Every year, ships sail to the northern seas to hunt the whale.  每年都会有船只航行到北海捕杀鲸鱼.

The men want its fat to make oil, and the whalebone, which is found in the roof of its mouth. 这些人想要鲸鱼的脂肪炼油,还有鲸鱼嘴上的鲸须.

The ships carry with them a number of small boats. When the whaling ground is reached,  这些船上有很多小船,当航行到鲸鱼所在地时,

men are sent to the top-mast to be on the look-out;  渔民就站在船的顶桅上观察鲸鱼的动向,

and, at a signal from them, the boats are launched as soon as a whale is seen. 一旦发现鲸鱼这些小船就会下水.

Each boat has a man in it called a harpooner. He sits in the bow of the boat.  每只小船上都有一位鱼叉手坐在船头上,

The harpoon is a long spear with a barbed point, made of tough iron. To the shaft of the harpoon a rope is fixed.  鱼叉是一种带刺的长矛,由坚韧的铁制成,鱼叉柄上绑着一根绳子,

This rope, which is sometimes a quarter of a mile long, lies carefully coiled up in the bow of the boat. 这种绳子有时长0.25英里,精心盘绕在船头上.

When the boat is near the whale, it is rowed up to it swiftly, but silently; the harpooner standing up, ready for his work.  当鲸鱼靠近时,绳子快而无声的扔向它,这时候鱼叉手就站起来准备工作,

When the boat is within a few yards of the huge creature, the men rest for a moment on their oars.  当船靠近这种巨大生物几码之内的时候,这些人就靠在船桨上休息一会儿,

Up goes the arm of the harpooner, and in an instant he sends the harpoon with all his force into the body of the whale. 然后鱼叉手就把手臂抬起来,用全力把鱼叉插向鲸鱼.

Smarting with the wound, the whale dives into the ocean, and swims away as far as he can.  带着剧烈的疼痛,鲸鱼就会潜入深海,尽全力游向远处.

If the whale were a true fish, he could remain under water always, and never be caught. But he must come up to breathe.  如果鲸鱼是鱼类,它就可以一直呆在水里不会被抓到了,但是它必须要浮出水面呼吸.

He is an animal like the cow or the horse, and cannot live without air. 就像牛马一样,离不开空气.

In the meantime, the men in the boat have rowed near the place where they expect him to rise.  同时,船上的人把船划到鲸鱼可能出现的地方.

As soon as he comes up, another harpoon is driven into his body. Down dives the whale again; but he soon returns. 一旦它出现,另一个鱼叉就会插向它.鲸鱼会再次游向海里,但它很快就会返回海面上的.

In his fury, he lashes the sea so violently with his huge tail, that the noise can sometimes be heard two or three miles off!  带着狂怒,用巨大的尾巴冲击着海水,这个声音两三米远都能听到,

At last, from pain and loss of blood, the poor whale is worn out.  最后因疼痛和失血,可怜的鲸鱼就会精疲力尽,

The boats are once more rowed up to him, and the men thrust long steel lances into his body. 船只再次靠近它时,渔人向它身体里刺入长枪.

Soon his huge carcass floats lifeless on the water.  很快它巨大的死尸就会浮出水面,

Three cheers are given by the men in the boats, and the body of the whale is towed in triumph to the ship.  船上的人发出三声欢呼,鲸鱼的尸体被拖向大船,

There it is cut into pieces and boiled down into oil; and when the fishing season is over, the oil is taken home in casks. 在大船上,鲸鱼会被切片煮沸炼制成油,当捕鱼季结束时,鱼油就会装罐带回家.