Τὸ δὲ ἀπὸ τούτου μηκέτι φέρων ἐγὼ τὴν ἐν τῷ κήτει δίαιταν ἀχθόμενός τε τῇ μονῇ μηχανήν τινα ἐζήτουν, δι᾽ ἧς ἂν ἐξελθεῖν γένοιτο· καὶ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἔδοξεν ἡμῖν διορύξασι κατὰ τὸν δεξιὸν τοῖχον ἀποδρᾶναι, καὶ ἀρξάμενοι διεκόπτομεν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ προελθόντες ὅσον πέντε σταδίους οὐδὲν ἠνύομεν, τοῦ μὲν ὀρύγματος ἐπαυσάμεθα, τὴν δὲ ὕλην καῦσαι διέγνωμεν· οὕτω γὰρ ἂν τὸ κῆτος ἀποθανεῖν· εἰ δὲ τοῦτο γένοιτο, ῥᾳδία ἔμελλεν ἡμῖν ἔσεσθαι ἡ ἔξοδος. ἀρξάμενοι οὖν ἀπὸ τῶν οὐραίων ἐκαίομεν, καὶ ἡμέρας μὲν ἑπτὰ καὶ ἴσας νύκτας ἀναισθήτως εἶχε τοῦ καύματος, ὀγδόῃ δὲ καὶ ἐνάτῃ συνίεμεν αὐτοῦ νοσοῦντος· ἀργότερον γοῦν ἀνέχασκεν, καὶ εἴ ποτε ἀναχάνοι, ταχὺ συνέμυεν. δεκάτῃ δὲ καὶ ἑνδεκάτῃ τέλεον ἀπενεκροῦτο καὶ δυσῶδες ἦν· τῇ δωδεκάτῃ δὲ μόλις ἐνενοήσαμεν ὡς, εἰ μή τις χανόντος αὐτοῦ ὑποστηρίξειεν τοὺς γομφίους, ὥστε μηκέτι συγκλεῖσαι, κινδυνεύσομεν κατακλεισθέντες ἐν νεκρῷ αὐτῷ ἀπολέσθαι. οὕτω δὴ μεγάλοις δοκοῖς τὸ στόμα διερείσαντες τὴν ναῦν ἐπεσκευάζομεν ὕδωρ τε ὡς ἔνι πλεῖστον ἐμβαλλόμενοι καὶ τἆλλα ἐπιτήδεια· κυβερνήσειν δὲ ἔμελλεν ὁ Σκίνθαρος.
notes
Tiring of life in the whale, the men escape. After passing the bodies from the Island battle, they come upon a frozen portion of the sea, then the islands of Cheese and Cork.
Τὸ δὲ ἀπὸ τούτου: use of article to create a substantive, “the (period of time) from this point”
μηκέτι φέρων...δίαιταν: “no longer able to endure the life”
δι᾽ ἧς: “through which,” antecedent is μηχανήν
ἂν γένοιτο: potential opt., “it might be possible”
ἐξελθεῖν: ao. inf. of ἐξέρχομαι, “to exit”
τὸ μὲν πρῶτον: “while at first”
διορύξασι: ao. part. dat. pl. of δια-ὀρύσσω, modifying ἡμῖν, “by tunneling”
ἀποδρᾶναι: ao. inf. of ἀποδιδράσκω, with ἔδοξεν, “to escape”
προελθόντες: ao. part. of προ-ἔρχομαι, “having advanced”
ἠνύομεν: impf. of ἀνύω, “we were accomplishing”
διέγνωμεν: ao. of διαγινώσκω, “we resolved”
ἂν...ἀποθανεῖν: ao. inf. of ἀποθνήσκω, representing a potential optative in implied ind. st. “reasoning that he would die”
εἰ...γένοιτο: ao. opt. of γίνομαι, past general cond. “if this happened...”
ἔμελλεν ἔσεσθαι, “then escape would have been....”
