John Thompson is a runaway from Maryland.
約翰·湯普森是馬里蘭州一名逃跑的奴隸2]=U]lPncM,z6mv。
I have a family in Philadelphia. But fearing to remain there any longer, I thought I would go on a whaling voyage where I stood least chance of being arrested by slave hunters.
我的家在費城，但我不敢再在那里多呆，我想到了去航海捕鯨，抓捕逃奴的賞金獵人們不太可能跑到海上來追捕我H6KhMw@^N2f。
The equal opport unity offered in whaling is ahead of its time. Here, a colored man is only known and looked upon as a man and is promoted in rank according to his ability and skill to perform the same duties as a white man.
捕鯨業所提供的平等機會超前于其所處的時代，在這里色人種真正被當人看待并且他們的晉升只取決于能力和技術水平，干的活也和白人一樣zkjBceb4A!rMtp3yM。
The whaling industry offered an ex -slave like John Thompson the possibility of socialand economic fluidity, mobility and acceptance in a way.
從某種角度來說，捕鯨業為那些像約翰·湯普森一樣當過奴隸的人提供了社會經濟層面的流動性和被人接受的可能性，
Even in the North, that was not possible for black people otherwise.
即使在北方，對于黑人來說這在其它行業也是不可能的J0C0q6G0[ab6&K。
The man on the lookout cried out, "There she blows!" There were four whales in sight, not more than 3/4 of a mile distant. It takes hours to kill them.
負責瞭望的人大聲叫道"她在那兒噴水呢"，海面上出現了四只鯨魚，距離他們只有不到四分之三英里，獵殺它們需要花費數小時的時間72CkcFU-&nncp。
They use state -of -the-art harpoons invented by runaway slave Lewis Temple. The whale can only be killed by lancing him under the fin, which is a work of much skill and practice.
他們用的是最先進的魚叉，這是由一個名叫路易斯·坦普的逃奴發明的殺死鯨魚的唯一方法是在魚鰭處捅入魚叉，這需要很多練習和技巧YXm*fvek_oa3zg(.G。
A monster, terrible in his fury, able to shiver the boat in atoms by one stroke of his tail.
一頭盛怒之中的猛獸足以在擺尾之間讓小船灰飛煙滅1,fdE[8revDD8iht6wZk。
And yet even the dangers at sea are preferable to the horror of life as a slave.
但海上生活縱使再兇險也比可怕的奴隸生活要強得多RI@T;.I;FD;ETb.Jj。
Punishment is savage for those who risk escape, but some will do anything to be free.
對那些冒險逃跑的奴隸的懲罰手段極其兇殘，但仍有人為了自由不惜一切代價YO%hW3z79&^sD。
1841, New Orlea ns. Ground zero for the slave trade. It's auction day. The day every slave fears the most.
1841年，新奧爾良，奴隸交易的中心，這一天是拍賣日，一個讓所有奴隸心驚膽戰的日子]md)lV&!f%m(=ly。
In the first half of the 19th century, over half a million slaves are sold at auction. It's a business worth $2 billion to the Southern economy.
在十九世紀上半葉，超過一半的奴隸是在拍賣會上被賣出的，這一行業在南方經濟中占了20億美元Mc#wuFz#LHPx。
Since the cotton boom, the value of slaves has skyrocketed.
由于棉花種植業的繁榮，奴隸的價格飆升0]!v5RR~Dy=nV%j|jyJ。
Now men cost $1,000. Women, 800. Children, 500.Solomon Northup, an educated freeman from the North, was kidnapped into slavery.
現在，男奴隸1000美元，女奴隸800美元，兒童500美元i=!XuLp_hX@qOK。所羅門·諾薩普[曾著自傳《為奴十二載》]，一位來自北方的受過教育的自由人因遭綁架而淪為奴隸ShuzV@u.DfiAzR.&)。