Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

海底二萬里

   CHAPTER 15

   第一部 第十五章

   An Invitation in Writing

   一封邀請書

   THE NEXT DAY, November 9, I woke up only after a long, twelve-hour slumber. Conseil, a creature of habit, came to ask "how master's night went," and to offer his services. He had left his Canadian friend sleeping like a man who had never done anything else.

   第二夭,十一月九日,我足足睡了十二個鐘頭才醒來。康塞爾來了,他習慣地問我“先生晚上睡得好”,接着就幹起活來了。他不去驚動他的朋友,那個加拿大人,讓他像瞌睡蟲那樣在房中睡覺。

   I let the gallant lad babble as he pleased, without giving him much in the way of a reply. I was concerned about Captain Nemo's absence during our session the previous afternoon, and I hoped to see him again today.

   我讓這個好好先生隨心所欲他說話,沒有回答他的每一句。我一心想著為什麼還看不見尼摩船長,從我們昨天聚談以後,他一直沒有露面,我希望今天能看到他。

   Soon I had put on my clothes, which were woven from strands of seashell tissue. More than once their composition provoked comments from Conseil. I informed him that they were made from the smooth, silken filaments with which the fan mussel, a type of seashell quite abundant along Mediterranean beaches, attaches itself to rocks. In olden times, fine fabrics, stockings, and gloves were made from such filaments, because they were both very soft and very warm. So the Nautilus's crew could dress themselves at little cost, without needing a thing from cotton growers, sheep, or silkworms on shore.

   我很快穿好了貝足絲織造的衣服。這一身衣料不止一次引起了康塞爾的思索。我告訴他,這身衣料是由發光的、絲一般柔軟的纖維製成,這些纖維產在海石上,是地中海沿岸很豐富的一種像“豬腔形”介殼貝類留下的。從前人們拿來做成很好看的衣料,襪子,手套,因為它們又軟又暖。諾第留斯號的船員一點不需要陸地上的棉花、羊毛和蠶絲,就可以穿起物美價廉的衣服。

   As soon as I was dressed, I made my way to the main lounge. It was deserted.

   我穿好了衣服就到客廳去,那裡還沒有人。

   I dove into studying the conchological treasures amassed inside the glass cases. I also investigated the huge plant albums that were filled with the rarest marine herbs, which, although they were pressed and dried, still kept their wonderful colors. Among these valuable water plants, I noted various seaweed: some Cladostephus verticillatus, peacock's tails, fig-leafed caulerpa, grain-bearing beauty bushes, delicate rosetangle tinted scarlet, sea colander arranged into fan shapes, mermaid's cups that looked like the caps of squat mushrooms and for years had been classified among the zoophytes; in short, a complete series of algae.

   我於是鑽研那些玻璃櫃中堆積着的貝類學上的寶藏,全神貫注地研究。我也潛心搜索那寬大的植物標本庫,庫裡充滿着海中最希罕的植物,它們雖然風乾了,但仍然保存着令人讚美的顏色。在這些珍貴的水產植物中間,我看到了那些壞生的海苔,孔雀昆布,葡萄葉形的海藻,粒狀的水馬齒,大紅色的柔軟海草,扇子形的海苑,吸盤草,這草很像外形下陷的冬菇,很久以來就被歸人植蟲動物的一類,最後我看到了整個一組的海藻類植物。

   The entire day passed without my being honored by a visit from Captain Nemo. The panels in the lounge didn't open. Perhaps they didn't want us to get tired of these beautiful things.

   整整一天過去了,尼摩船長始終沒有來看我。客廳的嵌板沒有打開也許人家不願意我們對於美麗的事物接觸得太多吧。

   The Nautilus kept to an east-northeasterly heading, a speed of twelve miles per hour, and a depth between fifty and sixty meters.

   諾第留斯號行駛的方向仍是東北偏東,速度為每小時十二海里,距離海面五十至六十米。

   Next day, November 10: the same neglect, the same solitude. I didn't see a soul from the crew. Ned and Conseil spent the better part of the day with me. They were astonished at the captain's inexplicable absence. Was this eccentric man ill? Did he want to change his plans concerning us?

