海底二万里

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

   第二部 第十二章

   CHAPTER 12

   大头鲸和长须鲸

   Sperm Whales and Baleen Whales

   在8月13日至14日夜间,诺第留斯号航行的方向还是往南。我想在合恩角的纬度上,它要把船头移转向西,这样就可以再到太平洋,完成它的世界周游。实际它并不这样做,仍然继续向南极地区驶去。那么,它要到哪里去呢?到南极去吗?那真是疯了。我开始想,船长的大胆狂妄很足以证明尼德-兰的顾虑同恐惧是合理的。

   DURING THE NIGHT of March 13-14, the Nautilus resumed its southward heading. Once it was abreast of Cape Horn, I thought it would strike west of the cape, make for Pacific seas, and complete its tour of the world. It did nothing of the sort and kept moving toward the southernmost regions. So where was it bound? The pole? That was insanity. I was beginning to think that the captain's recklessness more than justified Ned Land's worst fears.

   几天以来,加拿大人不跟我谈他的逃走计划。他变成不爱说话,差不多完全沉默了。我看出这种无限期延长的囚禁使得他很难受。我感到他心中所累积的愤怒是怎样强烈。当他碰见船长的时候,他的眼睛燃起陰沉可怕的火光,我时常害怕他那暴烈天性可能使他走极端。

   For a good while the Canadian had said nothing more to me about his escape plans. He had become less sociable, almost sullen. I could see how heavily this protracted imprisonment was weighing on him. I could feel the anger building in him. Whenever he encountered the captain, his eyes would flicker with dark fire, and I was in constant dread that his natural vehemence would cause him to do something rash.

   8月14日这一天,康塞尔和他到我房中来找我,我问他们来看我的理由。

   That day, March 14, he and Conseil managed to find me in my stateroom. I asked them the purpose of their visit.

   “先生,”加拿大人口答我,“我只有一个问题向您提出来。”

   "To put a simple question to you, sir," the Canadian answered me.

   “您说吧,尼德。”

   "Go on, Ned."

   “您想,诺第留斯号船上一共有多少人?”

   "How many men do you think are on board the Nautilus?"

   “我说不上来,我的朋友。”

   "I'm unable to say, my friend."

   “我觉得,“尼德-兰立即说,“这船的驾驶并不需要很多的人员。”

   "It seems to me," Ned Land went on, "that it wouldn't take much of a crew to run a ship like this one."

   “是的,“我回答,”在目前的情况中,大约至多有十个人就足以驾驶了。”

   "Correct," I replied. "Under existing conditions some ten men at the most should be enough to operate it."

   “那么,”加拿大人说,”为什么可能有这么多的人呢?”

   "All right," the Canadian said, "then why should there be any more than that?"

   “为什么?“我立即说。

   "Why?" I answered.

   我眼光盯着尼德、兰,他的意图很容易了解。

   I stared at Ned Land, whose motives were easy to guess.

   “因为,”我说,“据我所有的推想,据我所了解的船长的生活,诺第留斯号不仅仅是一只船。跟它的船长一样,它对于与陆地断绝了所有关系的人们来说,又是一个躲藏处。”

   "Because," I said, "if I can trust my hunches, if I truly understand the captain's way of life, his Nautilus isn't simply a ship. It's meant to be a refuge for people like its commander, people who have severed all ties with the shore."

   “可能是这样,”康塞尔说,“不过诺第留斯号只能收容一定数目的人,先生可以估计一下它的最大数目吗?”

   "Perhaps," Conseil said, "but in a nutshell, the Nautilus can hold only a certain number of men, so couldn't master estimate their maximum?"

   “康塞尔,你这话怎么说?”。

   "How, Conseil?"

   “就是用算法来估计。根据先生所知道的这船的容积。可以知道它含有多少空气,另一方面又知道每个人的呼吸作用所消费的空气,将这些结果跟诺第留斯号每二十四小时必须浮上水面来调换空气相比较……”

   "By calculating it. Master is familiar with the ship's capacity, hence the amount of air it contains; on the other hand, master knows how much air each man consumes in the act of breathing, and he can compare this data with the fact that the Nautilus must rise to the surface every twenty-four hours . . ."

   康塞尔没有把话说完,但我很明白他指的是什么。

   Conseil didn't finish his sentence, but I could easily see what he was driving at.

   “我了解你的意思,”我说,“并且这种计算也很容易做到,然而那只是一个很不确实的数字。”

   "I follow you," I said. "But while they're simple to do, such calculations can give only a very uncertain figure."

   “那没关系。”尼德,兰坚持着又说。

   "No problem," the Canadian went on insistently.

