A breach1 being made in the walls, our soldiers give the assault, and take the place without opposition2 — our sailors at the same time, become masters of all the other strengths near Bocca Chica, and take possession of the harbour — the good consequence of this success — we move nearer the town — find two forts deserted3, and the Channel blocked up with sunk vessels4; which however we find means to clear — land our soldiers at La Quinta — repulse5 a body of militia6 — attack the castle of St. Lazar, and are forced to retreat with great loss-the remains7 of our army are re-embarked — an effort of the Admiral to take the town — the economy of our expedition described
Having cannonaded the fort during the space of four hours, we were all ordered to slip our cables, and sheer off; but next day the engagement was renewed, and continued from the morning till the afternoon, when the enemy’s fire from Bocca Chica slackened, and towards evening was quite silenced. A breach being made on the other side, by our land battery, large enough to admit a middle-sized baboon10, provided he could find means to climb up to it, our general proposed to give the assault that very night, and actually ordered a detachment on that duty. Providence11 stood our friend upon this occasion, and put it into the hearts of the Spaniards to abandon the fort, which might have been maintained by resolute12 men till the day of judgment13 against all the force we could exert in the attack. And while our soldiers took possession of the enemy’s ramparts without resistance, the same good luck attended a body of sailors, who made themselves masters of Fort St. Joseph, the fascine batteries, and one Spanish man-of-war; the other three being burnt or sunk by the foe14, that they might not fall into our hands. The taking of these forts, in the strength of which the Spaniards chiefly confided15, made us masters of the outward harbour, and occasioned great joy among us, as we laid our accounts at finding little or no opposition from the town: and indeed, if a few great ships had sailed up immediately, before they had recovered from the confusion and despair that our unexpected success had produced among them, it is not impossible that we might have finished the affair to our satisfaction, without any more bloodshed; but this step our heroes disdained16 as a barbarous insult over the enemy’s distress17, and gave them all the respite18 they could desire, in order to recollect19 themselves. In the meantime, Mackshane, taking the advantage of this general exultation20, waited on our captain, and pleaded his own cause so effectually that he was re-established in his good graces; and as for Crampley, there was no more notice taken of his behaviour towards me during the action. But of all the consequences of the victory, none was more grateful than plenty of fresh water, after we had languished21 five weeks on the allowance of a purser’s quart per day for each man in the Torrid Zone, where the sun was vertical22, and the expense of bodily fluid so great, that a gallon of liquor could scarce supply the waste of twenty-four hours; especially as our provision consisted of putrid23 salt beef, to which the sailors gave the name of Irish horse; salt pork, of New England, which, though neither fish nor flesh, savoured of both; bread from the same country, every biscuit whereof, like a piece of clockwork, moved by its own internal impulse, occasioned by the myriads24 of insects that dwelt within it; and butter served out by the gill, that tasted like train oil thickened with salt. Instead of small beer, each man was allowed three half-quarterns of brandy or rum, which were distributed every morning, diluted25 with a certain quantity of his water, without either sugar or fruit to render it palatable26, for which reason, this composition was by the sailors not ineptly27 styled Necessity. Nor was this limitation of simple element owing to a scarcity28 of it on board, for there was at this time water enough in the ship for a voyage of six months, at the rate of half-a-gallon per day to each man: but this fast must, I suppose, have been enjoined29 by way of penance30 on the ship’s company for their sins; or rather with a view to mortify31 them into a contempt of life, that they might thereby32 become more resolute and regardless of danger. How simply then do those people argue, who ascribe the great mortality among us, to our bad provision and want of water; and affirm, that a great many valuable lives might have been saved, if the useless transports had been employed in fetching fresh stock, turtle, fruit, and other refreshments33 from Jamaica and other adjacent islands, for the use of the army and fleet! seeing it is to be hoped, that those who died went to a better place, and those who survived were the more easily maintained. After all, a sufficient number remained to fall before the walls of St. Lazar, where they behaved like their own country mastiffs, which shut their eyes, run into the jaws34 of a bear, and have their heads crushed for their valour.
But to return to my narration35. After having put garrisons36 into the forts we had taken, and re-embarked our soldiers and artillery37 (a piece of service that detained us more than a week), we ventured up to the mouth of the inner harbour, guarded by a large fortification on one side, and a small redoubt on the other, both of which were deserted before our approach, and the entrance of the harbour blocked up by several old galleons38, and two men-of-war that the enemy had sunk in the channel. We made shift, however, to open a passage for some ships, that favoured a second landing of our troops at a place called La Quinta, not far from the town, where, after a faint resistance from a body of Spaniards, who opposed their disembarkation, they encamped with a design of besieging39 the castle of St. Lazar, which overlooked and commanded the city. Whether our renowned40 general had nobody in his army who knew how to approach it in form, or that he trusted entirely41 to the fame of his arms, I shall not determine; but, certain it is, a resolution was taken in a council of war, to attack the place with musketry only. This was put in execution, and succeeded accordingly; the enemy giving them such a hearty42 reception, that the greatest part of their detachment took up their everlasting43 residence on the spot.
