Meanwhile, crazed with terror, the unhinged Papuans beat a retreat. As for us, half laughing, we massaged and comforted poor Ned Land, who was swearing like one possessed.
巴布亞人害怕得發(fā)狂,都向后退走。我們笑著,安慰不幸的尼德。蘭,用手摩擦他,他像魔鬼附身一樣,大聲地咒罵。
But just then, lifted off by the tide's final undulations, the Nautilus left its coral bed at exactly that fortieth minute pinpointed by the captain. Its propeller churned the waves with lazy majesty. Gathering speed little by little, the ship navigated on the surface of the ocean, and safe and sound, it left behind the dangerous narrows of the Torres Strait.
但在這個時候,諾第留斯號受海水最后的波浪所掀動,就在船長指定的正好是兩點四十分的時候,離開了它的珊瑚石床。它的機輪開始以隆重的緩慢姿態(tài)攪打海水。一會兒,速度漸漸增大,向大海面奔馳前去,它安全無恙地把托列斯海峽的危險水道拋在后面了。