That office consists in mincing the horse-pieces of blubber for the pots; an operation which is conducted at a curious wooden horse, planted endwise against the bulwarks, and with a capacious tub beneath it, into which the minced pieces drop, fast as the sheets from a rapt orator's desk. Arrayed in decent black; occupying a conspicuous pulpit; intent on bible leaves; what a candidate for an archbishopric, what a lad for a Pope were this mincer! Bible leaves! Bible leaves! This is the invariable cry from the mates to the mincer. It enjoins him to be careful, and cut his work into as thin slices as possible, inasmuch as by so doing the business of boiling out the oil is much accelerated, and its quantity considerably increased, besides perhaps improving it in quality.

这项差使是要把白马鲸脂块剁碎后放到锅里去；做法是使用一只尾部安在舷墙边的木马，下边放着一只很大的木桶，剁碎的肉片就落在木桶里，速度之快有如一个慷慨激昂的演说家把讲稿从讲台上一页页地翻落下来。他穿着庄重的黑衣服；高踞在显眼的讲坛上；全神贯注在圣经纸上（原注：圣经纸！圣经纸！这是大副们对剁肉手的固定的叫喊声。意思是叫他剁得仔细，尽量切得越薄越好，因为切得薄就可以多熬出油来，也许不仅可以改进品质，而且还能大大增加分量。）；这个剁肉手可多象一个大主教职位的候补人，可多象罗马教皇的小厮呀！

Chapter 96 The Try-Works

第九十六章 炼油间

Besides her hoisted boats, an American whaler is outwardly distinguished by her try-works. She presents the curious anomaly of the most solid masonry joining with oak and hemp in constituting the completed ship. It is as if from the open field a brick-kiln were transported to her planks.

要从外表上识别一艘美国捕鲸船，我们除了看到它有吊起的小艇外，还可以看到它有炼油间。炼油间是整个捕鲸船的一部分，它奇特得有如用?树麻皮掺混起来的一种最坚固的泥水作物。它仿佛是把旷野上一座砖瓦窑给搬到船上来了。

The try-works are planted between the foremast and mainmast, the most roomy part of the deck.

炼油间就设在前桅与主桅之间的地方，也是甲板上最为宽敞的部分。

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