英语听书《白鲸记》第12期

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 At one end a ruminating¹ tar² was still further adorning³ it with his jack⁴ knife, 

 stooping over and diligently⁵ working away at the space between his legs. 

 He was trying his hand at a ship under full sail,but he did not make much headway,I thought. 

 At last some four or five of us were summoned to our meal in an adjoining room. 

 It was cold as Iceland no fire at allthe landlord said he could not afford it. 

 Nothing but two dismal⁶ tallow candles,each in a winding⁷ sheet. 

 We were fain to button up our monkey jackets,and hold to our lips cups of scalding tea with our half frozen fingers. 

 But the fare was of the most substantial kindnot only meat and potatoes,but dumplings; 

 good heavens!dumplings for supper!One young fellow in a green box coat,addressed himself to these dumplings in a most direful manner. 

 My boy,said the landlord,you 'll have the nightmare to a dead sartainty. 

 Landlord,I whispered,that aint the harpooneer is it? 

 Oh,no,said he,looking a sort of diabolically⁸ funny,the harpooneer is a dark complexioned⁹ chap. 

 He never eats dumplings,he don'the eats nothing but steaks,and he likes ' em rare. 

 The devil he does,says I. Where is that harpooneer?Is he here? 

 He 'll be here afore long,was the answer. 

 I could not help it,but I began to feel suspicious of this dark complexioned harpooneer. 

 At any rate,I made up my mind that if it so turned out that we should sleep together,he must undress and get into bed before I did. 

 Supper over,the company went back to the bar room,when,knowing not what else to do with myself, 

 I resolved to spend the rest of the evening as a looker on. 

 Presently a rioting noise was heard without.Starting up,the landlord cried,That's the Grampus's crew. 

 I seed her reported in the offing this morning;a three years ' voyage,and a full ship. 

 Hurrah,boys;now we 'll have the latest news from the Feegees. 

 A tramping of sea boots was heard in the entry;the door was flung open,and in rolled a wild set of mariners¹⁰ enough. 

 Enveloped in their shaggy watch coats,and with their heads muffled¹¹ in woollen comforters,all bedarned and ragged,and their beards stiff with icicles, 

 they seemed an eruption¹² of bears from Labrador.They had just landed from their boat,and this was the first house they entered. 

 No wonder,then,that they made a straight wake for the whale's mouththe barwhen the wrinkled little old Jonah,there officiating, 

 soon poured them out brimmers all round.One complained of a bad cold in his head,upon which Jonah mixed him a pitch like potion of gin and molasses,which he swore was a sovereign cure for all colds and catarrhs whatsoever,never mind of how long standing, 

 or whether caught off the coast of Labrador,or on the weather side of an ice island. 

 The liquor soon mounted into their heads,as it generally does even with the arrantest topers newly landed from sea,and they began capering¹³ about most obstreperously¹⁴. 

 I observed,however,that one of them held somewhat aloof, 

 and though he seemed desirous not to spoil the hilarity¹⁵ of his shipmates by his own sober face,yet upon the whole he refrained from making as much noise as the rest. 

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