Our chief, not relishing44 this kind of complaisance45 in the Spaniard’s, was wise enough to retreat on board with the remains of his army, which, from eight thousand able men landed on the beach near Bocca Chica, was now reduced to fifteen hundred fit for service. The sick and wounded were squeezed into certain vessels, which thence obtained the name of hospital ships, though methinks they scarce deserved such a creditable title, seeing few of them could boast of their surgeon, nurse, or cook; and the space between decks was so confined that the miserable46 patients had not room to sit upright in their beds. Their wounds and stumps47, being neglected, contracted filth48 and putrefaction49, and millions of maggots were hatched amidst the corruption50 of their sores. This inhuman51 disregard was imputed52 to the scarcity of surgeons; though it is well known that every great ship in the fleet could have spared one at least for this duty, an expedient53 which would have been more than sufficient to remove this shocking inconvenience. But perhaps our general was too much of a gentleman to ask a favour of this kind from his fellow chief, who, on the other hand, would not derogate54 so much from his own dignity, as to offer such assistance unasked; for, I may venture to affirm, that by this time the Demon55 of Discord56, with her sooty wings, had breathed her influence upon our councils; and it might be said of these great men (I hope they will pardon the comparison) as of Cesar and Pompey, the one could not brook57 a superior, and the other was impatient of an equal; so that, between the pride of one and insolence58 of another, the enterprise miscarried, according to the proverb, “Between two stools the backside falls to the ground.” Not that I would be thought to liken any public concern to that opprobrious59 part of the human body, though I might with truth assert, if I durst use such a vulgar idiom, that the nation did hang on arse at its disappointment on this occasion; neither would I presume to compare the capacity of our heroic leaders to any such wooden convenience as a joint-stool or a close-stool; but only to signify by this simile60, the mistake the people committed in trusting to the union of two instruments that were never joined.
A day or two after the attempt on St. Lazar, the admiral ordered one of the Spanish men-of-war we had taken to be mounted with sixteen guns, and manned with detachments from our great ships, in order to batter9 the town; accordingly, she was towed into the inner harbour in the night, and moored61 within half a mile of the walls, against which she began to fire at daybreak; and continued about six hours exposed to the opposition of at least thirty pieces of cannon8, which at length obliged our men to set her on fire, and get off as well as they could in their boats. This piece of conduct afforded matter of speculation62 to all the wits, either in the army or navy, who were at last fain to acknowledge it a stroke of policy above their comprehension. Some entertained such an irreverent opinion of the admiral’s understanding, as to think he expected the town would surrender to his floating battery of sixteen guns: others imagined his sole intention was to try the enemy’s strength, by which he should be able to compute63 the number of great ships that would be necessary to force the town to a capitulation. But this last conjecture64 soon appeared groundless, inasmuch as no ships of any kind whatever were afterwards employed on that service. A third sort swore, that no other cause could be assigned for this undertaking65 than that which induced Don Quixote to attack the windmill. A fourth class (and that the most numerous, though, without doubt, composed of the sanguine66 and malicious), plainly taxed this commander with want of honesty as well as sense; and alleged67 that he ought to have sacrificed private pique68 to the interest of his country; that, where the lives of so many brave fellow-citizens were concerned, he ought to have concurred69 with the general without being solicited70 or even desired, towards their preservation71 and advantage, that, if his arguments could not dissuade72 him from a desperate enterprise, it was his duty to have rendered it as practicable as possible, without running extreme hazard; that this could have been done, with a good prospect73 of success, by ordering five or six large ships to batter the town, while the land forces stormed the castle; by these means a considerable diversion would have been made in favour of those troops, who, in their march to the assault and in the retreat, suffered much more from the town than from the castle! that the inhabitants, seeing themselves vigorously attacked on all hands, would have been divided, distracted, and confused, and in all probability, unable to resist the assailants. But all these suggestions surely proceeded from ignorance or malevolence74, or else the admiral would not have found it such an easy matter, at his return to England, to justify75 his conduct to a ministry76 at once so upright and discerning. True it is, that those who undertook to vindicate77 him on the spot, asserted, that there was not water enough for our great ships near the town: though this was a little unfortunately urged, because there happened to be pilots in the fleet perfectly78 well acquainted with the soundings of the harbour, who affirmed there was water enough for five eighty-gun ships to lie abreast79 almost up to the very walls. The disappointments we suffered occasioned a universal dejection, which was not at all alleviated80 by the objects that daily and hourly entertained our eyes, nor by the prospect of what must have inevitably81 happened, had we remained much longer in this place. Such was the economy in some ships that, rather than be at the trouble of interring82 the dead, their commanders ordered their men to throw their bodies overboard, many without either ballast or winding-sheet; so that numbers of human carcases floated in the harbour, until they were devoured83 by sharks and carrion84 crows, which afforded no agreeable spectacle to those who survived, At the same time the wet season began, during which a deluge85 of rain falls, from the rising to the setting sun, without intermission, and that no sooner ceases than it begins to thunder, and lighten with such continued flashing, that one can see to read a very small print by the illumination.
