Another point of difference between the male and female schools is still more characteristic of the sexes. Say you strike a Forty-barrel-bull—poor devil! all his comrades quit him. But strike a member of the harem school, and her companions swim around her with every token of concern, sometimes lingering so near her and so long, as themselves to fall a prey.
雄鯨隊與雌鯨隊還有一種更具有性別特征的不同之處。比如說,你去攻擊一條四十大桶的雄鯨吧——天呀!它所有的同伴都棄它而逃??墒?,如果你去攻擊閨秀鯨隊中的一個成員的話,那她的同伴就顯得非常關(guān)切,在她周圍游來游去,有時竟至于游得那么靠近她,逗留得那么久,連她們自己也成了獵物。
Chapter 89 Fast-Fish and Loose-Fish
第八十九章 有主鯨和無主鯨
The allusion to the waifs and waif-poles in the last chapter but one, necessitates some account of the laws and regulations of the whale fishery, of which the waif may be deemed the grand symbol and badge.
前一章偶然提到的浮標(biāo)和浮標(biāo)桿,這里,有必要把捕鯨業(yè)的一些大法和規(guī)章說明一下,其中關(guān)于浮標(biāo)一項還可以說是一種重大的標(biāo)記。
It frequently happens that when several ships are cruising in company, a whale may be struck by one vessel, then escape, and be finally killed and captured by another vessel; and herein are indirectly comprised many minor contingencies, all partaking of this one grand feature. For example,—after a weary and perilous chase and capture of a whale, the body may get loose from the ship by reason of a violent storm; and drifting far away to leeward, be retaken by a second whaler, who, in a calm, snugly tows it alongside, without risk of life or line. Thus the most vexatious and violent disputes would often arise between the fishermen, were there not some written or unwritten, universal, undisputed law applicable to all cases.
往往會發(fā)生這樣的事情:幾艘船在一起巡游時,其中有一艘船,可能打到了一條鯨,又給它逃脫了,最后讓另外一艘船打死捉去了;這中間雖然間接地包含有許多不重要的意外事故,但都關(guān)系到這個重大的標(biāo)記。例如,在一陣危險而疲累的追擊后,捕到了一條大鯨,但是,那條鯨由于猛烈的風(fēng)暴可能逃卻了,漂到老遠的下風(fēng)處,給第二艘捕鯨船捉去了,這艘船一點也不必冒生命和繩索的風(fēng)險,就不慌不忙地隨手把它拖起走了。因此,如果沒有一些可以適用于各種情況的成文的或不成文的、且是大家一致遵守、不必爭辯的大法,那么,捕鯨人之間就會經(jīng)常發(fā)生最激烈又最惱人的糾紛了。