The tremendous speed of the Bellevite had been telling with prodigious effect upon the distance between the two steamers, which was now reduced to not more than a mile and a half. Captain Rombold could not help realizing by this time that the American-built vessel outsailed the English-built. If the Trafalgar was good for twenty knots an hour, as represented, she had hardly attained that speed, as Captain Breaker judged by comparison with that of his own ship.
The Armstrong gun was still silent and it was pretty well settled that it had been disabled. In this connection Christy recalled something he had read in Simpson about the “inability of the Armstrong gun to resist impact,” and he sent Midshipman Walters to bring the volume from his state-room. When it came he found the place, and read that three shots had been fired into one of them from a nine-pounder, either of which would have been fatal to the piece; and the section described the effect of each upon it.
He showed the book open at the place to Captain Breaker; but he had read it, and carried the whole matter in his mind. The gun quoted was weak, though the one on the deck of the Tallahatchie was vastly larger; but a correspondingly heavy force had been brought to bear upon it.
“I am satisfied that the enemy’s long gun has been disabled; and while she continues the attempt to run away from us, she is unable to use her broadside guns to advantage, for she cannot bring them to bear upon us without coming to,” said the commander. “But we are gaining at least a knot and a half an hour on her, and she must soon change her tactics.”
“That is evident enough, sir,” added Christy.
“The captain of that ship is a brave fellow, and I am confident he will fight as long as there is anything left of him,” continued the captain as he occasionally directed his glass at the chase.
“He certainly will, sir, for I have seen his ship knocked out from under him, when he had abundant excuse for hauling down his flag before he did so; and we had hardly time on board of the Chateaugay to save his people before his vessel went to the bottom,” continued Christy. “More than that, he is a gentleman and a scholar.”
“You have told me about him, Christy; and I believe you suggested to Captain Chantor his best plan of action.”
“I simply indicated what I should do in his place, and he adopted the method I mentioned,” added Christy modestly.
“We may find it advisable to resort to the same plan, though I must add that it is by no means original with you. It was adopted in the war of 1812 with England.”
“I did not claim the method as original, and knew very well that it was not so,” replied the lieutenant.
“The conditions on both sides must be favorable to the method or it cannot be adopted. One of the ships must have heavier metal than the other, so that she can knock her enemy to pieces at her leisure, and at the same time greater speed, so that she can keep out of the reach of guns of shorter range.”
“I am sorry I could not obtain more definite information in regard to the broadside guns of the Tallahatchie,” added Christy. “Bokes was a stupid fellow, drunk whenever he could obtain liquor, and could remember very little of what he heard on board of the steamer. But you have the long range Parrot, and I have no doubt you can knock her to pieces in your own time, since it has been demonstrated that we can outsail her.”
But at this moment the conversation was disturbed by the movement of the chase, which appeared to be again preparing to come about. The commander ordered the helm to be put to starboard to avoid being raked, and directed that the pivot gun should be discharged at the enemy. The enemy fired a broadside of three guns in quick succession, the solid shots from all them striking the Bellevite between wind and water. The carpenter’s gang was hurried below to plug the shot holes.
Blumenhoff secured his aim and fired; but this time he was less happy than on the former occasion, and though the shot went between the masts, no great damage appeared to be done. The enemy started her screw immediately, and swung around so as to present her starboard broadside before the Parrot could be made ready for another shot. The Tallahatchie delivered another three shots, two of which went wide of the mark. The third struck the carriage of the pivot gun, but fortunately it was not disabled, for it had been built to resist a heavier ball than the one which had struck it.
The captain of the Bellevite gave the order to Christy to swing to the ship, and give the enemy a broadside. The order was promptly executed as the enemy came about and resumed her course to the southward, which was certainly a very bad movement on her part. The four guns on the port side, two sixties and two thirties, sent their solid shots over the stern of the Tallahatchie.
A moment later, as the fresh breeze carried away the smoke to the north-east, the crew set up a lively cheer, for the mizzen mast of the chase toppled over into the water, and the pilot house seemed to have been knocked into splinters.
“Well done!” exclaimed Captain Breaker, clapping his hands as he faced the guns’ crews on the port side, and Christy joined him in the demonstration.
The men of the division gave another lusty cheer in response to the approval of the two chief officers. The captain had already ordered the ship to be put about so as to deliver the starboard broadside, and the other division of guns were impatient to have their chance at the enemy.
