席琳

关于中日甲午海战中民族英雄邓世昌的死，在百度百科中是如此介绍的：

• 1894年（光绪二十年），邓世昌常曰：人谁不死，但愿死得其所尔。9月17日在黄海大东沟海战中，邓世昌指挥致远舰奋勇作战，后在日舰围攻下，致远多处受伤全舰燃起大火，船身倾斜。邓世昌鼓励全舰官兵道：吾辈从军卫国，早置生死于度外，如今之事，有死而已！倭舰专恃吉野，苟沉此舰，足以夺其气而成事，毅然驾舰全速撞向日本主力舰吉野号右舷，决意与敌同归于尽。倭舰官兵见状大惊失色，集中炮火向致远射击，不幸一发炮弹击中致远舰的鱼雷发射管，管内鱼雷发生爆炸导致致远舰沉没。邓世昌坠落海中后，其随从以救生圈相救，被他拒绝，并说:我立志杀敌报国，今死于海，义也，何求生为！所养的爱犬太阳亦游至其旁，口衔其臂以救，邓世昌誓与军舰共存亡，毅然按犬首入水，自己亦同沉没于波涛之中，与全舰官兵250余人一同壮烈殉国，享年45岁。

可是当年在镇远舰上当舰长的美籍清军军官加教练马吉芬（Philo Norton McGiffin，1860-1997）事后写了一篇回忆文章《鸭绿江边的海战》（The Battle of the Yalu）。文中是这样回忆邓世昌的殉国过程的：

• During the confusion of our line consequent upon being out-maneuvered, the Chen Yuen passed under our stern and joined the Lai Yuen and surviving ships of the right wing. The Ping Yuen and Kwang Ping, now coming up, threatened the Akagi and Saikio. Signals were made on the Matsushima, and the Flying Squadron maneuvered to cover the endangered vessels. About this time the Chih Yuen boldly, if somewhat foolhardily, bore down on the Flying Squadron’s line, possibly to attack the two mentioned vessels. Just what happened no one seems to know, but apparently she was struck below the waterline by a heavy shell — either a ten-inch or a thirteen-inch. Be that as it may, she took a heavy list, and, thus fatally injured, her commander, Tang Shi Chang, a most courageous albeit somewhat obstinate officer, resolved at least to avenge himself and charged one of the largest vessels, intending to ram. A hurricane of projectiles from both heavy and machine guns swept down upon his ship, the list became more pronounced, and just before getting home to his intended victim, his ship rolled over and then plunged, bows first, into the depths, righting herself as she sank, her screws whirling in the air and carrying down all hands, including the chief engineer, Mr. Purvis, a gentleman, and a most efficient officer, who was shut up in the engine room. Seven of her crew clung to one of the circular life-buoys kept on the bridge, and were drifted by the tide toward the coast, where they were rescued by a junk. The stories of these men vary so much in general as to be unreliable, but all agree on one incident. Captain Tang had a large dog of a most vicious temper, unruly at times even with his master. After the ship sank Captain Tang, who could not swim, managed to get to an oar or some small piece of wood — enough to have supported him had not his dog swum to him, and, climbing up on him, forced him to release his grasp and thus miserably drown, the brute sharing his fate — perhaps the only case on record of a man drowned by his dog.

这最后的一段文字，至为重要，将它翻译成中文如下：

• 致远舰上七个因获救而幸存的水手对定远舰的沉没各执一词，不足采信，可是对致远舰管带邓世昌的牺牲，却异口同声的一致。邓（世昌）管带养了一条脾性最凶的那种大狗，有时就算是狗的主人邓世昌在场，这条狗也很不顺服。邓因为不熟水性，在舰艇沉没之后，他抓住了一根不知是橹、还是一根什麽别的木头，刚好能使他漂浮在水面之上，可是，正是邓世昌养的这条狗，向邓世昌游了过去，并扑到了邓世昌的身上，使他抓不住木头了，因此悲催地一起沉了下去，当然那狗也是同样的命运。这也许是人类有史以来，唯一一个忠狗害死主人的纪录了。

先不说这致远舰的邓舰长如何英雄神武和激励国人，单说这位来自美国的镇远舰的马吉芬舰长，确确实实是一位伟大的国际主义战士，他是美国海军军事学院毕业，不远万里，来到中国，帮助前清建立和训练了北洋海军。

甲午海战期间大清北洋海军镇远舰美籍舰长马吉芬（Captain Philo Norton McGiffin,1860-1997）

大清国的修补匠李鸿章和北洋海军镇远舰美籍舰长马吉芬合影

甲午海战期间，马吉芬担任大清北洋海军镇远舰舰长，并身先士卒，亲赴前线。在9月17号黄海海战中，其炮弹直接命中日本旗舰松岛号。后在自己身负重伤，镇远舰也被日军重创的情况下，把镇远舰安全带回了威海卫。

1894年9月17日在黄海海战中英勇负伤了的镇远舰美籍舰长马吉芬，一只眼失明，五年后悲惨去世，享年37岁。

关于马吉芬帮助大清抗日的英勇事迹，勤劳勇敢也爱好和平的中国人民，早已经忘记了，只有亡我之心不死的美国人民，还清清楚楚地记得。