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But this awkwardness only lasted a minute, because the strange captain, observing at a glance how affairs stood, cried out, "I see, I see!— avast heaving there! Jump, boys, and swing over the cutting-tackle."
可是，這種尷尬場面，不過持續了一分鐘模樣，因為那個陌生的船長一眼就看清了真相，連忙喊道，"啊，啊，——不要這么上來！快，伙伴們，把那只大復滑車滑過來。"
As good luck would have it, they had had a whale alongside a day or two previous, and the great tackles were still aloft, and the massive curved blubber-hook, now clean and dry, was still attached to the end. This was quickly lowered to Ahab, who at once comprehending it all, slid his solitary thigh into the curve of the hook (it was like sitting in the fluke of an anchor, or the crotch of an apple tree), and then giving the word, held himself fast, and at the same time also helped to hoist his own weight, by pulling hand-over-hand upon one of the running parts of the tackle. Soon he was carefully swung inside the high bulwarks, and gently landed upon the capstan head. With his ivory arm frankly thrust forth in welcome, the other captain advanced, and Ahab, putting out his ivory leg, and crossing the ivory arm (like two sword-fish blades) cried out in his walrus way, "Aye, aye, hearty! let us shake bones together!—an arm and a leg!— an arm that never can shrink, d'ye see; and a leg that never can run. Where did'st thou see the White Whale?—how long ago?"
真是運氣不錯，他們恰巧在一兩天前拖過一條大鯨，那只大復滑車還高高地掛在那里，已經洗得干干凈凈的鯨脂大掛鉤，也還掛在復滑車上。他們連忙把這只大鉤子放下來給亞哈，亞哈一下子就完全明白，他把他那條獨腿一搭就搭到彎鉤里（真象是坐在一只錨鉤里，或者坐在蘋果樹杈上那般），然后告訴他們，他已抓住了，同時他也自己幫著往上聳，手換手地拉著那根搖得很快的滑車索。不一會，人們就小心地把他搖進了高高的舷墻，輕輕地歇在絞盤頂。那個陌生船長走上前來，豪邁地向前甩出他的骨臂，表示歡迎，亞哈則伸出他的牙腿，跟那骨臂交叉起來（直象兩根劍魚的背峰），同時用他那海象的派頭高聲大叫道，"喂，喂，老朋友！讓咱們倆來握握骨吧！——一只胳膊跟一條腿！——你可知道，這是一只決不縮回來的手，跟一條決不會奔跑的腿。你在什么地方看到過白鯨？——多久啦？"
The White Whale, said the Englishman, pointing his ivory arm towards the East, and taking a rueful sight along it, as if it had been a telescope; There I saw him, on the Line, last season."
白鯨，那個英國人一邊說，一邊用那只骨手朝東方一指，眼色悲涼地隨著手臂看去，好象它是個望遠鏡。"我在上一季，在赤道上看到過它。"
