-VI- -VI- -VI- -VI- -VI-

Recuerdo muy bien que al día siguiente de los pescozones que me aplicó D. Francisca, movida del espectáculo de mi irreverencia y de su profundo odio a las guerras marítimas, salí acompañando a mi amo en su paseo de mediodía. |||||||||slaps|||applied|||event|||||irreverence||||||||||I left|||||||walk||noon I remember very well that the day after Don Francisca gave me the shocks, moved by the spectacle of my irreverence and his deep hatred of maritime wars, I went out accompanying my master on his midday stroll.

Él me daba el brazo, y a su lado iba Marcial: los tres caminábamos lentamente, conforme al flojo andar de D. Alonso y a la poca destreza de la pierna postiza del marinero. |||||||||||||we were walking|slowly|according to||slow|||||||||dexterity||||prosthetic|| He gave me his arm, and Marcial walked by his side: the three of us walked slowly, following Don Alonso's slow gait and the little dexterity of the sailor's false leg. Parecía aquello una de esas procesiones en que marcha, sobre vacilante palanquín, un grupo de santos viejos y apolillados, que amenazan venirse al suelo en cuanto se acelere un poco el paso de los que les llevan. |||||processions|||||wobbly|palanquin|||||||moth-eaten||threaten to|to fall down||||||accelerates||||||||| It seemed like one of those processions in which a group of old and moth-eaten saints march on a wobbly palanquin, who threaten to collapse to the ground as soon as the pace of those carrying them quickens a bit. Los dos viejos no tenían expedito y vividor más que el corazón, que funcionaba como una máquina recién salida del taller. The|||||clear and ready||freeloader||||||worked|||machine||||workshop The two old men had nothing more open and playful than their hearts, which worked like a machine fresh from the workshop. Era una aguja imantada, que a pesar de su fuerte potencia y exacto movimiento, no podía hacer navegar bien el casco viejo y averiado en que iba embarcada. ||needle|magnetized||||||||||||||||||||damaged||||on board It was a magnetized needle, which despite its strong power and precise movement, could not make the old and damaged hull in which it was embarked sail well.

Durante el paseo, mi amo, después de haber asegurado con su habitual aplomo que si el almirante Córdova, en vez de mandar virar a estribor hubiera mandado virar a babor, la batalla del 14 no se habría perdido, entabló la conversación sobre el famoso proyecto, y aunque no dijeron claramente su propósito, sin duda por estar yo delante, comprendí por algunas palabras sueltas que trataban de ponerlo en ejecución a cencerros tapados, marchándose de la casa lindamente una mañana, sin que mi ama lo advirtiese. During||walk||||||||||poise|||||Cordova||||to command|to turn|||||to turn||port||||||||started||||||||||||||||||||||||loose words||||to put it||||cowbells|covered bells|leaving||||nicely||||||||noticed During the walk, my master, after assuring with his usual aplomb that if Admiral Córdova, instead of ordering a turn to starboard, had ordered a turn to port, the battle of the 14th would not have been lost, began the conversation about the famous project , and although they did not clearly say their purpose, no doubt because I was present, I understood from a few loose words that they were trying to put it into execution with covered cowbells, leaving the house cutely one morning, without my mistress noticing.

Regresamos a la casa y allí se habló de cosas muy distintas. We return||||||||||| We returned to the house and there they talked about very different things.

Mi amo, que siempre era complaciente con su mujer, lo fue aquel día más que nunca. |||||complacent|||||||||| My master, who was always complacent with his wife, was that day more than ever. No decía Doña Francisca cosa alguna, aunque fuera insignificante, sin que él lo celebrara con risas inoportunas. ||||||||insignificant|without||||would celebrate|||inappropriate Doña Francisca did not say anything, even insignificant, without him celebrating it with inopportune laughter. Hasta me parece que la regaló algunas fruslerías, demostrando en todos sus actos el deseo de tenerla contenta; sin duda por esta misma complacencia oficiosa mi ama estaba díscola y regañona cual nunca la había yo visto. |||||gifted||trinkets|||||||||to have her||without|||||complacency|informal||||rebellious and ir||grumpy|||||| It even seems to me that he gave her some trifles, demonstrating in all his actions the desire to keep her happy; Doubtless because of this same officious complacency, my mistress was unruly and scolding like I had never seen her before. No era posible transacción honrosa. ||||honorable No honorable transaction was possible. Por no sé qué fútil motivo, riñó con Marcial, intimándole la inmediata salida de la casa; también dijo terribles cosas a su marido; y durante la comida, aunque éste celebraba todos los platos con desusado calor, la implacable dama no cesaba de gruñir. ||||futile||argued|||intimidating him|||||||||||||||||||||||||unusual|||relentless|lady||was not stopping||to grunt For I don't know what futile motive, he quarreled with Marcial, prompting him to leave the house immediately; she also said terrible things to her husband; and during the meal, although he celebrated all the dishes with unusual heat, the implacable lady would not cease to growl.

