigand67 given the opportunity, immunity68 from piratical raids is only purchased at the price of incessant69 vigilance. In the far Eastern seas, however, our stalwart fighting sailors are more than mere70 keepers of the peace of Britain, they stand between the crumbling71 Celestial72 Empire and the greed of the world.B Ever ready in diplomacy73 as in war, and with a force always sufficient to command respect as well as breed envy, they make the might of our island nation felt in all the affairs of the Far East.
B This sentence was written before the recent outbreak of hostilities74 in China.
Cross the Pacific, and on the western sea-board of295 our vast American possessions find a naval75 station fully15 equipped for the maintenance of a fleet so far from home. From thence the peace-keepers sally forth76 all over the length and breadth of Northern Oceania and all down the western littoral77 of the great American continent, a mobile body of peace-keepers, whose business it is to keep widely opened eyes upon all the doings of other people, no matter how great or how small they may be. Hailed with delight by dusky populations, who hate impartially78 the Germans and the French, and look upon the war-canoes of the great white Queen of Belitani as the adjusters of disputes and the even-handed dispensers of justice between them, dreaded79 by the rascaldom of the Pacific; the robbers of men’s bodies as well as the robbers of their produce, truly the lads under the White Ensign have a wide field in the “peaceful” ocean for their beneficent labours. Guarding that Greater England in the Southern seas, where men of every nation under heaven find the same security, the same opportunities to grow rich that men of our own race enjoy, clustering closely around that storm-centre (in a double sense), the Cape80 Colony, patrolling Western Africa, as well as Eastern, and ready at a word to send off a compact little army into the interior, mobile and manageable as no shore troops can ever be; among West Indian islands, as warm and fruitful as the most northerly American station is cold and arid81, the great patrol goes on.
One does not need to be a rabid Imperialist or a raving82 Jingo to feel in every fibre of his frame the debt296 that we Britons owe to our navy. These brave, stalwart men, the very pick and flower of the British race, stand continually on sentry83 on all the shores of all the world—stand to guard our freedom, and, so far as one nation may do, strive to secure freedom for all other peoples. We see but little of them, for their parades are not held amid shouting crowds, but on the lonely waters, under an Admiral’s eye, keen to discover defects where all seems to an untrained observer perfection of power and movement; their greatest deeds, done by steady presentation of an unmistakable object-lesson to our enemies—that is to say, to a full half of the world, bursting with envy at our comfort and prosperity—are hidden from most of us.
In God’s name, then, let us see that we do not forget, amid the security and plenty that we enjoy, the labours of those who are watching, far out of our sight, to see that these blessings84 are not filched85 from us. Let the officers and men of the Royal Navy see that they are ever in our thoughts, that out of sight out of mind is not true in their case, but that stay-at-home Britons are fully conscious that the outposts of our Empire, the piquets of our power, are in very truth to be found on board the ships of the Royal Navy, the Watchmen of the World.
