For the long absent ship, the outward-bounder, perhaps, has letters on board; at any rate, she will be sure tolet her have some papers of a date a year or two later than the last one on her blurred and thumb-worn files. And in return for that courtesy, the outward-bound ship would receive the latest whaling intelligence from thecruising-ground to which she may be destined, a thing of the utmost importance to her. And in degree, all thiswill hold true concerning whaling vessels crossing each other's track on the cruising-ground itself, even though they are equally long absent from home. For one of them may have received a transfer of letters from some third, and now far remote vessel; and some of those letters may be for the people of the ship she now meets. Besides, they would exchange the whaling news, and have an agreeable chat. For not only would they meet with allthe sympathies of sailors, but likewise with all the peculiar congenialities arising from a common pursuit andmutually shared privations and perils.

而且，那艘外航船说不定还带有一些信件，要交给一艘离家多年的船只，无论如何，它一定会给那艘船带来几份报纸，这些报纸总比那艘船那些夹在报夹里。让手指头翻得稀烂破碎的报纸新一两年吧。于是，礼尚往来，这艘外航船就会得到一些也许它必须去的巡游场的最近的捕鲸消息，一些对它是极其重要的消息。这样，慢慢地，这些礼节就在一般巡游场上彼此相值的捕鲸船间流传下去了，哪怕这两艘船的离家期间是相差无几。因为说不定其中有一艘船还带有现在远在他处的第三艘船的一些转递信件，而其中有些信件说不定就是它现在所碰到的船上的人的。此外，他们还可以交换捕鲸消息，称心快意地聊一聊。因为他们不仅会获得水手们的一切同情，也会获得由于职业相同，患难相共而来的种种特殊愉快。

Nor would difference of country make any very essential difference; that is, so long as both parties speak onelanguage, as is the case with Americans and English. Though, to be sure, from the small number of English whalers, such meetings do not very often occur, and when they do occur there, is too apt to be a sort of shyness between them; for your Englishman is rather reserved, and your Yankee, he does not fancy that sort of thing in anybody but himself.

国籍不同也不会有什么本质上的不同，就是说，只要双方都是操着同样的语言就行，英美两国的船员就是这样。不过，英国的捕鲸船为数不多，当然就不常常会有这种相遇的机会，而且一旦相遇了，彼此之间也还不免稍有忸怩之感；因为那些英国人总是比较拘谨，而扬基(扬基——美国人的绰号，尤指新英格兰人，因为一般捕鲸者大都是新英格兰人。)呢，却根本就没有想到这一套。