   第三天,11月10日,還是沒有人,同樣是冷清清的。我看見一個船員。尼德-蘭和康塞爾跟我在一起過了大半天。他們對船長的不可理解的不露面很驚訝,這個奇異的人病了嗎?他要改變他怎樣安排我們的計劃嗎?

   But after all, as Conseil noted, we enjoyed complete freedom, we were daintily and abundantly fed. Our host had kept to the terms of his agreement. We couldn't complain, and moreover the very uniqueness of our situation had such generous rewards in store for us, we had no grounds for criticism.

   總而言之,正像康塞爾說的,我們享受到完全的自由,我們吃得很講究。我們的主人完全遵守他約定的條款。我們不能抱怨,而且,我們意想不到的遭遇使我們受到了很好的待遇,光這一點,我們就沒有權利控訴他。

   That day I started my diary of these adventures, which has enabled me to narrate them with the most scrupulous accuracy; and one odd detail: I wrote it on paper manufactured from marine eelgrass.

   這一天我開始寫這次奇遇的日記,這樣,我可以詳盡而確切地把事情記錄下來;我是用海中大葉藻制的紙寫日記,這也是一件新奇的事。

   Early in the morning on November 11, fresh air poured through the Nautilus's interior, informing me that we had returned to the surface of the ocean to renew our oxygen supply. I headed for the central companionway and climbed onto the platform.

   月11日,大清早,諾第留斯號的內部全換了新鮮空氣,我知道我們現在又回到洋面上來補充氧氣。我向中央樓梯走去,走上平台。

   It was six o'clock. I found the weather overcast, the sea gray but calm. Hardly a billow. I hoped to encounter Captain Nemo there--would he come? I saw only the helmsman imprisoned in his glass-windowed pilothouse. Seated on the ledge furnished by the hull of the skiff, I inhaled the sea's salty aroma with great pleasure.

   這時是早晨六點。我看見天是陰的,海也發暗,但相當平靜。差不多沒有波浪。我希望在平台上碰見尼摩船長,他會來嗎)我只看見領航人關在他那玻璃籠間裡。我坐在小艇外殼的突出部分,很自在地呼吸着海上的新鮮空氣。

   Little by little, the mists were dispersed under the action of the sun's rays. The radiant orb cleared the eastern horizon. Under its gaze, the sea caught on fire like a trail of gunpowder. Scattered on high, the clouds were colored in bright, wonderfully shaded hues, and numerous "ladyfingers" warned of daylong winds.

   在太陽光的照射下,濃霧漸漸消散了。一輪紅日從東方的天際湧出。海面被陽光照射得像燃着了的火藥,發出一片紅光。雲彩散在高空,染上深淺不同的色澤,無數的“貓舌頭”預告今天整天都要颳風。

   But what were mere winds to this Nautilus, which no storms could intimidate!

   可是對於大風暴也不驚怕的諾第留斯號,普通的風又算得了什麼呢?

   So I was marveling at this delightful sunrise, so life-giving and cheerful, when I heard someone climbing onto the platform.

   我正在欣賞使人愉快的日出景象,忽然聽到有人走上平台來。

   I was prepared to greet Captain Nemo, but it was his chief officer who appeared--whom I had already met during our first visit with the captain. He advanced over the platform, not seeming to notice my presence. A powerful spyglass to his eye, he scrutinized every point of the horizon with the utmost care. Then, his examination over, he approached the hatch and pronounced a phrase whose exact wording follows below. I remember it because, every morning, it was repeated under the same circumstances. It ran like this:

   我正準備招呼尼摩船長,但上來的人不是他,而是他的副手。他在平台上向前走,好像沒有看見我似的。他拿一架倍數很大的望遠鏡,十分細心地觀察四周的天邊、觀察過後,他走近嵌板,說了一句話,這句話的語音拼法完全跟下面寫的一樣。我所以把它記下來,是因為每天早晨,在同樣的情況下,總是聽到這句話。這句話是這樣:

   "Nautron respoc lorni virch."

   “諾土隆一雷斯撲一羅宜一維爾希。”

   What it meant I was unable to say.

