that their chests must be on board before night, for there was no telling how soon the vessel might be sailing.  因为开船的日期是不定的，也许明天就走。 

So Queequeg and I got down our traps, resolving, however, to sleep ashore till the last.  我和魁魁格把行李送上船以后，又返回岸上的旅店，我们计划开船时再上船。

But it seems they always give very long notice in these cases, and the ship did not sail for several days.  不过，即使他们通知你要开船，你上了船，船却要好几天以后才能开。

But no wonder; there was a good deal to be done, and there is no telling how many things to be thought of, before the Pequod was fully equipped.  负责准备这些东西的，是比勒达船长的妹妹，一个小老太婆。她是个很干练的人，

Every one knows what a multitude of things—beds, sauce-pans, knives and forks, shovels and tongs, napkins, nut-crackers,  仿佛永远不知疲倦地往船上搬着各种各样的东西：牛肉、面包、淡水、铁桶、燃料、钳子、餐巾、刃叉、锤剪…

and what not, are indispensable to the business of housekeeping.  因为船上需要准备的东西太多，临时想起来就又得延期开船。 

Just so with whaling, which necessitates a three-years' housekeeping upon the wide ocean, far from all grocers, costermongers, doctors, bakers, and bankers.  捕鲸是一项远离尘世的事业，一去数年，锅碗瓢盆、食品药品以及衣物都要拿上够三年用的。

And though this also holds true of merchant vessels, yet not by any means to the same extent as with whalemen.  而且，捕鲸船出海作业的危险性最大，小船、圆木、绳索、标枪都要有备用的，连船长也有一位后备的。