Llegada la hora de rezar el rosario, acto solemne que se verificaba en el comedor con asistencia de todos los de la casa, mi amo, que otras veces solía dormirse, murmurando perezosamente los  Pater-noster , lo cual le valía algunas reprimendas, estuvo aquella noche muy despabilado y rezó con verdadero empeño, haciendo que su voz se oyera entre todas las demás. ||||to pray||||solemn|||was held|||||attendance||||||||||||used to|to fall asleep||sleepily||Our Father|Our Father||||worth merit||reprimands|||||wide awake||prayed|||effort||||||heard|||| When it was time to say the rosary, a solemn act that took place in the dining room with the presence of everyone in the house, my master, who other times used to fall asleep, lazily murmuring the Pater-nosters, which earned him some reprimands, was that night very awake and prayed with real commitment, making his voice heard among all the others.

Otra cosa pasó que se me ha quedado muy presente. Another thing happened that has stayed with me very present.

Las paredes de la casa hallábanse adornadas con dos clases de objetos: estampas de santos y mapas; la Corte celestial por un lado, y todos los derroteros de Europa y América por otro. |||||were found|||||||prints||||||Court|celestial|||||||routes|||||| The walls of the house were adorned with two kinds of objects: pictures of saints and maps; the heavenly Court on the one hand, and all the courses of Europe and America on the other. Después de comer, mi amo estaba en la galería contemplando una carta de navegación, y recorría con su vacilante dedo las líneas, cuando Doña Francisca, que algo sospechaba del proyecto de escapatoria, y además ponía el grito en el Cielo siempre que sorprendía a su marido en flagrante delito de entusiasmo náutico, llegó por detrás, y abriendo los brazos exclamó: |||||||||||||||was tracing|||hesitant|||||||||suspected||||escape plan|||was putting||scream||||||surprised|||||flagrant|crime|||nautical|||||||| After lunch, my master was in the gallery contemplating a navigation chart, and he was tracing the lines with his hesitant finger, when Doña Francisca, who was somewhat suspicious of the project of escape, and also shouted to Heaven whenever she surprised her husband in flagrante delicto of nautical enthusiasm, came up behind, and opening his arms exclaimed:

«¡Hombre de Dios! "Man of God!

Cuando digo que tú me andas buscando... Pues te juro que si me buscas, me encontrarás. |||||walks||||||||you look for||you will find When I say that you are looking for me... Well, I swear that if you look for me, you will find me.

—Pero, mujer—repuso temblando mi amo—, estaba aquí mirando el derrotero de Alcalá Galiano y de Valdés en las goletas  Sutil y  Mejicana , cuando fueron a reconocer el estrecho de Fuca. ||replied|trembling|||||||route|||||||||schooners|||Mexicana||||||||Fuca "But, woman," replied my master trembling, "I was here looking at the course of Alcalá Galiano and Valdés in the schooners Sutil and Mejicana, when they went to reconnoitre the Strait of Fuca."

Es un viaje muy bonito: me parece que te lo he contado. It's a very nice trip: I think I've told you about it.

—Cuando digo que voy a quemar todos esos papelotes—añadió Doña Francisca—. |||||to burn|||papers||| "When I say I'm going to burn all those pieces of paper," Doña Francisca added.

Mal hayan los viajes y el perro judío que los inventó. |may have||||||Jewish||| Bad be the trips and the Jewish dog that invented them. Mejor pensaras en las cosas de Dios, que al fin y al cabo no eres ningún niño. |you will think|||||||||||end|||| Better you think about the things of God, that after all you are not a child. ¡Qué hombre, Santo Dios, qué hombre!» What a man, good God, what a man!”

No pasó de esto. It didn't happen from this.

