经济学人下载:丘吉尔的多面人生(下)

Visiting Cuba in 1895, during its war of independence from Spain, he travelled unperturbed through some of the island's most dangerous territory while writing for the Daily Graphic.
1895年，丘吉尔到了正在为脱离西班牙统治而战斗的古巴，他镇定地穿过岛上最危险的地区，同时为《每日画报》撰写稿件。

The next year his regiment was transferred to India, where he fought Pushtun tribesmen on the border with Afghanistan, penning articles for the Daily Telegraph from a blood-splattered foxhole on the battlefield.
次年，他所在的军团调往印度驻防，在印度与阿富汗接壤的地区与普什图部落作战，在战场上血迹斑斑的掩体里，他为《每日电讯报》写通讯。

He was then sent to Sudan, where he took part in the British army's last great cavalry charge, at the Battle of Omdurman in 1898.
他随后被派往苏丹，在那里参加了1898年的恩图曼战役，这是英国陆军历史上最后一次骑兵冲锋。

After narrowly losing a by-election in Oldham, he returned to the journalistic fray as a war correspondent in South Africa for the Morning Post during the second Boer war of 1899-1902.
丘吉尔在奥尔德姆选区的补选中以微弱差距落败，此后回归新闻记者的行列，在1899年至1902年的第二次布尔战争中，他担任《晨报》驻南非的战地记者。

There he hit the front pages in his own right; he was captured by the Boers while accompanying a scouting expedition on an armoured train.
他凭借自己的能力登上了报纸头版；他跟随侦察探险队乘坐装甲列车前进，被布尔人所俘获。

Even that could not stop Churchill, who soon escaped from the prisoner-of-war camp, travelling almost 300 miles to safety in Portuguese East Africa.
即使被俘也无法阻止丘吉尔的脚步，他很快从战俘营中逃脱，跋涉了近300英里的路程，安全抵达葡萄牙统治下的南非。

As Mr Read notes, by the time of his return from Africa, Churchill had saved more than 4,000 from his writing, equivalent to 400,000 today.
正如里德指出的那样，从非洲返回英国的时候，丘吉尔通过写作攒下了超过4000英镑，相当于今天的40万英镑。

With judicious economy, he told his brother, I shall hope to make that carry me through the lean years.
凭借着精打细算，他告诉自己的兄弟，我指望这笔钱能让我度过艰苦的岁月。

But he returned to old habits in the years to come.
但是他在此后的几年里故态复萌。

Notable extravagances involved losing badly gambling in Monte Carlo and betting that share prices would continue to rise when the Wall Street crash hit.
值得一提的是，他的生活穷奢极欲，在蒙特卡洛赌博输掉大笔钱财，在华尔街大崩盘的时候押注股价会继续上涨。

Churchill did not continue to write simply for adventure or fun;
丘吉尔继续写作不是为了冒险或乐趣，

he did so to make ends meet.
他这样做只是为了糊口。

But even that was not enough.
但是即便如此也不够。

He required bail-outs from wealthy friends in 1938, 1940 and 1946 to save him from bankruptcy.
在1938年、1940年和1946年，他需要富裕的朋友伸出援手，才能使他免于破产。

Both books manage to tell their tales of Churchill the adventurer and gambler elegantly.
两本书都精心讲述了丘吉尔身为冒险家和绅士赌徒的故事。

And for a financial biography, Mr Lough's is a surprising page-turner.
就金融传记而言，戴维·洛的这本书引人入胜、令人惊叹。

But the two authors only briefly link their assessments of Churchill's personality to the important decisions he made in office—and even then only in vague terms.
但是两位作者只是草率地把他们对丘吉尔个性的判断与他在政坛所做的重要决定联系起来，甚至只是含糊其辞地谈及此事。

For instance, both fail to mention how his frequent bouts of depression may have contributed to his impulsiveness and risk-taking.
比如说，两本书都没有提到，他经常发作的抑郁症可能是冲动和冒险行为的罪魁祸首。

Although their stories are worth telling, they have left bigger questions about Churchill to other historians.
虽然他们讲述的故事颇为精彩，却把关于丘吉尔的更多疑问留给其他历史学家去解决。