But this awkwardness only lasted a minute, because the strange captain, observing at a glance how affairs stood, cried out, "I see, I see!— avast heaving there! Jump, boys, and swing over the cutting-tackle."
可是，这种尴尬场面，不过持续了一分钟模样，因为那个陌生的船长一眼就看清了真相，连忙喊道，"啊，啊，——不要这么上来！快，伙伴们，把那只大复滑车滑过来。"
As good luck would have it, they had had a whale alongside a day or two previous, and the great tackles were still aloft, and the massive curved blubber-hook, now clean and dry, was still attached to the end. This was quickly lowered to Ahab, who at once comprehending it all, slid his solitary thigh into the curve of the hook (it was like sitting in the fluke of an anchor, or the crotch of an apple tree), and then giving the word, held himself fast, and at the same time also helped to hoist his own weight, by pulling hand-over-hand upon one of the running parts of the tackle. Soon he was carefully swung inside the high bulwarks, and gently landed upon the capstan head. With his ivory arm frankly thrust forth in welcome, the other captain advanced, and Ahab, putting out his ivory leg, and crossing the ivory arm (like two sword-fish blades) cried out in his walrus way, "Aye, aye, hearty! let us shake bones together!—an arm and a leg!— an arm that never can shrink, d'ye see; and a leg that never can run. Where did'st thou see the White Whale?—how long ago?"
真是运气不错，他们恰巧在一两天前拖过一条大鲸，那只大复滑车还高高地挂在那里，已经洗得干干净净的鲸脂大挂钩，也还挂在复滑车上。他们连忙把这只大钩子放下来给亚哈，亚哈一下子就完全明白，他把他那条独腿一搭就搭到弯钩里（真象是坐在一只锚钩里，或者坐在苹果树杈上那般），然后告诉他们，他已抓住了，同时他也自己帮着往上耸，手换手地拉着那根摇得很快的滑车索。不一会，人们就小心地把他摇进了高高的舷墙，轻轻地歇在绞盘顶。那个陌生船长走上前来，豪迈地向前甩出他的骨臂，表示欢迎，亚哈则伸出他的牙腿，跟那骨臂交叉起来（直象两根剑鱼的背峰），同时用他那海象的派头高声大叫道，"喂，喂，老朋友！让咱们俩来握握骨吧！——一只胳膊跟一条腿！——你可知道，这是一只决不缩回来的手，跟一条决不会奔跑的腿。你在什么地方看到过白鲸？——多久啦？"
The White Whale, said the Englishman, pointing his ivory arm towards the East, and taking a rueful sight along it, as if it had been a telescope; There I saw him, on the Line, last season."
白鲸，那个英国人一边说，一边用那只骨手朝东方一指，眼色悲凉地随着手臂看去，好象它是个望远镜。"我在上一季，在赤道上看到过它。"