   “下面就是对于这问题的算法,”我回答,“每个人每小时消费一百升-空气中含有的氧,二十四小时就消费二千四百升含有的氧。这样就可以求出诺第留斯号含有多少倍的二千四百升空气来。”

   "Then here's how to calculate it," I replied. "In one hour each man consumes the oxygen contained in 100 liters of air, hence during twenty-four hours the oxygen contained in 2,400 liters. Therefore, we must look for the multiple of 2,400 liters of air that gives us the amount found in the Nautilus."

   “正是。”康塞尔说。

   "Precisely," Conseil said.

   “可是,”我又说,“诺第留斯号的容积是一千五百吨,一吨的容积是一千升,诺第留斯号含有一百五十万升的空气,拿二千四百来除……“

   "Now then," I went on, "the Nautilus's capacity is 1,500 metric tons, and that of a ton is 1,000 liters, so the Nautilus holds 1,500,000 liters of air, which, divided by 2,400 . . ."

   我用铅笔很快地计算:

   I did a quick pencil calculation.

   “所得的商数是六百二十五.这就是说,诺第留斯号所有的空气可以供应六百二十五人在二十四小时内呼吸之用。”

   ". . . gives us the quotient of 625. Which is tantamount to saying that the air contained in the Nautilus would be exactly enough for 625 men over twenty-four hours."

   “六百二十五人!尼德-兰一再说。

   "625!" Ned repeated.

   “您要相信,”我又说,“乘客:、水手和职员都算上,我们还不及这数字的十分之一。

   "But rest assured," I added, "that between passengers, seamen, or officers, we don't total one-tenth of that figure."

   “这对于三个人来说,还是过多了!”康塞尔低声说。

   "Which is still too many for three men!" Conseil muttered.

   “可怜的尼德,所以我只能劝您忍耐了。”

   "So, my poor Ned, I can only counsel patience."

   “比忍耐还要进一步,”康塞尔回答,“只能听天由命了”

   "And," Conseil replied, "even more than patience, resignation."

   Conseil had said the true word.

   “总起来说,”我又说、“尼摩船长也不可能老是往南走!他总有要停止的时候,就是到了冰山面前也罢!他总要回到有人居住、有文化的海中来!那时候,就可能有机会执行尼德-兰的计划了。”

   "Even so," he went on, "Captain Nemo can't go south forever! He'll surely have to stop, if only at the Ice Bank, and he'll return to the seas of civilization! Then it will be time to resume Ned Land's plans."

   加拿大人摇摇头、手摩一下前额,不回答,走了。

   The Canadian shook his head, passed his hand over his brow, made no reply, and left us.

   “请先生允许我说出我对他的看法,”康塞尔于是说,“这可怜的尼德老是想他不可能有的一切.过去生活的一切都回到他心中来。我们所不能有的一切在他觉得都很可惋惜,心中发生悔恨。他从前的回忆苦苦纠缠着他,他很伤心,很难过。我们必须了解他的情况。他在这船上有什么可做的呢?没有。他不像先生那样,是一位学者,他跟我们不同,对于海中的美丽事物没有同样的趣味。他要冒险不顾一切,只求走入他本国的一个酒店中去!”

   "With master's permission, I'll make an observation to him," Conseil then told me. "Our poor Ned broods about all the things he can't have. He's haunted by his former life. He seems to miss everything that's denied us. He's obsessed by his old memories and it's breaking his heart. We must understand him. What does he have to occupy him here? Nothing. He isn't a scientist like master, and he doesn't share our enthusiasm for the sea's wonders. He would risk anything just to enter a tavern in his own country!"

   很显然,船上生活的单调,对于习惯自由和积极生活的:加拿大人来说,是不可忍受的。海上事件可能使他高兴的是很少的。可是,这一无,一件偶然的意外使他恢复了他从前当鱼叉手时的最好日子。

   To be sure, the monotony of life on board must have seemed unbearable to the Canadian, who was accustomed to freedom and activity. It was a rare event that could excite him. That day, however, a development occurred that reminded him of his happy years as a harpooner.

   早上十一点左右,诺第留斯号在大洋面上,航行在成群的鲸鱼中间一这个遭遇并不使我惊异,因为我知道这些动物受人过度的追击,都躲到两极边缘、高纬度的海水中来一

   Near eleven o'clock in the morning, while on the surface of the ocean, the Nautilus fell in with a herd of baleen whales. This encounter didn't surprise me, because I knew these animals were being hunted so relentlessly that they took refuge in the ocean basins of the high latitudes.

