ALTHOUGH I WAS startled by this unexpected descent, I at least have a very clear recollection of my sensations during it.
我虽然由于意外落水而吓得发慌，但我还是很清楚地记得我当时的感觉。
At first I was dragged about twenty feet under. I'm a good swimmer, without claiming to equal such other authors as Byron and Edgar Allan Poe, who were master divers, and I didn't lose my head on the way down. With two vigorous kicks of the heel, I came back to the surface of the sea.
我首先下沉到二＋英尺深的水里。我是泅水的好手，但不能跟拜轮①；口埃德力口-坡③那两位游泳大师相比——我虽沉在水中，神志却一点没有昏迷。我两脚使劲一蹬又浮上了水面。
My first concern was to look for the frigate. Had the crew seen me go overboard? Was the Abraham Lincoln tacking about? Would Commander Farragut put a longboat to sea? Could I hope to be rescued?
我浮出水面来最关心的一件事就是看看战舰在哪里。船上是不是有人看见我掉下水了？林肯号是不是改变方向了？法拉古舰长是不是放小艇下海了？我能不能得救？
The gloom was profound. I glimpsed a black mass disappearing eastward, where its running lights were fading out in the distance. It was the frigate. I felt I was done for.
夜色沉黑。我仿佛看到一大块黑东西在东方渐渐消失了，它的标灯远远地熄灭了。这一定是我们的战舰。我觉得自己没有希望了。
"Help! Help!" I shouted, swimming desperately toward the Abraham Lincoln.
“救命！救命！”我喊着，两手拼命划着向林肯号泅去。
My clothes were weighing me down. The water glued them to my body, they were paralyzing my movements. I was sinking! I was suffocating . . . !
我身上的衣服非常碍事。衣服湿了贴在我身上，使我的动作不灵。我要沉下去了！我不能透气了！……
"Help!"
“救命！”
This was the last shout I gave. My mouth was filling with water. I struggled against being dragged into the depths. . . .
这是我发出的最后呼声。我嘴里满是海水。我极力挣扎，我就要被卷人深渊中了……
Suddenly my clothes were seized by energetic hands, I felt myself pulled abruptly back to the surface of the sea, and yes, I heard these words pronounced in my ear:
忽然我的衣服被一只很有力的手拉住，我感到自己被托出水面上来了，我听到，我的确听到在我耳朵边响着这样的声音：
"If master would oblige me by leaning on my shoulder, master will swim with much greater ease."
“如果先生不嫌不方便，愿意靠着我的肩膀，先生便能更从容地游泳。”
With one hand I seized the arm of my loyal Conseil.
我一手抓住我忠实的康塞尔的胳膊。
"You!" I said. "You!"
“是你呀！”我说，“是你呀！”
"Myself," Conseil replied, "and at master's command."
“正是我，”康塞尔答，“我来伺候先生。，
"That collision threw you overboard along with me?"
“就是刚才的一撞把你跟我同时抛人海中来的吗？”
"Not at all. But being in master's employ, I followed master."
“不是。为了服侍先生，我就跟着先生下来了！
The fine lad thought this only natural!
这个好人觉得这样做是很自然的！
"What about the frigate?" I asked.
“战舰呢？”我问。
"The frigate?" Conseil replied, rolling over on his back. "I think master had best not depend on it to any great extent!"
“战舰哪！”康塞尔转过身来回答，“我认为先生不要再指望它了。”
"What are you saying?"
“你说的什么？”
"I'm saying that just as I jumped overboard, I heard the men at the helm shout, 'Our propeller and rudder are smashed!' "
“我说的是，在我跳入海中的时候，我听见舵旁边的人喊：‘舵和螺旋桨都坏了”
"Smashed?"
“都坏了？”
"Yes, smashed by the monster's tusk! I believe it's the sole injury the Abraham Lincoln has sustained. But most inconveniently for us, the ship can no longer steer."
“是的！被那怪物的牙齿咬坏了。我想，林肯号受到的损坏虽然只存这么一点儿，可是，这种情况对于我们是很不利的，因为船无法掌握方向了。”
"Then we're done for!"
“那么，我们完了！”
"Perhaps," Conseil replied serenely. "However, we still have a few hours before us, and in a few hours one can do a great many things!"
“也许完了，”康塞尔安静地回答，“不过，我们还可以支持几个钟头，在几个钟头内，我们可以做不少的事！”
Conseil's unflappable composure cheered me up. I swam more vigorously, but hampered by clothes that were as restricting as a cloak made of lead, I was managing with only the greatest difficulty. Conseil noticed as much.
