Chapter 73 Stubb and Flask Kill a Right Whale; and Then Have
第七十三章斯塔布和弗拉斯克殺死一條露脊鯨后,邊拖鯨邊談天
It must be borne in mind that all this time we have a Sperm Whale's prodigious head hanging to the Pequod's side. But we must let it continue hanging there a while till we can get a chance to attend to it. For the present other matters press, and the best we can do now for the head, is to pray heaven the tackles may hold.
必須謹記在心里的是,這一向,我們已經有一個抹香鯨的大頭掛在"裴廓德號"的船側了。可是,我們還得讓它繼續(xù)在那里掛上一陣,等我們有工夫再去料理它。目前,其它事情忙迫,現在我們對那只頭所能做的,就是祈求上天,使那架復滑車能夠頂用。
Now, during the past night and forenoon, the Pequod had gradually drifted into a sea, which, by its occasional patches of yellow brit, gave unusual tokens of the vicinity of Right Whales, a species of the Leviathan that but few supposed to be at this particular time lurking anywhere near. And though all hands commonly disdained the capture of those inferior creatures; and though the Pequod was not commissioned to cruise for them at all, and though she had passed numbers of them near the Crozetts without lowering a boat; yet now that a Sperm Whale had been brought alongside and beheaded, to the surprise of all, the announcement was made that a Right Whale should be captured that day, if opportunity offered.
且說經過了一個夜晚和一個上午后,("裴廓德號"已經逐漸漂向海里去了,這時的海上,由于偶爾出現有片片黃色的小魚群,非常明顯地表明附近有露脊鯨群,這種大海獸,會在此時潛伏在這一帶,倒是一般所意想不到的。雖則大家一般都不屑去捕捉這種窩囊廢,雖則"裴廓德號"根本就不是為它們而巡游的,雖則在我們經過克羅澤斯附近的時候,已經看到了無數的這種東西,都沒有放下過一只小艇;然而,這時,想不到已經拖來了一條抹香鯨,而且砍了頭,卻突然使大家一楞地又來了命令,說是如有機會,要在當天捕到一條露脊鯨。)
Nor was this long wanting. Tall spouts were seen to leeward; and two boats, Stubb's and Flask's, were detached in pursuit. Pulling further and further away, they at last became almost invisible to the men at the masthead.
這個有的是呢。在下風的地方,就已經看到了高高的噴水;斯塔布和弗拉斯克的兩只小艇,也已經放下去追逐了。他們劃呀劃的,越劃越遠,最后差不多連桅頂上的人也看不見他們了。