英语听书《白鲸记》第850期

The voyage was a skilful and lucky one; and returning to her berth with her hold full of the precious sperm, the Amelia's example was soon followed by other ships, English and American, and thus the vast Sperm Whale grounds of the Pacific were thrown open. But not content with this good deed, the indefatigable house again bestirred itself: Samuel and all his Sons—how many, their mother only knows—and under their immediate auspices, and partly, I think, at their expense, the British government was induced to send the sloop-of-war Rattler on a whaling voyage of discovery into the South Sea. Commanded by a naval Post-Captain, the Rattler made a rattling voyage of it, and did some service; how much does not appear. But this is not all. In 1819, the same house fitted out a discovery whale ship of their own, to go on a tasting cruise to the remote waters of Japan. That ship— well called the "Syren"—made a noble experimental cruise; and it was thus that the great Japanese Whaling Ground first became generally known. The Syren in this famous voyage was commanded by a Captain Coffin, a Nantucketer.

这是一次灵巧而幸运的航行；载着满舱名贵的鲸脑回到了停泊地，阿美利亚立刻便成为其它英美船只所追循的模范，于是，太平洋上的巨大的抹香鲸渔场给开辟下来了。可是，这个精力不倦的公司并不满足于这些优异成绩，又大事活跃起来：撒母耳公司和各分支公司——究竟有多少，那只有他们的总公司才知道——在他们的直接监督下，而且我想大半还有他们的投资，弄得英国政府也兴致勃勃地派出了炮舰"漂亮号"，到南海去开辟捕鲸航线了。这艘"漂亮号"，由一个海军的小舰长率领，倒是做了一次漂亮的航行，也做了一些事情；成绩如何却不得而知。但是，事情还有着呢。一八一九年，这个公司又亲自装备了一艘开辟捕鲸航线的船，直驶到遥远的日本海，去作一次试探性的巡游。那艘船——名字真好听，叫做"海妖"——完成了一次了不起的试验性的巡游；也正由于这样，日本的大捕鲸渔场初次显了名。在这次著名的航行中，"海妖"的船长就是一个叫做科芬的南塔开特人。

All honor to the Enderbies, therefore, whose house, I think, exists to the present day; though doubtless the original Samuel must long ago have slipped his cable for the great South Sea of the other world.

光荣归于恩德比家族，因此，我想这个公司，迄今还是存在的；不过，毫无疑问，原来的那个撒母耳，一定是早就启碇到另一个世界的南海里去了。

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