But suddenly in the distance, they saw a great heap of tumultuous white water, and soon after news came from aloft that one or both the boats must be fast. An interval passed and the boats were in plain sight, in the act of being dragged right towards the ship by the towing whale. So close did the monster come to the hull, that at first it seemed as if he meant it malice; but suddenly going down in a maelstrom, within three rods of the planks, he wholly disappeared from view, as if diving under the keel. "Cut, cut!" was the cry from the ship to the boats, which, for one instant, seemed on the point of being brought with a deadly dash against the vessel's side. But having plenty of line yet in the tubs, and the whale not sounding very rapidly, they paid out abundance of rope, and at the same time pulled with all their might so as to get ahead of the ship. For a few minutes the struggle was intensely critical; for while they still slacked out the tightened line in one direction, and still plied their oars in another, the contending strain threatened to take them under. But it was only a few feet advance they sought to gain. And they stuck to it till they did gain it; when instantly, a swift tremor was felt running like lightning along the keel, as the strained line, scraping beneath the ship, suddenly rose to view under her bows, snapping and quivering; and so flinging off its drippings, that the drops fell like bits of broken glass on the water, while the whale beyond also rose to sight, and once more the boats were free to fly.
但是，突然间，他们看到远处有一大堆奔腾的白水，再一会儿，桅顶上就传来消息说，一定有一只或者两只小艇把鲸拴牢了。又隔了一会，两只小艇都已完全在望，正被那拴住了的鲸直曳到大船这边来了。那怪物十分靠近大船，教人初眼一看，还当它是存心要来伤害大船；可是，突然间，它却在船身十多英里以内的地方往大涡流里一潜，完全无影无踪了，仿佛直潜到船底下去了。"割呀，割呀！"船上对小艇这么叫嚷，一时间，那两只小艇好象正被一阵狂浪冲得要撞到船侧上来似的。可是，因为索桶里还有充足的绳索，那条鲸也还潜得不很快，于是大家甩出大量的绳索，同时桨手用尽全力划起来，好教小艇赶到大船前头去。紧张危急的挣扎持续了几分钟；因为当他们还在一边继续放松那根绷紧的捕鲸索，一边又在拚命划桨的时候，这两种敌对的力量好象就要把他们都拖下水去那样。不过，看情形，他们只是想再向前划几英尺而已。于是，他们坚持到真的划到了前面；就在这时，立刻好象有一阵闪电擦上龙骨似的，船身猛的一颤，因为，那条绷紧的、正在擦着船底的绳索，突然打船头下往上一跃而出，劈劈啪啪地抖个不停；水滴似片片的碎玻璃一般掉在海里，那条在远处的鲸也就冒出来了，于是小艇又重新自由地飞奔前去。