The precipitating manner in which Captain Ahab had quitted the Samuel Enderby of London, had not been unattended with some small violence to his own person. 亚哈船长那么慌慌张张地离开了伦敦的"撒姆耳·恩德比号"，对他本人说来，并不是一点也没遭到什么损伤。

He had lighted with such energy upon a thwart of his boat that his ivory leg had received a half-splintering shock. 他那么用劲地落到他小艇的坐板上，弄得他那只牙腿受到了象要坼裂似的一阵震动。

And when after gaining his own deck, and his own pivot-hole there, 而且，等他攀上自己船上的甲板，牙腿插进那只镟孔时，

he so vehemently wheeled round with an urgent command to the steersman (it was, as ever, something about his not steering inflexibly enough); 又是那么猛烈地把脚一转，对舵手下紧急命令（这个舵手，掌起舵来，好象始终掌不稳）；

then, the already shaken ivory received such an additional twist and wrench, 这样一来，那只本来已经蹩伤了的牙腿，又经过这样一阵扭伤，

that though it still remained entire, and to all appearances lusty, yet Ahab did not deem it entirely trustworthy. 以致它虽然还似乎完好如初，且也显得很是灵活，然而，亚哈却对它很不放心。

And, indeed, it seemed small matter for wonder, 老实说，尽管亚哈始终是满怀狂热，粗心大意，

that for all his pervading, mad recklessness, Ahab, did at times give careful heed to the condition of that dead bone upon which he partly stood. 他却时刻小心注意他那多少要靠它站立的死骨头的情况，这是没有什么可以大惊小怪的。

For it had not been very long prior to the Pequod's sailing from Nantucket, that he had been found one night lying prone upon the ground, and insensible; 因为，在"裴廓德号"离开南塔开特的不很久前，有一天晚上，人们曾经发现他斜躺在地上，人事不省；

by some unknown, and seemingly inexplicable, unimaginable casualty, his ivory limb having been so violently displaced, 当时大概是出了某种既弄不明白，又似乎叫人说不出、猜不透的事故，他那只牙腿很厉害地脱了臼，

that it had stake-wise smitten, and all but pierced his groin; nor was it without extreme difficulty that the agonizing wound was entirely cured. 弄得象是给碰断了的树桩一般，差不多都戳进了他的大腿窝里；那个苦恼的伤口，花了好大的工夫才完全治愈。