You're right, professor, he told me after a few moments of silence. This is a separate world. It's as alien to the earth as the planets accompanying our globe around the sun, and we'll never become familiar with the work of scientists on Saturn or Jupiter. But since fate has linked our two lives, I can reveal the results of my observations to you.
您說得對,教授,他靜默一刻后對我說,它是另一個世界,它跟陸地不相干,就像陪著地球環(huán)繞太陽的各個行星對于地球上一樣,從來也沒有人知道土星和木墾中的學者們所做的工作。但是,既然偶然的機會把我們二人拉在一起,我可以把我觀察所得的結果告訴您。
I'm all attention, captain.
我靜聽您的指教,船長。
You're aware, professor, that salt water is denser than fresh water, but this density isn't uniform. In essence, if I represent the density of fresh water by 1.000, then I find 1.028 for the waters of the Atlantic, 1.026 for the waters of the Pacific, 1.030 for the waters of the Mediterranean.
教授,您知道海水比淡水的密度大,但海水的密度并不是各處完全一律。比方,我拿一作為淡水的密度,那太平洋海水的密度是一又千分之二十八,地中海的海水,一又千分之三十…
Aha, I thought, so he ventures into the Mediterranean?
?。何蚁耄裁半U到地中海去嗎?
1.018 for the waters of the Ionian Sea, and 1.029 for the waters of the Adriatic.
愛奧尼亞海水是一又千分之十八,亞德里亞海水是一又千分之二十九。
Assuredly, the Nautilus didn't avoid the heavily traveled seas of Europe, and from this insight I concluded that the ship would take us back--perhaps very soon--to more civilized shores. I expected Ned Land to greet this news with unfeigned satisfaction.
很顯然,諾第留斯號并不逃避多人往來的歐洲海面,我因此可以說—或者不久—它要把我們帶到比較文明的陸地海中去。我想尼德·蘭聽到這個特別消息,一定非常滿意。
For several days our work hours were spent in all sorts of experiments, on the degree of salinity in waters of different depths, or on their electric properties, coloration, and transparency, and in every instance Captain Nemo displayed an ingenuity equaled only by his graciousness toward me. Then I saw no more of him for some days and again lived on board in seclusion.
在好幾天內,我們長時間都在做各種各樣的實驗,研究不同深度水層的鹽分含量,海水的感電作用,海水的染色作用,海水的透明傳光作用。在所有這些情況中,尼摩船長處處顯示出他的奇特才能,也處處都顯示出他對我的好感。以后,在幾天內,我看不見他了,我在他船上又像孤獨的人一樣了。
On January 16 the Nautilus seemed to have fallen asleep just a few meters beneath the surface of the water. Its electric equipment had been turned off, and the motionless propeller let it ride with the waves. I assumed that the crew were busy with interior repairs, required by the engine's strenuous mechanical action.
l月16日, 諾第留斯號好像昏睡在海面下僅僅幾米深的地方。船上的電力機械不走,機輪停著不動,讓船隨著海水游來游去。我心中想,船上船員恐怕正在作內部修理工作,由于機件的機械運動很激烈,修理是必要的。我的同伴和我,在這時親眼看到一種很新奇的景象。客廳的嵌板敞開,由于諾第留斯號的探照燈沒有點著,水中充滿模模糊糊的陰暗。騷動的和遮滿密云的天空照在海洋上部水層中的,是一種迷糊不足的光線。