COMMANDER FARRAGUT was a good seaman, worthy of the frigate he commanded. His ship and he were one. He was its very soul. On the cetacean question no doubts arose in his mind, and he didn't allow the animal's existence to be disputed aboard his vessel. He believed in it as certain pious women believe in the leviathan from the Book of Job--out of faith, not reason. The monster existed, and he had vowed to rid the seas of it. The man was a sort of Knight of Rhodes, a latter-day Sir Dieudonné of Gozo, on his way to fight an encounter with the dragon devastating the island. Either Commander Farragut would slay the narwhale, or the narwhale would slay Commander Farragut. No middle of the road for these two.
法拉古艦長是一位優秀海員，完全配得上他指揮的這：只戰艦。他的船跟他融為一體，他是船的靈魂。關於那條鯨魚類動物的問題，他心中並不存在什麼疑問，他不許在船上討論有無這只動物的問題。他相信這動物的存在就像許多老實婦女相信有海怪一樣，完全是出於信仰，而不是由於理智。這怪物是有的，他發誓要把它從海上清除出去。他像羅德島①的騎士，像杜端尼。德-哥森②去迎擊蚤擾他海島的大蛇。不是法拉古艦長殺死獨角鯨，就是獨角鯨弄死法拉古艦長，沒有什麼中間路線。
The ship's officers shared the views of their leader. They could be heard chatting, discussing, arguing, calculating the different chances of an encounter, and observing the vast expanse of the ocean. Voluntary watches from the crosstrees of the topgallant sail were self-imposed by more than one who would have cursed such toil under any other circumstances. As often as the sun swept over its daily arc, the masts were populated with sailors whose feet itched and couldn't hold still on the planking of the deck below! And the Abraham Lincoln's stempost hadn't even cut the suspected waters of the Pacific.
船上的海員們都贊同他們長官的意見。他們總是在談論着，爭辯着和估計着碰見怪物的各種機會，他們總是在偵察着遼闊的海面。不止一個海員搶着要到桅頂橫木上去值班，要是換了另一種情況，這種苦差事是沒有人不咒罵的。只要太陽還在空中的時候，船桅邊總是擠滿了水手，儘管腳掌踩在船甲板上燙得吃不消，他們仍然站在那裡一動也不動。其實，林肯號的船頭這時還沒有沾上太平洋的海水呢，
As for the crew, they only wanted to encounter the unicorn, harpoon it, haul it on board, and carve it up. They surveyed the sea with scrupulous care. Besides, Commander Farragut had mentioned that a certain sum of $2,000.00 was waiting for the man who first sighted the animal, be he cabin boy or sailor, mate or officer. I'll let the reader decide whether eyes got proper exercise aboard the Abraham Lincoln.
至于船上的全體人員，大家都希望碰着海麒麟，用魚叉喇死它，把它拖上船來，宰割它。他們全都十分小心地偵察着大海。何況，法拉古艦長說過，不論練習生成水手，水兵或軍官，誰先報告海麒麟的消息，都可以得二千美元的獎金。因此，林肯號船上的眼睛會更忙起來，那是不難想象的。
As for me, I didn't lag behind the others and I yielded to no one my share in these daily observations. Our frigate would have had fivescore good reasons for renaming itself the Argus, after that mythological beast with 100 eyes! The lone rebel among us was Conseil, who seemed utterly uninterested in the question exciting us and was out of step with the general enthusiasm on board.
至於我，也不落後，我並不把我每天應做的觀察讓別人代勞。這只船真有許多理由可以稱為“多眼號”，全體人員中間，唯有康塞爾相反，他對於我們共同發生興趣的問題表示很冷淡，給船上大家的熱情澆上一盆冷水。
As I said, Commander Farragut had carefully equipped his ship with all the gear needed to fish for a gigantic cetacean. No whaling vessel could have been better armed. We had every known mechanism, from the hand-hurled harpoon, to the blunderbuss firing barbed arrows, to the duck gun with exploding bullets. On the forecastle was mounted the latest model breech-loading cannon, very heavy of barrel and narrow of bore, a weapon that would figure in the Universal Exhibition of 1867. Made in America, this valuable instrument could fire a four-kilogram conical projectile an average distance of sixteen kilometers without the least bother.
