海底二萬里

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

   第二部 第十二章

   CHAPTER 12

   大頭鯨和長鬚鯨

   Sperm Whales and Baleen Whales

   在8月13日至14日夜間,諾第留斯號航行的方向還是往南。我想在合恩角的緯度上,它要把船頭移轉向西,這樣就可以再到太平洋,完成它的世界周游。實際它並不這樣做,仍然繼續向南極地區駛去。那麼,它要到哪裡去呢?到南極去嗎?那真是瘋了。我開始想,船長的大膽狂妄很足以證明尼德-蘭的顧慮同恐懼是合理的。

   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.

   幾天以來,加拿大人不跟我談他的逃走計劃。他變成不愛說話,差不多完全沉默了。我看出這種無限期延長的囚禁使得他很難受。我感到他心中所累積的憤怒是怎樣強烈。當他碰見船長的時候,他的眼睛燃起陰沉可怕的火光,我時常害怕他那暴烈天性可能使他走極端。

   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日這一天,康塞爾和他到我房中來找我,我問他們來看我的理由。

   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,“我只有一個問題向您提出來。”

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

   “您說吧,尼德。”

   "Go on, Ned."

   “您想,諾第留斯號船上一共有多少人?”

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

   “我說不上來,我的朋友。”

   "I'm unable to say, my friend."

   “我覺得,“尼德-蘭立即說,“這船的駕駛並不需要很多的人員。”

   "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,”在目前的情況中,大約至多有十個人就足以駕駛了。”

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

   “那麼,”加拿大人說,”為什麼可能有這麼多的人呢?”

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

   “為什麼?“我立即說。

   "Why?" I answered.

   我眼光盯着尼德、蘭,他的意圖很容易瞭解。

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

   “因為,”我說,“據我所有的推想,據我所瞭解的船長的生活,諾第留斯號不僅僅是一隻船。跟它的船長一樣,它對於與陸地斷絶了所有關係的人們來說,又是一個躲藏處。”

   "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."

   “可能是這樣,”康塞爾說,“不過諾第留斯號只能收容一定數目的人,先生可以估計一下它的最大數目嗎?”

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

   “康塞爾,你這話怎麼說?”。

   "How, Conseil?"

   “就是用算法來估計。根據先生所知道的這船的容積。可以知道它含有多少空氣,另一方面又知道每個人的呼吸作用所消費的空氣,將這些結果跟諾第留斯號每二十四小時必須浮上水面來調換空氣相比較……”

   "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 . . ."

   康塞爾沒有把話說完,但我很明白他指的是什麼。

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

   “我瞭解你的意思,”我說,“並且這種計算也很容易做到,然而那只是一個很不確實的數字。”

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

   “那沒關係。”尼德,蘭堅持着又說。

   "No problem," the Canadian went on insistently.

   “下面就是對於這問題的算法,”我回答,“每個人每小時消費一百升-空氣中含有的氧,二十四小時就消費二千四百升含有的氧。這樣就可以求出諾第留斯號含有多少倍的二千四百升空氣來。”

   "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。”康塞爾說。

   "Precisely," Conseil said.

   “可是,”我又說,“諾第留斯號的容積是一千五百噸,一噸的容積是一千升,諾第留斯號含有一百五十萬升的空氣,拿二千四百來除……“

   "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 . . ."

   我用鉛筆很快地計算:

   I did a quick pencil calculation.

   “所得的商數是六百二十五.這就是說,諾第留斯號所有的空氣可以供應六百二十五人在二十四小時內呼吸之用。”

   ". . . 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-蘭一再說。

   "625!" Ned repeated.

   “您要相信,”我又說,“乘客:、水手和職員都算上,我們還不及這數字的十分之一。

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

   “這對於三個人來說,還是過多了!”康塞爾低聲說。

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

   “可憐的尼德,所以我只能勸您忍耐了。”

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

   “比忍耐還要進一步,”康塞爾回答,“只能聽天由命了”

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

   Conseil had said the true word.

