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"Lost by a whale! Young man, come nearer to me: it was devoured, chewed up, crunched by the monstrousest parmacetty that ever chipped a boat!--ah, ah!"
"给大鲸搞掉的!小伙子,走过来一些;那条腿是让那种打击小艇从来没有打击得这般厉害的。最可恶的抹香鲸给咬了,嚼了,吞了的!。嗳,嗳!"
I was a little alarmed by his energy, perhaps also a little touched at the hearty grief in his concluding exclamation, but said as calmly as I could, "What you say is no doubt true enough, sir; but how could I know there was any peculiar ferocity in that particular whale, though indeed I might have inferred as much from the simple fact of the accident."
他那副神气有点儿叫我吃了一惊,也许刚才听到他在结末时的感叹声中那种真切的悲痛声气而使我也有点儿感动,不过,我还是很镇定地说,"你说的当然是完全确实的,先生;但是,我怎能知道那一条鲸那样的凶恶呢,虽说我确实还可以从这桩事故的简单事实推知许多情况。"
"Look ye now, young man, thy lungs are a sort of soft, d'ye see; thou dost not talk shark a bit. Sure, ye've been to sea before now; sure of that?"
"你听着,小伙子,你还是个嫩家伙,你说可对;你也没有说什么冒充内行的话。不错,你曾出过海,可对吗?"
"Sir," said I, "I thought I told you that I had been four voyages in the merchant-"
"先生,"我说,"我想我刚才已经对你说过,我出过四趟海,是在商。"
"Hard down out of that! Mind what I said about the marchant service-- don't aggravate me--I won't have it. But let us understand each other. I have given thee a hint about what whaling is! do ye yet feel inclined for it?"
"别再说下去了!要记住我对干商船是怎么个说法。别逗恼我。我不要听这些话。不过,我们不妨把话说清楚。捕鲸是这么一回事,我已经略为对你说过了;你可还有意要干么?"
"I do, sir."
"我干,先生。"
"Very good. Now, art thou the man to pitch a harpoon down a live whale's throat, and then jump after it? Answer, quick!"
"很好。那么,你可有胆量把标枪直对着一条活鲸的喉咙戳下去,然后又冲去追击它呢?回答,快点!"
"I am, sir, if it should be positively indispensable to do so; not to be got rid of, that is; which I don't take to be the fact."
"我有,先生,如果是非这样干不可的话;那就是说,毫无办法,非得如此干不可的话;我并不认为会发生这种情况。"
