英語聽書《白鯨記》第592期

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First: In order to facilitate the fastening to it of an additional line from a neighboring boat, in case the stricken whale should sound so deep as to threaten to carry off the entire line originally attached to the harpoon. In these instances, the whale of course is shifted like a mug of ale, as it were, from the one boat to the other; though the first boat always hovers at hand to assist its consort. Second: This arrangement is indispensable for common safety's sake; for were the lower end of the line in any way attached to the boat, and were the whale then to run the line out to the end almost in a single, smoking minute as he sometimes does, he would not stop there, for the doomed boat would infallibly be dragged down after him into the profundity of the sea; and in that case no town-CRIer would ever find her again.

第一，萬一碰到那條被擊中了的鯨深鉆到了海底，有把原來接在標槍上的全部索子都拖下去的危險時，那么，就可以把這一頭接在鄰近的小艇的另一條索子上。在這種場合，大鯨自然就象一桶麥酒那樣，在兩只小艇間晃來晃去；原來那只小艇則始終在旁邊蕩來蕩去，以便隨時幫助它的僚艇。其次，這也是為照顧大家安全而必不可缺的做法；因為如果把索子下邊的一端隨便縛在艇上，萬一剛好碰上當時那條鯨差不多在一筒煙工夫（這是常常會碰到的）就要把索子都拖光了，它又不會就此打住，那么，那只注定要慘遭大難的小艇就一定會給它一起拖了下去，直拖進了海底；這樣一來，任你怎樣喊破喉嚨，也無法再找到那只小艇。

Before lowering the boat for the chase, the upper end of the line is taken aft from the tub, and passing round the loggerhead there, is again carried forward the entire length of the boat, resting crosswise upon the loom or handle of every man's oar, so that it jogs against his wrist in rowing; and also passing between the men, as they alternately sit at the opposite gunwales, to the leaded chocks or grooves in the extreme pointed prow of the boat, where a wooden pin or skewer the size of a common quill, prevents it from slipping out.

在放下小艇追擊之前，得先把捕鯨索的上端打從艇后的小桶里拉出來，兜過艇尾的圓柱，再由艇尾直拉到艇頭，交叉地繞在每只槳柄或者櫓柄上，這樣，在劃槳的時候，捕鯨索就輕擦著槳手的肘腕；同時，捕鯨索也就在那些間隔地坐在艇舷兩側(cè)的水手間繞來繞去，一直拉到小艇最前頭的突出的木楔或者槽溝里，繞在裝有一種跟普通木簽子一般大小的木串軸或者扣軸的地方，使它不致滑脫。