康塞尔这样坚定和冷静，鼓舞了我的力量。我用力地游着，但我的衣服像铅皮一样紧紧裹着我，很妨碍我的动作，我觉得很难支持下去。康塞尔发现了这一点。
"Master will allow me to make an incision," he said.
“我想先生一定会允许我把衣服割掉。”他说。
And he slipped an open clasp knife under my clothes, slitting them from top to bottom with one swift stroke. Then he briskly undressed me while I swam for us both.
他在我的衣服下面放入一把刀子，很快的一下，从上至下把衣服割开。然后，他敏捷地替我脱衣服，我就抓住他泅水。
I then did Conseil the same favor, and we continued to "navigate" side by side.
很快，我也给康塞尔脱掉了衣服，我们彼此轮流在水上“航行”。
But our circumstances were no less dreadful. Perhaps they hadn't seen us go overboard; and even if they had, the frigate-- being undone by its rudder--couldn't return to leeward after us. So we could count only on its longboats.
可是，我们的处境仍然十分危险：可能我们掉下海的时候，人家没有看见，也可能看见了，但因为战舰的舵坏了。不能回到这边来救我们。现在我们只有指靠大船上的小艇
Conseil had coolly reasoned out this hypothesis and laid his plans accordingly. An amazing character, this boy; in midocean, this stoic lad seemed right at home!
康塞尔很冷静地这样假设，并计划着随后应做的事。多奇怪的性格！这个冰一般冷的人在这里好像在自己家里那样！
So, having concluded that our sole chance for salvation lay in being picked up by the Abraham Lincoln's longboats, we had to take steps to wait for them as long as possible. Consequently, I decided to divide our energies so we wouldn't both be worn out at the same time, and this was the arrangement: while one of us lay on his back, staying motionless with arms crossed and legs outstretched, the other would swim and propel his partner forward. This towing role was to last no longer than ten minutes, and by relieving each other in this way, we could stay afloat for hours, perhaps even until daybreak.
现在我们唯一的生路，就是希望林肯号放下小艇来救我们，所以我们应该想办法，尽力支持，时间愈久愈好，等待小艇到来。我于是决定节约使用我们的力量，使两人不至同时筋疲力尽，下面是我们的办法：我们一个人朝天躺着，两臂交叉，两腿伸直，浮着不动，另一个人泅水把前一人往前推送。做这种“拖船”的工作，每人不能超过十分钟，我们这样替换着做，我们就可以在水面浮好几个钟头，也许可以一直支持到天亮。
Slim chance, but hope springs eternal in the human breast! Besides, there were two of us. Lastly, I can vouch--as improbable as it seems--that even if I had wanted to destroy all my illusions, even if I had been willing to "give in to despair," I could not have done so!
这是碰运气的事！不过希望在人心中总是根深蒂固的！并且我们又是两个人。最后，我还要肯定一点——这看来像是不可能的——即使我要打破我心中的一切幻想，即使我要“绝望”，现在也办不到！
The cetacean had rammed our frigate at about eleven o'clock in the evening. I therefore calculated on eight hours of swimming until sunrise. A strenuous task, but feasible, thanks to our relieving each other. The sea was pretty smooth and barely tired us. Sometimes I tried to peer through the dense gloom, which was broken only by the phosphorescent flickers coming from our movements. I stared at the luminous ripples breaking over my hands, shimmering sheets spattered with blotches of bluish gray. It seemed as if we'd plunged into a pool of quicksilver.
战舰跟那鲸鱼冲撞的时间是在夜间十一点钟左右。所以到太阳升起，我们还得游泳八个小时。我们替换着游，游八小时必然可以做到。海面相当平静，我们还不至于过度疲劳。有时，我的眼光想看透深沉的黑暗，但什么也看不见，只有那由于我们游泳动作激起的浪花透出一点闪光来。在我手下破碎的明亮的水波，点缀在镜子般闪闪的水而上，就好像一块块青灰色的金属片。真可以说，我们是在水银中游泳了。
Near one o'clock in the morning, I was overcome with tremendous exhaustion. My limbs stiffened in the grip of intense cramps. Conseil had to keep me going, and attending to our self-preservation became his sole responsibility. I soon heard the poor lad gasping; his breathing became shallow and quick. I didn't think he could stand such exertions for much longer.
到早晨一点左右，我感到极端疲倦。我的四肢痉挛得很厉害，渐渐发硬，不能灵活运用了。康塞尔不得不来支持我，我们保全生命的担子于是完全落在他一一人身上。不久我听到这个可怜人发喘了；他的呼吸渐渐短促了。我明白他也不能支持很久了。
"Go on! Go on!" I told him.
“丢下我吧！丢下我吧！”我对他说。
"Leave master behind?" he replied. "Never! I'll drown before he does!"
