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When at last the twelve rods were made, Ahab tried them, one by one, by spiralling them, with his own hand, round a long, heavy iron bolt. "A flaw!" rejecting the last one. "Work that over again, Perth."
最后，十二根棒條終于打出來了，亞哈一根一根拿來試過，親自把它們盤繞起來，卷成一根又長又粗的鐵螺絲閂。"這根是次貨！"他不滿意最后一根。"得再打一遍，柏斯。"
This done, Perth was about to begin welding the twelve into one, when Ahab stayed his hand, and said he would weld his own iron. As, then, with regular, gasping hems, he hammered on the anvil, Perth passing to him the glowing rods, one after the other, and the hard pressed forge shooting up its intense straight flame, the Parsee passed silently, and bowing over his head towards the fire, seemed invoking some curse or some blessing on the toil. But, as Ahab looked up, he slid aside.
最后一根打好后，柏斯正想把這十二根東西煅成一根時，不料亞哈撳住了他的手，說他要親自煅接自己的標(biāo)槍。于是，亞哈就一哼一喘地在鐵砧上錘打起來，柏斯在旁邊把那些通紅的東西一根一根遞給他，那個給壓得透不過氣的熔爐直迸射出猛烈的火焰，這時，那個祆教徒悄悄地從旁邊走過來，俯首對著火，似乎不是在對這個活兒表示祝福便是詛咒。可是，亞哈一抬起頭來，那個祆教徒就閃開了。
What's that bunch of lucifers dodging about there for? muttered Stubb, looking on from the forecastle. "That Parsee smells fire like a fusee; and smells of it himself, like a hot musket's powder-pan."
那邊為什么有許多金星在閃爍呀？斯塔布在船頭樓一邊望著，一邊嘟噥道。"那個祆教徒一聞到火就象是聞到了信號火？他自己一聞，就象聞到熱烘烘的滑膛槍的火藥池。"
At last the shank, in one complete rod, received its final heat; and as Perth, to temper it, plunged it all hissing into the cask of water near by, the scalding steam shot up into Ahab's bent face.
最后，這根已打成一整根的東西，再回一次火；柏斯為了淬硬它，把它咝的一聲插進(jìn)了旁邊一桶冷水里，滾熱的水氣直沖到亞哈那俯視著的臉上。
Would'st thou brand me, Perth? wincing for a moment with the pain; "have I been but forging my own branding-iron, then?"
你要給我打烙印嘛？柏斯？痛得眨了一陣眼；"這樣說來，我是在鑄打我自己的烙鐵嗎？"
Pray God, not that; yet I fear something, Captain Ahab. Is not this harpoon for the White Whale?
天啊，不是，不過，我還是有點(diǎn)害怕，亞哈船長。這根標(biāo)槍可不是拿去打白鯨嗎？