Christy had clapped his hands with his spy-glass under his arm; and when he had rendered his tribute of applause, he directed the instrument to the enemy. A squad of men were at work over the ruins of the pilot house, which was still forward, as the vessel had been built for a pleasure yacht, and another gang were getting the extra wheel at the stern ready for use.
The Bellevite came about in obedience to the order Christy had given to the quartermaster conning the wheel, and the guns on the starboard side were all ready to deliver their messengers of death and destruction.
“Aim at that extra wheel,” said the captain; and Christy delivered the order to the officers of the division.
The broadside was of the same metal as on the port side, and the result was looked for with even more interest than before. The appearance was that all three shots had struck at or near the wheel at the stern, and Christy promptly directed his glass to that part of the steamer, the captain doing the same thing.
“There is nothing of the wheel left in sight,” said the lieutenant. “The taffrail is knocked away, and at least one of those shots must have knocked the captain’s cabin into utter confusion.”
“Go ahead at full speed, Mr. Passford,” said Captain Breaker, after he had fully measured with his eye the damage done to the enemy.
“Her steering gear seems to be entirely disabled, sir,” continued Christy, after he had given the order to the chief engineer. “She does not appear to be able to come about, as no doubt she would if she could, so as to bring her broadside guns to bear upon us.”
The order had been given before to load the broadside and pivot guns with shells. The enemy had not started her screw for the reason that the ship was unmanageable with her steering gear disabled. The action had certainly gone against her; but she gave no indication that she was ready to surrender for the Confederate flag, which had been hoisted at the mainmast head when the mizzen was shot away, still floated in the breeze.
A gang of men were still at work where the extra wheel had been, and the commander evidently expected he should be able to repair the damage in some manner so that he could steer his ship. Captain Breaker gave the command to stop the screw, and a mighty hissing and roaring of steam followed when Christy transmitted it to the engine room. The order to come about on the headway that remained succeeded, and the three shells immediately exploded on the deck or in the hull of the enemy; but the extent of the damage could not be estimated.
The three from the starboard guns were next sent on their mission; but so far as could be seen no damage was done. The big Parrot was next discharged; but the expert captain of the gun was unfortunate this time, for the projectile dropped into the water beyond the steamer, though it seemed to pass very near the stern. For the next half hour the midship piece was kept busy, and its shots made destructive work about the deck of the Tallahatchie.
“I think we had better finish this business at once, and before the enemy has time to rig a new steering apparatus, Mr. Passford,” said Captain Breaker, as they came together on the quarter-deck.
“I think we can knock her all to pieces with the Parrot gun, sir,” replied Christy.
“But it might take all day to do that; and the Tallahatchie exhibits an astonishing power of resistance. Besides, she will soon repair her extra wheel, and have it ready for use. I am inclined to believe that we are wasting time, which will make it all the worse for us in the end,” reasoned the commander. “I am prepared to board her, for I think she must have lost a great many men.”
“No doubt of it, sir,” added the lieutenant.
“Lay her aboard on the port side, and have everything ready,” continued Captain Breaker.
Christy gave the necessary orders for this decided action, and the officers and the crew seemed to be delighted with the prospect of a hand-to-hand fight with the enemy. The lieutenant was not wholly confident that the commander was right in his reasoning, but like a loyal officer and a true sailor who knows no duty but obedience, he heartily supported his superior. He walked the deck in the discharge of his duty; but he was thinking of something since the order to board had been given.
“Is there anything like a flank movement in boarding, Captain Breaker?” he asked, as he halted at the side of the commander.
“Of course the officers do their best to flank the enemy after they reach the deck,” replied the captain, looking with some astonishment at the lieutenant.
“I have reference to another sort of flanking,” added the inquirer.
“Of course in a squadron some of the ships may be ordered to operate in that manner; but a single ship acting against another can hardly do any flanking.”
“But I mean in boarding.”
“You had better explain yourself a little more definitely, for I do not understand you,” replied the commander with a puzzled expression on his face.
“We have one hundred and twenty men, with six absent on other duty,” continued the lieutenant. “Judging by what I learned from Bokes, I believe the Tallahatchie has less than a hundred, for he said she expected to recruit twenty or thirty men at Nassau. She has lost more men so far than we have, sir.”
“Grant all that you say, and where does the flanking come in?”