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1
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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speck
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| n.微粒，小污点，小斑点 | |
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injustice
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| n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利 | |
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persistent
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| adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的 | |
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realization
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| n.实现；认识到，深刻了解 | |
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infinitely
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| adv.无限地，无穷地 | |
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majestic
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| adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的 | |
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tar
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| n.柏油，焦油；vt.涂或浇柏油/焦油于 | |
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bristle
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| v.（毛发）直立，气势汹汹，发怒；n.硬毛发 | |
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nay
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| adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者 | |
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glide
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| n./v.溜，滑行；(时间)消逝 | |
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envious
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| adj.嫉妒的，羡慕的 | |
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Mediterranean
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| adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的 | |
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heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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gulf
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| n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂 | |
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scorching
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| adj. 灼热的 | |
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dispersed
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| adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的 | |
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overloaded
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| a.超载的，超负荷的 | |
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miseries
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| n.痛苦( misery的名词复数 )；痛苦的事；穷困；常发牢骚的人 | |
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westward
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| n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西 | |
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zeal
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| n.热心，热情，热忱 | |
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throbbing
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| a. 跳动的,悸动的 | |
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fervent
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| adj.热的，热烈的，热情的 | |
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quell
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| v.压制，平息，减轻 | |
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lust
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| n.性(淫)欲；渴(欲)望；vi.对…有强烈的欲望 | |
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albeit
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| conj.即使；纵使；虽然 | |
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formulated
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| v.构想出( formulate的过去式和过去分词 )；规划；确切地阐述；用公式表示 | |
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prosaic
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| adj.单调的，无趣的 | |
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32
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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lethal
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| adj.致死的；毁灭性的 | |
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onward
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| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
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strife
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| n.争吵，冲突，倾轧，竞争 | |
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primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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glamour
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| n.魔力，魅力；vt.迷住 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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malaria
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| n.疟疾 | |
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41
warfare
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| n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突 | |
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42
hoisting
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| 起重，提升 | |
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43
creek
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| n.小溪，小河，小湾 | |
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creeks
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| n.小湾( creek的名词复数 )；小港；小河；小溪 | |
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45
scorched
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| 烧焦，烤焦( scorch的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（植物）枯萎，把…晒枯； 高速行驶； 枯焦 | |
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46
paltry
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| adj.无价值的，微不足道的 | |
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47
covenanted
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| v.立约，立誓( covenant的过去分词 ) | |
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48
pervaded
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| v.遍及，弥漫( pervade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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49
desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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50
antiquated
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| adj.陈旧的，过时的 | |
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51
slew
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| v.（使）旋转；n.大量，许多 | |
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52
tortuous
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| adj.弯弯曲曲的，蜿蜒的 | |
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53
maze
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| n.迷宫，八阵图，混乱，迷惑 | |
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54
geographical
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| adj.地理的；地区(性)的 | |
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55
toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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56
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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57
perseverance
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| n.坚持不懈，不屈不挠 | |
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58
cleansed
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| 弄干净，清洗( cleanse的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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59
infested
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| adj.为患的，大批滋生的（常与with搭配）v.害虫、野兽大批出没于( infest的过去式和过去分词 )；遍布于 | |
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60
swooping
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| 俯冲，猛冲( swoop的现在分词 ) | |
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61
estuary
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| n.河口，江口 | |
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62
lurked
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| vi.潜伏，埋伏（lurk的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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Portuguese
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| n.葡萄牙人；葡萄牙语 | |
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solely
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| adv.仅仅，唯一地 | |
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exertions
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| n.努力( exertion的名词复数 )；费力；（能力、权力等的）运用；行使 | |
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66
purged
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| 清除（政敌等）( purge的过去式和过去分词 )； 涤除（罪恶等）； 净化（心灵、风气等）； 消除（错事等）的不良影响 | |
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brigand
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| n.土匪，强盗 | |
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immunity
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| n.优惠；免除；豁免，豁免权 | |
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incessant
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| adj.不停的，连续的 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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crumbling
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| adj.摇摇欲坠的 | |
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celestial
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| adj.天体的；天上的 | |
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diplomacy
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| n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕 | |
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hostilities
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| n.战争；敌意(hostility的复数)；敌对状态；战事 | |
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naval
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| adj.海军的，军舰的，船的 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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littoral
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| adj.海岸的；湖岸的；n.沿（海）岸地区 | |
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impartially
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| adv.公平地，无私地 | |
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dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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80
cape
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| n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风 | |
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arid
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| adj.干旱的；(土地)贫瘠的 | |
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raving
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| adj.说胡话的；疯狂的，怒吼的；非常漂亮的；令人醉心[痴心]的v.胡言乱语(rave的现在分词)n.胡话；疯话adv.胡言乱语地；疯狂地 | |
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sentry
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| n.哨兵，警卫 | |
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84
blessings
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| n.（上帝的）祝福( blessing的名词复数 )；好事；福分；因祸得福 | |
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filched
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| v.偷（尤指小的或不贵重的物品）( filch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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