It designates the dark, glutinous substance which is scraped off the back of the Greenland or right whale, and much of which covers the decks of those inferior souls who hunt that ignoble Leviathan.

它指的是那种黑色的胶状物质，是从格陵兰鲸或露脊鲸的背上刮下来的，捕猎这种卑贱大海兽的劣等人物的甲板上尽是这种东西。