英語聽書《白鯨記》第21期

Instantly I felt a shock running through all myframe; nothing was to be seen, and nothing was tobe heard; but a supernatural hand seemed placedin mine. My arm hung over the counterpane, and thenameless, unimaginable, silent form or phantom, towhich the hand belonged, seemed closely seated bymy bed-side. For what seemed ages piled on ages, Ilay there, frozen with the most awful fears, notdaring to drag away my hand; yet ever thinking thatif I could but stir it one single inch, the horrid spellwould be broken. I knew not how thisconsciousness at last glided away from me; but waking in the morning, I shudderinglyremembered it all, and for days and weeks and months afterwards I lost myself in confoundingattempts to explain the mystery. Nay, to this very hour, I often puzzle myself with it.

Now, take away the awful fear, and my sensations at feeling the supernatural hand in minewere very similar, in their strangeness, to those which I experienced on waking up and seeingQueequeg's pagan arm thrown round me. But at length all the past night's events soberlyrecurred, one by one, in fixed reality, and then I lay only alive to the comical predicament. Forthough I tried to move his arm—unlock his bridegroom clasp—yet, sleeping as he was, he stillhugged me tightly, as though naught but death should part us twain. I now strove to rousehim—"Queequeg!"—but his only answer was a snore. I then rolled over, my neck feeling as if itwere in a horse-collar; and suddenly felt a slight scratch. Throwing aside the counterpane,there lay the tomahawk sleeping by the savage's side, as if it were a hatchet-faced baby. Apretty pickle, truly, thought I; abed here in a strange house in the broad day, with a cannibaland a tomahawk! "Queequeg!—in the name of goodness, Queequeg, wake!" At length, by dintof much wriggling, and loud and incessant expostulations upon the unbecomingness of hishugging a fellow male in that matrimonial sort of style, I succeeded in extracting a grunt; andpresently, he drew back his arm, shook himself all over like a Newfoundland dog just from thewater, and sat up in bed, stiff as a pike-staff, looking at me, and rubbing his eyes as if he didnot altogether remember how I came to be there, though a dim consciousness of knowingsomething about me seemed slowly dawning over him. Meanwhile, I lay quietly eyeing him,having no serious misgivings now, and bent upon narrowly observing so curious a creature.When, at last, his mind seemed made up touching the character of his bedfellow, and hebecame, as it were, reconciled to the fact; he jumped out upon the floor, and by certain signsand sounds gave me to understand that, if it pleased me, he would dress first and then leaveme to dress afterwards, leaving the whole apartment to myself.