英語聽書《白鯨記》第359期

So, almost every twenty-four hours, when thewatches of the night were set, and the band on decksentinelled the slumbers of the band below; andwhen if a rope was to be hauled upon the forecastle,the sailors flung it not rudely down, as by day, butwith some cautiousness dropt it to its place for fearof disturbing their slumbering shipmates; when thissort of steady quietude would begin to prevail,habitually, the silent steersman would watch thecabin-scuttle; and ere long the old man wouldemerge, gripping at the iron banister, to help hiscrippled way. Some considering touch of humanity was in him; for at times like these, heusually abstained from patrolling the quarter-deck; because to his wearied mates, seekingrepose within six inches of his ivory heel, such would have been the reverberating crack anddin of that bony step, that their dreams would have been of the crunching teeth of sharks. Butonce, the mood was on him too deep for common regardings; and as with heavy, lumber-likepace he was measuring the ship from taffrail to mainmast, Stubb, the old second mate, cameup from below, and with a certain unassured, deprecating humorousness, hinted that ifCaptain Ahab was pleased to walk the planks, then, no one could say nay; but there might besome way of muffling the noise; hinting something indistinctly and hesitatingly about a globe oftow, and the insertion into it, of the ivory heel. Ah! Stubb, thou didst not know Ahab then.

因此,差不多每天一開始值夜,甲板上的人巡視過了艙里那些熟睡的人后;如果碰上需要把一根繩索拉上船頭樓,水手們并不象白天那樣粗魯?shù)厮は氯?而是頗為仔細(xì)地放下去,免得吵醒他們那些熟睡的船伴。往往在這種萬籟俱寂的氣氛就要開始出現(xiàn)的時候,那個一聲不響的舵手就習(xí)慣地注視一下艙口,隔不多久,那位老人就會閃將出來,手抓著鐵欄桿,一瘸一瘸地扶著欄桿走去。有些人倒認(rèn)為他有點兒人情味;在這種時分,他總就不在后甲板上踱來踱去;因為對于那些在他那六英寸牙骨踵的方圓內(nèi)想安睡的疲累的大二三副們說來,他那骨頭的步伐一定會骨碌骨碌響個不停,他們就會象是睡在鯊魚的嘎扎作響的牙門上一般。但是,有一回,他的心情實在太沉重,顧不到通常的關(guān)懷了;正當(dāng)他以沉重的。木頭似的腳步,從船尾欄桿到主桅間有板有眼地踱來踱去的時候,那個古怪的二副斯塔布,從下面走上來了,他帶著一種缺乏自信。祈求的幽默語氣暗示說,如果亞哈船長喜歡在船板上走,那么,誰都不能說個不字;不過呢,總得設(shè)法別弄出聲響來;接著含糊而猶豫不決地隱約說出什么一團繩索,把牙踵插進繩索團里。啊!斯塔布,這么說來,你未免是不了解亞哈了。