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In a sweltering, rainy jungle,
在悶熱多雨的熱帶叢里中
all the colonists' efforts went into lugging Cannon
殖民者們傾盡全力將加農炮
into a primitive stockade bravely christened Fort St Andrew.
拖入原始的柵欄中 這柵欄被冠以"圣安德魯堡壘"這一英武之名
They were dying now of disease and hunger at a rate of ten a day,
每天都有十人被疾病和饑餓拋向死亡
and their supplies ran with maggots.
而他們的物資也生蛆腐爛
And there was no outside help.
沒有人前來營救他們
Tropical New Caledonia was a direct threat to the English trading empire
深陷熱帶的新喀里多尼亞 使英格蘭的貿易帝國地位岌岌可危
and the government in Westminster was determined it should fail.
英格蘭政府也決意宣告失敗
A law was passed making it illegal for any Englishman to invest in the scheme
政府出臺了相關了法令 規定任何投資
or give assistance to the desperate Darienite
或者挽救這個計劃的行為都屬違法
When a second Scottish expedition arrived at New Edinburgh,all they found were hundreds of graves.
當第二支蘇格蘭遠征隊踏上新愛丁堡時 觸目皆是成百上千座墳墓
Back home, when the full extent of the disaster sunk in,
當故國的人們了解了這起悲劇的始末后
the fate of the Darien expeditions became a national trauma.
第一批冒險者的多舛命運使舉國哀痛
They consumed a full third of Scotland's liquid capital.
這次冒險消耗了蘇格蘭 整整三分之一的流動資金
but the most serious casualty of the fiasco had been the last,
而這次慘敗的最大損失在于
best hope of a national rebirth Scotland going it alone.
它覆滅了蘇格蘭依靠自己的力量 涅槃重生的美夢
That hope died in the malarial swamps of Darien.
那希望被達連充滿瘴氣的沼澤吞噬殆盡