   這話是什麼意思,那我可說不上來。

   These words pronounced, the chief officer went below again. I thought the Nautilus was about to resume its underwater navigating. So I went down the hatch and back through the gangways to my stateroom.

   說了這句話之後,船副又下到船艙去了。我想諾第留斯號又要潛入海底航行了。所以我走回嵌板邊,穿過狹長的過道,回到我的房中。

   Five days passed in this way with no change in our situation. Every morning I climbed onto the platform. The same phrase was pronounced by the same individual. Captain Nemo did not appear.

   這樣過了五天,情形一點沒有改變。每天早晨,我走上平台,聽到同樣的人說出同樣的話。尼摩船長仍然沒有露面。

   I was pursuing the policy that we had seen the last of him, when on November 16, while reentering my stateroom with Ned and Conseil, I found a note addressed to me on the table.

   我不再指望見他了。到了11月16比我跟尼德-蘭和康塞爾回到我房中的時候,看見桌上有一封給我的信。

   I opened it impatiently. It was written in a script that was clear and neat but a bit "Old English" in style, its characters reminding me of German calligraphy.

   我拿過信來,立刻把信拆開。信上的字型寫得清楚……很乾淨,但帶一點古體,使人想起是有些像德文字型。

   The note was worded as follows:

   這信的內容如下:

   Professor Aronnax
Aboard the Nautilus

   送交諾第留斯號船上的阿龍納斯教授

   November 16, 1867

   1867年11月16日

   Captain Nemo invites Professor Aronnax on a hunting trip that will take place tomorrow morning in his Crespo Island forests. He hopes nothing will prevent the professor from attending, and he looks forward with pleasure to the professor's companions joining him.

   尼摩船長邀請阿龍納斯教授出去打獵,這次打獵定於明天早晨在克利斯波島的林中舉行。船長希望他沒有什麼亭,能來參加,同時也很高興他的同伴能跟他一道來。

   CAPTAIN NEMO,
Commander of the Nautilus.

   諾第留斯號船長尼摩

   "A hunting trip!" Ned exclaimed.

   “打獵!尼德-蘭喊道。

   "And in his forests on Crespo Island!" Conseil added.

   “在克利斯波島的林中!”康塞爾加上一句。

   "But does this mean the old boy goes ashore?" Ned Land went on.

   “這個怪人要到陸地上去嗎?”尼德-蘭又說。

   "That seems to be the gist of it," I said, rereading the letter.

   “在我看來,信中是說得清清楚楚的。”我再看了下信

   "Well, we've got to accept!" the Canadian answered. "Once we're on solid ground, we'll figure out a course of action. Besides, it wouldn't pain me to eat a couple slices of fresh venison!"

   “那麼,一定要接受邀請,”加拿大人說,“我們該怎麼辦,到了陸地上就知道了。此外我也很高興能吃到幾塊新鮮的野味。”

   Without trying to reconcile the contradictions between Captain Nemo's professed horror of continents or islands and his invitation to go hunting in a forest, I was content to reply:

   尼摩船長本來是討厭大陸和島嶼的,現在反來邀我們去林中打獵,這矛盾我不想去求得解釋,只是滿意地說。

   "First let's look into this Crespo Island."

   “我們先看看克利斯波島是個什麼樣的地方。”

   I consulted the world map; and in latitude 32 degrees 40' north and longitude 167 degrees 50' west, I found an islet that had been discovered in 1801 by Captain Crespo, which old Spanish charts called Rocca de la Plata, in other words, "Silver Rock." So we were about 1,800 miles from our starting point, and by a slight change of heading, the Nautilus was bringing us back toward the southeast.

   我於是查平面地圖,在北緯32度40分,西經167度50分的地方,找到一個小島,它是1801年由克利斯波船长發現的,古老的西班牙地圖叫它洛加-德拉-蒲拉達,意譯過來就是銀石。所以我們現在距出發點約為一千八百海里,諾第留斯號行駛的方向有些改變了,它現在又向東南方駛去。

   I showed my companions this small, stray rock in the middle of the north Pacific.