   鲸鱼类在海上事业方面所起的作用,对于地理上发现的影响是很重大的。鲸鱼类,首先吸引着已斯克人)、其次亚斯豆里”①人、又其次英国人和荷兰人,追随在它后面,使他们不怕大洋的危险,带领他们从地球这一极端到那一极端。

   In the maritime world and in the realm of geographic exploration, whales have played a major role. This is the animal that first dragged the Basques in its wake, then Asturian Spaniards, Englishmen, and Dutchmen, emboldening them against the ocean's perils, and leading them to the ends of the earth. Baleen whales like to frequent the southernmost and northernmost seas. Old legends even claim that these cetaceans led fishermen to within a mere seven leagues of the North Pole. Although this feat is fictitious, it will someday come true, because it's likely that by hunting whales in the Arctic or Antarctic regions, man will finally reach this unknown spot on the globe.

   我们坐在平台上,海上风平浪静。是的,这些纬度地区正给我们带来美丽的秋天。是那个加拿大人——他不能搞错——指出东方天边有一条鲸鱼、注意地看一下,我们看见它的灰黑色的脊背在距离诺第留斯号五海里的海面上,不停地浮起来、沉下去。

   We were seated on the platform next to a tranquil sea. The month of March, since it's the equivalent of October in these latitudes, was giving us some fine autumn days. It was the Canadian-- on this topic he was never mistaken--who sighted a baleen whale on the eastern horizon. If you looked carefully, you could see its blackish back alternately rise and fall above the waves, five miles from the Nautilus.

   “啊…尼德-兰喊道:“如果我是在一般捕鲸船上,现在慨是使我痛快的一次遭遇T!那是一条身躯巨大的鲸鱼!请看它的鼻孔有多大的气力,喷出了混有气体的水柱!真可恨!我为什么被绑在这块钢板上呢!”

   "Wow!" Ned Land exclaimed. "If I were on board a whaler, there's an encounter that would be great fun! That's one big animal! Look how high its blowholes are spouting all that air and steam! Damnation! Why am I chained to this hunk of sheet iron!"

   “怎么。”我回答,“尼德,您还没有打消您哪打鲸鱼的老念头吗?”

   "Why, Ned!" I replied. "You still aren't over your old fishing urges?"

   “先生,打鲸鱼的人能够忘记他从前的手艺吗?他能够厌倦这种捕捉所引起的激动吗?”

   "How could a whale fisherman forget his old trade, sir? Who could ever get tired of such exciting hunting?"

   “尼德,您从没有在这一带海中打过鲸鱼吗?”

   "You've never fished these seas, Ned?"

   “从没有,先生。、我只在北极海中打鲸鱼,就在白令海峡和台维斯海峡一带。”

   "Never, sir. Just the northernmost seas, equally in the Bering Strait and the Davis Strait."

   “那么,南极的鲸鱼对您来说还是陌生的。您以前捕捉”的都是平常的白鲸,它并木敢冒险通过赤道的温热海水。”

   "So the southern right whale is still unknown to you. Until now it's the bowhead whale you've hunted, and it won't risk going past the warm waters of the equator."

   “啊!教授,您给我说什么呀?”加拿大人用相当怀疑的口气回答。

   "Oh, professor, what are you feeding me?" the Canadian answered in a tolerably skeptical tone.

   “我说的是事实哩。”

   "I'm feeding you the facts."

   “好嘛!、事实!正在这儿说话的我,两年半以前,在北纬65度,格陵兰岛附近捕获了一条鲸鱼,它身上还带着一般白令海峡的捕鲸船所刺中的鱼叉。现在我要问您,鲸鱼在美洲西边被刺中了,如果它没有绕合恩角或好望角;通过赤道,它哪能死在美洲东边呢?”

   "By thunder! In '65, just two and a half years ago, I to whom you speak, I myself stepped onto the carcass of a whale near Greenland, and its flank still carried the marked harpoon of a whaling ship from the Bering Sea. Now I ask you, after it had been wounded west of America, how could this animal be killed in the east, unless it had cleared the equator and doubled Cape Horn or the Cape of Good Hope?"

   “我跟尼德朋友的想法一样,”康塞尔说,“我等着听先生的答复哩。”

   "I agree with our friend Ned," Conseil said, "and I'm waiting to hear how master will reply to him."

   “朋友们,先生的答复是这样,鲸鱼类是有地方性的,按’照种类的不同;它们定居在某处海中,并不离开。如果有一条鲸鱼从白令海峡走到台维斯侮峡,那很简单,因为这两个海洋间一定有一条相通的水路,或在美洲海岸边,或在亚洲海岸边。”

   "Master will reply, my friends, that baleen whales are localized, according to species, within certain seas that they never leave. And if one of these animals went from the Bering Strait to the Davis Strait, it's quite simply because there's some passageway from the one sea to the other, either along the coasts of Canada or Siberia."

