But so decided an original start had Derick had, that spite of all their gallantry, he would have proved the victor in this race, had not a righteous judgment descended upon him in a crab which caught the blade of his midship oarsman. While this clumsy lubber was striving to free his white-ash, and while, in consequence, Derick's boat was nigh to capsizing, and he thundering away at his men in a mighty rage;—that was a good time for Starbuck, Stubb, and Flask. With a shout, they took a mortal start forwards, and slantingly ranged up on the German's quarter. An instant more, and all four boats were diagonically in the whale's immediate wake, while stretching from them, on both sides, was the foaming swell that he made.
德立克满心明白他早就占先一着，所以，要不是他突然及时地看出他那坐在艇子中间的桨手因为划得太深而扳住桨叶的话，他准会不顾对方多么勇敢，在这场竞赛中占了上风。可是，正当那个笨头笨脑的桨手在拚命挣脱狂风的袭击，把德立克的小艇弄得险些翻了身，而德立克又正在怒不可遏地大骂他的水手的时候，——这就给了斯达巴克、斯塔布和弗拉斯克一个好机会了。他们一声叫嚷，拚命向前一划，打斜地掠到了德国人那只小艇后边。再一会儿，这四只小艇都横在这条大鲸的紧后边了，而弥漫在这四只小艇中，在小艇的两侧的，就是那条大鲸吐出来的泡沫飞溅的波涛。
It was a terrific, most pitiable, and maddening sight. The whale was now going head out, and sending his spout before him in a continual tormented jet; while his one poor fin beat his side in an agony of fright. Now to this hand, now to that, he yawed in his faltering flight, and still at every billow that he broke, he spasmodically sank in the sea, or sideways rolled towards the sky his one beating fin. So have I seen a bird with clipped wing, making affrighted broken circles in the air, vainly striving to escape the piratical hawks.
这真是一个可怕又最可怜而又使人发狂的场面。现在，这条鲸已经露出头来，向前游去，在它前面连续不断地喷出一阵苦恼的喷水，同时吓得要死地拍击着它那只可怜的鳍。它摇摇晃晃地乱驶疾奔，一会儿偏向这边，一会儿偏向那边；一会儿在它所激起的巨浪里抽搐地往海里沉了一下，一会儿用它那只能够拍击的鳍，侧斜地朝天翻腾起来。我仿佛看到了一只折翅的鸟儿，在空中恐惧地绕着不成圈儿的圆圈，却逃不了那些海盗似的鹰群。
