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But when, some year or two afterwards, Moby Dick was fairly sighted from the mast-heads, Macey, the chief mate, burned with ardor to encounter him; and the captain himself being not unwilling to let him have the opportunity, despite all the archangel's denunciations and forewarnings, Macey succeeded in persuading five men to man his boat. With them he pushed off; and, after much weary pulling, and many perilous, unsuccessful onsets, he at last succeeded in getting one iron fast.
但是，過了一兩年后，當(dāng)桅頂上清清楚楚地看到莫比－迪克的時候，那個叫做梅賽的大副，卻熱火中燒地要去攻打它。船長本人也并不是不愿意讓他有個顯顯身手的機(jī)會，所以，梅賽不顧這個天使長的一切恐嚇和警告，終于說服了五個水手上他的小艇去。他就帶著他們一起沖出去；經(jīng)過了非常疲累的扳槳，碰到了許多危險和不順利的攻擊后，總算讓他狠狠地戳到一槍。
Meantime, Gabriel, ascending to the main-royal mast-head, was tossing one arm in frantic gestures, and hurling forth prophecies of speedy doom to the sacrilegious assailants of his divinity. Now, while Macey, the mate, was standing up in his boat's bow, and with all the reckless energy of his tribe was venting his wild exclamations upon the whale, and essaying to get a fair chance for his poised lance, lo! a broad white shadow rose from the sea; by its quick, fanning motion, temporarily taking the breath out of the bodies of the oarsmen. Next instant, the luckless mate, so full of furious life, was smitten bodily into the air, and making a long arc in his descent, fell into the sea at the distance of about fifty yards. Not a chip of the boat was harmed, nor a hair of any oarsman's head; but the mate for ever sank.
這時，爬在最高的主桅頂上的迦百列，卻在狂揮亂舞地?fù)u著他的胳膊，大肆發(fā)出預(yù)言，聲稱誰敢冒瀆地殺害他的天神，就會立遭大難。且說正當(dāng)大副梅賽站在艇頭上，鼓起他的種族的全副蠻勁，對那大鯨狂呼狂喊，企圖給他那斜起的投槍找個好機(jī)會的時候，哎喲，海里突然冒出一個巨大的白影子來；眼看它那迅速而不住甩尾的動作，一時間把槳手們都嚇楞了。再一會兒，那個倒運(yùn)的大副，本來是那么生氣蓬勃，身體一下子給拋向空際，又成個大弧形落了下來，跌在相距約五十碼的海里。那只小艇雖然毫無損傷，槳手們也毫發(fā)無損，可是，那個大副卻就此永遠(yuǎn)沉在海里了。