   “要我们相信您的话吗?”加拿大人闭着一只眼睛问:

   "You expect us to fall for that?" the Canadian asked, tipping me a wink.

   “我们要相信先生的话。”康塞尔回答。

   "If master says so," Conseil replied.

   “那么,”加拿大人立即又说”既然我没有在这一带海中打过鲸鱼,我就不认得往来这~带海中的鲸鱼类吗?”

   "Which means," the Canadian went on, "since I've never fished these waterways, I don't know the whales that frequent them?"

   “我刚才对您说过了,尼德

   "That's what I've been telling you, Ned."

   “那要认识它们就更有理由了。“康塞尔回答。

   "All the more reason to get to know them," Conseil answered.

   “看!看!”加拿大人喊,声音很激动,“它走过来了!它向我们冲来了!它侮辱我、玩弄我!它知道我现在不可能惩治它!”

   "Look! Look!" the Canadian exclaimed, his voice full of excitement. "It's approaching! It's coming toward us! It's thumbing its nose at me! It knows I can't do a blessed thing to it!"

   尼德把脚乱跺,他的手挥动着一支空想的鱼叉,在那里颤抖。

   Ned stamped his foot. Brandishing an imaginary harpoon, his hands positively trembled.

   “这里鲸鱼类动物是跟北极海中的一样大吗?”他问。

   "These cetaceans," he asked, "are they as big as the ones in the northernmost seas?"

   “差不多一样,尼德。”

   "Pretty nearly, Ned."

   “我看过的大鲸鱼,先生,是长到一百英尺的大鲸鱼!我甚至要说,阿留申群岛的胡拉摩克岛和翁加里克岛的鲸鱼身长超过一百五十英尺”

   "Because I've seen big baleen whales, sir, whales measuring up to 100 feet long! I've even heard that those rorqual whales off the Aleutian Islands sometimes get over 150 feet."

   “我觉得这有些过度夸张,”我回答,“这些东西不过是鲸科,有脊鳍的动物,大头鲸也:样。它们通常比普通白鲸小一些”

   "That strikes me as exaggerated," I replied. "Those animals are only members of the genus Balaenoptera furnished with dorsal fins, and like sperm whales, they're generally smaller than the bowhead whale."

   “啊!”加拿大人喊道,他的眼睛不离开海洋,”它近前来了,它到诺第留斯号的水圈中来了!”

   "Oh!" exclaimed the Canadian, whose eyes hadn't left the ocean. "It's getting closer, it's coming into the Nautilus's waters!"

   鲸鱼老是向前来。尼德,兰眼睛死盯住它。他喊道:

   Then, going on with his conversation:

   “啊!并不是=条鲸鱼,是十条,二十条,整一群呢!一点没办法,不能动!在这里脚和手都像绑起来了一样!”

   "You talk about sperm whales," he said, "as if they were little beasts! But there are stories of gigantic sperm whales. They're shrewd cetaceans. I hear that some will cover themselves with algae and fucus plants. People mistake them for islets. They pitch camp on top, make themselves at home, light a fire--"

   "Build houses," Conseil said.

   "Yes, funny man," Ned Land replied. "Then one fine day the animal dives and drags all its occupants down into the depths."

   "Like in the voyages of Sinbad the Sailor," I answered, laughing.

   "Oh, Mr. Land, you're addicted to tall tales! What sperm whales you're handing us! I hope you don't really believe in them!"

   "Mr. Naturalist," the Canadian replied in all seriousness, "when it comes to whales, you can believe anything! (Look at that one move! Look at it stealing away!) People claim these animals can circle around the world in just fifteen days."

   "I don't say nay."

   "But what you undoubtedly don't know, Professor Aronnax, is that at the beginning of the world, whales traveled even quicker."

   "Oh really, Ned! And why so?"

   "Because in those days their tails moved side to side, like those on fish, in other words, their tails were straight up, thrashing the water from left to right, right to left. But spotting that they swam too fast, our Creator twisted their tails, and ever since they've been thrashing the waves up and down, at the expense of their speed."

   "Fine, Ned," I said, then resurrected one of the Canadian's expressions. "You expect us to fall for that?"

   "Not too terribly," Ned Land replied, "and no more than if I told you there are whales that are 300 feet long and weigh 1,000,000 pounds."

   "That's indeed considerable," I said. "But you must admit that certain cetaceans do grow to significant size, since they're said to supply as much as 120 metric tons of oil."

   "That I've seen," the Canadian said.

   "I can easily believe it, Ned, just as I can believe that certain baleen whales equal 100 elephants in bulk. Imagine the impact of such a mass if it were launched at full speed!"

