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it was carrying more than the 1,200 people selected to be the lucky colonists.
它承載著1200多名 被幸運(yùn)選中的殖民地人民
It was carrying the hopes of an entire nation.
也承載者整個蘇格蘭的希冀
But the only information the Company of Scotland had about Darien
而蘇格蘭公司對達(dá)連灣的唯一了解
was from a pirate surgeon called Lionel Wafer,
源于一個名為萊昂內(nèi)爾·韋弗的海盜船醫(yī)
who claimed he knew the Caribbean very well and had convinced them the place was paradise.
聲稱對加勒比海了如指掌 并說服人們相信那是片失落人間的伊甸園
The climate was mild, he said,the soil fertile and the natives friendly.
那里氣候溫和 他形容道 土地肥沃 且民風(fēng)淳樸
They were also vain,spending much of the day combing their long hair
那里的人們也愛慕虛榮 每天花上大量的時間梳理他們長長的頭發(fā)
so, naturally,the ship's cargo included combs,thousands of them.
因而很自然的 船上的貨物中有成千上萬把梳子
The rest of the cargo says something about the conditions they were expecting to encounter.
其余的貨物則是他們期望 為當(dāng)?shù)厝怂枰奈锲?/p>
Crate-loads of catechisms and Bibles for converting the pagans.
他們裝載了成箱的教義書和圣經(jīng) 想要轉(zhuǎn)變異教徒的信仰
1,400 hats, an even greater supply of wigs.
還有1400頂帽子以及更大數(shù)量的假發(fā)
The Darienites were expecting to live like lairds of the Lagoon!
他們預(yù)計達(dá)連人的生活方式 與瀉湖的蘇格蘭地主相差無幾
But before the ship got anywhere near Darien,
然而船還未靠近達(dá)連灣
the dream had turned into a nightmare.
美夢就變成了噩夢
Forty crew and passengers died on the long voyage,
四十名船員及乘客死于長途顛簸
and when they found their golden island,
而當(dāng)所謂的金銀島呈現(xiàn)在眼前的時候
it was, of course, a mosquito-infested swamp.
他們發(fā)現(xiàn)那不過是片蚊飛蠅舞的沼澤
The natives did not, it seemed,
當(dāng)?shù)厝丝磥聿⒉恍枰麄儙淼娜魏呜浳?/p>
want their combs or anything else.
更不用說那些梳子了