   “總起來說,”我又說、“尼摩船長也不可能老是往南走!他總有要停止的時候,就是到了冰山面前也罷!他總要回到有人居住、有文化的海中來!那時候,就可能有機會執行尼德-蘭的計劃了。”

   "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."

   加拿大人搖搖頭、手摩一下前額,不回答,走了。

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

   “請先生允許我說出我對他的看法,”康塞爾於是說,“這可憐的尼德老是想他不可能有的一切.過去生活的一切都回到他心中來。我們所不能有的一切在他覺得都很可惋惜,心中發生悔恨。他從前的回憶苦苦糾纏着他,他很傷心,很難過。我們必須瞭解他的情況。他在這船上有什麼可做的呢?沒有。他不像先生那樣,是一位學者,他跟我們不同,對於海中的美麗事物沒有同樣的趣味。他要冒險不顧一切,只求走入他本國的一個酒店中去!”

   "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!"

   很顯然,船上生活的單調,對於習慣自由和積極生活的:加拿大人來說,是不可忍受的。海上事件可能使他高興的是很少的。可是,這一無,一件偶然的意外使他恢復了他從前當魚叉手時的最好日子。

   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.

   早上十一點左右,諾第留斯號在大洋面上,航行在成群的鯨魚中間一這個遭遇並不使我驚異,因為我知道這些動物受人過度的追擊,都躲到兩極邊緣、高緯度的海水中來一

   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.

   鯨魚類在海上事業方面所起的作用,對於地理上發現的影響是很重大的。鯨魚類,首先吸引着已斯克人)、其次亞斯豆裡”①人、又其次英國人和荷蘭人,追隨在它後面,使他們不怕大洋的危險,帶領他們從地球這一極端到那一極端。

   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.

   我們坐在平台上,海上風平浪靜。是的,這些緯度地區正給我們帶來美麗的秋天。是那個加拿大人——他不能搞錯——指出東方天邊有一條鯨魚、注意地看一下,我們看見它的灰黑色的脊背在距離諾第留斯號五海里的海面上,不停地浮起來、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-蘭喊道:“如果我是在一般捕鯨船上,現在慨是使我痛快的一次遭遇T!那是一條身軀巨大的鯨魚!請看它的鼻孔有多大的氣力,噴出了混有氣體的水柱!真可恨!我為什麼被綁在這塊鋼板上呢!”

   "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!"

   “怎麼。”我回答,“尼德,您還沒有打消您哪打鯨魚的老念頭嗎?”

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

   “先生,打鯨魚的人能夠忘記他從前的手藝嗎?他能夠厭倦這種捕捉所引起的激動嗎?”

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

   “尼德,您從沒有在這一帶海中打過鯨魚嗎?”

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

   “從沒有,先生。、我只在北極海中打鯨魚,就在白令海峽和台維斯海峽一帶。”

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

   “那麼,南極的鯨魚對您來說還是陌生的。您以前捕捉”的都是平常的白鯨,它並木敢冒險通過赤道的溫熱海水。”

   "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,您給我說什麼呀?”加拿大人用相當懷疑的口氣回答。

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

   “我說的是事實哩。”

   "I'm feeding you the facts."

   “好嘛!、事實!正在這兒說話的我,兩年半以前,在北緯65度,格陵蘭島附近捕獲了一條鯨魚,它身上還帶著一般白令海峽的捕鯨船所刺中的魚叉。現在我要問您,鯨魚在美洲西邊被刺中了,如果它沒有繞合恩角或好望角;通過赤道,它哪能死在美洲東邊呢?”

   "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樣,”康塞爾說,“我等着聽先生的答覆哩。”

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

   “朋友們,先生的答覆是這樣,鯨魚類是有地方性的,按’照種類的不同;它們定居在某處海中,並不離開。如果有一條鯨魚從白令海峽走到台維斯侮峽,那很簡單,因為這兩個海洋間一定有一條相通的水路,或在美洲海岸邊,或在亞洲海岸邊。”

   "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."

