英语听书《白鲸记》第626期

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　　When in the Southern Fishery a captured Sperm² Whale, after long and weary toil³, is brought alongside late at night, 在南海的捕鲸业中，经过了好久的疲累的拖曳后，在深更半夜里，把一条打倒的抹香鲸拖到船边来的时候，

　　it is not, as a general thing at least, customary to proceed at once to the business of cutting him in. 一般说来，至少是不会立刻就对它进行割油的。

　　For that business is an exceedingly laborious⁴ one; is not very soon completed; and requires all hands to set about it. 因为割油真是桩非常繁重的活儿；并不是一下子就完得了工，而是需要大家一齐来动手的。

　　Therefore, the common usage is to take in all sail; lash⁵ the helm a'lee; 因此，习惯上总是减帆落篷，在避风处缚起舵来；

　　and then send every one below to his hammock till daylight, with the reservation that, until that time, anchor-watches shall be kept; 然后叫大家到舱里去睡觉，不过，在到天亮前这段期间里，总是派人在船尾值夜；

　　that is, two and two for an hour, each couple, the crew in rotation⁶ shall mount the deck to see that all goes well. 就是说，每一个钟头由四个人值班，两人一双地轮流跑到甲板上，留心一下情况。

　　But sometimes, especially upon the Line in the Pacific, this plan will not answer at all; 但是，有的时候，尤其是在太平洋的赤道上，这种打算就不很反完全适用了；

　　because such incalculable hosts of sharks gather round the moored⁷ carcase,  因为围在这条拴在船边的死鲸四周的鲨鱼，多得无可计数，

　　that were he left so for six hours, say, on a stretch, little more than the skeleton would be visible by morning. 如果听它这样一气搁上六个小时，那么，到了天亮一看，就只剩下一架骷髅了。

　　In most other parts of the ocean, however,  不过，在其它大部分海洋上，

　　where these fish do not so largely abound⁸, their wondrous⁹ voracity¹⁰ can be at times considerably¹¹ diminished, 因为鲨鱼并不是这么多，它们那种贪得无厌的狂欲，只消用一些锐利的捕鲸铲，

　　by vigorously stirring them up with sharp whaling-spades, a procedure notwithstanding, which,  对它们狠狠地搅拌一顿，是能够随时使它们大大地减小的，

　　in some instances, only seems to tickle¹² them into still greater activity. 虽说这种做法有时似乎只会把它们逗弄得更活跃起来。

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