The magnetic energy, as developed in the mariner's needle, is, as all know, essentially one with the electricity beheld in heaven; hence it is not to be much marvelled at, that such things should be. In instances where the lightning has actually struck the vessel, so as to smite down some of the spars and rigging, the effect upon the needle has at times been still more fatal; all its loadstone virtue being annihilated, so that the before magnetic steel was of no more use than an old wife's knitting needle. But in either case, the needle never again, of itself, recovers the original virtue thus marred or lost; and if the binnacle compasses be affected, the same fate reaches all the others that may be in the ship; even were the lowermost one inserted into the kelson.
船上的羅盤針的磁力的擴張,如所周知,基本上是跟我們所看到的天上的電閃情況一樣的;因此,類似這樣的事情,本來就不必大驚小怪。事實上,閃電擊中了船只的事,例子就有不少,比如把一些圓材和索具都擊斷,其對于羅盤針的影響,往往更會造成災難;把它所有的全部天然磁石的效能消滅殆盡,以致原來的磁針比老太婆的縫衣針都更不頂用。總之,不管怎樣,經過這樣的損傷后,羅盤針本身就此再也不能恢復它原來的效能了。如果羅盤盒子也受了影響的話,船上的一切羅盤針可能都要落到同樣的命運;哪怕那只插在內龍骨里最底下的羅盤針也在所難免。
Deliberately standing before the binnacle, and eyeing the transpointed compasses, the old man, with the sharp of his extended hand, now took the precise bearing of the sun, and satisfied that the needles were exactly inverted, shouted out his orders for the ship's course to be changed accordingly. The yards were hard up; and once more the Pequod thrust her undaunted bows into the opposing wind, for the supposed fair one had only been juggling her.
這個老人站在羅盤盒子跟前沉思默想,眼睛瞪著那只轉了向的羅盤針,伸出他那只靈敏的手,弄清太陽的準確方位,滿意地認為羅盤針的確是倒轉了,他便高聲發出命令,要船轉變航向。帆桁都轉向了;"裴廓德號"那不屈不撓的船頭又再度掉向逆風里,因為剛才的所謂順風不過是把它騙了。
Meanwhile, whatever were his own secret thoughts, Starbuck said nothing, but quietly he issued all requisite orders; while Stubb and Flask — who in some small degree seemed then to be sharing his feelings — likewise unmurmuringly acquiesced.
這樣,斯達巴克的心里不管有他自己的怎樣秘密的想法,他都一言不發,只是悶聲不響地發出一切必要的命令;斯塔布和弗拉斯克呢——他們這時也多少跟他有同感——也同樣不聲不響地默從了。