英語聽書《白鯨記》第979期

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It seemed that somewhat late on the afternoon of the day previous, while three of the stranger's boats were engaged with a shoal of whales, which had led them some four or five miles from the ship; and while they were yet in swift chase to windward, the white hump and head of Moby Dick had suddenly loomed up out of the blue water, not very far to leeward; whereupon, the fourth rigged boat — a reserved one — had been instantly lowered in chase. After a keen sail before the wind, this fourth boat — the swiftest keeled of all — seemed to have succeeded in fastening — at least, as well as the man at the mast-head could tell anything about it. In the distance he saw the diminished dotted boat; and then a swift gleam of bubbling white water; and after that nothing more; whence it was concluded that the stricken whale must have indefinitely run away with his pursuers, as often happens. There was some apprehension, but no positive alarm, as yet. The recall signals were placed in the rigging; darkness came on; and forced to pick up her three far to windward boats — ere going in quest of the fourth one in the precisely opposite direction — the ship had not only been necessitated to leave that boat to its fate till near midnight, but, for the time, to increase her distance from it. But the rest of her crew being at last safe aboard, she crowded all sail — stunsail on stunsail — after the missing boat; kindling a fire in her try-pots for a beacon; and every other man aloft on the look-out.

大概是前天傍晚時分，當(dāng)時，這艘陌生船的三只小艇都在追擊一群鯨，水手們直追趕得離開大船有四五英里遠(yuǎn)，正當(dāng)它們還在向著上風(fēng)窮追猛趕的時候，莫比－迪克那只白色背峰和頭顱，突然間從海里悄然出現(xiàn)，在離下風(fēng)不遠(yuǎn)的地方。因此，臨時裝備起來的第四只小艇——一只備用小艇——立刻被放下海去追擊。這第四只小艇——最最快速的一只小艇——趁順風(fēng)一陣猛劃后，至少照那個在桅頂上的人所能看到的情況說來，似乎已經(jīng)把鯨拴住了。他看到那只小艇在老遠(yuǎn)的地方，逐漸縮成一個小點(diǎn)，后來一陣泡沫飛濺的白浪倏地一閃；就此再也看不到什么了。根據(jù)這個情況，大家認(rèn)為，那條受傷的鯨一定是象往常一樣，不知拖著那些追趕它的小艇逃到哪里去了。到目前為止，雖然有點(diǎn)叫人擔(dān)心，卻還沒有教人驚恐的確鑿證據(jù)。索具上已掛上召喚小艇回大船的信號旗；天也黑了；大船在到正相反的方向去找尋那第四只小艇之前，不得不先去料理遠(yuǎn)在上風(fēng)處的三只小艇，這樣一來，大船不僅只好暫時讓那只小艇聽天由命，待到午夜時分再說，而且越來越遠(yuǎn)離它了。后來，等到其余那些水手都平安上了船，它這才扯上所有的風(fēng)帆——加上一片片的副帆——去尋找那只失落的小艇，還在煉油鍋里燒起一鍋火來做警標(biāo)；所有的人都爬上桅頂去瞭望。