英語聽書《白鯨記》第814期

That office consists in mincing the horse-pieces of blubber for the pots; an operation which is conducted at a curious wooden horse, planted endwise against the bulwarks, and with a capacious tub beneath it, into which the minced pieces drop, fast as the sheets from a rapt orator's desk. Arrayed in decent black; occupying a conspicuous pulpit; intent on bible leaves; what a candidate for an archbishopric, what a lad for a Pope were this mincer! Bible leaves! Bible leaves! This is the invariable cry from the mates to the mincer. It enjoins him to be careful, and cut his work into as thin slices as possible, inasmuch as by so doing the business of boiling out the oil is much accelerated, and its quantity considerably increased, besides perhaps improving it in quality.

這項差使是要把白馬鯨脂塊剁碎后放到鍋里去；做法是使用一只尾部安在舷墻邊的木馬，下邊放著一只很大的木桶，剁碎的肉片就落在木桶里，速度之快有如一個慷慨激昂的演說家把講稿從講臺上一頁頁地翻落下來。他穿著莊重的黑衣服；高踞在顯眼的講壇上；全神貫注在圣經(jīng)紙上（原注：圣經(jīng)紙！圣經(jīng)紙！這是大副們對剁肉手的固定的叫喊聲。意思是叫他剁得仔細，盡量切得越薄越好，因為切得薄就可以多熬出油來，也許不僅可以改進品質(zhì)，而且還能大大增加分量。）；這個剁肉手可多象一個大主教職位的候補人，可多象羅馬教皇的小廝呀！

Chapter 96 The Try-Works

第九十六章 煉油間

Besides her hoisted boats, an American whaler is outwardly distinguished by her try-works. She presents the curious anomaly of the most solid masonry joining with oak and hemp in constituting the completed ship. It is as if from the open field a brick-kiln were transported to her planks.

要從外表上識別一艘美國捕鯨船，我們除了看到它有吊起的小艇外，還可以看到它有煉油間。煉油間是整個捕鯨船的一部分，它奇特得有如用?樹麻皮摻混起來的一種最堅固的泥水作物。它仿佛是把曠野上一座磚瓦窯給搬到船上來了。

The try-works are planted between the foremast and mainmast, the most roomy part of the deck.

煉油間就設在前桅與主桅之間的地方，也是甲板上最為寬敞的部分。

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