   "Is it true," Conseil asked, "that they can sink ships?"

   "Ships? I doubt it," I replied. "However, they say that in 1820, right in these southern seas, a baleen whale rushed at the Essex and pushed it backward at a speed of four meters per second. Its stern was flooded, and the Essex went down fast."

   Ned looked at me with a bantering expression.

   "Speaking for myself," he said, "I once got walloped by a whale's tail-- in my longboat, needless to say. My companions and I were launched to an altitude of six meters. But next to the professor's whale, mine was just a baby."

   "Do these animals live a long time?" Conseil asked.

   "A thousand years," the Canadian replied without hesitation.

   "And how, Ned," I asked, "do you know that's so?"

   "Because people say so."

   "And why do people say so?"

   "Because people know so."

   "No, Ned! People don't know so, they suppose so, and here's the logic with which they back up their beliefs. When fishermen first hunted whales 400 years ago, these animals grew to bigger sizes than they do today. Reasonably enough, it's assumed that today's whales are smaller because they haven't had time to reach their full growth. That's why the Count de Buffon's encyclopedia says that cetaceans can live, and even must live, for a thousand years. You understand?"

   Ned Land didn't understand. He no longer even heard me. That baleen whale kept coming closer. His eyes devoured it.

   "Oh!" he exclaimed. "It's not just one whale, it's ten, twenty, a whole gam! And I can't do a thing! I'm tied hand and foot!"

   “不过,尼德朋友,”康塞尔说,“您为什么不要求尼摩船长准许您去追打呢?……”

   "But Ned my friend," Conseil said, "why not ask Captain Nemo for permission to hunt--"

   康塞尔的话还没有说完,尼德-兰已经从打开的嵌板溜进去,跑去找船长。一会儿,两人都出现在平台上。

   Before Conseil could finish his sentence, Ned Land scooted down the hatch and ran to look for the captain. A few moments later, the two of them reappeared on the platform.

   尼摩船长看一下这群鲸鱼类动物,它们在距诺第留斯号一海里的海面上游来游去。他说:

   Captain Nemo observed the herd of cetaceans cavorting on the waters a mile from the Nautilus.

   “那是南极的鲸鱼。它们可以使一整队捕鲸船都发财妮。”

   "They're southern right whales," he said. "There goes the fortune of a whole whaling fleet."

   “那么,先生,”加拿大人间,“单单为了不把我从前当鱼叉手的职业忘记,我是不是可以追打它们呢?”

   "Well, sir," the Canadian asked, "couldn't I hunt them, just so I don't forget my old harpooning trade?"

   “仅仅为消灭它们而追打,有什么好处!”尼摩船长回答,“我们船上要这么多鲸鱼油没有什么用。”

   "Hunt them? What for?" Captain Nemo replied. "Simply to destroy them? We have no use for whale oil on this ship."

   “可是,先生,”加拿大人又说,“在红海中:您却准许我们追打海马!”

   "But, sir," the Canadian went on, "in the Red Sea you authorized us to chase a dugong!"

   “那时是要给我们的船员们获得新鲜的肉,所以才那样做。现在是为杀害而杀害罢了,我知道这是人类的特权,萌便伤害生命,不过我不允许做这类残害生命的消遣。毁灭这些善良无害的南极鲸鱼,像普通白鲸一般,兰师傅,您为同行一般人是做了一件可责备的行为。他们就是这样把整个巴芬湾都弄得没有一条鲸鱼了,他们就是这样消灭了整个有用的一纲动物了。不要跟这些不幸的鲸鱼类动物为准吧。就是你们不参加进去,它们已经有不少的天然敌人。北方,大头鲸、狗沙鱼和锯鲛之类。”

   "There it was an issue of obtaining fresh meat for my crew. Here it would be killing for the sake of killing. I'm well aware that's a privilege reserved for mankind, but I don't allow such murderous pastimes. When your peers, Mr. Land, destroy decent, harmless creatures like the southern right whale or the bowhead whale, they commit a reprehensible offense. Thus they've already depopulated all of Baffin Bay, and they'll wipe out a whole class of useful animals. So leave these poor cetaceans alone. They have quite enough natural enemies, such as sperm whales, swordfish, and sawfish, without you meddling with them."

   当船长谈这些大道理的时候,大家很容易想到加拿大的脸孔是什么样。拿这类的话来对打鱼人说,简直是自己尼德-兰看一下尼摩船长,很显然是不了解船长跟他说的话。可是,尼摩船长的话是对的。打鱼人的野蛮和过的屠杀总有一天要把大洋中的最后一条鲸鱼都消灭净尽

   I'll let the reader decide what faces the Canadian made during this lecture on hunting ethics. Furnishing such arguments to a professional harpooner was a waste of words. Ned Land stared at Captain Nemo and obviously missed his meaning. But the captain was right. Thanks to the mindless, barbaric bloodthirstiness of fishermen, the last baleen whale will someday disappear from the ocean.