Yo andaba también por allí cerca; pero no recuerdo bien si mi ama desahogó su furor en mi humilde persona, demostrándome una vez más la elasticidad de mis orejas y la ligereza de sus manos. |||||||||||||vented|||||||showing me|||||elasticity||||||lightness||| I was also around nearby; but I don't remember well if my mistress vented her fury on my humble person, showing me once more the elasticity of my ears and the lightness of her hands. Ello es que estas caricias menudeaban tanto, que no hago memoria de si recibí alguna en aquella ocasión: lo que sí recuerdo es que mi señor, a pesar de haber redoblado sus amabilidades, no consiguió ablandar a su consorte. ||||caresses|were frequent||||I do|||||||||||||||||to||||doubled||kindnesses||he didn't manage|to soften|||consort This is that these caresses were so frequent that I do not remember if I received any on that occasion: what I do remember is that my lord, despite having redoubled his kindness, failed to soften his consort.

No he dicho nada de mi amita. I|||||| I haven't said anything about my friend.

Pues sépase que estaba muy triste, porque el señor de Malespina no había parecido aquel día, ni escrito carta alguna, siendo inútiles todas mis pesquisas para hallarle en la plaza. |let it be known|||||because|||||||||||||||useless|||inquiries||to find him||| Well, let it be known that I was very sad, because Mr. de Malespina had not appeared that day, nor had he written any letter, all my inquiries being useless to find him in the square. Llegó la noche, y con ella la tristeza al alma de Rosita, pues ya no había esperanza de verle hasta el día siguiente. Night came, and with it the sadness in Rosita's soul, since there was no hope of seeing him until the next day. Mas de pronto, y cuando se había dado orden para la cena, sonaron fuertes aldabonazos en la puerta; fui a abrir corriendo, y era él. ||||||||||||sounded||knockings|||||||||| But suddenly, and when the order for dinner had been given, there was a loud knock on the door; I went to open it running, and it was him. Antes de abrirle, mi odio le había conocido. ||to open to him|||||known Before I opened it, my hate had known him.

Aún me parece que le estoy viendo, cuando se presentó delante de mí, sacudiendo su capa, mojada por la lluvia. ||||||seeing|||||||shaking|||wet|||rain It still seems to me that I am seeing him, when he appeared in front of me, shaking out his cloak, wet from the rain.

Siempre que le traigo a la memoria, se me representa como le vi en aquella ocasión. |||I bring|||||||||||| Whenever I bring him to mind, he is represented to me as I saw him on that occasion. Hablando con imparcialidad, diré que era un joven realmente hermoso, de presencia noble, modales airosos, mirada afable, algo frío y reservado en apariencia, poco risueño y sumamente cortés, con aquella cortesía grave y un poco finchada de los nobles de antaño. ||impartiality|I will say||||||||||manners|graceful||friendly gaze||||||||smiling||extremely|||||||||affected|||||of old Speaking impartially, I will say that he was a really handsome young man, with a noble presence, graceful manners, affable eyes, somewhat cold and reserved in appearance, unsmiling, and exceedingly courteous, with that grave and somewhat finchado courtesy of the nobles of old. Traía aquella noche la chaqueta faldonada, el calzón corto con botas, el sombrero portugués y riquísima capa de grana con forros de seda, que era la prenda más elegante entre los señoritos de la época. |||||frock coat||short pants|||boots|||||very rich|||crimson||linings||silk||||garment|||||young gentlemen||| That night he was wearing a skirted jacket, shorts with boots, a Portuguese hat and a very rich scarlet cape with silk linings, which was the most elegant garment among the gentlemen of the time.

Desde que entró, conocí que algo grave ocurría. |||||||was happening Since he entered, I knew that something serious was happening.

Pasó al comedor, y todos se maravillaron de verle a tal hora, pues jamás había venido de noche. ||||||amazed||||||||||| He went into the dining room, and everyone was amazed to see him at such an hour, since he had never come at night. Mi amita no tuvo de alegría más que el tiempo necesario para comprender que el motivo de visita tan inesperada no podía ser lisonjero. |||||||||||||||||||unexpected||||flattering My amita had only the time necessary to understand that the reason for such an unexpected visit could not be flattering.

«Vengo a despedirme», dijo Malespina. I come||to say goodbye|| "I've come to say goodbye," Malespina said.

Todos se quedaron como lelos, y Rosita más blanca que el papel en que escribo; después encendida como la grana, y luego pálida otra vez como una muerta. ||||fools||||||||||I write||burning|||crimson|||pale||||| They all stayed dumb, and Rosita was whiter than the paper I write on; then red as scarlet, and then pale again as death.

«¿Pues qué pasa? "So what's up?

¿A dónde va usted, señor D. Rafael?», le preguntó mi ama. Where are you going, Mr. D. Rafael? », asked my mistress.

Debo de haber dicho que Malespina era oficial de Artillería, pero no que estaba de guarnición en Cádiz y con licencia en Vejer. |||||||||||||||garrison|||||license|| I must have said that Malespina was an artillery officer, but not that he was garrisoned in Cádiz and on leave in Vejer.

