Hence, I conclude, that in boasting himself to be high lifted above a whaleman, in that assertion the pirate has no solid basis to stand on.
因此我敢斷定,海盜在自夸高出于捕鯨人一籌這一點(diǎn)上,是沒有任何立得住腳的牢靠的基礎(chǔ)的。
But what is a Gam? You might wear out your index-finger running up and down the columns of dictionaries,and never find the word, Dr. Johnson never attained to that erudition;Noah Webster's ark does not hold it.Nevertheless, this same expressive word has now for many years been in constant use among some fifteen thousand true born Yankees. Certainly, it needs a definition, and should be incorporated into the Lexicon. With that view, letme learnedly define it.
那么,“聯(lián)歡會”是什么呢?你也許弄酸了你的手指頭,經(jīng)復(fù)翻遍了各種辭典,也找不到這個詞兒。約翰遜博士(塞繆爾·約翰遜(1709—1784)——英國的辭典編撰者,他所編撰的辭典出版于一七五五年。)從來沒有做出過這個解釋;挪亞。韋柏斯特(挪亞。韋柏斯特(1758—1843)——美國的辭典編撰者,他的《韋柏斯特大辭典》出版于一八二八年。由于韋柏斯特的名字叫挪亞,因而作者把他的辭典戲稱為《圣經(jīng)》上挪亞的方舟。)的方舟也沒有裝上過這個詞。話雖如此,這個意味深長的詞兒,卻迄今已成為一萬五千個道地的揚(yáng)基多年來所經(jīng)常應(yīng)用的字眼了。它當(dāng)然需要有個定義,而且還得給加進(jìn)辭典里去。因此,讓我來學(xué)究式地給它下個定義吧。
GAM. NOUN--A social meeting of two (or more) Whaleships, generally on a cruising-ground;when, after exchanging hails, they exchange visits by boats' crews, the two captains remaining, for the time, on board of one ship,and the two chief mates on the other.
聯(lián)歡會(名詞)——兩艘(或兩艘以上)捕鯨船在巡游場上相遇時通常舉行的聯(lián)誼會。兩艘船在彼此打過招呼后,各船的水手們便互作訪問;兩位船長也暫時都呆在一艘船上,兩個大副則在另一艘船上。
There is another little item about Gamming which must not be forgotten here. All professions have their own little peculiarities of detail;so has the whale fishery. In a pirate, man-of-war, or slave ship, when the captain is rowed anywhere in his boat,
關(guān)于聯(lián)歡會,還有另外一個小項(xiàng)目,必須在這里提一提。各行各業(yè)都各有它們自己的一些小特點(diǎn);捕鯨業(yè)當(dāng)然也不例外。在海盜船上、兵艦上或者是在販賣奴隸船上,船長坐小艇給劃到任何地方去時,