英國語文第六冊(雙語):直布羅陀包圍戰(zhàn)(5)
It was kept up during the entire night. At one in the morning, two of the ships were entirely a prey to the flames. It was not long before the others also caught fire, either from the operation of the red-hot balls, or, as the Spaniards afterwards alleged, because they set them on fire themselves, when they had lost all hope of saving them. It was then that trouble and despair broke out in all their violence. Every moment the Spaniards made signals of distress, and fired off rockets to implore assistance.
這種情況持續(xù)了一整晚。凌晨一點，兩艘船完全被大火吞噬。沒過多久，其他人也著火了，要么是由于滾燙的火球引起的，要么是西班牙人后來聲稱，他們自己把火球點燃了，而當時他們已經對救球失去了所有信心。就在那時，他們所有的暴力中爆發(fā)出了煩惱和絕望。西班牙人每時每刻都在發(fā)出求救的信號，并發(fā)射火箭請求援助。
All their boats were immediately sent off, and surrounded the floating gun-ships, in order to save their crews—an operation executed with extreme intrepidity, in spite of perils of every sort. Not only was it necessary for the men to brave the artillery of the besieged: they had also to expose themselves to almost inevitable burning in approaching the flaming vessels. Never, perhaps, did a spectacle more horrible—more deplorable—present itself to the eyes of men. The profound darkness that covered the earth and the sea intensified, by contrast, the lurid flames; and the shrieks of the victims were distinctly heard by the garrison, in the intervals of their cannonade.
為了救船員，所有的船只都立即被派出，包圍了那些浮動的炮艇。盡管有各種各樣的危險，士兵們還是以極大的勇氣進行。這些人不僅必須勇敢地面對被圍困者的炮火，而且在接近燃燒著的船只時，他們幾乎不可避免地要暴露在火焰中。也許從來沒有比這更可怕、更悲慘的景象出現在人們的眼前。黑暗籠罩著大地和大海，與此形成鮮明對比的是，烈焰更加猛烈；在加農炮的間隙，守軍清楚地聽到了遇害者的尖叫聲。
