The very tube he pointed at me! — the very one; this one — I hold it here; he would have killed me with the very thing I handle now. — Aye and he would fain kill all his crew. Does he not say he will not strike his spars to any gale? Has he not dashed his heavenly quadrant? and in these same perilous seas, gropes he not his way by mere dead reckoning of the error-abounding log? and in this very Typhoon, did he not swear that he would have no lightning-rods? But shall this crazed old man be tamely suffered to drag a whole ship's company down to doom with him? — Yes, it would make him the wilful murderer of thirty men and more, if this ship come to any deadly harm; and come to deadly harm, my soul swears this ship will, if Ahab have his way. If, then, he were this instant — put aside, that crime would not be his. Ha! is he muttering in his sleep? Yes, just there, — in there, he's sleeping. Sleeping? aye, but still alive, and soon awake again. I can't withstand thee, then, old man. Not reasoning; not remonstrance; not entreaty wilt thou hearken to; all this thou scornest.
他瞄準(zhǔn)過我的正是這管槍!——正是這管槍;就是這管槍——我現(xiàn)在抓到了;他本來會用我現(xiàn)在拿著的這東西來殺我——。是呀,他還會把所有的水手都殺了的。他不是說過:碰到隨便什么風(fēng),他都不讓人家扯動他的木材嗎?他不是把他那只寶貝似的象限儀都摔了嗎?就在這種危險的波濤里,他不是光靠那錯誤百出的航海日志上一些不中用的記錄在瞎摸著前進嗎?在這種臺風(fēng)中,他不是賭神罰咒地說,他不要什么避雷針嘛?但是,是不是就服服帖帖地聽任這個瘋老頭子把全船的生命都跟他一起拖向毀滅之路呢?——是呀,如果這艘船真正碰到什么致命的危險,這就使他成為殺害三十多人的故殺犯了;如果亞哈這樣固執(zhí)下去,我敢立誓,這艘船真會碰到致命的危險。那么,如果這時候把他——收拾掉了,他就不會犯上那個罪孽了。哈!他在睡夢里還在嘟噥個不停嘛?不錯,他正睡在那里,——睡在那里邊。睡著?不錯,不過還活著,不一會兒,又會醒來。你這老頭兒,我受不了啦。說理呀,規(guī)勸呀,懇求呀,你都聽不進,你反而破口大罵。