英语听书《白鲸记》第548期

 　　and armed with their keen mincing¹ knives (long, crescentic, heavy implements² with a handle at each end)  每个人拿着他们的锋利的剁肉刀子(一种有柄的，又长又重的，蛾眉月式的家伙)，

　　run amuck³ from the bowsprit to the taffrail; and if by any devilishness of desperation possible, seize the ship. 然后从第一斜桅奔到船尾栏杆，见人就杀；如果有神差鬼使的冒险可能，就把船给占领下来。

　　For himself, he would do this, he said, whether they joined him or not. 他说，就他自己说来，他是会这样做的，不管他们跟不跟他一起干。

　　That was the last night he should spend in that den⁴. 这是他待在这个窝里的最后一夜了。

　　But the scheme met with no opposition⁵ on the part of the other two; 这计划并没有遭到他们两个人的反对，

　　they swore they were ready for that, or for any other mad thing, for anything in short but a surrender. 他们发了誓，说他们准备这样做，也准备做更惊人的事情，总之，除了投降，什么都会干。

　　And what was more, they each insisted upon being the first man on deck, when the time to make the rush should come. 不过呢，他们各人都为在冲出去的时候谁先上甲板这个问题争持不下。

　　But to this their leader as fiercely objected, reserving that priority for himself; 他们的头领，对此表示强烈地反对，认为他自己拥有先出去的优先权；

　　particularly as his two comrades would not yield, the one to the other, in the matter;  特别是另外两个同伴，对这事情都各不相让；

　　and both of them could not be first, for the ladder would but admit one man at a time.  可他们两个又不能一起先出去，因为一张梯子，一次只能走一个人。

　　And here, gentlemen, the foul⁶ play of these miscreants⁷ must come out. 到了这里，诸位先生，这些恶棍的卑劣行为可非露底不可了。

　　Upon hearing the frantic⁸ project of their leader, each in his own separate soul had suddenly lighted, it would seem, upon the same piece of treachery,  听了他们的头目这个疯狂计划后，仿佛各人的心里都不约而同地突然想到了同样的诡计，

　　namely: to be the foremost in breaking out, in order to be the first of the three, though the last of the ten, to surrender; 那就是：为了投降，虽然是十个人中的最后一批，可是，这三个人里头，却都要争取第一个首先冲出去，

　　and thereby⁹ secure whatever small chance of pardon such conduct might merit.  因为这样一来，也许还多少可以获得个宽赦的机会。

1 mincing   

adj.矫饰的；v.切碎；切碎

参考例句：

• She came to the park with mincing,and light footsteps.她轻移莲步来到了花园之中。
• There is no use in mincing matters.掩饰事实是没有用的。

2 implements   

n.工具( implement的名词复数 )；家具；手段；[法律]履行（契约等）v.实现( implement的第三人称单数 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• Primitive man hunted wild animals with crude stone implements. 原始社会的人用粗糙的石器猎取野兽。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• They ordered quantities of farm implements. 他们订购了大量农具。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 amuck   

ad.狂乱地

参考例句：

• The sea ran amuck.海上风暴肆虐。
• The scoundrels who ran amuck will be severely punished.横行无忌的歹徒将受到严惩。

4 den   

n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室

参考例句：

• There is a big fox den on the back hill.后山有一个很大的狐狸窝。
• The only way to catch tiger cubs is to go into tiger's den.不入虎穴焉得虎子。

5 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

6 foul   

adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规

参考例句：

• Take off those foul clothes and let me wash them.脱下那些脏衣服让我洗一洗。
• What a foul day it is!多么恶劣的天气！

7 miscreants   

n.恶棍，歹徒( miscreant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I ordered the miscreants to let me out. 我命令这些土匪放我出去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Local people demanded that the District Magistrate apprehend the miscreants. 当地人要求地方法官逮捕那些歹徒。 来自辞典例句

8 frantic   

adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的

参考例句：

• I've had a frantic rush to get my work done.我急急忙忙地赶完工作。
• He made frantic dash for the departing train.他发疯似地冲向正开出的火车。

9 thereby   

adv.因此，从而

参考例句：

• I have never been to that city,,ereby I don't know much about it.我从未去过那座城市，因此对它不怎么熟悉。
• He became a British citizen,thereby gaining the right to vote.他成了英国公民，因而得到了投票权。