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"Wet the line! wet the line!" cried Stubb to the tub oarsman (him seated by the tub) who, snatching off his hat, dashed the sea-water into it. More turns were taken, so that the line began holding its place. The boat now flew through the boiling water like a shark all fins. Stubb and Tashtego here changed places—stem for stern—a staggering business truly in that rocking commotion.
“把索子弄濕！把索子弄濕！”斯塔布對那個管小桶的槳手嚷著（他就坐在小桶旁邊），那個人急忙抓下帽子，把海水舀在帽子里。再繞幾圈后，捕鯨索就開始恢復原狀了。現在，這只小艇象條挺起所有的魚鰭的鯊魚一般，飛也似的穿過滾滾的浪濤。這會兒，斯塔布和塔斯蒂哥對換了座位——把艇頭艇梢的地位對調一下——在那樣顛顛簸簸的大混亂里，這倒確實是樁非常了不起的事兒。
Partly to show the indispensableness of this act, it may here be stated, that, in the old Dutch fishery, a mop was used to dash the running line with water; in many other ships, a wooden piggin, or bailer, is set apart for that purpose. Your hat, however, is the most convenient.
（原注:為了表示這種做法是不可缺少的，這里必須說明一下，在古代的荷蘭捕魚業中，有一支拖把專用來給滾動的捕鯨索潑水；但在其它許多船只中，卻單獨置有一種木勺子，或者一只小水桶。不過，帽子卻是最方便的。）
From the vibrating line extending the entire length of the upper part of the boat, and from its now being more tight than a harpstring, you would have thought the craft had two keels—one cleaving the water, the other the air—as the boat churned on through both opposing elements at once. A continual cascade played at the bows; a ceaseless whirling eddy in her wake; and, at the slightest motion from within, even but of a little finger, the vibrating, cracking craft canted over her spasmodic gunwale into the sea.
從那根拉扯著這只小艇的整個上半部的震顫的捕鯨索，又從它現在繃得比豎琴弦還更緊的情況看來，你準會以為這只小艇有兩條龍骨——一條在海里破浪前進，一條在向天空猛沖——因為這只小艇正同時朝兩個相反的空間突進。一陣小瀑布在船頭不住奔瀉；船梢又是個不停旋卷的渦流；因此，艇里只消輕輕一動，哪怕只要彈一彈小指頭，這只震顫不停、咯咯作響的小艇就會把它那患中風癥似的船舷翻進海里去。
