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He seemed to be working in obedience to some particular presentiment. Nor did it remain unwarranted by the event.
他好象是聽憑一陣預(yù)感的支配在擦著，而且預(yù)感就是事實那樣。
Towards noon whales were raised; but so soon as the ship sailed down to them, they turned and fled with swift precipitancy; a disordered flight, as of Cleopatra's barges from Actium.
將近午刻時分，又發(fā)現(xiàn)大鯨了。可是，船一駛過去，它們卻又慌忙掉了頭，迅速逃走了。鯨群亂七八糟，象是從亞克興（亞克興——古希臘的阿克內(nèi)尼亞海岬，公元前三一年九月二日，安東尼和克莉奧佩屈拉同阿格力巴在這里有過一場大海戰(zhàn)。）來的克莉奧佩屈拉那些御船。
Nevertheless, the boats pursued, and Stubb's was foremost. By great exertion, Tashtego at last succeeded in planting one iron; but the stricken whale, without at all sounding, still continued his horizontal flight, with added fleetness. Such unintermitted strainings upon the planted iron must sooner or later inevitably extract it. It became imperative to lance the flying whale, or be content to lose him. But to haul the boat up to his flank was impossible, he swam so fast and furious. What then remained?
然而，幾只小艇還是繼續(xù)追逐下去，由斯塔布的小艇打前鋒。費了很大的勁，塔斯蒂哥終于擊中了一槍，可是，那條被擊中的鯨，卻不完全沉下去，還繼續(xù)橫游過去，只是速度加快了一點。這樣連續(xù)不斷的狂奔，那支插在它身上的槍頭，一定遲早會給擠出來。于是，只得對這條如飛的大鯨再補上一槍，否則只好聽它逃脫。可是，又無法把小艇劃到它身邊去，它游得那么快那么急。那么，該怎么辦呢？
Of all the wondrous devices and dexterities, the sleights of hand and countless subtleties, to which the veteran whaleman is so often forced, none exceed that fine manoeuvre with the lance called pitchpoling. Small sword, or broad sword, in all its exercises boasts nothing like it. It is only indispensable with an inveterate running whale; its grand fact and feature is the wonderful distance to which the long lance is accurately darted from a violently rocking, jerking boat, under extreme headway.
在老捕鯨手往往不得不使用的一切奇計妙策、嫻熟的手法與無數(shù)靈巧的辦法中，莫過于巧妙地使用那種叫做投桿的捕鯨槍了。小劍或者大劍，使用起來總不及這種東西。對付一只使人又氣又恨的拼命狂奔的鯨，非得仰仗它不可，它的主要特色，就是能夠從一只高速前進的，急騰急跳的小艇上，在極遠的距離內(nèi)一槍中的。
