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For not to speak of his readiness in ordinary duties:— repairing stove boats, sprung spars, reforming the shape of clumsy-bladed oars, inserting bull's eyes in the deck, or new tree-nails in the side planks, and other miscellaneous matters more directly pertaining to his special business; he was moreover unhesitatingly expert in all manner of conflicting aptitudes, both useful and capricious.
不勝枚舉的例常的急變，更別說他得隨時應付下述這些日常事務：修理破艇，爛桁，改進笨拙的槳葉的式樣，嵌裝甲板上的牛眼窗，或者在舷板上安上新木釘以及其它許多比較跟他本行有關的零碎事務；而且，他還善于迅捷處理各種南轅北轍的事務，不論是日常事務還是突發事件。
The one grand stage where he enacted all his various parts so manifold, was his vice-bench; a long rude ponderous table furnished with several vices, of different sizes, and both of iron and of wood. At all times except when whales were alongside, this bench was securely lashed athwartships against the rear of the Try-works.
他處理這些形形式式的事務的唯一大場所，就是他那只虎鉗條凳；這是一只粗笨的長凳，上面有幾只大小不同的虎鉗，有鐵鑄的，也有木制的。除了船旁拖有大鯨，這只條凳總是橫縛在煉油間后邊。
A belaying pin is found too large to be easily inserted into its hole: the carpenter claps it into one of his ever ready vices, and straightway files it smaller. A lost landbird of strange plumage strays on board, and is made a captive: out of clean shaved rods of right-whale bone, and cross-beams of sperm whale ivory, the carpenter makes a pagoda-looking cage for it. An oarsman sprains his wrist: the carpenter concocts a soothing lotion. Stubb longed for vermillion stars to be painted upon the blade of his every oar; screwing each oar in his big vice of wood, the carpenter symmetrically supplies the constellation.
人們發覺一只索栓子太大了，不容易插進栓洞里；這個木匠就把它壓進他那常備的虎鉗里，當即把它銼小。一只羽毛奇特的迷路的陸上鳥禽偶然飛到船上來，被捉住了；這個木匠就用刨得光光的細露脊鯨骨，和大梁似的抹香鯨骨，給它做出一只樣子象鴿棚的籠子來。有個槳手扭傷了手腕；這個木匠就給配出一種外擦的藥水來。斯塔布想給他所有的槳葉上都漆上朱紅色的五角星；這個木匠就把每一支槳都鏇在他那只木頭的大虎鉗里后，勻稱地漆上了星星。