«Como la escuadra carece de personal—añadió—, han dado orden para que nos embarquemos con objeto de hacer allí el servicio. |||lacks||||||||||let's embark||||||| "As the squadron lacks personnel," he added, "they have given orders for us to embark in order to carry out the service there.

Se cree que el combate es inevitable, y la mayor parte de los navíos tienen falta de artilleros. |||||||||||||||||gunners Combat is believed to be inevitable, and most ships are short of gunners.

—¡Jesús, María y José!—exclamó Doña Francisca más muerta que viva—. "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!" Doña Francisca exclaimed, more dead than alive.

¿También a usted se le llevan? Do they take you too? Pues me gusta. Well I like it. Pero usted es de tierra, amiguito. |||||little friend But you are from the land, little friend. Dígales usted que se entiendan ellos; que si no tienen gente, que la busquen. Tell them||||understand|||||||||look for Tell them that they understand each other; If they don't have people, let them look for them. Pues a fe que es bonita la broma. |||||||joke Well, by faith the joke is beautiful.

—¿Pero, mujer—dijo tímidamente D. Alonso—, no ves que es preciso?...». |||timidly||||||| "But, woman," D. Alonso said timidly, "don't you see that it is necessary?..."

No pudo seguir, porque Doña Francisca, que sentía desbordarse el vaso de su enojo, apostrofó a todas las Potencias terrestres. ||||Lady||||to overflow|||||anger|spoke harshly to|||||earthly He could not continue, because Doña Francisca, who felt the glass of her anger overflowing, apostrophized all the terrestrial Powers.

«A ti todo te parece bien con tal que sea para los dichosos barcos de guerra. ||||||||||||blessed||| "Everything seems fine to you as long as it's for the damned warships.

¿Pero quién, pero quién es el demonio del Infierno que ha mandado vayan a bordo los oficiales de tierra? But||||||||||||go (plural)|||||| But who, but who is the demon of Hell who has ordered the ground officers to go on board? A mí que no me digan: eso es cosa del señor de Bonaparte. |||||say||||||| Don't tell me: that's Mr. Bonaparte's business. Ninguno de acá puede haber inventado tal diablura. ||here|||||devilish trick No one here can have invented such mischief. Pero vaya usted y diga que se va a casar. |go ahead|||say||||| But go ahead and say you're getting married. A ver—añadió dirigiéndose a su marido—, escribe a Gravina diciéndole que este joven no puede ir a la escuadra». ||||||||||telling him||||||||| Let's see," she added, addressing her husband, "write to Gravina telling him that this young man cannot go to the squadron."

Y como viera que su marido se encogía de hombros indicando que la cosa era sumamente grave, exclamó: ||saw|||||shrugged|||indicating|||||extremely|| And as she saw that her husband shrugged his shoulders indicating that the thing was extremely serious, she exclaimed:

«No sirves para nada. |you are useful|| "You're useless.

¡Jesús! Jesus! Si yo gastara calzones, me plantaba en Cádiz y le sacaba a usted del apuro». ||spent|underwear||I would plant|||||would take||||bind or trouble If I wore pants, I would plant myself in Cádiz and get you out of trouble ».

Rosita no decía palabra. Rosita didn't say a word.

Yo, que la observaba atentamente, conocí la gran turbación de su espíritu. ||||||||disturbance||| I, who was watching her attentively, knew the great disturbance of her spirit. No quitaba los ojos de su novio, y a no impedírselo la etiqueta y el buen parecer, habría llorado ruidosamente, desahogando la pena de su corazón oprimido. |was taking off|||||boyfriend||to||prevent it||etiquette||||||cried|noisily|venting||||||oppressed She didn't take her eyes off her boyfriend, etiquette and good looks hadn't prevented her, she would have cried noisily, venting the sorrow of her oppressed heart.

«Los militares—dijo D. Alonso—, son esclavos de su deber, y la patria exige a este joven que se embarque para defenderla. |||||||||||||demands||||||embark||to defend it «The military -said D. Alonso-, are slaves of their duty, and the homeland requires this young man to embark to defend it.

En el próximo combate alcanzará usted mucha gloria e ilustrará su nombre con alguna hazaña que quede en la historia para ejemplo de las generaciones futuras. ||||will reach|||||will illustrate|||||feat||remain|||||||||future In the next fight you will achieve much glory and illustrate your name with some feat that will remain in history as an example for future generations.

