Next morning Stubb accosted¹ Flask².

"Such a queer dream, King-Post, I never had. You know the old man's ivory leg, well I dreamed he kicked me with it; and when I tried to kick back, upon my soul, my little man, I kicked my leg right off! And then, presto³! Ahab seemed a pyramid, and I like a blazing fool, kept kicking at it. But what was still more curious, Flask--you know how curious all dreams are--through all this rage that I was in, I somehow seemed to be thinking to myself, that after all, it was not much of an insult, that kick from Ahab. 'Why,' thinks I, 'what's the row? It's not a real leg, only a false one.' And there's a mighty⁴ difference between a living thump⁵ and a dead thump. That's what makes a blow from the hand, Flask, fifty times more savage⁶ to bear than a blow from a cane⁷. The living member-- that makes the living insult, my little man. And thinks I to myself all the while, mind, while I was stubbing my silly toes against that cursed pyramid--so confoundedly contradictory⁸ was it all, all the while, I say, I was thinking to myself, 'what's his leg now, but a cane-. a whale-bone cane. Yes,' thinks I, 'it was only a playful cudgelling--in fact, only a whaleboning that he gave me-- not a base kick. Besides,' thinks I, 'look at it once; why, the end of it--the foot part--what a small sort of end it is; whereas, if a broad footed farmer kicked me, there's a devilish broad insult. But this insult is whittled⁹ down to a point only.' But now comes the greatest joke of the dream, Flask. While I was battering¹⁰ away at the pyramid, a sort of badger-haired old merman, with a hump on his back, takes me by the shoulders, and

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1 accosted
v.走过去跟…讲话( accost的过去式和过去分词 )；跟…搭讪；（乞丐等）上前向…乞讨；（妓女等）勾搭
参考例句：
She was accosted in the street by a complete stranger. 在街上，一个完全陌生的人贸然走到她跟前搭讪。 His benevolent nature prevented him from refusing any beggar who accosted him. 他乐善好施的本性使他不会拒绝走上前向他行乞的任何一个乞丐。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 flask
n.瓶，火药筒，砂箱
参考例句：
There is some deposit in the bottom of the flask.这只烧杯的底部有些沉淀物。 He took out a metal flask from a canvas bag.他从帆布包里拿出一个金属瓶子。

3 presto
adv.急速地；n.急板乐段；adj.急板的
参考例句：
With something so important,you can't just wave a wand and presto!在这么重大的问题上，你想挥动一下指挥棒，转眼就变过来,办不到！ I just turned the piece of wire in the lock and hey presto,the door opened.我把金属丝伸到锁孔里一拧，嘿，那门就开了。

4 mighty
adj.强有力的；巨大的
参考例句：
A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。 The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

5 thump
v.重击，砰然地响；n.重击，重击声
参考例句：
The thief hit him a thump on the head.贼在他的头上重击一下。 The excitement made her heart thump.她兴奋得心怦怦地跳。

6 savage
adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人
参考例句：
The poor man received a savage beating from the thugs.那可怜的人遭到暴徒的痛打。 He has a savage temper.他脾气粗暴。

7 cane
n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的
参考例句：
This sugar cane is quite a sweet and juicy.这甘蔗既甜又多汁。 English schoolmasters used to cane the boys as a punishment.英国小学老师过去常用教鞭打男学生作为惩罚。

8 contradictory
adj.反驳的，反对的，抗辩的；n.正反对，矛盾对立
参考例句：
The argument is internally contradictory.论据本身自相矛盾。 What he said was self-contradictory.他讲话前后不符。

9 whittled
v.切，削（木头），使逐渐变小( whittle的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
He whittled a simple toy from the piece of wood. 他把那块木头削成了一个简易的玩具。 The government's majority has been whittled down to eight. 政府多数票减少到了八票。

10 battering
n.用坏，损坏v.连续猛击( batter的现在分词 )
参考例句：
The film took a battering from critics in the US. 该影片在美国遭遇到批评家的猛烈抨击。 He kept battering away at the door. 他接连不断地砸门。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 slews
n.许多，大量( slew的名词复数 )v.螫伤，刺伤( sting的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：

12 bout
n.侵袭，发作；一次(阵，回)；拳击等比赛
参考例句：
I was suffering with a bout of nerves.我感到一阵紧张。 That bout of pneumonia enfeebled her.那次肺炎的发作使她虚弱了。

13 bent
n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的
参考例句：
He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。 We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

14 standing
n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的
参考例句：
After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。 They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

15 bloody
adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染
参考例句：
He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。 He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。