and vehemently exclaimed, with downward pointed finger, 一边伸着指头，朝下指着，一边激烈地叫道，

　　"Think, think of the blasphemer— dead, and down there!—beware of the blasphemer's end!" "想一想，想一想那个亵渎神明的人——就正死在这下面！——当心那个亵渎神明者的结局！"

　　Ahab stolidly turned aside; then said to Mayhew, 亚哈迟钝地往旁边一望，然后对梅休说，

　　"Captain, I have just bethought me of my letter-bag; there is a letter for one of thy officers, if I mistake not. "船长，我刚正想起我的信袋；好象有给你的头目的一封信。

　　Starbuck, look over the bag." 斯达巴克，去瞧一瞧那袋子。"

　　Every whale-ship takes out a goodly number of letters for various ships, 每只捕鲸船都带有交给各种船只的不少信件，

　　whose delivery to the persons to whom they may be addressed, depends upon the mere chance of encountering them in the four oceans. 而信件是否能交给收信人，就全靠在四海中彼此能否有相遇的机会。

　　Thus, most letters never reach their mark; and many are only received after attaining an age of two or three years or more. 这样，大部分信件永远落不到收信人手里，有许多甚至要在两三年后才收到。

　　Soon Starbuck returned with a letter in his hand. 不一会，斯达巴克手里拿着一封信回来了，

　　It was sorely tumbled, damp, and covered with a dull, spotted, green mould, in consequence of being kept in a dark locker of the cabin. 因为是藏在舱房里那只不见天日的柜子里的缘故，这封信显得又皱又潮，而且蒙着一层满布灰绿点子的霉土。

　　Of such a letter, Death himself might well have been the post-boy. 象这样一封信，最适当的信差也许就是死神本人。

　　Can'st not read it? cried Ahab. 看不出来么？亚哈叫道。

　　"Give it me, man. Aye, aye, aye it's but a dim scrawl;—what's this?" "给我，老朋友。是啊，是啊，字迹显得潦草模糊点；——怎么？

　　As he was studying it out, Starbuck took a long cutting-spade pole, and with his knife slightly split the end, to insert the letter there,  "他在细认的时候，斯达巴克拿起一支割鲸的铲子长柄，用小刀轻轻剖开柄端，把信夹了进去，

　　and in that way, hand it to the boat, without its coming any closer to the ship. 使小艇不必再靠拢大船，就可以把信递给小艇。