我前面說過，法拉古艦長這人很細心，他把打巨大鯨魚類用的各種裝備都帶在船上。就是一隻捕鯨船也不會裝備得更完備了。我們船上的武器，應有盡有，從手投的魚叉。一直到鳥槍的開花彈和用炮發射的鐵箭。在前甲板上裝有一門十分完善的後膛炮，炮身很厚，炮口很窄，這種炮的模型曾在1867年的萬國博覽會中展覽過。這門寶貴的大炮：是美國造的，可以發出重四公斤的錐形炮彈，射程是十六公里。
So the Abraham Lincoln wasn't lacking in means of destruction. But it had better still. It had Ned Land, the King of Harpooners.
因此，林肯號的殲滅性武器，可以說樣樣俱全，最妙的是船上還有魚叉手之王尼德-蘭。
Gifted with uncommon manual ability, Ned Land was a Canadian who had no equal in his dangerous trade. Dexterity, coolness, bravery, and cunning were virtues he possessed to a high degree, and it took a truly crafty baleen whale or an exceptionally astute sperm whale to elude the thrusts of his harpoon.
尼德。蘭是加拿大人，兩手非常矯捷，在這種危險的叉魚職業中，他還沒有碰見過敵手。他又靈敏又冷靜，又大膽：又機智，本領很高強，要不是一條狡猾的長鬚鯨，或是特殊聰明的大頭鯨，是很難躲過他的魚叉的。
Ned Land was about forty years old. A man of great height--over six English feet--he was powerfully built, serious in manner, not very sociable, sometimes headstrong, and quite ill-tempered when crossed. His looks caught the attention, and above all the strength of his gaze, which gave a unique emphasis to his facial appearance.
尼德-蘭大約四十歲。他身材魁偉，有六英呎多高，體；格健壯，神氣莊嚴，不大愛說話，性情很暴躁，容易發脾氣。他的風度特別引人注意，尤其是他那雙目光炯炯的眼睛，使他面部的表情更顯得突出。
Commander Farragut, to my thinking, had made a wise move in hiring on this man. With his eye and his throwing arm, he was worth the whole crew all by himself. I can do no better than to compare him with a powerful telescope that could double as a cannon always ready to fire.
我認為法拉古艦長把這人請到船上來，是完全正確的。這個人，單單他一人，從手和眼兩點來看，就相當於全體的：船員。我不能有再好的比方，只能說他是一架強度的望遠鏡，而且是一門隨時可以發射的大炮。
To say Canadian is to say French, and as unsociable as Ned Land was, I must admit he took a definite liking to me. No doubt it was my nationality that attracted him. It was an opportunity for him to speak, and for me to hear, that old Rabelaisian dialect still used in some Canadian provinces. The harpooner's family originated in Quebec, and they were already a line of bold fishermen back in the days when this town still belonged to France.
說是加拿大人，就几乎可以說是法國人①。儘管尼、德-蘭不多跟人接觸，但我應當承認，他對我卻有一種特別的好感。無疑地，那是由於我的國籍吸引了他。在他；這是一個機會，可以說說加拿大某些省份現在還通行的拉伯雷①的法國話，在我也是一個機會，可以聽聽這種法國話。這位魚叉手的老家是在魁北克，當這城市還屬於法國的時候，他家裡就已經出了一批大膽的打魚人了。
Little by little Ned developed a taste for chatting, and I loved hearing the tales of his adventures in the polar seas. He described his fishing trips and his battles with great natural lyricism. His tales took on the form of an epic poem, and I felt I was hearing some Canadian Homer reciting his Iliad of the High Arctic regions.
尼德，蘭漸漸有了談話的興趣，我很愛聽他談在北極海中冒險的故事。他常用詩一般的句子有聲有色他講述他打魚和戰斗的故事。他的故事具有史詩的形式，我聽他講，好像是在聽一位加拿大的荷馬②在朗誦着北極的《伊利亞特》③。
I'm writing of this bold companion as I currently know him. Because we've become old friends, united in that permanent comradeship born and cemented during only the most frightful crises! Ah, my gallant Ned! I ask only to live 100 years more, the longer to remember you!