—Sí, eso, eso—dijo Doña Francisca remedando el tono grandilocuente con que mi amo había pronunciado las anteriores palabras—. ||||Lady||mimicking|||grandiloquent||||||pronounced||| "Yes, that, that," Doña Francisca said, mimicking the grandiloquent tone with which my master had pronounced the previous words.

Sí: ¿y todo por qué? Yes: and all why? Porque se les antoja a esos zánganos de Madrid. |||crave|||lazy people|| Because those drones from Madrid fancy it. Que vengan ellos a disparar los cañones y a hacer la guerra... ¿Y cuándo marcha usted? |come|||to shoot||||||||||| Let them come to fire the cannons and wage war... And when are you leaving?

—Mañana mismo. -Tomorrow.

Me han retirado la licencia, ordenándome que me presente al instante en Cádiz». ||||license|ordering me||||||| They have withdrawn my license, ordering me to present myself instantly in Cádiz ».

Imposible pintar con palabras ni por escrito lo que vi en el semblante de mi señorita cuando aquellas frases oyó. ||||||||||||face||||||| Impossible to paint with words or in writing what I saw on my lady's face when she heard those phrases.

Los dos novios se miraron, y un largo y triste silencio siguió al anuncio de la próxima partida. ||couple||looked at|||||||||announcement||||departure The two boyfriends looked at each other, and a long and sad silence followed the announcement of the next game.

«Esto no se puede sufrir—dijo Doña Francisca—. "This cannot be tolerated," Doña Francisca said.

Por último, llevarán a los paisanos, y si se les antoja, también a las mujeres... Señor —prosiguió mirando al Cielo con ademán de pitonisa—, no creo ofenderte si digo que maldito sea el que inventó los barcos, maldito el mar en que navegan, y más maldito el que hizo el primer cañón para dar esos estampidos que la vuelven a una loca, y para matar a tantos pobrecitos que no han hecho ningún daño». ||they will take|||countrymen|||||crave||||||continued|||||||fortune teller|||to offend you||||damned|sea||||||damned|||||sail|||damned||||||||||booms||||||||||||poor things|||||| Lastly, they will take the countrymen, and if they feel like it, also the women... Lord —she continued looking at Heaven with the gesture of a fortune teller—, I don't think I offend you if I say that damned be the one who invented ships, damned the sea in which they sail, and even more damned is the one who made the first cannon to give off those bangs that drive her crazy, and to kill so many poor people who have not done any harm».

D. d

Alonso miró a Malespina, buscando en su semblante una expresión de protesta contra los insultos dirigidos a la noble artillería. |||||||countenance||||protest|||insults|directed||||artillery Alonso looked at Malespina, searching his face for an expression of protest against the insults directed at the noble artillery. Después dijo: Then he said:

«Lo malo será que los navíos carezcan también de buen material; y sería lamentable...» ||||||lack|||||||lamentable «The bad thing will be that the ships also lack good material; and it would be unfortunate...»

Marcial, que oía la conversación desde la puerta, no pudo contenerse y entró diciendo: ||||||||||to hold back||| Marcial, who heard the conversation from the door, could not contain himself and entered saying:

«¿Qué ha de faltar? "What must be missing?

El The

Trinidad 140 cañones: 32 de a 36, 34 de a 24, 36 de a 12, 18 de a 30, y 10 obuses de a 24. Trinidad|||||||||||howitzers|| Trinidad 140 guns: 32 x 36, 34 x 24, 36 x 12, 18 x 30, and 10 howitzers at 24.

El  Príncipe de Asturias 118, el  Santa Ana 120, el  Rayo 100, el  Nepomuceno , el  San ... |||Asturias|||||Ray||Nepomucene|| The Príncipe de Asturias 118, the Santa Ana 120, the Rayo 100, the Nepomuceno, the San...

—¿Quién le mete a usted aquí, Sr. ||puts in|||| "Who puts you in here, Mr.

Marcial—chilló Doña Francisca—, ni qué nos importa si tienen cincuenta u ochenta?» |screamed||||||||||| Marcial—Dona Francisca shrieked—and what does it matter to us if they are fifty or eighty?”

Marcial continuó, a pesar de esto, su guerrera estadística, pero en voz baja, dirigiéndose sólo a mi amo, el cual no se atrevía a expresar su aprobación. |||||||statistical warrior|statistic||||||||||||||dared||||approval Marcial continued, despite this, his statistical warrior, but in a low voice, addressing only my master, who did not dare to express his approval.

Ella siguió hablando así: She kept talking like this:

«Pero, D. Rafael, no vaya usted, por Dios. ||||go||| «But, Don Rafael, don't go, for God's sake.

