Never could Starbuck forget the old man's aspect, when one night going down into the cabin to mark how the barometer stood, he saw him with closed eyes sitting straight in his floor-screwed chair; the rain and half-melted sleet of the storm from which he had some time before emerged, still slowly dripping from the unremoved hat and coat. On the table beside him lay unrolled one of those charts of tides and currents which have previously been spoken of. His lantern swung from his tightly clenched hand. Though the body was erect, the head was thrown back so that the closed eyes were pointed towards the needle of the tell-tale that swung from a beam in theceiling.The cabin-compass is called the tell-tale, because without going to the compass at the helm, the Captain, while below, can inform himself of the course of the ship.
斯達巴克永遠忘不了這位老人的神色,有一天晚上,當(dāng)他到船長室里去看晴雨計的度數(shù)時,他看見這老人閉起雙眼,筆直地坐在他那只鏇在船板上的椅子里。這位老人由于剛從外面回來不久,風(fēng)暴中的雨水和將融未化的雹粒,還在慢慢地打他那尚未脫下的衣帽上淌下來。在他身旁的桌子上,放有前面曾經(jīng)提到的一幅打開著的潮汐圖。燈籠還在他緊握著的手里晃著。身體雖然坐得筆挺,頭卻往后仰著,所以那雙緊閉著的眼睛,就直指向那掛在天花板的橫梁上,晃來晃去的舵角表示機的針上(原注:舵角表示機——一稱船長室羅盤,船長在船長室時,毋須跑到舵輪旁邊的羅盤那兒去,就能看出船只的航向。)。
Terrible old man! thought Starbuck with a shudder, sleeping in this gale, still thou steadfastly eyest thy purpose.
可怖的老人呀!斯達巴克渾身一顫地想,你睡在這狂風(fēng)里,眼睛卻還緊盯著你的目標不放。
Chapter 52 The Albatross
第五十二章 “信天翁號”
South-eastward from the Cape, off the distant Crozetts, a good cruising ground for Right Whalemen, a sail loomed ahead, the Goney (Albatross) by name.
從好望角向東南方航行,在遙遠的克羅澤斯群島那兒,就是捕露脊鯨者的優(yōu)良的巡游場,這時,前面隱約出現(xiàn)了一帆孤航,名字就叫“信天翁”。