On the contrary, it seemed, that mainly at Steelkilt's instigation, they had resolved to maintain the strictest peacefulness, obey all orders to the last, and, when the ship reached port, desert her in a body. But in order to insure the speediest end to the voyage, they all agreed to another thing--namely, not to sing out for whales, in case any should be discovered. For, spite of her leak, and spite of all her other perils, the Town-Hostill maintained her mast-heads, and her captain was just as willing to lower for a fish that moment, as on the day his craft first struck the cruising ground; and Radney the mate was quite as ready to change his berth for a boat, and with his bandaged mouth seek to gag in death the vital jaw of the whale.
反之,看來主要是在斯蒂爾基爾特的教唆下,他們決定要保持絕對的安靜,把各種命令遵守到底,等到船靠岸的時候,就集體開小差??墒?,為了保證最迅速地結束航程,他們都一致同意另一件事——就是,萬一發(fā)現了什么大鯨,都不叫喊出來。因為,盡管船已漏了,盡管它已發(fā)生了其它各種不幸,這艘“大鯨出來了號”,可還是繼續(xù)派著桅頂瞭望者,而且,當時,它的船長仍同船只剛到巡游場的第一天那樣,還很想放下小艇去弄條大鯨,那個大副拉德尼也真隨時準備把他的吊鋪換成一只小艇,想把他那包著繃帶的嘴巴去填大鯨的鬼門關似的大嘴巴呢。
But though the Lakeman had induced the seamen to adopt this sort of passiveness in their conduct, he kept hisown counsel (at least till all was over) concerning his own proper and private revenge upon the man who had stung him in the ventricles of his heart. He was in Radney the chief mate's watch; and as if the infatuated man sought to run more than half way to meet his doom, after the scene at the rigging, he insisted, against the express counsel of the captain, upon resuming the head of his watch at night. Upon this, and one or two other circumstances, Steelkilt systematically built the plan of his revenge.
不過雖則湖上人已經唆使了水手們采取這種消極的行動,他自己對那個傷透了他的心的人,卻另懷有自己的一套獨特的、秘密的復仇計劃(至少要把一切都弄停妥)。他值的是那個大副拉德尼領的班,仿佛這個糊涂蛋經過了索具地方那幕活劇后,還想更快地自尋死路似的,他不顧船長的明白的勸告,硬要開始帶領夜班。就在這幾種情況下,使斯蒂爾基爾特得以有系統(tǒng)地做出他那復仇的計劃。