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.
他就这样完全处于被前后夹攻的地位，只能支着挺直的双腿往斜里发展。可是，碰上小艇突然来个猛烈的颠簸，就往往会震得他摇摇欲坠，因为他站着的地方横直实在极不相称。只是由两根圆柱杈出来的一个斜角，又无法把这两根圆柱竖起来。那么，叫这个叉开双脚站着的船长让人家看到他原来手里是抓着什么东西这才勉强地撑住了，这也不行呀，我再说一声，在众目睽睽的情况下，这样做是不行的。真的，为了做出他是完全具有自制的弹力的架势，他通常是把双手插在裤袋里，不过，也许那双手一般都是很大很粗，那他那双插在里边的手可就象是沉甸甸的压舱物了。话虽如此，有时也会发生这样的情况，而且确实有过这样的情况，就是说，船长会有一两次非常紧急的措手不及的情况——比如说，突然碰上一阵顶头风——那他就只好一把抓住最近旁的一个桨手的头发，而且死也不放。
End of Chapters 51-53
第51-53章完