As an overladen Indiaman bearing down the Hindostan coast with a deck load of frightened horses, careens, buries, rolls, and wallows on her way; so did this old whale heave his aged bulk, and now and then partly turning over on his cumbrous rib-ends, expose the cause of his devious wake in the unnatural stump of his starboard fin. Whether he had lost that fin in battle, or had been born without it, it were hard to say.
如同一只超載的東印度公司貿(mào)易船,甲板上裝著許多驚惶失措的種馬,正在印度斯坦的海面上傾傾斜斜,急急匆匆,翻騰滾動(dòng)地沖去一樣;這條老鯨就是這般情況,曳著它那年邁的體軀,不時(shí)地半翻著它那笨重的兩側(cè),叫人看出它那失常的游法,是因?yàn)樗挠姻捴皇S幸欢问С5臍垬兜木壒省>烤鼓菞l鰭是它在戰(zhàn)斗中失掉了,還是天生就沒有的,這卻很難說了。
Only wait a bit, old chap, and I'll give ye a sling for that wounded arm, CRIed cruel Flask, pointing to the whale-line near him.
且等一等,老朋友,讓我給你一根吊索,把那只殘臂吊住吧,殘酷的弗拉斯克指著他身旁一根捕鯨索,叫道。
Mind he don't sling thee with it, CRIed Starbuck. "Give way, or the German will have him."
當(dāng)心別讓它用吊索把你吊住了,斯達(dá)巴克嚷道,"快劃呀,要不然,就會(huì)給那個(gè)德國人捉去啦。"
With one intent all the combined rival boats were pointed for this one fish, because not only was he the largest, and therefore the most valuable whale, but he was nearest to them, and the other whales were going with such great velocity, moreover, as almost to defy pursuit for the time. At this juncture, the Pequod's keels had shot by the three German boats last lowered; but from the great start he had had, Derick's boat still led the chase, though every moment neared by his foreign rivals. The only thing they feared, was, that from being already so nigh to his mark, he would be enabled to dart his iron before they could completely overtake and pass him.
所有這幾只爭逐的小艇,都一心一意地要追住這條鯨,因?yàn)樗坏亲畲?,因而是最貴重的鯨,也是最靠近他們的,而其它那些鯨卻那么用勁地游去,簡直不是一下子就追擊得到。這時(shí),"裴廓德號(hào)"的三只小艇已經(jīng)超在后來放下的三只德國人小艇前邊了;可是,由于德立克的小艇本來就已占先一著,他還是搶在前頭,雖然他的異國的爭逐者隨時(shí)都有靠近他的可能。不過,因?yàn)榈铝⒖艘呀?jīng)這樣靠近了那條鯨,"裴廓德號(hào)"的水手們最擔(dān)心的就是,恐怕他們還來不及完全趕過了他,他也許會(huì)把標(biāo)槍擲了出去。