   “要我們相信您的話嗎?”加拿大人閉着一隻眼睛問:

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

   “我們要相信先生的話。”康塞爾回答。

   "If master says so," Conseil replied.

   “那麼,”加拿大人立即又說”既然我沒有在這一帶海中打過鯨魚,我就不認得往來這~帶海中的鯨魚類嗎?”

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

   “我剛纔對您說過了,尼德

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

   “那要認識它們就更有理由了。“康塞爾回答。

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

   “看!看!”加拿大人喊,聲音很激動,“它走過來了!它向我們衝來了!它侮辱我、玩弄我!它知道我現在不可能懲治它!”

   "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!"

   尼德把腳亂跺,他的手揮動着一支空想的魚叉,在那裡顫抖。

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

   “這裡鯨魚類動物是跟北極海中的一樣大嗎?”他問。

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

   “差不多一樣,尼德。”

   "Pretty nearly, Ned."

   “我看過的大鯨魚,先生,是長到一百英呎的大鯨魚!我甚至要說,阿留申群島的胡拉摩克島和翁加里克島的鯨魚身長超過一百五十英呎”

   "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."

   “我覺得這有些過度誇張,”我回答,“這些東西不過是鯨科,有脊鰭的動物,大頭鯨也:樣。它們通常比普通白鯨小一些”

   "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,他的眼睛不離開海洋,”它近前來了,它到諾第留斯號的水圈中來了!”

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

   鯨魚老是向前來。尼德,蘭眼睛死盯住它。他喊道:

   Then, going on with his conversation:

   “啊!並不是=條鯨魚,是十條,二十條,整一群呢!一點沒辦法,不能動!在這裡腳和手都像綁起來了一樣!”

   "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!"

   “不過,尼德朋友,”康塞爾說,“您為什麼不要求尼摩船長准許您去追打呢?……”

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

   康塞爾的話還沒有說完,尼德-蘭已經從打開的嵌板溜進去,跑去找船長。一會兒,兩人都出現在平台上。

   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.

   尼摩船長看一下這群鯨魚類動物,它們在距諾第留斯號一海里的海面上游來游去。他說:

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

   “那是南極的鯨魚。它們可以使一整隊捕鯨船都發財妮。”

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

   “那麼,先生,”加拿大人間,“單單為了不把我從前當魚叉手的職業忘記,我是不是可以追打它們呢?”

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

   “僅僅為消滅它們而追打,有什麼好處!”尼摩船長回答,“我們船上要這麼多鯨魚油沒有什麼用。”

   "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,”加拿大人又說,“在紅海中:您卻准許我們追打海馬!”

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

   “那時是要給我們的船員們獲得新鮮的肉,所以才那樣做。現在是為殺害而殺害罷了,我知道這是人類的特權,萌便傷害生命,不過我不允許做這類殘害生命的消遣。毀滅這些善良無害的南極鯨魚,像普通白鯨一般,蘭師傅,您為同行一般人是做了一件可責備的行為。他們就是這樣把整個巴芬灣都弄得沒有一條鯨魚了,他們就是這樣消滅了整個有用的一綱動物了。不要跟這些不幸的鯨魚類動物為準吧。就是你們不參加進去,它們已經有不少的天然敵人。北方,大頭鯨、狗沙魚和鋸鮫之類。”

   "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."