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1
breach
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| n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破 | |
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opposition
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| n.反对，敌对 | |
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deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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repulse
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| n.击退，拒绝；vt.逐退，击退，拒绝 | |
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militia
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| n.民兵，民兵组织 | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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cannon
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| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
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batter
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| v.接连重击；磨损；n.牛奶面糊；击球员 | |
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baboon
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| n.狒狒 | |
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providence
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| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
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resolute
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| adj.坚决的，果敢的 | |
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judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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confided
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| v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的过去式和过去分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等） | |
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disdained
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| 鄙视( disdain的过去式和过去分词 )； 不屑于做，不愿意做 | |
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distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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respite
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| n.休息，中止，暂缓 | |
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recollect
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| v.回忆，想起，记起，忆起，记得 | |
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exultation
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| n.狂喜，得意 | |
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languished
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| 长期受苦( languish的过去式和过去分词 )； 受折磨； 变得（越来越）衰弱； 因渴望而变得憔悴或闷闷不乐 | |
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vertical
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| adj.垂直的，顶点的，纵向的；n.垂直物，垂直的位置 | |
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putrid
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| adj.腐臭的；有毒的；已腐烂的；卑劣的 | |
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myriads
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| n.无数，极大数量( myriad的名词复数 ) | |
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diluted
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| 无力的，冲淡的 | |
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palatable
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| adj.可口的，美味的；惬意的 | |
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ineptly
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| adv. 不适当地，无能地 | |
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scarcity
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| n.缺乏，不足，萧条 | |
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enjoined
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| v.命令( enjoin的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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penance
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| n.（赎罪的）惩罪 | |
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mortify
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| v.克制，禁欲，使受辱 | |
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thereby
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| adv.因此，从而 | |
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refreshments
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| n.点心,便餐;(会议后的)简单茶点招 待 | |
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jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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narration
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| n.讲述，叙述；故事；记叙体 | |
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garrisons
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| 守备部队，卫戍部队( garrison的名词复数 ) | |
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artillery
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| n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队) | |
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galleons
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| n.大型帆船( galleon的名词复数 ) | |
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besieging
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| 包围，围困，围攻( besiege的现在分词 ) | |
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renowned
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| adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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everlasting
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| adj.永恒的，持久的，无止境的 | |
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relishing
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| v.欣赏( relish的现在分词 )；从…获得乐趣；渴望 | |
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complaisance
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| n.彬彬有礼，殷勤，柔顺 | |
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miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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47
stumps
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| （被砍下的树的）树桩( stump的名词复数 )； 残肢； （板球三柱门的）柱； 残余部分 | |
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filth
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| n.肮脏，污物，污秽；淫猥 | |
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putrefaction
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| n.腐坏，腐败 | |
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corruption
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| n.腐败，堕落，贪污 | |
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inhuman
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| adj.残忍的，不人道的，无人性的 | |
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52
imputed
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| v.把（错误等）归咎于( impute的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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53
expedient
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| adj.有用的，有利的；n.紧急的办法，权宜之计 | |
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derogate
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| v.贬低，诽谤 | |
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demon
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| n.魔鬼，恶魔 | |
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discord
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| n.不和，意见不合，争论，（音乐）不和谐 | |
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brook
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| n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让 | |
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insolence
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| n.傲慢；无礼；厚颜；傲慢的态度 | |
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opprobrious
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| adj.可耻的，辱骂的 | |
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simile
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| n.直喻，明喻 | |
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moored
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| adj. 系泊的 动词moor的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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speculation
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| n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机 | |
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compute
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| v./n.计算，估计 | |
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conjecture
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| n./v.推测，猜测 | |
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undertaking
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| n.保证，许诺，事业 | |
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sanguine
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| adj.充满希望的，乐观的，血红色的 | |
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alleged
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| a.被指控的，嫌疑的 | |
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pique
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| v.伤害…的自尊心，使生气 n.不满，生气 | |
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concurred
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| 同意（concur的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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solicited
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| v.恳求( solicit的过去式和过去分词 )；（指娼妇）拉客；索求；征求 | |
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preservation
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| n.保护，维护，保存，保留，保持 | |
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dissuade
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| v.劝阻，阻止 | |
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prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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malevolence
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| n.恶意，狠毒 | |
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justify
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| vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护 | |
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ministry
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| n.(政府的)部；牧师 | |
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vindicate
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| v.为…辩护或辩解，辩明；证明…正确 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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abreast
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| adv.并排地；跟上(时代)的步伐，与…并进地 | |
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alleviated
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| 减轻，缓解，缓和( alleviate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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81
inevitably
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| adv.不可避免地；必然发生地 | |
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82
interring
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| v.埋，葬( inter的现在分词 ) | |
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83
devoured
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| 吞没( devour的过去式和过去分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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84
carrion
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| n.腐肉 | |
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85
deluge
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| n./vt.洪水，暴雨，使泛滥 | |
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