Una madre 5

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Una madre ~ A mother escrito por Fernán Caballero

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Ortografía original ~ Publicado en Nueva York, 1901 ~ [1]

Capítulo Cuarto ‎De repente la señora de C. se arroja fuera de su lecho y cae en los brazos de María. Ha oído un cañonazo. ‎Esa es la muerte que se envían los hombres; el grito fúnebre que resalta sobre la poderosa voz de los elementos embravecidos. ‎Ya se acercan las dos escuadras: se observan y se amenazan. Jamás se han visto unas fuerzas tan respetables reunidas sobre las aguas. La mar gime, oprimida con su peso, y desaparece bajo sus velas. Diríase que eran dos grandes pueblos que, impulsados por una virtud prodigiosa, caminaban con majestad á disputarse el dominio de la inmensa llanura que los rodeaba. Por último llega el fatal instante de dar principio á la acción. La una quiere acometer atrevida: la otra espera intrépida. Rompe ya el terrible fuego por una y otra parte. Truena el cañón espantoso. La tierra tiembla de susto, retumban las bóvedas del firmamento, y toda la naturaleza se estremece. ‎¡Qué asombro, qué intrepidez y qué entusiasmo se deja ver en los semblantes de todos! El amigo tropieza con el cadáver de su amigo y no se altera; oye el marino el silbo de la bala que se roza con su cuerpo y se mantiene impávido; aquí un general cubierto de su misma sangre, desprecia sus heridas y sigue dando órdenes, como Escaño, en el navío Príncipe de Asturias; allí se ven á Cisneros, Uriarte y Olaeta en el Trinidad, con más de trescientos muertos, sostener su navío aunque no le quedaba ya casi gente. Una bala arranca la bocina de la mano del comandante Alcedo, en el navío Montañés, y pide otra sin siquiera turbarse. Un golpe de metralla maltrata mortalmente á Valdés, en el Neptuno, y no quiere abandonar su puesto. Queda el San Juan, sin su jefe Churruca y sin su segundo, y no por eso se rinde. Caen á los pies de un artillero ocho de sus camaradas, muertos por una sóla bomba, y aquél no desfallece. ‎¡Qué escena! Donde quiera que se esparce la vista no se ve más que horror. El cañón truena; ¡abordajes aquí; allá naufragios; incendios á este lado; fuego por todas partes! ¿Es posible enumerar las víctimas? La tierra gime; el mar brama; el aire ruge; la humanidad llora y, enojada la naturaleza misma, suelta con cólera sus tempestades y sus vientos. ‎Aquí se anegan los navíos Argonauta, Trinidad y otros y no por eso arrían bandera; allí se va á pique el San Agustín, por la firmeza de Cajigal, su comandante, con la suya enarbolada. ¿Qué es esto, Dios eterno? ¿Cabe en el corazón de los mortales tanto valor y tal resistencia? ‎Pobre general Galiano, tan bizarro marino como insigne literato, deja á su patria el fruto de sus trabajos como sabio, y da luego la vida por ella como valiente. ‎Don Ignacio Olaeta, segundo comandante del Trinidad, pierde un brazo. Desarbolado, destrozado, sumergiéndose por momentos el buque, los ingleses se apoderan de él. Tratan de trasbordar á la tripulación que sobrevive antes de que se hunda el mutilado barco en el abismo, pero no es posible encontrar cavida para todos en las pocas lanchas. El oficial inglés hace presente esto al joven Olaeta, hijo del primero, así como la penosa necesidad de abandonar á los heridos, quienes, de todas maneras habrían de perecer, y le ofrece el único lugar que queda en las ya sobrecargadas lanchas. ‎— ¡Eso no! — exclama Olaeta — Salven ustedes á mi padre y pereza yo. ‎— Si ese es su firme propósito — repuso admirado y enternecido el oficial inglés — vengan ustedes ambos, aunque zozobremos todos. ‎Seis horas duró este combate aterrador que empezó á la altura del Cabo de Trafalgar, y que, á causa de las corrientes, vino á concluir á ocho millas de Cádiz, combate que no tiene semejante en los fastos de la historia en valor, honor y desastres.

