But at last in his untraceable evolutions, the White Whale so crossed and recrossed, and in a thousand ways entangled the slack of the three lines now fast to him, that they foreshortened, and, of themselves, warped the devoted boats towards the planted irons in him; though now for a moment the whale drew aside a little, as if to rally for a more tremendous charge. Seizing that opportunity, Ahab first paid out more line; and then was rapidly hauling and jerking in upon it again — hoping that way to disencumber it of some snarls — when lo! — a sight more savage than the embattled teeth of sharks!
但是，最后，这条白鲸在它那难以使人追踪的翻来复去中，这么旋过来又转过去，跟那三根这会儿把它拴住了的绳索的松散一头纠缠得十分乱，以致这些绳索一下子自己收缩了，把那几只专心一志的小艇曳向那些插在它身上的标枪那儿去；不过，这会儿，这条鲸又暂时地曳开了一点，仿佛要集中全力作一次更厉害的冲击。亚哈抓住这个时机，先放出一些绳索，然后又迅速地把放出去的绳索用力拖拖摇摇——希望这样一来，好把纠缠在一起的绳索抖散开来——可是嗨呀！——却出现了一个比城垛似的鲨鱼齿还要吓人的场面了！
Caught and twisted — corkscrewed in the mazes of the line, loose harpoons and lances, with all their bristling barbs and points, came flashing and dripping up to the chocks in the bows of Ahab's boat. Only one thing could be done. Seizing the boat-knife, he critically reached within — through — and then, without — the rays of steel; dragged in the line beyond, passed it, inboard, to the bowsman, and then, twice sundering the rope near the chocks — dropped the intercepted fagot of steel into the sea; and was all fast again. That instant, the White Whale made a sudden rush among the remaining tangles of the other lines; by so doing, irresistibly dragged the more involved boats of Stubb and Flask towards his flukes; dashed them together like two rolling husks on a surf-beaten beach, and then, diving down into the sea, disappeared in a boiling maelstrom, in which, for a space, the odorous cedar chips of the wrecks danced round and round, like the grated nutmeg in a swiftly stirred bowl of punch.
松脱了的标枪和捕鲸枪，都绊呀。扭呀，纠缠在迷魂阵似的绳索中，那些竖起的标枪钩和枪尖，光辉闪烁。水珠滴滴嗒嗒地都一起堆在亚哈那只小艇的艇头那些导缆器上。唯一的办法就是：亚哈抓起一柄艇刀，有条不素地先把刀子割掉舱内的——割得很地道——然后又割艇外的绳索——刀光闪烁；于是，把外边的绳索拉进来，朝里递给那个头桨手，接着，又把靠近导缆器的绳子割了两下——把割断了的一捆枪尖枪钩都丢进了海里，这样，一切又正常了。此时，白鲸突然在其它那些还没有割掉的绳索里一冲；这样一来，斯塔布和弗拉斯克那两只绳索更其错综复杂的小艇就给乖乖地拖到它的尾巴那儿去了；这两只小艇象是两只滚来撞去的玉蜀黍包皮撞在碎浪冲击的海滩上，扑通一撞后，它就直潜进了海里，消失在一阵沸腾的大涡流里。那些香气扑鼻的杉木残板断片都在那大涡流里盘来旋去地跳动了一会儿，好象浮泛在一碗迅速搅动的五味酒上的豆蔻末。