The timbers beneath are of a peculiar strength, fitted to sustain the weight of an almost solid mass of brick and mortar, some ten feet by eight square, and five in height. The foundation does not penetrate the deck, but the masonry is firmly secured to the surface by ponderous knees of iron bracing it on all sides, and screwing it down to the timbers. On the flanks it is cased with wood, and at top completely covered by a large, sloping, battened hatchway. Removing this hatch we expose the great try-pots, two in number, and each of several barrels' capacity. When not in use, they are kept remarkably clean. Sometimes they are polished with soapstone and sand, till they shine within like silver punchbowls. During the night-watches some cynical old sailors will crawl into them and coil themselves away there for a nap. While employed in polishing them—one man in each pot, side by side— many confidential communications are carried on, over the iron lips. It is a place also for profound mathematical meditation. It was in the left hand try-pot of the Pequod, with the soapstone diligently circling round me, that I was first indirectly struck by the remarkable fact, that in geometry all bodies gliding along the cycloid, my soapstone for example, will descend from any point in precisely the same time.
下边用的是负荷力特别大的木头，足以支撑那个简直是用砖头和灰泥造成的一团坚固体的重量，它约有十英尺宽八英寸长，五英尺高。它的脚基虽然不跟甲板相连，可是，它是用许多大曲铁把四边箍住，然后紧旋在那些木头上，牢靠地装在甲板上的。它两旁都包有木头，上边由一块倾斜的、钉有细板的舱盖把大舱口紧密地盖住。拉开这块舱板，就看到一对大炼锅，每只锅有好几大桶的容量。这两只大锅不用的时候，都洗刷得非常干净。人们有时用滑石和黄沙擦它，把它的里面擦得锃亮，象只银质的五味酒钵。值夜的时候，有些调皮的老水手，会爬到里头，盘起身子，蹲在那里打个盹儿。在擦这两只大锅的时候，——肩并肩地每人各擦一只——两人就隔着锅口，滔滔不绝地密谈下去。这也是一个可以思考高深的数学问题的地方。我正是在"裴廓德号"左边那只炼锅里，手里拿着滑石不住地在四周擦来擦去的时候，初次间接地体会到这一值得注意的事实，那就是在几何学上说来，一切循着圆形而运转的物体（以我这块滑石为例），都会从任何一点上在同一个时间中落下来。