在前一章中，我们提到了约拿和大鱼的历史故事。如今，有些南塔基特人对约拿与大鱼这一历史故事颇不信任。然而，当年也有些持怀疑态度的希腊人和罗马人，他们脱离了同时代正统的异教徒，同样怀疑赫拉克勒斯与大鱼、阿里翁与海豚的故事；可是，他们对这些传说的怀疑，并未使那些传说有丝毫减损其事实的性质。
一位老萨格港捕鲸人质疑这希伯来故事，其主要理由如下：——他有一本古雅老式的《圣经》，上面饰有古怪而不科学的插图；其中一幅把约拿的大鱼画成头上有两个喷孔——这一特征只适用于一类利维坦（露脊鲸及其变种），渔夫们对此有句俗话：“一枚便士面包也能噎死它”；因为它的喉咙实在太小。不过，针对这一点，杰布主教早已有了预见性的答复。主教暗示，我们不必认为约拿是被葬在鱼腹之中，而可以想见他只是暂时栖身于鱼嘴的某处。在好心的主教看来，这似乎颇为合理。因为说实话，露脊鲸的嘴容得下两张惠斯特牌桌，还能舒舒服服地坐下所有牌手。或许，约拿也可能蜷缩在某颗中空的牙齿里；但再一想，露脊鲸是没有牙齿的。
萨格港（他就叫这个名字）不肯相信这位先知故事的另一个理由，隐约关乎他被囚的身体与鱼胃中的消化液。但这异议同样站不住脚，因为一位德国释经家推测，约拿必定是躲进了一头死鲸的浮尸里——正如俄国战役中的法国士兵把死马当作帐篷，钻了进去。此外，欧洲大陆的其他注释家也曾推断，当约拿从约帕的船上被抛下海后，他立刻逃到了近旁的另一艘船上，那船的船首像是一条鲸鱼；而我还要补充，它或许就叫“鲸鱼号”，正如如今有些船被命名为“鲨鱼号”“海鸥号”“雄鹰号”。也并非没有博学的释经家认为，《约拿书》中提到的鲸鱼只不过是指救生圈——一只充气的风囊——危难中的先知游过去抱住它，从而免于葬身水底。因此，可怜的萨格港似乎处处落了下风。但他不肯相信还有另一重理由。如果我没记错，是这样的：约拿是在地中海被鲸鱼吞下的，三天之后，他在距尼尼微不过三日路程的地方被吐了出来，而尼尼微是底格里斯河畔的一座城，离地中海海岸最近之处也远不止三日的路程。这如何解释？
可是，鲸鱼就没有别的法子把先知送在离尼尼微如此近的地方吗？有。它本可以绕好望角把他载去。且不提要穿越整个地中海，再上行波斯湾和红海，这样一种假设意味着三天之内绕非洲整整一圈，更不提尼尼微附近底格里斯河的水太浅，任何鲸鱼都游不进去。况且，若说约拿早在那时便经历了好望角，便要从公认的发现者巴托洛梅乌·迪亚斯手中夺去发现那伟大海角的荣光，从而使现代历史成了谎言。
然而，老萨格港这些蠢笨的论调，不过暴露了他那愚蠢的理性骄傲——考虑到他除向太阳和大海拾得的一点见识外别无学问，这骄傲在他身上更不可恕。我说，这只不过显出他愚蠢而亵慢的骄傲，以及可憎而魔鬼般的、对可敬圣职人员的反叛。因为一位葡萄牙天主教神父就曾提出，约拿取道好望角去尼尼微，恰是那普遍神迹的显赫放大。事实也正是如此。此外时至今日，极为开化的土耳其人仍虔信约拿的历史故事。大约三个世纪前，老哈里斯《航海记》中一位英国旅行者谈到，有一座为尊崇约拿而建的土耳其清真寺，寺中有一盏不需油也能燃着的神灯。
Reference was made to the historical story of Jonah and the whale in
the preceding chapter. Now some Nantucketers rather distrust this
historical story of Jonah and the whale. But then there were some
sceptical Greeks and Romans, who, standing out from the orthodox pagans
of their times, equally doubted the story of Hercules and the whale,
and Arion and the dolphin; and yet their doubting those traditions did
not make those traditions one whit the less facts, for all that.
