But this was very far North, be it remembered, where beer agrees well with the constitution; upon the Equator, in our southern fishery, beer would be apt to make the harpooneer sleepy at the mast-head and boozy in his boat; and grievous loss might ensue to Nantucket and New Bedford.
请记住,这是极北的地区,在那里,啤酒很适宜他们的体质;反之,在赤道线上,在我们南海的捕鲸业中,啤酒很会叫标枪手们在桅顶上打瞌睡,醉倒在小艇上,可能还会使南塔开特和新贝德福遭致惨重的损失。
But no more; enough has been said to show that the old Dutch whalers of two or three centuries ago were high livers; and that the English whalers have not neglected so excellent an example. For, say they, when cruising in an empty ship, if you can get nothing better out of the world, get a good dinner out of it, at least. And this empties the decanter.
好吧,不再说下去了;这已尽够说明二三百年前的荷兰捕鲸船是多么奢侈;尽够说明英国的捕鲸船并没有忽略这么卓越的先例。因为,据说,在空船巡游时,如果找不到什么更好的东西的话,那么,至少也要找到一顿好饭菜。于是,就把圆酒瓶都喝空了。
Chapter 102 A Bower in the Arsacides
第一百零二章 在阿萨西提(阿萨西提——所罗门岛南边的一个群岛。它同时也是公元前250—公元226年的巴提亚帝国的一个朝代。)的树荫处
Hitherto, in descriptively treating of the Sperm Whale, I have chiefly dwelt upon the marvels of his outer aspect; or separately and in detail upon some few interior structural features. But to a large and thorough sweeping comprehension of him, it behoves me now to unbutton him still further, and untagging the points of his hose, unbuckling his garters, and casting loose the hooks and the eyes of the joints of his innermost bones, set him before you in his ultimatum; that is to say, in his unconditional skeleton.
迄今为止,有关抹香鲸的描述,我大都谈了它那外表的奇迹;也可以说,已经分别详细谈过它一些内部结构的特点。但为了对它作一番广泛而透彻的了解,我现在应该更进一步地解开它的钮扣,脱掉它的袜子,卸掉它的宽紧带,敲开它那最底里的骨柝中的铜丝钩,叫它最后对你投降,就是说,要它无条件地献出它的骨架来。
But how now, Ishmael? How is it, that you, a mere oarsman in the fishery, pretend to know aught about the subterranean parts of the whale?
可是,这是怎么回事,以实玛利?你不过是捕鱼业中一个小小的桨手,怎么竟装得对大鲸的全身秘密都完全懂得啦?