   尼德-兰嘴里哼着美国进行曲,两手塞进口袋里,转过脸,不睬我们。

   Ned Land whistled "Yankee Doodle" between his teeth, stuffed his hands in his pockets, and turned his back on us.

   可是尼摩船长看着那一群鲸鱼类动物,对我说:

   Meanwhile Captain Nemo studied the herd of cetaceans, then addressed me:

   “我说的是对的,就是除开人类不算,鲸鱼有不少的天然敌人。这一群鲸鱼不久就要跟强大的敌人球着了。阿龙纳斯先生,您看见在下边六海里海面上那些正在行动的灰黑点吗?”

   "I was right to claim that baleen whales have enough natural enemies without counting man. These specimens will soon have to deal with mighty opponents. Eight miles to leeward, Professor Aronnax, can you see those blackish specks moving about?"

   "Yes, captain," I replied.

   “那是大头鲸,很可怕的动物,有时我碰到两三百成群的队伍!这种动物是残酷有害的东西,消灭它们是对的。”

   "Those are sperm whales, dreadful animals that I've sometimes encountered in herds of 200 or 300! As for them, they're cruel, destructive beasts, and they deserve to be exterminated."

   加拿大人听到最后一句话,急忙回过身子来。、

   The Canadian turned swiftly at these last words.

   那么,船长,“我说,现在还是时候,并且又是为鲸氢的利益起见……”

   "Well, captain," I said, "on behalf of the baleen whales, there's still time--"

   “用不着去冒险,教授。诺第留斯号就足以驱散那些大头鲸了。它装有钢制的冲兔,我想,它的厉害相当于兰师傅,的鱼叉。”

   "It's pointless to run any risks, professor. The Nautilus will suffice to disperse these sperm whales. It's armed with a steel spur quite equal to Mr. Land's harpoon, I imagine."

   加拿大人一点不客气地耸一耸两肩。用船冲角攻打鲸鱼类动物!有谁听说过?

   The Canadian didn't even bother shrugging his shoulders. Attacking cetaceans with thrusts from a spur! Who ever heard of such malarkey!

   “请等待一下,阿龙纳斯先生,”尼摩船长说,”我们要给您看一次您还没有看见过的追打。对于这些凶恶鲸科动物,一点也用不着怜悯。它们就是嘴和牙齿。”

   "Wait and see, Professor Aronnax," Captain Nemo said. "We'll show you a style of hunting with which you aren't yet familiar. We'll take no pity on these ferocious cetaceans. They're merely mouth and teeth!"

   嘴和牙齿!人们再不能更好地来描写脑袋巨大的大头鲸了,这种东西的身躯有时超过二十五米,这种动物的巨大脑袋约占身长三分之一。它们的武装比长须鲸的强大,长须鲸的上颚只有一串鲸须,大头鲸就有二十五枚粗牙,牙长二十厘米,牙尖为圆筒形和圆锥形,每枚牙重二斤:就是在那巨大脑袋的上部和有软骨片分开的大空洞里面,藏有三四百公斤的名为“鲸鱼白”的宝贵油。

   Mouth and teeth! There's no better way to describe the long-skulled sperm whale, whose length sometimes exceeds twenty-five meters. The enormous head of this cetacean occupies about a third of its body. Better armed than a baleen whale, whose upper jaw is adorned solely with whalebone, the sperm whale is equipped with twenty-five huge teeth that are twenty centimeters high, have cylindrical, conical summits, and weigh two pounds each. In the top part of this enormous head, inside big cavities separated by cartilage, you'll find 300 to 400 kilograms of that valuable oil called "spermaceti." The sperm whale is an awkward animal, more tadpole than fish, as Professor Frédol has noted. It's poorly constructed, being "defective," so to speak, over the whole left side of its frame, with good eyesight only in its right eye.

   可是,这一群怪东西老是往前来。它们看见了长须鲸,椎备攻打。我们预先就可以看出大头鲸要取得胜利,不单烟为它们比它们的驯良敌手较结实、便于攻击,而且又因为它们可以在水底下留得较久,不浮上水面来呼吸。

   Meanwhile that monstrous herd kept coming closer. It had seen the baleen whales and was preparing to attack. You could tell in advance that the sperm whales would be victorious, not only because they were better built for fighting than their harmless adversaries, but also because they could stay longer underwater before returning to breathe at the surface.

