裴廓德號(hào)現(xiàn)在已跟這艘陌生船靠得很攏,所以斯塔布才能夠發(fā)誓說(shuō),他認(rèn)得出其中有一條鯨的尾巴,那上面繞的繩子跟他的剖鯨鏟的木柄纏在一起。
There's a pretty fellow, now, he banteringly laughed, standing in the ship's bows, "there's a jackal for ye! I well know that these Crappoes of Frenchmen are but poor devils in the fishery; sometimes lowering their boats for breakers, mistaking them for Sperm Whale spouts; yes, and sometimes sailing from their port with their hold full of boxes of tallow candles, and cases of snuffers, foreseeing that all the oil they will get won't be enough to dip the Captain's wick into; aye, we all know these things; but look ye, here's a Crappo that is content with our leavings, the drugged whale there, I mean; aye, and is content too with scraping the dry bones of that other precious fish he has there. Poor devil! I say, pass round a hat, some one, and let's make him a present of a little oil for dear charity's sake. For what oil he'll get from that drugged whale there, wouldn't be fit to burn in a jail; no, not in a condemned cell. And as for the other whale, why, I'll agree to get more oil by chopping up and trying out these three masts of ours, than he'll get from that bundle of bones; though, now that I think of it, it may contain something worth a good deal more than oil; yes, ambergris.
哼,真是好家伙,他站在船頭上,嘲弄地大笑起來(lái),"你們還可以捉到一只胡狼呢!我很清楚,這些個(gè)克拉波(克拉波(Crappo)——這是作者對(duì)法文Crapaud(癩蛤蟆)這個(gè)詞兒在發(fā)音上的訛字,等于一般以青蛙(Frog)指法國(guó)人。)法國(guó)佬,就是捕魚業(yè)里的一些可憐家伙,他們有時(shí)竟放下小艇去趕白浪,把它們當(dāng)成抹香鯨的噴水。一點(diǎn)不假,他們常常在離開他們的港口的時(shí)候,船艙里裝滿了一箱箱牛油蠟燭,一盒盒燭花剪子,事先就知道他們能夠搞到的全部鯨油,還不夠他們船長(zhǎng)的油燈盞用。是啊,這些事情我們都很有數(shù)。你們瞧,這里就有一個(gè)克拉波,把我們撇下的東西當(dāng)成好東西,我是說(shuō),就是我們用'得拉格,扣住的那條鯨;他還會(huì)心滿意足地去扒另一條寶貝鯨的干巴巴的骨頭呢??蓱z的家伙!喂,哪一個(gè)做做好事,讓咱們憑仁愛(ài)精神送他一點(diǎn)油吧。因?yàn)樗麖哪菞l給'得拉格,扣住了的鯨那里,會(huì)弄到些什么油呢,連拿到監(jiān)牢里去燃點(diǎn)都還不配;不,給死囚號(hào)子燃點(diǎn)也不配。至于另外那條鯨,哼,我倒認(rèn)為我們這三根桅桿拿來(lái)劈開榨榨,還比從那堆枯骨里擠出來(lái)的油多些,不過(guò),啊,我倒想起來(lái)了,那里頭也許還有一種比油更值錢的東西;不錯(cuò),就是龍誕香。