我所以要把我確實知道的這位大膽的魚叉手描繪出來，那是因為在患難中產生和鞏固了的友誼把我們結合在一起了！啊！勇敢的尼德-蘭！但願我再活一百年，可以更長久地想唸著你！
And now, what were Ned Land's views on this question of a marine monster? I must admit that he flatly didn't believe in the unicorn, and alone on board, he didn't share the general conviction. He avoided even dealing with the subject, for which one day I felt compelled to take him to task.
目前，尼德-蘭對於海怪問題的意見是怎樣呢？我承認，他並不相信有什麼海麒麟、獨角鯨：船上的人，只有他不同意大家的看法。他甚至于避免討論這件事情。但是，我想這事總有一天會使他談到的。
During the magnificent evening of June 25--in other words, three weeks after our departure--the frigate lay abreast of Cabo Blanco, thirty miles to leeward of the coast of Patagonia. We had crossed the Tropic of Capricorn, and the Strait of Magellan opened less than 700 miles to the south. Before eight days were out, the Abraham Lincoln would plow the waves of the Pacific.
7月30日，即我們出發以後三星期，船在黃昏的時候到了離巴塔戈尼亞海岸三十海里，跟白呷同一緯度的地方。那時我們已經過了南回歸綫，麥哲輪海峽就在不到七百海里的南方、不用八天，林肯號便要在太平洋的波濤上行駛了。
Seated on the afterdeck, Ned Land and I chatted about one thing and another, staring at that mysterious sea whose depths to this day are beyond the reach of human eyes. Quite naturally, I led our conversation around to the giant unicorn, and I weighed our expedition's various chances for success or failure. Then, seeing that Ned just let me talk without saying much himself, I pressed him more closely.
尼德。蘭跟我一同坐在尾樓甲板上，一邊看著這神秘的大海——它的深處到今天為止人們還無法到達：一邊談談這個，說說那個，這時候，很自然地，我把話頭轉到巨大的海麒麟上面了，我又談到我們這次遠征成功或失敗的各種可能。後來，我看見尼德。蘭一聲不響，只讓我說，就直截了當地要他發言。
"Ned," I asked him, "how can you still doubt the reality of this cetacean we're after? Do you have any particular reasons for being so skeptical?"
“尼德。蘭，”我問他“您怎麼能懷疑我們追逐着的鯨魚類動物的存在呢？您這樣懷疑，有什麼特別理由嗎？”
The harpooner stared at me awhile before replying, slapped his broad forehead in one of his standard gestures, closed his eyes as if to collect himself, and finally said:
這位魚叉手在回答之前，看了我一會兒，照他慣常的姿勢，拿手拍拍他寬大的前額，閉閉眼睛，好像在沉思。他說：
"Just maybe, Professor Aronnax."
“阿龍納斯先生，我有理由。”
"But Ned, you're a professional whaler, a man familiar with all the great marine mammals--your mind should easily accept this hypothesis of an enormous cetacean, and you ought to be the last one to doubt it under these circumstances!"
“尼德-蘭，您是一位職業的捕鯨專家，您很熟悉海中的巨大哺侞類動物，照理您應當容易承認這個巨大的鯨魚類動物的存在，可是您竟要來做最後一個懷疑這事的人！”
"That's just where you're mistaken, professor," Ned replied. "The common man may still believe in fabulous comets crossing outer space, or in prehistoric monsters living at the earth's core, but astronomers and geologists don't swallow such fairy tales. It's the same with whalers. I've chased plenty of cetaceans, I've harpooned a good number, I've killed several. But no matter how powerful and well armed they were, neither their tails or their tusks could puncture the sheet-iron plates of a steamer."
“教授；這是因為您搞錯了。”尼德-蘭說，“一般的人相信有橫過天空的非常特殊的慧星，有住在地球內部的太古時代的侄物，那還可以，但天文學家，地質學家，決不承認有這類荒唐古怪的東西存在。打鯨魚的人也一樣。鯨科動物，我追逐過許多，我用魚叉叉過很多，我也殺死過好幾條，可是，不論那些鯨魚力量怎樣大，怎樣凶，它們的尾巴也好-它們的長牙也好，決不能弄壞一艘汽船的鋼板……”
"Even so, Ned, people mention vessels that narwhale tusks have run clean through."
