評(píng)論
打印
Secondly: It is well known in the Sperm Whale Fishery, however ignorant the world ashore may be of it, that there have been several memorable historical instances where a particular whale in the ocean has been at distant times and places popularly cognisable. Why such a whale became thus marked was not altogether and originally owing to his bodily peculiarities as distinguished from other whales; for however peculiar in that respect any chance whale may be, they soon put an end to his peculiarities by killing him, and boiling him down into a peculiarly valuable oil. No: the reason was this: that from the fatal experiences of the fishery there hung a terrible prestige of perilousness about such a whale as there did about Rinaldo Rinaldini, insomuch that most fishermen were content to recognise him by merely touching their tarpaulins when he would be discovered lounging by them on the sea, without seeking to cultivate a more intimate acquaintance. Like some poor devils ashore that happen to known an irascible great man, they make distant unobtrusive salutations to him in the street, lest if they pursued the acquaintance further, they might receive a summary thump for their presumption.
第二，在捕抹香鯨業(yè)中，有過幾次頗為著名而難忘的歷史實(shí)例(盡管這可能是岸上人一無所知的)，那就是：大海里有一條特殊的鯨，一向不拘時(shí)地之久遠(yuǎn)，都是一看就教人認(rèn)出來的。這條鯨之所以這樣教人一看就識(shí)，倒并不完全是因?yàn)樗眢w上本來具有什么跟其它大鯨不同的特點(diǎn)；因?yàn)槿魏我粭l鯨不論在這方面具有什么特點(diǎn)，人們還是會(huì)針對(duì)它這種特點(diǎn)立刻把它殺了，把它熬成特別貴重的油。不，理由是這樣的：根據(jù)捕魚界的出生入死的經(jīng)驗(yàn)，這種大鯨跟里納爾多。里納爾第尼(里納爾多。里納爾第尼——基督圣軍一個(gè)勇士，"他不要財(cái)，不要?jiǎng)荩灰雒?quot;，十五歲參加圣軍，殺了人后，自動(dòng)去流放了。)一般，天生有一種可怕而危險(xiǎn)的名聲，因此，大多數(shù)捕魚人一發(fā)現(xiàn)它在海上，在他們旁邊游蕩的時(shí)候，他們無須跟它多打交道。只要輕輕地招呼一聲他們的伙伴來見識(shí)見識(shí)它，就已是心滿意足。他們象岸上一些窮鬼那樣，偶爾在街上認(rèn)識(shí)一個(gè)脾氣急躁的大人物，他們都敬而遠(yuǎn)之，對(duì)他遙致敬意，因?yàn)槿绻麄兿胍H近些，就難免要因?yàn)槊懊炼?dāng)場(chǎng)挨到一拳。
But not only did each of these famous whales enjoy great individual celebrity--nay, you may call it an oceanwide renown; not only was he famous in life and now is immortal in forecastle stories after death, but he was admitted into all the rights, privileges, and distinctions of a name; had as much a name indeed as Cambyses or Caesar. Was it not so, O Timor Tom! thou famed leviathan, scarred like an iceberg, who so long did'st lurk in the Oriental straits of that name, whose spout was oft seen from the palmy beach of Ombay? Was it not so, O New Zealand Jack! thou terror of all cruisers that crossed their wakes in the vicinity of the Tattoo Land? Was it not so, O Morquan! King of Japan, whose lofty jet they say at times assumed the semblance of a snow-white cross against the sky? Was it not so, O Don Miguel! thou Chilian whale, marked like an old tortoise with mystic hieroglyphics upon the back! In plain prose, here are four whales as well known to the students of Cetacean History as Marius or Sylla to the classic scholar.