   我把這個處在太平洋北部的小島指給我的同伴看。

   "If Captain Nemo does sometimes go ashore," I told them, "at least he only picks desert islands!"

   我對他們說:“尼摩船長即使偶然想上陸地,他一定也要選擇那些荒涼無人的地方。”

   Ned Land shook his head without replying; then he and Conseil left me. After supper was served me by the mute and emotionless steward, I fell asleep; but not without some anxieties.

   尼德-蘭搖搖頭,不答話,一會,康塞爾和他都走開了。不動聲色的管事人給我端來晚餐,我用過晚餐以後,心裡盤算着明天的事,很久才入睡。

   When I woke up the next day, November 17, I sensed that the Nautilus was completely motionless. I dressed hurriedly and entered the main lounge.

   第二天,11月:7日,我醒來,覺得諾第留斯號不動了。我趕忙穿上衣服,走進了客廳。

   Captain Nemo was there waiting for me. He stood up, bowed, and asked if it suited me to come along.

   尼摩船長已經在廳裡等着我了,他看見我,使站起來向我招呼,問我們跟他一同去打獵有什麼不方便沒有。

   Since he made no allusion to his absence the past eight days, I also refrained from mentioning it, and I simply answered that my companions and I were ready to go with him.

   既然他一點不提他八天不露面的原因,我也不便打聽,所以只是乾脆地回答說,我的同伴和我都很樂意跟他去打獵。

   "Only, sir," I added, "I'll take the liberty of addressing a question to you."

   “不過,”我又補上一句,“先生,請允許我向您提一個問題。”

   "Address away, Professor Aronnax, and if I'm able to answer, I will."

   “提吧,阿龍納斯先生,只要我能答覆,我就一定答覆。“

   "Well then, captain, how is it that you've severed all ties with the shore, yet you own forests on Crespo Island?"

   “那麼,船長,既然您跟陸地割斷了任何聯繫,您怎會有森林在克利斯波島上呢?”

   "Professor," the captain answered me, "these forests of mine don't bask in the heat and light of the sun. They aren't frequented by lions, tigers, panthers, or other quadrupeds. They're known only to me. They grow only for me. These forests aren't on land, they're actual underwater forests."

   “教授;”船長回答,“我的森林不需要太陽,不需要它的光,也不需要它的熱。獅子,老虎,豹子,等等,不管什麼四足獸都不能到我的森林中來。林中的一切東西只為我一個人生長。這不是陸地的森林,而是海底的森林。”

   "Underwater forests!" I exclaimed.

   “海底的森林!”我喊道。

   "Yes, professor."

   “是的,教授。”

   "And you're offering to take me to them?"

   “您請我到海底森林中去嗎?”

   "Precisely."

   “正是”

   "On foot?"

   “步行去嗎?”

   "Without getting your feet wet."

   “步行去,而且不沾一點海水。”

   "While hunting?"

   “一面打獵嗎?”

   "While hunting."

   “一面打獵。”

   "Rifles in hand?"

   “手拿着獵槍嗎?”

   "Rifles in hand."

   “手拿着獵槍。“

   I stared at the Nautilus's commander with an air anything but flattering to the man.

   我兩眼盯着諾第留斯號的船長、一點沒有露出討好他的神氣。

   "Assuredly," I said to myself, "he's contracted some mental illness. He's had a fit that's lasted eight days and isn't over even yet. What a shame! I liked him better eccentric than insane!"

   我想,他的腦子一定有毛病;敢情是最近還發作了一,次,拖了八天,現在還沒有好呢。怪可憐的!但願他發怪脾氣,千萬不要發狂才好!

   These thoughts were clearly readable on my face; but Captain Nemo remained content with inviting me to follow him, and I did so like a man resigned to the worst.

   我的臉色清楚地透露了我這種想法,但尼摩船長不說:什麼,只請我跟着他走俄就像不顧一切地聽天由命的人一樣跟着他。

   We arrived at the dining room, where we found breakfast served.

   我們到了飯廳,早餐早就擺好在那裡了。

   "Professor Aronnax," the captain told me, "I beg you to share my breakfast without formality. We can chat while we eat. Because, although I promised you a stroll in my forests, I made no pledge to arrange for your encountering a restaurant there. Accordingly, eat your breakfast like a man who'll probably eat dinner only when it's extremely late."

