英语听书《白鲸记》第756期

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than to rejoice that the ship had so victoriously¹ gained upon the Malays. 似乎远远超过这只船之这么胜利地超越于马来人所感到的欢乐。

But still driving on in the wake of the whales, at length they seemed abating² their speed; 不过，再继续紧跟在鲸群后边追赶一阵后，那些鲸好象终于也把速度降低下来，

gradually the ship neared them; and the wind now dying away, word was passed to spring to the boats. 船也逐渐逼近它们了；现在风已停息，船上也下令要跳下小艇了。

But no sooner did the herd³, by some presumed wonderful instinct of the Sperm⁴ Whale, 但是，这一大群鲸，好象出自抹香鲸的奇妙的本能，

become notified of the three keels that were after them,— though as yet a mile in their rear, than they rallied again,  一发觉后边有三只小艇在追赶他们——虽然相距还有一英里之遥，它们就又聚拢来，

and forming in close ranks and battalions⁵, so that their spouts⁶ all looked like flashing lines of stacked bayonets, moved on with redoubled velocity⁷. 列成紧密的队伍，所以它们的喷水完全象是一片闪光的枪林弹雨，以加倍的速力奋勇向前。

Stripped to our shirts and drawers, we sprang to the white-ash, 我们脱下衣服，只剩衬衫衬裤，把小艇一冲就冲到迷蒙的白雾里去，

and after several hours' pulling were almost disposed to renounce⁸ the chase, 经过了几个钟头的划桨，划得差不多叫人要放弃这个追逐了，

when a general pausing commotion⁹ among the whales gave animating¹⁰ tokens 这时，鲸群中却普遍呈现一片要停下来的骚乱，生动地显示出，

that they were now at last under the influence of that strange perplexity of inert¹¹ irresolution¹², 它们现在终于陷入失却自主，进退两难的古怪窘境，

which, when the fishermen perceive it in the whale, they say he is gallied. 这也就是捕鲸人在看到大鲸这种情况时，管它叫"吓怕了"的时候。

The compact martial¹³ columns in which they had been hitherto rapidly and steadily¹⁴ swimming, were now broken up in one measureless rout¹⁵; 这支紧密结合的勇武的队伍本来游得那么迅速稳定，如今却是七零八落，溃不成军了；

and like King Porus' elephants in the Indian battle with Alexander, they seemed going mad with consternation¹⁶. 它们象是古印度波拉斯王的象队跟亚历山大作战时那样，似乎都吓得要发疯了。

In all directions expanding in vast irregular circles,  到处都是杂乱无章的大圈圈，

and aimlessly swimming hither and thither¹⁷, by their short thick spoutings, they plainly betrayed their distraction¹⁸ of panic.  毫无目的地游来游去，从它们那种短促而浓密的喷水看来，教人清清楚楚地看出它们惊惶失措，走投无路了。

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