Diga usted que es de tierra; que se va a casar. Say you are from land; that he is getting married Si Napoleón quiere guerra, que la haga él solo; que venga y diga: «Aquí estoy yo: mátenme ustedes, señores ingleses, o déjense matar por mí». ||||||make it||||||||||kill me|||||let yourselves||| If Napoleon wants war, let him do it alone; let him come and say: "Here I am: kill me, English gentlemen, or let yourself be killed by me." ¿Por qué ha de estar España sujeta a los antojos de ese caballero? ||||||subject|||whims||| Why should Spain be subject to the whims of that gentleman?

—Verdaderamente—dijo Malespina—, nuestra unión con Francia ha sido hasta ahora desastrosa. |||||||||||disastrous "Truly," said Malespina, "our union with France has so far been disastrous."

—¿Pues para qué la han hecho? "Then why did they do it?"

Bien dicen que ese Godoy es hombre sin estudios. They say that Godoy is a man without studies. ¡Si creerá él que se gobierna una nación tocando la guitarra! |will believe||||governs||||| If he will believe that a nation is governed by playing the guitar!

—Después de la paz de Basilea—continuó el joven—, nos vimos obligados a enemistarnos con los ingleses, que batieron nuestra escuadra en el cabo de San Vicente. After|||||Basilica||||||obliged||to become enemies|||||they defeated|||||||| "After the peace of Basel," continued the young man, "we were forced to quarrel with the English, who beat our squadron at Cape St. Vincent.

—Alto allá—declaró D. Alonso, dando un fuerte puñetazo en la mesa—. |over there|||||||punch||| "Stop there," D. Alonso declared, banging his fist on the table.

Si el almirante Córdova hubiera mandado orzar sobre babor a los navíos de la vanguardia, según lo que pedían las más vulgares leyes de la estrategia, la victoria hubiera sido nuestra. ||||||||port||||||vanguard||||they asked|||common||||||||| If Admiral Córdova had ordered the vanguard ships to luff to port, as required by the most vulgar laws of strategy, victory would have been ours. Eso lo tengo probado hasta la saciedad, y en el momento del combate hice constar mi opinión. ||||||satiation||||||||to state|| I have proven that over and over again, and at the time of the fight I stated my opinion. Quede, pues, cada cual en su lugar. Stay|||||| So everyone stays in their place.

—Lo cierto es que se perdió la batalla—prosiguió Malespina—. ||||||||he continued| "The truth is that the battle was lost," continued Malespina.

Este desastre no habría sido de grandes consecuencias, si después la Corte de España no hubiera celebrado con la República francesa el tratado de San Ildefonso, que nos puso a merced del Primer Cónsul, obligándonos a prestarle ayuda en guerras que a él solo y a su grande ambición interesaban. ||||||||||||||||celebrated||||||||||||||mercy||||forcing us||to lend him||||||||||||| This disaster would not have been of great consequence, if later the Court of Spain had not concluded the Treaty of San Ildefonso with the French Republic, which put us at the mercy of the First Consul, obliging us to lend him aid in wars that he alone and his great ambition interested. La paz de Amiens no fue más que una tregua. |||Amiens||||||truce The peace of Amiens was nothing more than a truce. Inglaterra y Francia volvieron a declararse la guerra, y entonces Napoleón exigió nuestra ayuda. |||returned||to declare||||||demanded|| England and France went to war again, and then Napoleon demanded our help. Quisimos ser neutrales, pues aquel convenio a nada obligaba en la segunda guerra; pero él con tanta energía solicitó nuestra cooperación, que para aplacarle, tuvo el Rey que convenir en dar a Francia un subsidio de cien millones de reales, lo que equivalía a comprar a peso de oro la neutralidad. We wanted||neutral|||agreement|||obliged||||||||||he requested|||||to appease him|||||to agree||||||subsidy||||||||equivalence|||||||| We wanted to be neutral, because that agreement did not oblige anything in the second war; but he so energetically requested our cooperation that, to placate him, the King had to agree to give France a subsidy of one hundred million reales, which was equivalent to buying neutrality for a weight of gold. Pero ni aun así la compramos. But we still didn't buy it. A pesar de tan gran sacrificio, fuimos arrastrados a la guerra. |||||||dragged||| Despite such great sacrifice, we were drawn into the war. Inglaterra nos obligó a ello, apresando inoportunamente cuatro fragatas que venían de América cargadas de caudales. ||forced|||capturing|inopportunely|||||||loaded||wealth England forced us to do so, inopportunely capturing four frigates that came from America loaded with cargo. Después de aquel acto de piratería, la Corte de Madrid no tuvo más remedio que echarse en brazos de Napoleón, el cual no deseaba otra cosa. |||||piracy||||||||remedy||to throw oneself||||||||wanted|| After that act of piracy, the Court of Madrid had no choice but to throw itself into the arms of Napoleon, who wanted nothing else. Nuestra marina quedó al arbitrio del Primer Cónsul, ya Emperador, quien, aspirando a vencer por el engaño a los ingleses, dispuso que la escuadra combinada partiese a la Martinica, con objeto de alejar de Europa a los marinos de la Gran Bretaña. |navy|||discretion|||||||aspiring||to defeat|||deception||||arranged|||||would depart|||||||to distance||||||||| Our navy was left to the discretion of the First Consul, already the Emperor, who, aspiring to defeat the English by deception, arranged for the combined squadron to leave for Martinique, in order to keep the sailors of Great Britain away from Europe. Con esta estratagema pensaba realizar su anhelado desembarco en esta isla; mas tan hábil plan no sirvió sino para demostrar la impericia y cobardía del almirante francés, el cual, de regreso a Europa, no quiso compartir con nuestros navíos la gloria del combate de Finisterre. ||stratagem||||longed-for|landing||||||skilled||||||||incompetence||cowardice|||||||||||wanted||||||||||Finisterre With this stratagem he intended to make his long-awaited landing on this island; but such a skilful plan served only to demonstrate the inexperience and cowardice of the French admiral, who, on his return to Europe, did not want to share with our ships the glory of the Finisterre battle. Ahora, según las órdenes del Emperador, la escuadra combinada debía hallarse en Brest. ||||||||||to be|| Now, by Emperor's orders, the combined squadron was to be in Brest.

