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Lower away, he cried, so soon as he had reached his boat — a spare one, rigged the afternoon previous. "Mr. Starbuck, the ship is thine — keep away from the boats, but keep near them. Lower, all!"
放下去，他一走到他的小艇——是一只昨天午后才装配起来的备用小艇——旁边，就叫道。“斯达巴克先生，大船归你啦——跟小艇隔得开些，可是，也要在小艇附近。下去呀！大伙儿！”
As if to strike a quick terror into them, by this time being the first assailant himself, Moby Dick had turned, and was now coming for the three crews. Ahab's boat was central; and cheering his men, he told them he would take the whale head-and-head, that is, pull straight up to his forehead, — a not uncommon thing; for when within a certain limit, such a course excludes the coming onset from the whale's sidelong vision. But ere that close limit was gained, and while yet all three boats were plain as the ship's three masts to his eye; the White Whale churning himself into furious speed, almost in an instant as it were, rushing among the boats with open jaws, and a lashing tail, offered appalling battle on every side; and heedless of the irons darted at him from every boat, seemed only intent on annihilating each separate plank of which those boats were made. But skilfully manoeuvred, incessantly wheeling like trained chargers in the field; the boats for a while eluded him; though, at times, but by a plank's breadth; while all the time, Ahab's unearthly slogan tore every other cry but his to shreds.
莫比－迪克这回象是要给他们来个迅雷不及掩耳的恐怖似的，它先下手了，它身子一转，就朝着这三只小艇游了过来。亚哈的小艇居中；他给他那些人打气后，就对他们说，他要先打大鲸的要害，就是说，要直冲击它的额头，——这是一件并非不平凡的事情。因为在一定的距离内，这样一种动作，就可以在一开始不让大鲸那斜视的眼睛看到。可是，在短兵相接开始之前，在它对三只小艇还是象对大船三支桅杆一样看得清清楚楚时，那条白鲸一阵翻腾，狂奔疾驰起来了，可说是一下子就张起大嘴，在几只小艇间横冲直撞了，那根皮鞭似的尾巴，甩来甩去要进行鏖战了。它不顾每只小艇向它投来的枪矛，似乎只是专心一意地要把做成小艇的每块船板都给摧毁。可是，那些小艇使用巧妙的策略，不停地旋来转去，象是战场上的训练有素的战马。三只小艇暂时总算使它穷于应付；然而，跟它始终只有一块船板的距离；亚哈那怕人的叫喊声，冲散了别人的叫喊声，听来听去始终只有他的嚷叫声。