Chapter Fourth ‎Suddenly Madame de C. threw herself from her bed and fell into the arms of Maria. She has heard the report of a cannon. ‎That is death itself which men are dealing to each other; the deathly scream which rises above the mighty voice of the infuriated elements. ‎The two fleets now approach, observe and threaten each other. Never have such great forces been seen gathered together upon the waters. The sea groans, oppressed with their weight, and disappears beneath their sails. It could be said that they were two great nations, who, actuated by prodigious virtue, were proceeding with majesty to dispute the dominión of the immense tract which surrounded them. At last arrives the fatal moment for commencing the conflict. The one side wishes to attack boldly; the other awaits this fearlessly. Now the terrible firing breaks forth from both sides. The frightful cannon thunders forth. The earth trembles with fright; the vault of the firmament resounds, and all nature shudders. ‎What amazement, what fearlessness and what enthusiasm are depicted on the faces of all! The friend stumbles over the corpse of his friend and is not moved; the sailor hears the whistling of the bullet which grazes his body, and remains undaunted; here a General drenched in his own blood, disregards his wounds, and continues giving orders, like Escaño on the Príncipe de Asturias; Cisneros, Uriarte and Olaeta are seen on the Trinidad, with more than three hundred dead, preserving their ship, although there were but few left. A ball wrests the speaking-trumpet from the hand of Commander Alcedo, on the Montañés, and he calls for another without being at all disturbed Valdés is mortally wounded by grape-shot on the Neptune, but he refuses to leave his post. The San Juan is left without its chief Churruca and its second in command, but in spite of this it does not yield. Eight comrades of an artilleryman, killed by the same shell, fall at his feet, but he does not weaken. ‎What a scene! No matter where one looks there is seen nothing but horror. The cannons thunder; here ships are being boarded; there shipwrecks; conflagrations on this side; everywhere fire! Is it possible to count the victims? The earth groans; the sea roars; the wind blows furiously; humanity weeps, and nature herself, offended, lets loose with rage her blasts and tempests. ‎Here the Argonauta, the Trinidad and other vessels are sinking, and nevertheless they do not strike their colors; there the San Agustín is about to founder, but by the firmness of her Commander Cajigal, hers are still flying. What is all this, Oh God! Can the heart of man be capable of such valor, of such endurance? ‎Poor General Galiano, as brave a seaman as remarkable in letters, leaves to his country his labors as a scholar, and after gives her his life as a valiant man. ‎Don Ignacio Olaeta, second in command of the Trinidad, loses an arm. This ship, dismasted, shattered, and in a sinking condition, is captured by the English. They try to tranship the survivors of the crew, before the shattered vessel is engulfed in the abyss, but it is not possible to find room for all in the few launches. The English officer makes this known to the young Olaeta, son of the former, also the painful necessity of abandoning the wounded, who, in any event would have to perish, and offers him the only place left in the already overloaded launches. ‎"No indeed!" exclaimed Olaeta, "save my father and let me perish." ‎"If this is your firm determination," replied the astonished and commiserating English officer, "come both of you even if we should all sink." ‎This frightful battle which commenced in the latitude of Cape Trafalgar, and which, in consequence of the currents, ended eight miles from Cádiz, lasted six hours; a battle which, as regards valor, honor and disasters, has not its equal in the annals of history.

Notas ~ Notes

De repente, suddenly.

Gime oprimida con su peso, y desaparece bajo sus velas, groans oppressed with its weight, and disappears under its sails.

Diríase que eran dos grandes pueblos, one would say that they were two great nations.

La una quiere acometer atrevida, one wishes to attack daringly.

Truena el cañón espantoso, the frightftil cannon thunders.

El silbo de la bala que se roza con su cuerpo, the whiz of the bullet which grazes his body.

Arranca la bocina, wrests the speaking-trumpet.

Metralla maltrata, grapeshot injures.

Don Cosme Damián Churruca, general of the Spanish navy, was born in Motrico, Guipúzcoa, the 27th of Sept. 1761. He became a midshipman, and in Oct. 1778, as an officer, took part in the campaign of Gibraltar under General Arce. Spain owes Churruca many astronomic and geographic works, some of which were adopted by France, and in the name of this nation Napoleon honored the author with a sabre of honor and with many other distinctions. In 1805, highly esteemed and considered by everybody, he took command of the ship SAN JUAN in the squadron of Gravina, united to that of the French admiral Villeneuve, against Nelson, finding himself in the battle of Trafalgar. The SAN JUAN fought against 6 ships at the same time. Churruca defended himself heroically until he was struck by a shell which took away his right leg. On account of this he died three hours later, without allowing the SAN JUAN, then a wreck, to lower her colors.

No desfallece, does not weaken.

Truena, thunders.

Abordajes, boarding (the act of boarding a ship to fight).

Allá naufragios, there shipwrecks.

La tierra gime, the earth groans.

Brama, roars.

Ruge, howls.

Enojada, vexed.

Suelta con cólera, bursts with anger.

Aquí se anegan, here they are submerged.

Arrían bandera, lower the flag.

Allí se va á pique, there founders.

Con la suya enarbolada, with its own flying.

Don Dionisio Alcalá Galiano, after being the author of a number of scientific works, died gloriously in the battle of Trafalgar in his 43rd. year. He was born in the province of Córdoba, in 1762, and was considered one of the most talented men of his time in Spain.

Como sabio, as a scholar.

Desarbolado, dismasted.

Tratan de trasbordar á la tripulación que sobrevive, they try to tranship the surviving crew.

Encontrar cavida, to find place.

Lanchas, life-boats.

El único lugar que queda en las ya sobrecargadas lanchas, the only place remaining in the already over-laden life-boats.

Perezca yo, let me perish.

Aunque zozobremos todos, though we all capsize.

Cabo de Trafalgar, is memorable for the great naval battle fought off its shores between the British fleets, under Nelson and Collingwood, and the combined fleets of France and Spain under the French commander Villeneuve and the Spanish admiral Gravina.

No tiene semejante en los fastos de la historia en valor, honor y desastres, has no equalin the annals of history, in respect to courage, honor and disasters.