   “阿龍納斯先生,”船長對我說,“我請您用飯,不要客:氣。我們一邊吃飯,一邊談話。儘管我答應您可以去林中散步,但我並沒有向您保證可以在林中碰到一家飯館。所以請您儘量吃,就像一個要很遲才能回來吃午飯的人一樣地多吃一點。”

   I did justice to this meal. It was made up of various fish and some slices of sea cucumber, that praiseworthy zoophyte, all garnished with such highly appetizing seaweed as the Porphyra laciniata and the Laurencia primafetida. Our beverage consisted of clear water to which, following the captain's example, I added some drops of a fermented liquor extracted by the Kamchatka process from the seaweed known by name as Rhodymenia palmata.

   我這頓飯吃得很飽。各式各樣的菜是由魚類,海參,美味的植蟲動物,另外還有助消化的海藻類植物,像青紅片海藻,苦侞味海藻等等做出來的。飲料是用水和酵素酒合成,這酒是按照勘察加島人的方法,從有名的海藻,即所謂掌形薔蔽藻釀造出來的。

   At first Captain Nemo ate without pronouncing a single word. Then he told me:

   起初,尼摩船長只是吃,不說一句話,後來才對我說:

   "Professor, when I proposed that you go hunting in my Crespo forests, you thought I was contradicting myself. When I informed you that it was an issue of underwater forests, you thought I'd gone insane. Professor, you must never make snap judgments about your fellow man."

   “阿龍納斯先生,我邀請您到我的克利斯波島的森林中打獵的時候,您以為我是自相矛盾。當我告訴您這是海底森林的時候,您以為我是發瘋。教授,您不能這樣輕易判斷

   "But, captain, believe me--"

   “不過,船長,請您相信……”

   "Kindly listen to me, and you'll see if you have grounds for accusing me of insanity or self-contradiction."

   “請您耐心聽下去,然後再看看您是不是應當責備我發瘋和自相矛盾了。”

   "I'm all attention."

   “我聽您說,船長。”

   "Professor, you know as well as I do that a man can live underwater so long as he carries with him his own supply of breathable air. For underwater work projects, the workman wears a waterproof suit with his head imprisoned in a metal capsule, while he receives air from above by means of force pumps and flow regulators."

   “教授,您和我都知道,人只要帶了充分的可呼吸的空氣,他就可以生活在水底下。工人在水底下工作時,穿上~件不透水的衣服,頭上套了一個金屬的盒子,再利用打氣機和節流器,就可以從水上面獲得空氣。”

   "That's the standard equipment for a diving suit," I said.

   “那是一套潛水設備。”我說。

   "Correct, but under such conditions the man has no freedom. He's attached to a pump that sends him air through an india-rubber hose; it's an actual chain that fetters him to the shore, and if we were to be bound in this way to the Nautilus, we couldn't go far either."

   “對,可是,帶了這套設備,人是不自由的,那條輸送空氣的膠皮管子把他和打氣機連接起來,簡直就是一條把他拴在陸地上的鎖鏈,如果我們是這樣拴連着諾第留斯號,那我們就不能往遠處走了。”

   "Then how do you break free?" I asked.

   “那麼,可以自由行動的方法是什麼呢?”我問。

   "We use the Rouquayrol-Denayrouze device, invented by two of your fellow countrymen but refined by me for my own special uses, thereby enabling you to risk these new physiological conditions without suffering any organic disorders. It consists of a tank built from heavy sheet iron in which I store air under a pressure of fifty atmospheres. This tank is fastened to the back by means of straps, like a soldier's knapsack. Its top part forms a box where the air is regulated by a bellows mechanism and can be released only at its proper tension. In the Rouquayrol device that has been in general use, two india-rubber hoses leave this box and feed to a kind of tent that imprisons the operator's nose and mouth; one hose is for the entrance of air to be inhaled, the other for the exit of air to be exhaled, and the tongue closes off the former or the latter depending on the breather's needs. But in my case, since I face considerable pressures at the bottom of the sea, I needed to enclose my head in a copper sphere, like those found on standard diving suits, and the two hoses for inhalation and exhalation now feed to that sphere."