   现在正好是去援救这些长须鲸的时候了。诺第留斯号行驶在水里面。康塞尔、尼德-兰和我,我们坐在客厅的玻璃窗户面前。尼摩船长到领航人那边去,躁纵他的潜水船象一件毁灭性的机器一样。不久,我觉得推进器骤然加速转动,速度立即加快了。

   There was just time to run to the rescue of the baleen whales. The Nautilus proceeded to midwater. Conseil, Ned, and I sat in front of the lounge windows. Captain Nemo made his way to the helmsman's side to operate his submersible as an engine of destruction. Soon I felt the beats of our propeller getting faster, and we picked up speed.

   当诺第留斯号驶到的时候,大头鲸和长须鲸已经开始战斗了。诺第留斯号的动作是要把这群大头怪物拦住。最初,这些怪物看见这只新奇东西参加战斗,并不激动,跟平常一样。但不久它们就不得不防备它的攻击了。

   The battle between sperm whales and baleen whales had already begun when the Nautilus arrived. It maneuvered to cut into the herd of long-skulled predators. At first the latter showed little concern at the sight of this new monster meddling in the battle. But they soon had to sidestep its thrusts.

   好一场恶斗!就是尼德-兰,不久也兴高采烈起来,终于大拍其掌.诺第留斯号变成为一支厉害的鱼叉,由船长的手来挥动。投向那些肉团,一直穿过去:穿过之后,留下那怪物的两半片蠕动的身躯。大头鲸厉害的尾巴扑打船的侧边,它一点也不觉得。大头鲸冲憧它,它也没有感觉。打死了一条大鲸,它又跑去打另一条,它立即转过来,不肯放走它的猎物;它向前、向后,完全听掌舵人的指挥;大头鲸沉入深的水层,它就潜下去追,大头鲸浮到水面来,它也跟着上来,或正面打,或侧面刺,或切割,或撕裂,四面八方,纵横上下,就用它那可怕的冲角乱刺乱戳。

   What a struggle! Ned Land quickly grew enthusiastic and even ended up applauding. Brandished in its captain's hands, the Nautilus was simply a fearsome harpoon. He hurled it at those fleshy masses and ran them clean through, leaving behind two squirming animal halves. As for those daunting strokes of the tail hitting our sides, the ship never felt them. No more than the collisions it caused. One sperm whale exterminated, it ran at another, tacked on the spot so as not to miss its prey, went ahead or astern, obeyed its rudder, dived when the cetacean sank to deeper strata, rose with it when it returned to the surface, struck it head-on or slantwise, hacked at it or tore it, and from every direction and at any speed, skewered it with its dreadful spur.

   好一场屠杀:水面上是何等的热闹!这些吓怕的动收发出的是多么尖锐的叫啸,还有它们特有的那种鼾声!近常是很为安静的水层中间,现在被它们的尾巴搅成真正汹涌的波浪了。

   What bloodshed! What a hubbub on the surface of the waves! What sharp hisses and snorts unique to these frightened animals! Their tails churned the normally peaceful strata into actual billows.

   这种史诗大的屠杀一直延长了一小时,那些大头怪物是不可能躲开的。好几次,有十条或十二条一齐连合起来,想拿它们的工量来压扁诺第留斯号。在玻璃上,我们看到它们的排列着牙齿的大嘴,它们的可怕的眼睛。尼德-兰简直压制不住自己了,威吓它们,咒骂它们。我们觉得它们抓住了我们的船,就像在短树丛下狗咬住小猪的耳朵一般。死也不放,、诺第留斯号催动它的推进器,战胜它们,拖拉它们,或把它们带到海水上层来,不顾它们的巨大重量,不管它们的强大压力。

   This Homeric slaughter dragged on for an hour, and the long-skulled predators couldn't get away. Several times ten or twelve of them teamed up, trying to crush the Nautilus with their sheer mass. Through the windows you could see their enormous mouths paved with teeth, their fearsome eyes. Losing all self-control, Ned Land hurled threats and insults at them. You could feel them clinging to the submersible like hounds atop a wild boar in the underbrush. But by forcing the pace of its propeller, the Nautilus carried them off, dragged them under, or brought them back to the upper level of the waters, untroubled by their enormous weight or their powerful grip.

   最后,这一人群大头鲸四散了:海水又变为平静了。我觉得我们又浮上洋面来。嵌板打开,我们立即跑上平台去。

   Finally this mass of sperm whales thinned out. The waves grew tranquil again. I felt us rising to the surface of the ocean. The hatch opened and we rushed onto the platform.

