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So when they were working that evening at the pumps, there was on this head no small gamesomeness slily going on among them, as they stood with their feet continually overflowed by the rippling clear water; clear as any mountain spring, gentlemen--that bubbling from the pumps ran across the deck, and poured itself out in steady spouts at the lee scupper-holes.
所以那天晚上大家在抽水，雙腳一直站在潺潺發響的清水里的時候，他們就在這方面狡猾地開了不少玩笑。那些水呀，諸位先生，可跟任何一種山泉一樣清澈——水打蜿蜒在甲板上的幫浦里咕嚕嚕地流出來，又有規律地朝后邊的排水口不緩不急地噴出去。
"Now, as you well know, it is not seldom the case in this conventional world of ours--watery or otherwise; that when a person placed in command over his fellow-men finds one of them to be very significantly his superior in general pride of manhood, straightway against that man he conceives an unconquerable dislike and bitterness; and if he had a chance he will pull down and pulverize that subaltern's tower, and make a little heap of dust of it. Be this conceit of mine as it may, gentlemen, at all events Steelkilt was a tall and noble animal with a head like a Roman, and a flowing golden beard like the tasseled housings of your last viceroy's snorting charger; and a brain, and a heart, and a soul in him, gentlemen, which had made Steelkilt Charlemagne, had he been born son to Charlemagne's father. But Radney, the mate, was ugly as a mule; yet as hardy, as stubborn, as malicious. He did not love Steelkilt, and Steelkilt knew it.
"那么，正如各位所熟悉的，在我們這個陳陳相因的世界中——海上也好，其它的地方也好，往往有這樣的情況，就是說，當一個人處于發號施令的地位，而發現有個下屬很影響到他那高人一等的威信的時候，他立刻就會對那人懷著一種按捺不住的不滿和恨之入骨的心思；如果他有機會，他就要摧毀和粉碎那個下屬的氣焰，把他打垮。就算這是我自己的夸大說法吧，諸位先生，總之，斯蒂爾基爾特是個又高又大又神氣的人，長著一只象羅馬人一般的頭顱，那飄拂的金黃色胡須就跟你們從前的總督那匹鼻息噴個不停的戰馬的馬衣纓一樣，加上一個腦袋，一顆心和一個魂靈，諸位先生，這就使他成為斯蒂爾基爾特·查理曼(查理曼大帝(７４２？—８１４)——法蘭克王。)，如果他是查理曼的父親的親生子的話。但是，這個叫做拉德尼的大副，卻丑得象頭騾子，而且又象騾子一般能吃苦耐勞、倔強和有惡意。他不喜歡斯蒂爾基爾特，斯蒂爾基爾特也知道他不喜歡自己。