   “那就是使用您的兩個法國同鄉——盧格羅爾和德納露茲創造的器械。為了符合我的要求,我改善了這種器械,靠了這種器械,可以在新的生理條件下在海水中生活,您的器官一點也不感到什麼痛苦。它有一個厚鋼板制的密封瓶,瓶中滿貯五十大氣壓力壓縮的空氣。它像士兵的背囊一樣,用一條腰帶捆在人的背後,瓶的上部像個鋼盒,盒中的空氣由吹風機躁縱,只在一定的壓力下才能流出來。現在通用的盧格羅爾器械,都有兩條膠皮管子從鋼盒通出來,套在口鼻上罩着的喇叭形東西;其中一條是吸氣用的,另一分是呼氣用的,人的舌頭按照呼吸的需要,控制這兩條膠皮管的開關。但是,在海底下受到的壓力很大,所以我要像潛水員一樣,把我的腦袋裝在銅製的圓球中,那兩條膠皮管——吸氣管和呼氣管就連結在這個圓球上。

   "That's perfect, Captain Nemo, but the air you carry must be quickly depleted; and once it contains no more than 15% oxygen, it becomes unfit for breathing."

   ”好極了,尼摩船長。不過您所攜帶的空氣很快就會用完的,空氣中只含有百分之十五的氧時,就不宜再呼吸了。”

   "Surely, but as I told you, Professor Aronnax, the Nautilus's pumps enable me to store air under considerable pressure, and given this circumstance, the tank on my diving equipment can supply breathable air for nine or ten hours."

   “可不是,但我跟您說過,阿龍納斯先生,諾第留斯號的打氣機使我可以把高壓壓縮的空氣裝進去,在這種條件下,這套器械的密封瓶能供應的空氣足夠我呼吸九到十小時。”

   "I've no more objections to raise," I replied. "I'll only ask you, captain: how can you light your way at the bottom of the ocean?"

   “我再沒有什麼可以非難的了,”我回答,“但我要問,您在海底下行動是靠什麼來照明呢?”

   "With the Ruhmkorff device, Professor Aronnax. If the first is carried on the back, the second is fastened to the belt. It consists of a Bunsen battery that I activate not with potassium dichromate but with sodium. An induction coil gathers the electricity generated and directs it to a specially designed lantern. In this lantern one finds a glass spiral that contains only a residue of carbon dioxide gas. When the device is operating, this gas becomes luminous and gives off a continuous whitish light. Thus provided for, I breathe and I see."

   “我用的是蘭可夫燈,阿龍納斯先生。呼吸器放在我背上,探照燈帶在我腰間。探照燈裝有一組本生電池,但我不用氯化鉀,而用海中含量很多的氯化鈉來發電。用一個感應線圈把發生的電收集起來,送到特製的燈泡。燈泡中有一根彎曲的玻璃管,管中只有少量的二氧化碳氣。使用探照燈的時候,二氧化碳氣發出一種連續不斷的白光,照亮起來。有了這些設備,我就可以呼吸,可以看見。”

   "Captain Nemo, to my every objection you give such crushing answers, I'm afraid to entertain a single doubt. However, though I have no choice but to accept both the Rouquayrol and Ruhmkorff devices, I'd like to register some reservations about the rifle with which you'll equip me."

   “尼摩船長,您對我提出的所有反對意見,都作了十分有力的答覆,現在我再也不能懷疑了。不過,我雖然不得不承認盧格羅爾呼吸器和蘭可夫探照燈,但我對那支獵槍,眈是您要我攜帶的這件武器,還不得不保留我的意見。“

   "But it isn't a rifle that uses gunpowder," the captain replied.

   “這不是什麼火藥槍。”船長回答。

   "Then it's an air gun?"

   “那麼,是氣槍嗎?”

   "Surely. How can I make gunpowder on my ship when I have no saltpeter, sulfur, or charcoal?"

   “可不是。船上沒有硝石,沒有硫磺,沒有木炭,您要我怎麼製造火藥呢?”