“尼德-蘭，可是，獨角鯨的牙齒把船底鑽通了的傳說並不少。”
"Wooden ships maybe," the Canadian replied. "But I've never seen the like. So till I have proof to the contrary, I'll deny that baleen whales, sperm whales, or unicorns can do any such thing."
“木頭船，那是可能的，”加拿大人回答，“不過，就是這樣的事我也沒有親眼見過。所以，在沒有真憑實據之前，我不能承認長鬚鯨、大頭鯨、獨角鯨可以穿透鋼板。”
"Listen to me, Ned--"
“尼德-蘭，您好好聽我說……”
"No, no, professor. I'll go along with anything you want except that. Some gigantic devilfish maybe . . . ?"
“不，教授，什麼都可以聽您，這個可不能。也許這是一條巨大的章魚吧？……”
"Even less likely, Ned. The devilfish is merely a mollusk, and even this name hints at its semiliquid flesh, because it's Latin meaning soft one. The devilfish doesn't belong to the vertebrate branch, and even if it were 500 feet long, it would still be utterly harmless to ships like the Scotia or the Abraham Lincoln. Consequently, the feats of krakens or other monsters of that ilk must be relegated to the realm of fiction."
“尼德-蘭，那更不對了。章魚是軟體動物，單是這個名字就已經表明它的肌肉一點也不堅強。就是章魚有五百英呎長，它也不會屬於脊推動物這一門，它對於斯各脫亞號或林肯號這類的船，決不至有損害的。所以有關這類海怪或怪物的事蹟，都應當看作是荒唐無稽之談。”
"So, Mr. Naturalist," Ned Land continued in a bantering tone, "you'll just keep on believing in the existence of some enormous cetacean . . . ?"
“那麼，生物學專家，”尼德。蘭帶著點譏誚的口氣說，“您是堅持有巨大鯨魚類動物的存在嗎？……”
"Yes, Ned, I repeat it with a conviction backed by factual logic. I believe in the existence of a mammal with a powerful constitution, belonging to the vertebrate branch like baleen whales, sperm whales, or dolphins, and armed with a tusk made of horn that has tremendous penetrating power."
“是的，尼德-蘭，我再說一遍，我所以相信，我是有事實根據的。我相信海中有一種哺侞類動物存在，它的軀體組織十分堅實，屬於脊椎動物門，像長鬚鯨、大頭鯨或海豚，一樣，並且有一個角質的長牙，鑽穿的力量十分大。”
"Humph!" the harpooner put in, shaking his head with the attitude of a man who doesn't want to be convinced.
“晤！”這位魚叉手哼了一聲，同時搖搖頭，一副表示不能相信的神氣。
"Note well, my fine Canadian," I went on, "if such an animal exists, if it lives deep in the ocean, if it frequents the liquid strata located miles beneath the surface of the water, it needs to have a constitution so solid, it defies all comparison."
“請您注意，”我又說，“我的誠實的加拿大人，如果有這樣的一種動物，如果它是生活在海洋底下，如果它要在離水面幾英里深的海底活動，它必然有堅強無比的機體。”
"And why this powerful constitution?" Ned asked.
“為什麼要這麼堅強的機體呢？”尼德-蘭問。
"Because it takes incalculable strength just to live in those deep strata and withstand their pressure."
“因為要在很深的水中生活，要能抵抗水的壓力，那就必須有一種不可估計的巨大力量。”
"Oh really?" Ned said, tipping me a wink.
“真的嗎？”尼德-蘭擠一擠眼睛，看看我。
"Oh really, and I can prove it to you with a few simple figures."
“真的，一些數目字很容易給您證明這享。”
"Bosh!" Ned replied. "You can make figures do anything you want!"
