英語聽書《白鯨記》第525期
He is thus completely wedged before and behind, and can only expand himself sideways by settling down on his stretched legs; but a sudden, violent pitch of the boat will often go far to topple him, because length of foundation is nothing without corresponding breadth. Merely make a spread angle of two poles, and you cannot standthem up. Then, again, it would never do in plain sight of the world's riveted eyes, it would never do, I say, for this straddling captain to be seen steadying himself the slightest particle by catching hold of anything with his hands; indeed, as token of his entire, buoyant self-command, he generally carries his hands in his trowsers' pockets; but perhaps being generally very large, heavy hands, he carries them there for ballast. Nevertheless there have occurred instances, well authenticated ones too, where the captain has been known for an uncommonly Critical moment or two, in a sudden squall say--to seize hold of the nearest oarsman's hair, and hold on there like grim death.
他就這樣完全處于被前后夾攻的地位，只能支著挺直的雙腿往斜里發(fā)展?？墒?，碰上小艇突然來個(gè)猛烈的顛簸，就往往會震得他搖搖欲墜，因?yàn)樗局牡胤綑M直實(shí)在極不相稱。只是由兩根圓柱杈出來的一個(gè)斜角，又無法把這兩根圓柱豎起來。那么，叫這個(gè)叉開雙腳站著的船長讓人家看到他原來手里是抓著什么東西這才勉強(qiáng)地?fù)巫×?，這也不行呀，我再說一聲，在眾目睽睽的情況下，這樣做是不行的。真的，為了做出他是完全具有自制的彈力的架勢，他通常是把雙手插在褲袋里，不過，也許那雙手一般都是很大很粗，那他那雙插在里邊的手可就象是沉甸甸的壓艙物了。話雖如此，有時(shí)也會發(fā)生這樣的情況，而且確實(shí)有過這樣的情況，就是說，船長會有一兩次非常緊急的措手不及的情況——比如說，突然碰上一陣頂頭風(fēng)——那他就只好一把抓住最近旁的一個(gè)槳手的頭發(fā)，而且死也不放。
End of Chapters 51-53
第51-53章完