   "Even so," I replied, "to fire underwater in a medium that's 855 times denser than air, you'd have to overcome considerable resistance."

   “還有,”我說,“海水比空氣重八百五十五倍,在這種環境中開槍要有實效,首先就要克服這種巨大的壓力。”

   "That doesn't necessarily follow. There are certain Fulton-style guns perfected by the Englishmen Philippe-Coles and Burley, the Frenchman Furcy, and the Italian Landi; they're equipped with a special system of airtight fastenings and can fire in underwater conditions. But I repeat: having no gunpowder, I've replaced it with air at high pressure, which is abundantly supplied me by the Nautilus's pumps."

   “這不能算作一個理由。現在有一種槍,是按照富爾頓的設計,由英國人菲力哥爾和布列、法國人傅爾西、意大利人蘭帝加以改進的,它裝有特殊的開關,可以在海水中射擊。但是我要再一次告訴您,我沒有火藥,只能用壓縮空氣代替,這種空氣是諾第留斯號的打氣機可以大量供應的。”

   "But this air must be swiftly depleted."

   “可是這空氣很快就會用完的。”

   "Well, in a pinch can't my Rouquayrol tank supply me with more? All I have to do is draw it from an ad hoc spigot. Besides, Professor Aronnax, you'll see for yourself that during these underwater hunting trips, we make no great expenditure of either air or bullets."

   “不錯,但我帶有盧格羅爾瓶,不是能按需要隨時供應::空氣嗎?只要按需要裝上一個開關龍頭就夠了此外,阿龍納斯先生、您自己就將親身看到,水底打獵並不費大量的空氣和很多的子彈。”

   "But it seems to me that in this semidarkness, amid this liquid that's so dense in comparison to the atmosphere, a gunshot couldn't carry far and would prove fatal only with difficulty!"

   “但是,在這種看不太清楚的地方,在這個比空氣重得多的海水中間,我覺得發出的槍彈不能打得很遠,並且也很難命中吧?”

   "On the contrary, sir, with this rifle every shot is fatal; and as soon as the animal is hit, no matter how lightly, it falls as if struck by lightning."

   “先生,用這種槍,每一發都是可以致命的,並且,動物一被打中,不管傷得怎樣輕微,它必然像被雷擊一般,立即倒下來。”

   "Why?"

   “為什麼呢?”

   "Because this rifle doesn't shoot ordinary bullets but little glass capsules invented by the Austrian chemist Leniebroek, and I have a considerable supply of them. These glass capsules are covered with a strip of steel and weighted with a lead base; they're genuine little Leyden jars charged with high-voltage electricity. They go off at the slightest impact, and the animal, no matter how strong, drops dead. I might add that these capsules are no bigger than number 4 shot, and the chamber of any ordinary rifle could hold ten of them."

   “因為這槍發出的子彈並不是普通的子彈,這是奧地利化學家列妮布洛克發明的一種小波璃球,我船上儲備了許多,這種小玻璃球裝有鋼的套子,下面又加了鉛底,象真正的來頓瓶一樣,裡面具有很高的電壓。就是最輕微的衝擊,也要炸開,被打中的動物,不管怎樣強大有力,也得倒下來死去。我要告訴您,它不比四號子彈大,普通獵槍的彈盒可以裝上十個。”

   "I'll quit debating," I replied, getting up from the table. "And all that's left is for me to shoulder my rifle. So where you go, I'll go."

   “我再不爭論了,”我從桌旁站起來說,“我只有拿起我的槍來就是了。您去哪裡,我就跟您去哪裡。”

   Captain Nemo led me to the Nautilus's stern, and passing by Ned and Conseil's cabin, I summoned my two companions, who instantly followed us.

   船長領我到諾第留斯號的後部,走過尼德-蘭和康塞爾的艙房門前,我叫了我的兩個同伴,他們立即跟着我們出來。

   Then we arrived at a cell located within easy access of the engine room; in this cell we were to get dressed for our stroll.

   一會兒,我們到了前面,靠近機器房的一個小房子裡,我們要在這個小房子中穿起我們的海底打獵衣服來。