ἀπὸ τῶν οὐραίων: “from the tail-end”
ἀναισθήτως εἶχε: paraphrastic, “he was insensible to”
συνίεμεν: impf. of συν-ἵημι, “we observed”
αὐτοῦ νοσοῦντος: gen. after συνίεμεν, “that he was ill”
ἀνέχασκεν impf. of ἀναχάσκω, “he yawned”
εἴ ποτε ἀναχάνοι: ao. opt. of ἀναχάσκω, past general cond., “if ever he yawned”
ἀπενεκροῦτο: impf. of ἀπο-νεκρέω, “he began dying”
ἐνενοήσαμεν: ao. of ἐν-νοέω, “we perceived”
ὡς...κινδυνεύσομεν: ind. st. after ἐνενοήσαμεν and also the apodosis of a future more vivid condition, “that we would run the risk”
εἰ μή τις...ὑποστηρίξειεν: ao. opt., protasis of a future more vivid condition changed from subjunctive to the optative in ind. st. after ἐνενοήσαμεν, “we realized that unless someone shored up his jaws...”
χανόντος αὐτοῦ: ao. part. of χάσκω, gen. abs., “as he opened his mouth”
ὥστε μηκέτι συγκλεῖσαι: ao. inf. of συν-κλείω, result clause with inf. showing intended result, “so that he could no longer close his mouth”
κινδυνεύσομεν...ἀπολέσθαι: ao. inf. of ἀπόλλυμι, with κινδυνεύσομεν, “we would run the risk of dying”
κατακλεισθέντες: ao. part. pas. of κατακλείω, “by being closed in”
διερείσαντες: ao. part. of διερείδω, “having propped apart”
ὡς ἔνι πλεῖστον: “as much as possible,” ἔνι = ἔνεστι “it is possible”
τἆλλα = τὰ ἄλλα: “the other supplies”
κυβερνήσειν: future inf. with ἔμελλεν, “would be the pilot.” Skintharos replaces the first pilot who was one of the casualties.
vocabulary
κῆτος, -εος, τό: a sea-monster, huge fish
δίαιτα, ἡ: a way of living, mode of life
ἄχθομαι: be vexed
μονή, ἡ: a staying, abiding
μηχανή: an instrument, device
ἐξέρχομαι: go or come out of
διορύσσω: dig through or across
δεξιός, -ά, -όν: right
τοῖχος, ὁ: the wall of a house or court
ἀποδιδράσκω: run away or off, escape
διακόπτω: cut in two, cut through
προέρχομαι: go forward, go on, advance
ἀνύω: effect, achieve, accomplish, complete
ὄρυγμα, -ατος, τό: a trench, ditch, moat
ὕλη, ἡ: a forest
καίω: kindle, burn
διαγινώσκω: distinguish, discern, resolve
ἔξοδος, -ον: promoting the passage
οὐραῖος, ὁ: of the tail
ἀναίσθητος, -ον: insensate, unfeeling
καῦμα, -ατος, τό: burning heat
συνίημι: bring or set together
νοσέω: be sick, ill, to ail
ἀργότερος: more sluggish
ἀναχάσκω: open the mouth, gape wide
συμμύω: be shut up, to close, be closed
ἑνδέκατος, -η, -ον: the eleventh
δυσώδης, -ες: ill-smelling
δωδέκατος, -η, -ον: the twelfth
μόλις: little by little
ἐννοέω: consider, reflect
χάσκω: open
ὑποστηρίζω: underprop, sustain
γομφίος, ὁ: a grinder-tooth
συγκλείω: shut or coop up, enclose
κινδυνεύω: run the risk, do a daring thing
κατακλείω: shut in, inclose
νεκρός, ὁ: corpse
δοκός, ἡ: a bearing-beam
διερείδω: prop up
ἐπισκευάζω: get ready, to equip, fit out
ἐμβάλλω: throw in, put in
ἐπιτήδειος, -α, -ον: made for an end or purpose
κυβερνάω: act as pilot or helmsman