Dícese que Napoleón está furioso con su almirante, y que piensa relevarle inmediatamente. It is said|||||||||||to relieve him| It is said that Napoleon is furious with his admiral, and intends to relieve him immediately.

—Pero, según dicen—indicó Marcial—, Mr. Corneta quiere pintarla y busca una acción de guerra que haga olvidar sus faltas. |||indicated|||||to paint it||||||||do (subjunct|||mistakes "But, according to what they say," Marcial pointed out, "Mr. Corneta wants to paint it and is looking for an act of war that will make him forget his faults."

Yo me alegro, pues de ese modo se verá quién puede y quién no puede. ||happy||||||will see|||||| I'm glad, because that way you'll see who can and who can't.

—Lo indudable—prosiguió Malespina—, es que la escuadra inglesa anda cerca y con intento de bloquear a Cádiz. |undeniable|he/she/it continued|||||||is near||||||to block|| "The undoubted thing," continued Malespina, "is that the English squadron is close and trying to blockade Cadiz.

Los marinos españoles opinan que nuestra escuadra no debe salir de la bahía, donde hay probabilidades de que venza. |||think||||||||||||probabilities|||it wins The Spanish sailors are of the opinion that our squadron should not leave the bay, where there is a probability that it will win. Mas el francés parece que se obstina en salir. ||||||is stubborn|| But the Frenchman seems to be obstinate in leaving.

—Veremos—dijo mi amo—. We will see||| "We shall see," said my master.

De todos modos, el combate será glorioso. Regardless, the combat will be glorious.

—Glorioso, sí—contestó Malespina—. "Glorious, yes," answered Malespina.

¿Pero quién asegura que sea afortunado? |||||fortunate But who says he's lucky? Los marinos se forjan ilusiones, y quizás por estar demasiado cerca, no conocen la inferioridad de nuestro armamento frente al de los ingleses. |||forge|illusions||||||||||inferiority|||armament||||| The sailors have illusions, and perhaps because they are too close, they do not know the inferiority of our weapons compared to that of the English. Estos, además de una soberbia artillería, tienen todo lo necesario para reponer prontamente sus averías. ||||superb|artillery||||||to repair|promptly||breakdowns These, in addition to a superb artillery, have everything necessary to promptly repair their breakdowns. No digamos nada en cuanto al personal: el de nuestros enemigos es inmejorable, compuesto todo de viejos y muy expertos marinos, mientras que muchos de los navíos españoles están tripulados en gran parte por gente de leva, siempre holgazana y que apenas sabe el oficio; el cuerpo de infantería tampoco es un modelo, pues las plazas vacantes se han llenado con tropa de tierra muy valerosa, sin duda, pero que se marea. |let's say|||||||||||unbeatable|composed||||||||||||||||crewed|||||||press gang||lazy|||barely|||trade||||infantry||||||||vacancies|||||troops||||valiant||||||gets seasick Let us not say anything about the personnel: that of our enemies is unbeatable, made up entirely of old and very expert sailors, while many of the Spanish ships are manned in large part by conscript people, always lazy and who hardly know their trade; the infantry corps is not a model either, since the vacant positions have been filled with very courageous land troops, without a doubt, but they get dizzy.

