While the Frenchman's boats, then, were engaged in towing the ship one way, Stubb benevolently towed away at his whale the other way, ostentatiously slacking out a most unusually long tow-line.
于是，在那法国船的几只小艇把船往旁边拉时，斯塔布便慈善为怀地把他的鲸朝另一边拉过去，卖弄地撒出一根异常的拖索。
Presently a breeze sprang up; Stubb feigned to cast off from the whale; hoisting his boats, the Frenchman soon increased his distance, while the Pequod slid in between him and Stubb's whale. Whereupon Stubb quickly pulled to the floating body, and hailing the Pequod to give notice of his intentions, at once proceeded to reap the fruit of his unrighteous cunning. Seizing his sharp boat-spade, he commenced an excavation in the body, a little behind the side fin. You would almost have thought he was digging a cellar there in the sea; and when at length his spade struck against the gaunt ribs, it was like turning up old Roman tiles and pottery buried in fat English loam. His boat's crew were all in high excitement, eagerly helping their chief, and looking as anxious as gold-hunters.
不一会，一阵和风吹来，斯塔布假装着抛弃那条鲸，那艘法国船把几只小艇吊上去后，立刻急驶开去，"裴廓德号"则打那艘法国船和斯塔布的鲸中间慢慢插进来。于是，斯塔布一面赶紧向那条漂浮的鲸尸划去，一面招呼"裴廓德号"，把他的意图通知他们，当即着手收获他那不义的阴谋的果实。斯塔布抓起他那把锐利的小铲子，开始在鲸鳍稍后的地方，对尸身铲挖起来。他那动作简直教人以为他在海底挖地窖，等到最后他那铲子在砍那些瘦削的肋骨的时候，真象是在英国的肥土里掏挖古罗马的砖瓦和陶器那样。他小艇上的水手全都精神抖擞，热切地帮着他们的艇长，神情象淘金人一样焦急。
And all the time numberless fowls were diving, and ducking, and screaming, and yelling, and fighting around them. Stubb was beginning to look disappointed, especially as the horrible nosegay increased, when suddenly from out the very heart of this plague, there stole a faint stream of perfume, which flowed through the tide of bad smells without being absorbed by it, as one river will flow into and then along with another, without at all blending with it for a time.
无数的兀鹰一直绕着他们尖声狂叫，啄来斗去，猛潜猛钻。斯塔布脸上开始显出失望的神情，尤其是因为那股奇臭无比的味道越来越厉害，可是，突然间，就在这个瘟疫的中心里，微微地散发出一股香味来，这股香味从那阵臭气中飘散开来，却一点也没有夹杂着臭气，犹如一条要流进大河的水流，接着又跟另一条河流一起流去，却暂时一点也没有跟大河堤在一起那样。