And as the mighty iron Leviathan of the modern railway is so familiarly known in its every pace, that, with watches in their hands, men time his rate as doctors that of a baby's pulse; and lightly say of it, the up train or the down train will reach such or such a spot, at such or such an hour; even so, almost, there are occasions when these Nantucketers time that other Leviathan of the deep, according to the observed humor of his speed; and say to themselves, so many hours hence this whale will have gone two hundred miles, will have about reached this or that degree of latitude or longitude. But to render this acuteness at all successful in the end, the wind and the sea must be the whaleman's allies; for of what present avail to the becalmed or wind-bound mariner is the skill that assures him he is exactly ninety-three leagues and a quarter from his port? Inferable from these statements, are many collateral subtile matters touching the chase of whales.
而且，也象現(xiàn)代鐵路那種鐵制的大海獸一樣，它的每一動止都為人們所深知熟解，人們手里拿著表，就能象醫(yī)生數(shù)出小孩的脈搏那樣，計算出火車的速率，可以輕而易舉地說，上行車或者下行車將在某時某刻到達某某個站頭；這些南塔開特人，有時候，甚至幾乎能夠根據(jù)對大鯨的游速的觀察，計算出這種海里的大海獸的速率來；能暗自估量著，隔了多少鐘頭，這條大鯨將會走了兩百英里的路程，大約可以到達某某地方。不過，要使這種推測結(jié)果能夠獲得成功，捕鯨人還得靠風(fēng)和潮來相助；因為，如果碰上因風(fēng)停駛，或逢逆風(fēng)而不能航行的時候，那么行船的人哪來一種絕技，可以保證他能準(zhǔn)確算出離開海港還有多少航程呢？由此，可以這樣論斷，在有關(guān)追擊大鯨的這種事情上，是有許多間接相關(guān)的微妙的情況的。
The ship tore on; leaving such a furrow in the sea as when a cannonball, missent, becomes a plough-share and turns up the level field.
船只猛沖向前；在海里留下了這么一個深溝，就象一顆錯發(fā)了的大炮彈，把平地翻成一道犁溝一樣。
By salt and hemp! cried Stubb, "but this swift motion of the deck creeps up one's legs and tingles at the heart. This ship and I are two brave fellows! — Ha, ha! Some one take me up, and launch me, spine-wise, on the sea, — for by live-oaks! my spine's a keel. Ha, ha! we go the gait that leaves no dust behind!"
嗨喲，真了不起！斯塔布叫道，"甲板這種迅速的動力可直竄上了我的腿，直刺著我的心。我跟這船就是兩個勇敢的家伙——哈，哈！有誰把我舉起來，把我的脊柱駛到海上去，——因為天公地道！我的脊骨就是根龍骨呀。哈，哈！我們駛得這樣輕快，背后一塵不揚！"
There she blows — she blows! — she blows! — right ahead! was now the mast-head cry.
它在噴水嘍——它在噴嘍——它在噴嘍！——就在正前方！桅頂上叫喊起來了。
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