It was a Nantucket ship, the Bachelor, which had just wedged in her last cask of oil, and bolted down her bursting hatches; and now, in glad holiday apparel, was joyously, though somewhat vain-gloriously, sailing round among the widely-separated ships on the ground, previous to pointing her prow for home.
这是一艘叫做"单身汉号"的南塔开特船，它刚装好最后一桶鲸油，锁好它那象要胀破的舱口；现在正穿着花哨的节日盛装，满怀愉快，又兼有点摆摆威风地，要在打道回家之前，到船只四散的渔场上兜个圈儿。
The three men at her mast-head wore long streamers of narrow red bunting at their hats; from the stern, a whale-boat was suspended, bottom down; and hanging captive from the bowsprit was seen the long lower jaw of the last whale they had slain. Signals, ensigns, and jacks of all colors were flying from her rigging, on every side. Sideways lashed in each of her three basketed tops were two barrels of sperm; above which, in her top-mast cross-trees, you saw slender breakers of the same precious fluid; and nailed to her main truck was a brazen lamp.
单身汉号的桅顶上，有三个水手的帽子上都飘着狭长的红垂带；船梢吊着一艘平摆着的捕鲸小艇；第一斜桅上还紧拴着最后一只杀过了的大鲸的长下颚。到处的索具周围都飘拂着五颜六色的首旗和各种信号旗。那三个篮状细工的桅楼间，斜缚着两桶抹香鲸油；油桶上面，在中桅的横桁的地方，可以看到两只装着同样贵重的油料的细长的水桶；主桅桅顶的木冠上钉有一盏黄铜灯。
As was afterwards learned, the Bachelor had met with the most surprising success; all the more wonderful, for that while cruising in the same seas numerous other vessels had gone entire months without securing a single fish. Not only had barrels of beef and bread been given away to make room for the far more valuable sperm, but additional supplemental casks had been bartered for, from the ships she had met; and these were stowed along the deck, and in the captain's and officers' state-rooms.
到后来才知道，"单身汉号"已经得到了最意外的收获；更加希奇的是，其它许多船只在这一带巡游了经年累月，却连一条鲸都没有搞到。可是，"单身汉号"不但把装牛肉、面包的木桶都出空，拿来装这些远更贵重的鲸油，而且还另外向碰到的船只交换来了许多桶子；这些油桶都堆在甲板上，堆在船长和头目们的舱室里。