and when the deck-ends of these ropes are being every few minutes cast down from the fastenings, it would be but a natural fatality, if, unprovided with a constant watchman, the hoisted sailor should by some carelessness of the crew be cast adrift and fall all swooping to the sea. So Ahab's proceedings in this matter were not unusual; the only strange thing about them seemed to be, that Starbuck, almost the one only man who had ever ventured to oppose him with anything in the slightest degree approaching to decision — one of those too, whose faithfulness on the look-out he had seemed to doubt somewhat; it was strange, that this was the very man he should select for his watchman; freely giving his whole life into such an otherwise distrusted person's hands.
而且那头缚在甲板上的绳子，随时都在松动，如果不配备一个固定的看守人，那个高高挂起的水手，可能会让甲板上哪个粗心大意的水手一撞而撞松绳结，扑咚跌进海里，那自然是件性命交关的事情。因此，亚哈在这方面的一切部署并不是平白无故的。只是有一件事大家都觉得奇怪，这就是那个至少有点儿决心，可说是敢于反对亚哈的唯一人物——斯达巴克（在瞭望方面是否忠诚，亚哈对之有所怀疑的，斯达巴克也算得上一个），大家都觉得奇怪，亚哈竟会挑上斯达巴克这样一个人来做他的看守人，随便把他自己的生命全都交在这样一个不可靠的人的手里。
Now, the first time Ahab was perched aloft; ere he had been there ten minutes; one of those red-billed savage sea-hawks which so often fly incommodiously close round the manned mast-heads of whalemen in these latitudes; one of these birds came wheeling and screaming round his head in a maze of untrackably swift circlings. Then it darted a thousand feet straight up into the air; then spiralized downwards, and went eddying again round his head.
且说亚哈初次让人家吊到那个高高的岗位上后，在那里还待不上十分钟，就有一只红喙的凶残的海鹰出现了，这种鸟老爱在这一带的捕鲸船的桅顶看守人四周、令人不快地飞来飞去；有一只海鹰迅疾地乱旋乱转，在他头顶兜来兜去，尖声狂叫。它一会儿直冲向天际有一千英尺高，一会儿又旋了下来，在他头顶旋来旋去。
But with his gaze fixed upon the dim and distant horizon, Ahab seemed not to mark this wild bird; nor, indeed, would any one else have marked it much, it being no uncommon circumstance; only now almost the least heedful eye seemed to see some sort of cunning meaning in almost every sight.
可是，亚哈因为全神贯注地瞪着那迷蒙的远方，似乎没有注意到这只野鸟；而且，老实说，因为这并不是什么希罕的情况，谁也不会很注意它；不过，现在差不多最粗心的人也好象几乎一张开眼来，就会看到一种奸诈的用意了。
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