   當船長談這些大道理的時候,大家很容易想到加拿大的臉孔是什麼樣。拿這類的話來對打魚人說,簡直是自己尼德-蘭看一下尼摩船長,很顯然是不瞭解船長跟他說的話。可是,尼摩船長的話是對的。打魚人的野蠻和過的屠殺總有一天要把大洋中的最後一條鯨魚都消滅淨盡

   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-蘭嘴裡哼着美國進行曲,兩手塞進口袋裏,轉過臉,不睬我們。

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

   可是尼摩船長看著那一群鯨魚類動物,對我說:

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

   “我說的是對的,就是除開人類不算,鯨魚有不少的天然敵人。這一群鯨魚不久就要跟強大的敵人球着了。阿龍納斯先生,您看見在下邊六海里海面上那些正在行動的灰黑點嗎?”

   "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.

   “那是大頭鯨,很可怕的動物,有時我碰到兩三百成群的隊伍!這種動物是殘酷有害的東西,消滅它們是對的。”

   "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."

   加拿大人聽到最後一句話,急忙回過身子來。、

   The Canadian turned swiftly at these last words.

   那麼,船長,“我說,現在還是時候,並且又是為鯨氫的利益起見……”

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

   “用不着去冒險,教授。諾第留斯號就足以驅散那些大頭鯨了。它裝有鋼製的沖兔,我想,它的厲害相當於蘭師傅,的魚叉。”

   "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."

   加拿大人一點不客氣地聳一聳兩肩。用船沖角攻打鯨魚類動物!有誰聽說過?

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

   “請等待一下,阿龍納斯先生,”尼摩船長說,”我們要給您看一次您還沒有看見過的追打。對於這些凶惡鯨科動物,一點也用不着憐憫。它們就是嘴和牙齒。”

   "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!"

   嘴和牙齒!人們再不能更好地來描寫腦袋巨大的大頭鯨了,這種東西的身軀有時超過二十五米,這種動物的巨大腦袋約占身長三分之一。它們的武裝比長鬚鯨的強大,長鬚鯨的上顎只有一串鯨鬚,大頭鯨就有二十五枚粗牙,牙長二十釐米,牙尖為圓筒形和圓錐形,每枚牙重二斤:就是在那巨大腦袋的上部和有軟骨片分開的大空洞裡面,藏有三四百公斤的名為“鯨魚白”的寶貴油。

   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,這一群怪東西老是往前來。它們看見了長鬚鯨,椎備攻打。我們預先就可以看出大頭鯨要取得勝利,不單煙為它們比它們的馴良敵手較結實、便于攻擊,而且又因為它們可以在水底下留得較久,不浮上水面來呼吸。

   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.

   現在正好是去援救這些長鬚鯨的時候了。諾第留斯號行駛在水裡面。康塞爾、尼德-蘭和我,我們坐在客廳的玻璃窗戶面前。尼摩船長到領航人那邊去,躁縱他的潛水船象一件毀滅性的機器一樣。不久,我覺得推進器驟然加速轉動,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.

   當諾第留斯號駛到的時候,大頭鯨和長鬚鯨已經開始戰鬥了。諾第留斯號的動作是要把這群大頭怪物攔住。最初,這些怪物看見這只新奇東西參加戰鬥,並不激動,跟平常一樣。但不久它們就不得不防備它的攻擊了。

   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.

   好一場惡鬥!就是尼德-蘭,不久也興高采烈起來,終於大拍其掌.諾第留斯號變成為一支厲害的魚叉,由船長的手來揮動。投向那些肉團,一直穿過去:穿過之後,留下那怪物的兩半片蠕動的身軀。大頭鯨厲害的尾巴撲打船的側邊,它一點也不覺得。大頭鯨沖憧它,它也沒有感覺。打死了一條大鯨,它又跑去打另一條,它立即轉過來,不肯放走它的獵物;它向前、向後,完全聽掌舵人的指揮;大頭鯨沉入深的水層,它就潛下去追,大頭鯨浮到水面來,它也跟着上來,或正面打,或側面刺,或切割,或撕裂,四面八方,縱橫上下,就用它那可怕的沖角亂刺亂戳。

   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.