“啊！”尼德-蘭答，“數目字！人們可以隨便拿數目字來證明自己喜歡的事！”
"In business, Ned, but not in mathematics. Listen to me. Let's accept that the pressure of one atmosphere is represented by the pressure of a column of water thirty-two feet high. In reality, such a column of water wouldn't be quite so high because here we're dealing with salt water, which is denser than fresh water. Well then, when you dive under the waves, Ned, for every thirty-two feet of water above you, your body is tolerating the pressure of one more atmosphere, in other words, one more kilogram per each square centimeter on your body's surface. So it follows that at 320 feet down, this pressure is equal to ten atmospheres, to 100 atmospheres at 3,200 feet, and to 1,000 atmospheres at 32,000 feet, that is, at about two and a half vertical leagues down. Which is tantamount to saying that if you could reach such a depth in the ocean, each square centimeter on your body's surface would be experiencing 1,000 kilograms of pressure. Now, my gallant Ned, do you know how many square centimeters you have on your bodily surface?"
“尼德-蘭，這是實事求是的，而不是數學上的數目字。請您好好地聽我說。我們都承認，一個大氣壓力等於三十二英呎高的水柱壓力。實際上，這水柱的高度是最小的，因為我們現在講的是海水，海水的密度大於淡水的密度。尼德-蘭，好吧，當您潛入水中，在您上面有多少倍三十二英呎的水，您的身體就要頂住同等倍數大氣壓的壓力，即每平方釐米面積上要頂住同等倍數公斤的壓力。照這樣推算，在三百二十英呎深處的壓力是十大氣壓，在三千二百英呎深處是一百大氣壓，三萬二千英呎深，就是說，約兩里半深處，是一千大氣壓。這就等於說，如果您潛入大洋到這樣的深度，您身上每平方釐米的面積上就要受到上千公斤的壓力。可是，誠實的尼德-蘭，您曉得您身上有多少平方釐米的面積嗎？”
"I haven't the foggiest notion, Professor Aronnax."
“當然不少，阿龍納斯先生。”
"About 17,000."
“大約有一萬七千平方釐米的面積。”
"As many as that?"
“這麼多嗎？”
"Yes, and since the atmosphere's pressure actually weighs slightly more than one kilogram per square centimeter, your 17,000 square centimeters are tolerating 17,568 kilograms at this very moment."
“實際上，一大氣壓比每平方釐米的一公斤重量超過一些，現在，您身上一萬七千平方釐米的面積就頂着一萬七千五百六十八公斤的壓力，”
"Without my noticing it?"
“我怎麼一點都不覺得？”
"Without your noticing it. And if you aren't crushed by so much pressure, it's because the air penetrates the interior of your body with equal pressure. When the inside and outside pressures are in perfect balance, they neutralize each other and allow you to tolerate them without discomfort. But in the water it's another story."
“您一點不覺得。您所以不被這樣大的壓力壓扁，是因為進人您身體中的空氣也有相等的壓力。因此，內部壓力和外部壓力能夠達到平衡，內外壓力抵消了”，所以您可以頂着：不覺得辛苦。但在水中便不同了。”
"Yes, I see," Ned replied, growing more interested. "Because the water surrounds me but doesn't penetrate me."
“是的，我懂得了，”尼德-蘭回答我，也比較注意了，“因為水在我周圍，永不進入我身體。”
"Precisely, Ned. So at thirty-two feet beneath the surface of the sea, you'll undergo a pressure of 17,568 kilograms; at 320 feet, or ten times greater pressure, it's 175,680 kilograms; at 3,200 feet, or 100 times greater pressure, it's 1,756,800 kilograms; finally, at 32,000 feet, or 1,000 times greater pressure, it's 17,568,000 kilograms; in other words, you'd be squashed as flat as if you'd just been yanked from between the plates of a hydraulic press!"
“對，尼德屍蘭。所以，照這樣推算。在海底下三十二英呎，您要受到一萬七千五百六十八公斤的壓力；在海底下三百二十英呎，受到十倍的壓力，即十六萬五千六百八十公斤的壓力；在海底下三千二百英呎，受到百倍的壓力，即一百七十五萬六千八百公斤的壓力；最後，在海底下三萬二千英呎，受到千倍的壓力，即一千七百五十六萬八千公斤的壓力；就是說，您要被壓成薄片，壓成像人們把您從水壓機的鐵板下拉出來似的！”
"Fire and brimstone!" Ned put in.
尼德-蘭喊一聲：“好傢伙！”
"All right then, my fine harpooner, if vertebrates several hundred meters long and proportionate in bulk live at such depths, their surface areas make up millions of square centimeters, and the pressure they undergo must be assessed in billions of kilograms. Calculate, then, how much resistance of bone structure and strength of constitution they'd need in order to withstand such pressures!"