—En fin—dijo mi amo—, dentro de algunos días sabremos lo que ha de resultar de esto. |||||||||we will know||||||| "Well," said my master, "in a few days we shall know what will come of this."

—Lo que ha de resultar ya lo sé yo—observó Doña Francisca—. "I already know what will turn out," Doña Francisca observed.

Que esos caballeros, sin dejar de decir que han alcanzado mucha gloria, volverán a casa con la cabeza rota. ||gentlemen||||||||||they will return||||||broken That those gentlemen, while saying that they have achieved much glory, will return home with their heads broken.

—Mujer, ¿tú qué entiendes de eso?—dijo D. Alonso sin poder contener un arrebato de enojo, que sólo duró un instante. |||||||||||||outburst||anger||||| "Woman, what do you understand about that?" D. Alonso said, unable to contain a fit of anger, which only lasted an instant.

—¡Más que tú!—contestó vivamente ella—. ||||vividly| "More than you!" she answered sharply.

Pero Dios querrá preservarle a usted, señor D. Rafael, para que vuelva sano y salvo». ||will want|to preserve you||||||||come back|healthy||safe and sound But God will want to preserve you, Mr. Rafael, so that you return safe and sound».

Esta conversación ocurría durante la cena, la cual fue muy triste; y después de lo referido, los cuatro personajes no dijeron una palabra. This conversation was taking place over dinner, which was very sad; and after what was said, the four characters did not say a word.

Concluida aquélla, se verificó la despedida, que fue tiernísima, y por un favor especial, propio de aquella ocasión solemne, los bondadosos padres dejaron solos a los novios, permitiéndoles despedirse a sus anchas y sin testigos para que el disimulo no les obligara a omitir algún accidente que fuera desahogo a su profunda pena. Concluded|||verified||farewell|||very tender||||||||||||kind||||||couple|allowing them|to say goodbye|||wide open|||witnesses||||disguise|||would force||to omit|||||release relief|||| After that, the farewell was verified, which was very tender, and for a special favor, typical of that solemn occasion, the kind parents left the bride and groom alone, allowing them to say goodbye at will and without witnesses so that dissimulation would not force them to omit some accident that was relief to his deep grief. Por más que hice no pude asistir al acto, y me es, por tanto desconocido lo que en él pasó; pero es fácil presumir que habría todas las ternezas imaginables por una y otra parte. By||||||to attend|||||||||||||||||to presume|||||tendernesses|imaginable||||| As much as I did, I could not attend the event, and therefore what happened in it is unknown to me; but it is easy to presume that there would be all the tenderness imaginable on both sides.

Cuando Malespina salió del cuarto, estaba más pálido que un difunto. |||||||pale||a|dead person When Malespina left the room, he was paler than a dead man.

Despidiose a toda prisa de mis amos, que le abrazaron con el mayor cariño, y se fue. He said goodbye|||hurry||||||||||||| He hastily said goodbye to my masters, who embraced him with the greatest affection, and left. Cuando acudimos a donde estaba mi amita, la encontramos hecha un mar de lágrimas: tan grande era su dolor, que los cariñosos padres no pudieron calmar su espíritu con ingeniosas razones, ni atemperar su cuerpo con los cordiales que traje a toda prisa de la botica. |we went||||||||||||tears||||||||loving||||||||ingenious|||to soothe|||||cordials|||||hurry|||pharmacy When we went to where my friend was, we found her in a sea of tears: so great was her pain, that the loving parents could not calm her spirit with ingenious reasons, nor temper her body with the cordials that I brought in haste from the apothecary. . Confieso que, profundamente apenado, yo también, al ver la desgracia de los pobres amantes, se amortiguó en mi pecho el rencorcillo que me inspiraba Malespina. I confess|||sorrowful||||||||||||softened|||||grudge|||| I confess that, deeply saddened, I too, seeing the misfortune of the poor lovers, muffled in my chest the resentment that Malespina inspired in me. El corazón de un niño perdona fácilmente, y el mío no era el menos dispuesto a los sentimientos dulces y expansivos. |||||forgives|||||||||||||||expansive A child's heart forgives easily, and mine was not the least disposed to sweet and expansive feelings.