   好一場屠殺:水面上是何等的熱閙!這些嚇怕的動收發出的是多麼尖鋭的叫嘯,還有它們特有的那種鼾聲!近常是很為安靜的水層中間,現在被它們的尾巴攪成真正洶湧的波浪了。

   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.

   這種史詩大的屠殺一直延長了一小時,那些大頭怪物是不可能躲開的。好幾次,有十條或十二條一齊連合起來,想拿它們的工量來壓扁諾第留斯號。在玻璃上,我們看到它們的排列着牙齒的大嘴,它們的可怕的眼睛。尼德-蘭簡直壓制不住自己了,威嚇它們,咒罵它們。我們覺得它們抓住了我們的船,就像在短樹叢下狗咬住小豬的耳朵一般。死也不放,、諾第留斯號催動它的推進器,戰勝它們,拖拉它們,或把它們帶到海水上層來,不顧它們的巨大重量,不管它們的強大壓力。

   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.

   最後,這一人群大頭鯨四散了:海水又變為平靜了。我覺得我們又浮上洋面來。嵌板打開,我們立即跑上平台去。

   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.

   海上滿浮着稀爛的屍體。就是一,次猛烈的爆炸恐怕也不可能更厲害地把這些巨大肉團分開、撕破、碎裂。我們是浮在許多龐然大物的軀泳中間,這些軀體是灰藍色的脊背,灰白色的肚腹,全身都長着巨大的疙瘩。有些嚇怕了的大頭鯨逃到天邊去了。海水在好幾海里的面積上都染成紅色,諾第留斯號是浮在血海的中間。

   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.

   尼摩船長也來到我們所在的平台上。他說:

   Captain Nemo rejoined us.

   “蘭師傅,怎樣?”

   "Well, Mr. Land?" he said.

   “先生,”加拿大人回答,他的熱情這時安靜下來了,“不錯,那是厲害得怕人的景象。不過我不是屠夫,我是打魚人,這景象不過是一次大屠殺罷了。”

   "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."

   “這是一次對有害動物的屠殺,”船長回答,“諾第留斯號並不是一把屠刀。”

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

   “我還是喜歡我的魚叉。”加拿大人立即說。

   "I prefer my harpoon," the Canadian answered.

   “各人有各人的武器。”船長回答,同時眼盯着尼德-蘭。

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

   我很害怕尼德-蘭不能剋制,要發脾氣,做出激烈的行動,可能產生不良的可悲的後果,但他看到了諾第留斯號這時正要靠近一條長鬚鯨,他的憤怒移轉過去了。

   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.

   這條長鬚鯨沒有能逃避大頭鯨的牙齒。我認得它是扁頭的,完全是黑色的南極鯨魚。就解剖學上來看:它跟普通白鯨和北嘉皮島的鯨魚不同的地方,在於它頸部的七根脊骨是接合起來,它比它的北方同類多兩根肋骨。這條不幸的鯨魚側面躺下,肚上滿是咬破的傷口,已經重傷致死了。在它受傷的鰭尖上,掛着一條它不能救護的小燉。“J卜l”的嘴流出水來,水像回潮一般,通過它的須,潺潺作響。

   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.

   尼摩船長把諾第留斯號開到這條鯨魚的屍體旁邊,船上的兩個人員走到鯨魚身上,他們把鯨魚奶頭中藏的奶部取出來,份量一共有二三噸左右,我看見,吃了一驚。

   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.

   船長把一懷還帶熱氣的鯨奶送給我。我不能不對他大示我不喜歡喝這種飲料他向我保證這奶的味道很好,跟牛奶一點也沒有什麼不同。

   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.

   嘗了這奶,我的意見跟他的一樣。所以這奶對我們來說是很有用的、可以保藏的食品,因為這奶可以製成咸黃油或乳酪,在我們日常食品中是很好吃的一種。

   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.

   自這一天起,我心中很不安地看出尼德.蘭對於尼摩、船長的態度愈來愈壞了,我決心要密切的注視加拿大人的行動。

   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.