did these inscrutable creatures at the centre freely and fearlessly indulge in all peaceful concernments; 却还优游自在、无所畏惧地沉迷于太平生活里；

yea, serenely revelled in dalliance and delight. 不错，它们宁静地耽溺于纵情恣乐中。

But even so, amid the tornadoed Atlantic of my being, do I myself still for ever centrally disport in mute calm; 不过，我也是这样，我自己虽然处在旋风似的大西洋中间，内心里却始终异常镇定地感到趣味盎然；

and while ponderous planets of unwaning woe revolve round me, deep down and deep inland there I still bathe me in eternal mildness of joy. 尽管灾难重重的星宿尽绕着我转，使我愁困不堪，走投无路，我还是沉浸在无穷欢乐的柔情中。

Meanwhile, as we thus lay entranced, the occasional sudden frantic spectacles in the distance evinced the activity of the other boats, 这时，我们就这样神情恍惚地留在那里，但从远处不时蓦然出现的狂乱情况看来，说明其它几只小艇还在继续活动，

still engaged in drugging the whales on the frontier of the host; 还在对边缘的鲸群使用"得拉格"，

or possibly carrying on the war within the first circle, where abundance of room and some convenient retreats were afforded them. 也可能是在第一圈里作战，因为那里地方大，有可以方便进退周旋的余地。

But the sight of the enraged drugged whales now and then blindly darting to and fro across the circles, was nothing to what at last met our eyes. 但是，那些被"得拉格"扣住了的愤怒的鲸，不时地在圈圈里瞎冲瞎撞的情景，我们可再也看不到了。

It is sometimes the custom when fast to a whale more than commonly powerful and alert, 通常在拴住了一条力气非常大，非常机灵的鲸时，

to seek to hamstring him, as it were, by sundering or maiming his gigantic tail-tendon. 好象为了要设法把它弄伤，总要把它那巨大的鲸尾给割裂了或者使它甩不动。

It is done by darting a short-handled cutting-spade, to which is attached a rope for hauling it back again. 这就得使用一支短柄的砍鱼铲，铲上拴有一根可以再把它拉回来的绳子。