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So when they were working that evening at the pumps, there was on this head no small gamesomeness slily going on among them, as they stood with their feet continually overflowed by the rippling clear water; clear as any mountain spring, gentlemen--that bubbling from the pumps ran across the deck, and poured itself out in steady spouts at the lee scupper-holes.
所以那天晚上大家在抽水，双脚一直站在潺潺发响的清水里的时候，他们就在这方面狡猾地开了不少玩笑。那些水呀，诸位先生，可跟任何一种山泉一样清澈——水打蜿蜒在甲板上的帮浦里咕噜噜地流出来，又有规律地朝后边的排水口不缓不急地喷出去。
"Now, as you well know, it is not seldom the case in this conventional world of ours--watery or otherwise; that when a person placed in command over his fellow-men finds one of them to be very significantly his superior in general pride of manhood, straightway against that man he conceives an unconquerable dislike and bitterness; and if he had a chance he will pull down and pulverize that subaltern's tower, and make a little heap of dust of it. Be this conceit of mine as it may, gentlemen, at all events Steelkilt was a tall and noble animal with a head like a Roman, and a flowing golden beard like the tasseled housings of your last viceroy's snorting charger; and a brain, and a heart, and a soul in him, gentlemen, which had made Steelkilt Charlemagne, had he been born son to Charlemagne's father. But Radney, the mate, was ugly as a mule; yet as hardy, as stubborn, as malicious. He did not love Steelkilt, and Steelkilt knew it.
"那么，正如各位所熟悉的，在我们这个陈陈相因的世界中——海上也好，其它的地方也好，往往有这样的情况，就是说，当一个人处于发号施令的地位，而发现有个下属很影响到他那高人一等的威信的时候，他立刻就会对那人怀着一种按捺不住的不满和恨之入骨的心思；如果他有机会，他就要摧毁和粉碎那个下属的气焰，把他打垮。就算这是我自己的夸大说法吧，诸位先生，总之，斯蒂尔基尔特是个又高又大又神气的人，长着一只象罗马人一般的头颅，那飘拂的金黄色胡须就跟你们从前的总督那匹鼻息喷个不停的战马的马衣缨一样，加上一个脑袋，一颗心和一个魂灵，诸位先生，这就使他成为斯蒂尔基尔特·查理曼(查理曼大帝(７４２？—８１４)——法兰克王。)，如果他是查理曼的父亲的亲生子的话。但是，这个叫做拉德尼的大副，却丑得象头骡子，而且又象骡子一般能吃苦耐劳、倔强和有恶意。他不喜欢斯蒂尔基尔特，斯蒂尔基尔特也知道他不喜欢自己。