“好，我的誠實的魚叉手，如果一種脊推動物，身長好幾百米，身寬按照身長的比例，它住在這樣的海底深處，那麼，它們有數百萬平方釐米面積的身軀，所受到的壓力，就要以千百億公斤來計算了。現在請您算一算它們的骨架和機體，要頂住這樣大的壓力所必需的抵抗力吧！”
"They'd need to be manufactured," Ned Land replied, "from sheet-iron plates eight inches thick, like ironclad frigates."
“那它們的身體要用八英吋厚的鋼板造成，跟鐵甲戰艦那樣才行。”尼德-蘭回答。
"Right, Ned, and then picture the damage such a mass could inflict if it were launched with the speed of an express train against a ship's hull."
“正像您說的那樣，尼德-蘭，現在您想想，這樣一個巨大的物體，以快車的速度撞在一隻船殻上，可能產生的破壞力量是怎樣。”
"Yes . . . indeed . . . maybe," the Canadian replied, staggered by these figures but still not willing to give in.
“是……也許……是這樣。“加拿大人回答，由於上面的數目字，他心中動搖了，但並不願意馬上認輸。
"Well, have I convinced you?"
“那麼，您相信了嗎？”
"You've convinced me of one thing, Mr. Naturalist. That deep in the sea, such animals would need to be just as strong as you say-- if they exist."
“您使我相信了一件事，生物學專家，就是說，如果海底下有這樣的動物，那它們的身體力量必須像您所說的那樣強大。”
"But if they don't exist, my stubborn harpooner, how do you explain the accident that happened to the Scotia?"
“可是，固執的魚叉手、如果海底下沒有這樣的動物，您怎樣說明斯各脫亞號所遭遇到的事故呢？
"It's maybe . . . ," Ned said, hesitating.
“這或者……”尼德-蘭遲疑地說。
"Go on!"
“你說下去吧！”
"Because . . . it just couldn't be true!" the Canadian replied, unconsciously echoing a famous catchphrase of the scientist Arago.
“因為…。這不是真的！”這位加拿大人回答，他無意中背出阿拉哥①的這句有名的對話。
But this reply proved nothing, other than how bullheaded the harpooner could be. That day I pressed him no further. The Scotia's accident was undeniable. Its hole was real enough that it had to be plugged up, and I don't think a hole's existence can be more emphatically proven. Now then, this hole didn't make itself, and since it hadn't resulted from underwater rocks or underwater machines, it must have been caused by the perforating tool of some animal.
但這個回答不能說明什麼，只不過說明了這位魚叉手的固執罷了。這一天我不再追問他，斯各脫亞號的事故是不可否認的。船底上的洞是實實在在有的，而且這洞非堵住不可，當然我並不認為有一個洞就能說明問題，可是這洞決不是毫無原因就會有的。既然它不是暗礁撞的，那必然是某一種動物的尖利武器鑽的了。
Now, for all the reasons put forward to this point, I believed that this animal was a member of the branch Vertebrata, class Mammalia, group Pisciforma, and finally, order Cetacea. As for the family in which it would be placed (baleen whale, sperm whale, or dolphin), the genus to which it belonged, and the species in which it would find its proper home, these questions had to be left for later. To answer them called for dissecting this unknown monster; to dissect it called for catching it; to catch it called for harpooning it-- which was Ned Land's business; to harpoon it called for sighting it-- which was the crew's business; and to sight it called for encountering it-- which was a chancy business.
那麼，把以上所舉的理由歸納一下，我認為這個動物是屬於脊椎動物門，哺侞動物綱，魚類，鯨魚目。它所屬的科，是長鬚鯨、大頭鯨、海豚的那一科；至于它應列入的“屬”，應歸人的“種”，那要等將來才能弄清楚。如果我們想解決這個問題，必須解剖這個神秘的怪物。要解剖它，就得捉住它；要捉住它，就得叉住它（這是尼德-蘭的事）．要叉住它，就得看見它（這是全體船員的事）；要看見它，就得碰見它（這是碰運氣的事）。