海底兩萬里 第33期 第4章 尼德蘭(2)

　　Voluntary watches from the crosstrees of the topgallant sail were self-imposed by more than one who would have cursed such toil under any other circumstances. As often as the sun swept over its daily arc, the masts were populated with sailors whose feet itched and couldn't hold still on the planking of the deck below! And the Abraham Lincoln's stempost hadn't even cut the suspected waters of the Pacific.

　　不止一個海員搶著要到桅頂橫木上去值班，要是換了另一種情況，這種苦差事是沒有人不咒罵的。只要太陽還在空中的時候，船桅邊總是擠滿了水手，盡管腳掌踩在船甲板上燙得吃不消，他們?nèi)匀徽驹谀抢镆粍右膊粍印Ｆ鋵?，林肯號的船頭這時還沒有沾上太平洋的海水呢。

　　As for the crew, they only wanted to encounter the unicorn, harpoon it, haul it on board, and carve it up. They surveyed the sea with scrupulous care. Besides, Commander Farragut had mentioned that a certain sum of $2,000.00 was waiting for the man who first sighted the animal, be he cabin boy or sailor, mate or officer. I'll let the reader decide whether eyes got proper exercise aboard the Abraham Lincoln.

　　至于船上的全體人員，大家都希望碰著海麒麟，用魚叉喇死它，把它拖上船來，宰割它。他們?nèi)际中⌒牡貍刹熘蠛?。何況，法拉古艦長說過，不論練習生成水手，水兵或軍官，誰先報告海麒麟的消息，都可以得二千美元的獎金。因此，林肯號船上的眼睛會更忙起來，那是不難想象的。

　　As for me, I didn't lag behind the others and I yielded to no one my share in these daily observations.

　　至于我，也不落后，我并不把我每天應做的觀察讓別人代勞。