“Your order is to board on the port side of the enemy, which will bring the starboard side of the Bellevite alongside of her. Suppose you put twenty men or more into the launch, on the port side of the ship, where it cannot be seen by the enemy, just before the order to board is given. At the right time let this boat hurry to the starboard side of the Tallahatchie, where the twenty men or more will board, and take the enemy in the rear.”
The commander took off his cap and rubbed his bald head as if to stimulate his ideas; but he made no answer then to the suggestion.
Paul Vapoor was driving the engine to its utmost, and the ship was rapidly approaching the enemy.
背景介紹與作者介紹
這段摘錄出自一部經典的海軍冒險故事，背景設定在海事衝突激烈的時代，很可能受到歷史上海戰的啟發，例如美國內戰或1812年戰爭。故事生動地描繪了參與兩艘蒸汽動力戰艦之間激烈戰鬥的水手們的戰術演習和勇氣。作者的名字在這裡沒有提及，他以對海軍生活和戰鬥的詳細而寫實的描繪而聞名，將技術知識與驚險的敘事相結合，以吸引讀者，尤其是對歷史和冒險感興趣的年輕人和學生。
詳細解讀與意義
這段描述了兩艘蒸汽船，貝爾維特號和塔拉哈奇號之間緊張的追逐和戰鬥。貝爾維特號是一艘美國建造的船，速度更快，裝備更好，而塔拉哈奇號是英國建造的，由於在戰鬥中遭受的損壞而苦苦掙扎。這個故事突出了勇敢、策略和領導力的主題。布雷克船長和克里斯蒂中尉在壓力下表現出冷靜和智慧的指揮，利用他們的知識和資源來智勝敵人。
敵人轉向裝置的失效是一個轉折點，表明技術技能和戰鬥中的精確性如何影響結果。對話揭示了對手之間的尊重，強調即使在戰爭中，榮譽和紳士風度也很重要。登上敵艦的計劃引入了近距離戰鬥的刺激以及團隊合作和戰術創新的重要性。
給學生的教訓和見解
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戰略思維和解決問題： 故事教導學生批判性和戰略性地思考。布雷克船長和克里斯蒂分析他們的情況，評估他們的優勢和劣勢，並據此制定計劃。這種技能在學術、體育和日常決策中都很有價值。
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領導力和責任： 角色通過做出艱難的決定並激勵他們的船員來展示領導力。學生可以學習責任、勇氣和在小組項目、俱樂部或家庭情況下以身作則的重要性。
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尊重和體育精神： 儘管是敵人，但船長之間相互尊重。這教導學生尊重他人，甚至是競爭對手或持有不同觀點的人，從而促進健康的社會互動。
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毅力和韌性： 塔拉哈奇號儘管遭受了損壞，但仍表現出非凡的抵抗力，提醒讀者要堅持克服挑戰。學生可以通過在學習或個人目標中遇到困難時不要放棄來應用這一點。
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團隊合作與合作： 故事強調了軍官和船員之間的協調努力。學生們了解到，與他人合作良好、清晰地溝通和信任隊友可以帶來成功。
在生活中應用這些教訓
- 在學校： 使用戰略思維來規劃學習時間表並處理複雜的科目。通過組織小組活動和支持同學來練習領導力。
- 在社交場合： 在遊戲和辯論中表現出尊重和公平。學會欣賞不同的觀點和背景。
- 在個人成長中： 通過將失敗視為學習的機會來培養韌性。以積極的態度迎接挑戰。
- 在團隊活動中： 有效地合作、分擔責任並支持同伴以實現共同目標。
從故事中培養積極的特質
- 勇氣： 像布雷克船長一樣，勇敢地面對恐懼和不確定性。
- 智慧： 像克里斯蒂中尉一樣，尋求知識並明智地使用它。
- 榮譽： 在所有行動中保持誠信和公平。
- 創新： 對新想法和解決方案持開放態度，如登船策略所示。
- 紀律： 遵守規則和命令，同時獨立思考。
結論
這部海軍冒險故事不僅具有娛樂性，而且提供了豐富的教育價值。它激勵年輕讀者培養重要的生活技能，例如領導力、策略、尊重和毅力。通過反思人物的經歷和選擇，學生可以獲得幫助他們在學業、社交和個人方面成長的見解。鼓勵積極閱讀和討論此類故事可以培養對文學和學習的終生熱愛。