One old Sag-Harbor whaleman’s chief reason for questioning the Hebrew
story was this:—He had one of those quaint old-fashioned Bibles,
embellished with curious, unscientific plates; one of which represented
Jonah’s whale with two spouts in his head—a peculiarity only true with
respect to a species of the Leviathan (the Right Whale, and the
varieties of that order), concerning which the fishermen have this
saying, “A penny roll would choke him”; his swallow is so very small.
But, to this, Bishop Jebb’s anticipative answer is ready. It is not
necessary, hints the Bishop, that we consider Jonah as tombed in the
whale’s belly, but as temporarily lodged in some part of his mouth. And
this seems reasonable enough in the good Bishop. For truly, the Right
Whale’s mouth would accommodate a couple of whist-tables, and
comfortably seat all the players. Possibly, too, Jonah might have
ensconced himself in a hollow tooth; but, on second thoughts, the Right
Whale is toothless.
Another reason which Sag-Harbor (he went by that name) urged for his
want of faith in this matter of the prophet, was something obscurely in
reference to his incarcerated body and the whale’s gastric juices. But
this objection likewise falls to the ground, because a German exegetist
supposes that Jonah must have taken refuge in the floating body of a
_dead_ whale—even as the French soldiers in the Russian campaign turned
their dead horses into tents, and crawled into them. Besides, it has
been divined by other continental commentators, that when Jonah was
thrown overboard from the Joppa ship, he straightway effected his
escape to another vessel near by, some vessel with a whale for a
figure-head; and, I would add, possibly called “The Whale,” as some
craft are nowadays christened the “Shark,” the “Gull,” the “Eagle.” Nor
have there been wanting learned exegetists who have opined that the
whale mentioned in the book of Jonah merely meant a life-preserver—an
inflated bag of wind—which the endangered prophet swam to, and so was
saved from a watery doom. Poor Sag-Harbor, therefore, seems worsted all
round. But he had still another reason for his want of faith. It was
this, if I remember right: Jonah was swallowed by the whale in the
Mediterranean Sea, and after three days he was vomited up somewhere
within three days’ journey of Nineveh, a city on the Tigris, very much
more than three days’ journey across from the nearest point of the
Mediterranean coast. How is that?
But was there no other way for the whale to land the prophet within
that short distance of Nineveh? Yes. He might have carried him round by
the way of the Cape of Good Hope. But not to speak of the passage
through the whole length of the Mediterranean, and another passage up
the Persian Gulf and Red Sea, such a supposition would involve the
complete circumnavigation of all Africa in three days, not to speak of
the Tigris waters, near the site of Nineveh, being too shallow for any
whale to swim in. Besides, this idea of Jonah’s weathering the Cape of
Good Hope at so early a day would wrest the honor of the discovery of
that great headland from Bartholomew Diaz, its reputed discoverer, and
so make modern history a liar.
But all these foolish arguments of old Sag-Harbor only evinced his
foolish pride of reason—a thing still more reprehensible in him, seeing
that he had but little learning except what he had picked up from the
sun and the sea. I say it only shows his foolish, impious pride, and
abominable, devilish rebellion against the reverend clergy. For by a
Portuguese Catholic priest, this very idea of Jonah’s going to Nineveh
via the Cape of Good Hope was advanced as a signal magnification of the
general miracle. And so it was. Besides, to this day, the highly
enlightened Turks devoutly believe in the historical story of Jonah.
And some three centuries ago, an English traveller in old Harris’s
Voyages, speaks of a Turkish Mosque built in honor of Jonah, in which
Mosque was a miraculous lamp that burnt without any oil.
