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For not to speak of his readiness in ordinary duties:— repairing stove boats, sprung spars, reforming the shape of clumsy-bladed oars, inserting bull's eyes in the deck, or new tree-nails in the side planks, and other miscellaneous matters more directly pertaining to his special business; he was moreover unhesitatingly expert in all manner of conflicting aptitudes, both useful and capricious.
不胜枚举的例常的急变，更别说他得随时应付下述这些日常事务：修理破艇，烂桁，改进笨拙的桨叶的式样，嵌装甲板上的牛眼窗，或者在舷板上安上新木钉以及其它许多比较跟他本行有关的零碎事务；而且，他还善于迅捷处理各种南辕北辙的事务，不论是日常事务还是突发事件。
The one grand stage where he enacted all his various parts so manifold, was his vice-bench; a long rude ponderous table furnished with several vices, of different sizes, and both of iron and of wood. At all times except when whales were alongside, this bench was securely lashed athwartships against the rear of the Try-works.
他处理这些形形式式的事务的唯一大场所，就是他那只虎钳条凳；这是一只粗笨的长凳，上面有几只大小不同的虎钳，有铁铸的，也有木制的。除了船旁拖有大鲸，这只条凳总是横缚在炼油间后边。
A belaying pin is found too large to be easily inserted into its hole: the carpenter claps it into one of his ever ready vices, and straightway files it smaller. A lost landbird of strange plumage strays on board, and is made a captive: out of clean shaved rods of right-whale bone, and cross-beams of sperm whale ivory, the carpenter makes a pagoda-looking cage for it. An oarsman sprains his wrist: the carpenter concocts a soothing lotion. Stubb longed for vermillion stars to be painted upon the blade of his every oar; screwing each oar in his big vice of wood, the carpenter symmetrically supplies the constellation.
人们发觉一只索栓子太大了，不容易插进栓洞里；这个木匠就把它压进他那常备的虎钳里，当即把它锉小。一只羽毛奇特的迷路的陆上鸟禽偶然飞到船上来，被捉住了；这个木匠就用刨得光光的细露脊鲸骨，和大梁似的抹香鲸骨，给它做出一只样子象鸽棚的笼子来。有个桨手扭伤了手腕；这个木匠就给配出一种外擦的药水来。斯塔布想给他所有的桨叶上都漆上朱红色的五角星；这个木匠就把每一支桨都镟在他那只木头的大虎钳里后，匀称地漆上了星星。