   海上满浮着稀烂的尸体。就是一,次猛烈的爆炸恐怕也不可能更厉害地把这些巨大肉团分开、撕破、碎裂。我们是浮在许多庞然大物的躯泳中间,这些躯体是灰蓝色的脊背,灰白色的肚腹,全身都长着巨大的疙瘩。有些吓怕了的大头鲸逃到天边去了。海水在好几海里的面积上都染成红色,诺第留斯号是浮在血海的中间。

   The sea was covered with mutilated corpses. A fearsome explosion couldn't have slashed, torn, or shredded these fleshy masses with greater violence. We were floating in the midst of gigantic bodies, bluish on the back, whitish on the belly, and all deformed by enormous protuberances. A few frightened sperm whales were fleeing toward the horizon. The waves were dyed red over an area of several miles, and the Nautilus was floating in the middle of a sea of blood.

   尼摩船长也来到我们所在的平台上。他说:

   Captain Nemo rejoined us.

   “兰师傅,怎样?”

   "Well, Mr. Land?" he said.

   “先生,”加拿大人回答,他的热情这时安静下来了,“不错,那是厉害得怕人的景象。不过我不是屠夫,我是打鱼人,这景象不过是一次大屠杀罢了。”

   "Well, sir," replied the Canadian, whose enthusiasm had subsided, "it's a dreadful sight for sure. But I'm a hunter not a butcher, and this is plain butchery."

   “这是一次对有害动物的屠杀,”船长回答,“诺第留斯号并不是一把屠刀。”

   "It was a slaughter of destructive animals," the captain replied, "and the Nautilus is no butcher knife."

   “我还是喜欢我的鱼叉。”加拿大人立即说。

   "I prefer my harpoon," the Canadian answered.

   “各人有各人的武器。”船长回答,同时眼盯着尼德-兰。

   "To each his own," the captain replied, staring intently at Ned Land.

   我很害怕尼德-兰不能克制,要发脾气,做出激烈的行动,可能产生不良的可悲的后果,但他看到了诺第留斯号这时正要靠近一条长须鲸,他的愤怒移转过去了。

   I was in dread the latter would give way to some violent outburst that might have had deplorable consequences. But his anger was diverted by the sight of a baleen whale that the Nautilus had pulled alongside of just then.

   这条长须鲸没有能逃避大头鲸的牙齿。我认得它是扁头的,完全是黑色的南极鲸鱼。就解剖学上来看:它跟普通白鲸和北嘉皮岛的鲸鱼不同的地方,在于它颈部的七根脊骨是接合起来,它比它的北方同类多两根肋骨。这条不幸的鲸鱼侧面躺下,肚上满是咬破的伤口,已经重伤致死了。在它受伤的鳍尖上,挂着一条它不能救护的小炖。“J卜l”的嘴流出水来,水像回潮一般,通过它的须,潺潺作响。

   This animal had been unable to escape the teeth of those sperm whales. I recognized the southern right whale, its head squat, its body dark all over. Anatomically, it's distinguished from the white whale and the black right whale by the fusion of its seven cervical vertebrae, and it numbers two more ribs than its relatives. Floating on its side, its belly riddled with bites, the poor cetacean was dead. Still hanging from the tip of its mutilated fin was a little baby whale that it had been unable to rescue from the slaughter. Its open mouth let water flow through its whalebone like a murmuring surf.

   尼摩船长把诺第留斯号开到这条鲸鱼的尸体旁边,船上的两个人员走到鲸鱼身上,他们把鲸鱼奶头中藏的奶部取出来,分量一共有二三吨左右,我看见,吃了一惊。

   Captain Nemo guided the Nautilus next to the animal's corpse. Two of his men climbed onto the whale's flank, and to my astonishment, I saw them draw from its udders all the milk they held, in other words, enough to fill two or three casks.

   船长把一怀还带热气的鲸奶送给我。我不能不对他大示我不喜欢喝这种饮料他向我保证这奶的味道很好,跟牛奶一点也没有什么不同。

   The captain offered me a cup of this still-warm milk. I couldn't help showing my distaste for such a beverage. He assured me that this milk was excellent, no different from cow's milk.

   尝了这奶,我的意见跟他的一样。所以这奶对我们来说是很有用的、可以保藏的食品,因为这奶可以制成咸黄油或奶酪,在我们日常食品中是很好吃的一种。

   I sampled it and agreed. So this milk was a worthwhile reserve ration for us, because in the form of salt butter or cheese, it would provide a pleasant change of pace from our standard fare.

   自这一天起,我心中很不安地看出尼德.兰对于尼摩、船长的态度愈来愈坏了,我决心要密切的注视加拿大人的行动。

   From that day on, I noted with some uneasiness that Ned Land's attitudes toward Captain Nemo grew worse and worse, and I decided to keep a close watch on the Canadian's movements and activities.