纪录片《南太平洋》 第69期 无尽深蓝（03）（在线收听）

But it was in these peaceful stretches of ocean that, 200 years ago, whales met whalemen.

但也就是在这片平静辽远的海域，两百年前，鲸与捕鲸人狭路相逢

In the 19th century, oil from the whales' massive heads could make great fortunes.

十九世纪，从鲸鱼硕大头部中提取的鲸油价值连城

Whaleman targeted the calfs first,

捕鲸人首先瞄准幼崽

knowing the rest of pod would soon come to their aid, and into the range of the harpoons.

他们知道其他抹香鲸很快会来救援，从而进入捕鲸叉的射程

But for one ship, the whales got their revenge.

然而有一艘渔船，遭到了鲸鱼的报复

Without warning, a huge bull rammed the hull of the 87-foot Essex.

一头巨大的雄鲸毫无预兆地撞向长达二十七米的艾萨克斯号船体

Within days, the broken ship was lost to the deep.

几天之内，损毁的船体沉入万丈深渊

With their ship gone, the 21 survivors squeezed into three whaleboats, which now became their lifeboats.

捕鲸船沉没之后，二十一名幸存者挤进三艘捕鲸小艇中，以其充当救生艇

The men salvaged what they could,

船员们尽可能地抢救物资

but they were woefully ill-equipped for the trials that lay ahead.

但面对前方的考验，这些装备是远远不够的。