in more and more contracting orbits the whales in the more central circles began to swim in thickening clusters. Yes, the long calm was departing. A low advancing hum was soon heard; and then like to the tumultuous masses of block-ice when the great river Hudson breaks up in Spring, the entire host of whales came tumbling upon their inner centre, as if to pile themselves up in one common mountain. Instantly Starbuck and Queequeg changed places; Starbuck taking the stern.
这样越挤越紧，那些在比较中央的鲸也开始密密累累地游了起来。不错，长时期的安静已在逐渐消失了。立刻就听到了一阵幽幽前来的唔唔声；然后，轰隆隆地象春天的哈得逊大河的大冰块开始松动了一般，整个鲸群都翻滚到内核里来，仿佛要把它们自己叠成一座大山。斯达巴克和魁魁格立刻对调了位置；斯达巴克站到艇梢去了。
Oars! Oars! he intensely whispered, seizing the helm—"gripe your oars, and clutch your souls, now! My God, men, stand by! Shove him off, you Queequeg—the whale there!—prick him!—hit him! Stand up—stand up, and stay so! Spring men—pull, men; never mind their backs—scrape them!—scrape away!"
划呀！划呀！他抓着舵桨，急切而悄莫声儿地说——"紧抓桨，提起精神来啊！天啊，伙伴们，准备好！魁魁格，你把它推开呀——就是那条鲸！——戳它！——击它！站起来——站起来——好，就这样！把船飞跳过去呀，伙伴们——划呀，伙伴们；不要管它们的脊背喽——捣它！把它们捣开！"
The boat was now all but jammed between two vast black bulks, leaving a narrow Dardanelles between their long lengths. But by desperate endeavor we at last shot into a temporary opening; then giving way rapidly, and at the same time earnestly watching for another outlet. After many similar hair-breadth escapes, we at last swiftly glided into what had just been one of the outer circles, but now crossed by random whales, all violently making for one centre.
这只小艇现在简直就被夹在两只黑大的身躯间，在那两只长长的身躯间，只有一条狭狭的达达尼尔海峡。我们拼命努力，终于象箭一般射到了一块暂时算是空着的地方，于是连忙划了起来，同时又急切地寻找另一个出口。经过了多次类似的九死一生的奔逃，我们终于迅疾地滑进了那刚才还是外围，现在却有几只瞎冲瞎撞的鲸拦着的地方，这些鲸都急于要冲到那核心里去。