是不是那個博學的斯塔布曾經爬上你的絞盤,給你講過鯨類的解剖學;而且還用絞車,吊起一根肋骨標本給你看了?你倒自己說說看,以實瑪利。難道你能夠象廚師把一只烤豬裝在盆子里那樣,把一條茁壯的大鯨吊上甲板,讓你檢查一番么?這肯定是不可能的。以實瑪利,你雖然有了真正的親眼目睹的經歷,不過你得留神,你已經侵犯了約拿的特權啦;侵犯到談論托梁,橫梁,談論那些搭起大鯨的骨架的角椽,屋脊梁,地板托,支持物,以及它肚皮里的大油桶,牛奶棚,牛油間和干酪間等等的特權嘍。
I confess, that since Jonah, few whalemen have penetrated very far beneath the skin of the adult whale; nevertheless, I have been blessed with an opportunity to dissect him in miniature. In a ship I belonged to, a small cub Sperm Whale was once bodily hoisted to the deck for his poke or bag, to make sheaths for the barbs of the harpoons, and for the heads of the lances. Think you I let that chance go, without using my boat-hatchet and jack-knife, and breaking the seal and reading all the contents of that young cub?
我承認,自約拿以來,曾經透徹地看到一條成年鯨的肚里的捕鯨者,可說為數(shù)寥寥;然而,我卻有幸獲得一個解剖一條小鯨的機會。有一回,在我服務的那艘船上,因為要取鯨鰾來做標槍鉤和捕鯨槍頭的鞘套,曾經把整條小抹香鯨吊上了甲板。你想,難道我肯放過那個機會,不使起我的船斧和小刀去揭揭那條小東西的皮,詳細研究它全部的內容嘛?
And as for my exact knowledge of the bones of the leviathan in their gigantic, full grown development, for that rare knowledge I am indebted to my late royal friend Tranquo, king of Tranque, one of the Arsacides.
至于說到我對于那種身軀碩大茁壯的大鯨的骨胳的正確的知識,這種難得的知識卻須感謝我那位王族朋友托朗郭,就是阿薩西提的前任托朗魁(托朗魁——智利的一個荒僻的小島,在南緯四十三度和西經七十三度的地方。)王。