“丢下先生！永远不能！”他答，“我还要死在先生前头呢！”
Just then, past the fringes of a large cloud that the wind was driving eastward, the moon appeared. The surface of the sea glistened under its rays. That kindly light rekindled our strength. I held up my head again. My eyes darted to every point of the horizon. I spotted the frigate. It was five miles from us and formed no more than a dark, barely perceptible mass. But as for longboats, not a one in sight!
这时候，有一片厚云被风吹向东边去，月亮露出来了。海水在月亮下闪闪发光。这仁慈的月亮重新鼓起了我们的气力。我的头又抬起来。我的眼光向天边各处了望。我看见了战舰。它在离我们五海里的海面，只是模糊不清的漆黑一团。但小艇呢，一只也没有！
I tried to call out. What was the use at such a distance! My swollen lips wouldn't let a single sound through. Conseil could still articulate a few words, and I heard him repeat at intervals:
我想叫喊。距离这么远，叫喊有什么用！我的嘴唇肿得发不出声音。康塞尔还可以说话，我听到他好几次这样喊:
"Help! Help!"
”救命呀！救命呀！”
Ceasing all movement for an instant, we listened. And it may have been a ringing in my ear, from this organ filling with impeded blood, but it seemed to me that Conseil's shout had received an answer back.
我们停一下动作，我们用心听。尽管我的耳朵充血，发出一种嗡嗡的声音，但我觉得似乎是有人呼喊，在回答康塞尔的叫唤。
"Did you hear that?" I muttered.
“你听见吗？“我低声说。
"Yes, yes!"
“听见！听见！”
And Conseil hurled another desperate plea into space.
康塞尔又向空中发出绝望的呼喊。
This time there could be no mistake! A human voice had answered us! Was it the voice of some poor devil left behind in midocean, some other victim of that collision suffered by our ship? Or was it one of the frigate's longboats, hailing us out of the gloom?
这一次，不可能有错误了！是有一个人在回答我们的呼喊！是被抛弃在大海中的受难者吗？是撞船的另一牺牲者吗？还是战舰上的一只小艇在黑暗中呼唤我们呢？
Conseil made one final effort, and bracing his hands on my shoulders, while I offered resistance with one supreme exertion, he raised himself half out of the water, then fell back exhausted.
康塞尔用尽最后的力量，托住我的肩膀，我尽力抗拒我最后的一次痉挛，他半身浮出水面望望，然后又筋疲力尽地躺下
"What did you see?"
“你看见什么吗？”
"I saw . . . ," he muttered, "I saw . . . but we mustn't talk . . . save our strength . . . !"
“我看见……”他低声说，“我看见……我们不要说话……我们保留我们剩下的力量吧！……”
What had he seen? Then, lord knows why, the thought of the monster came into my head for the first time . . . ! But even so, that voice . . . ? Gone are the days when Jonahs took refuge in the bellies of whales!
他看见了什么呢？当时我也不知道为什么忽然想起那怪物来了！……可是那人声究竟……现在并不是约拿③躲在鲸鱼肚子里的时代了！
Nevertheless, Conseil kept towing me. Sometimes he looked up, stared straight ahead, and shouted a request for directions, which was answered by a voice that was getting closer and closer. I could barely hear it. I was at the end of my strength; my fingers gave out; my hands were no help to me; my mouth opened convulsively, filling with brine; its coldness ran through me; I raised my head one last time, then I collapsed. . . .
不过康塞尔还拖着我。他有时抬起头来，直往前看，发出呼喊，回答他的声音越来越近了。我几乎没有听见，我的气力尽了，我的手指都僵了，我的手再不能支持我了：我的嘴怞搐着，一张开就灌满海水：冷气侵袭着我。我最后一次抬起头来，一会儿又沉下去了……
Just then something hard banged against me. I clung to it. Then I felt myself being pulled upward, back to the surface of the water; my chest caved in, and I fainted. . . .
就在这一瞬间，我碰到一个坚实的物体。我就紧靠着它。随后，我觉得有人拉我，把我拉到水面上来，我的胸部不胀了，我晕过去了……
For certain, I came to quickly, because someone was massaging me so vigorously it left furrows in my flesh. I half opened my eyes. . . .
一定是由于我身体受到有力的摩擦，我才很快苏醒过来。我迷述糊糊地半睁开我的眼睛……
"Conseil!" I muttered.
“康塞尔！”我低声说。
"Did master ring for me?" Conseil replied.
“先生叫我吗？”康塞尔答。
Just then, in the last light of a moon settling on the horizon, I spotted a face that wasn't Conseil's but which I recognized at once.
这个时候，月亮正往西沉，在它的最后光芒下，我看到不是康塞尔的脸孔，但我立即认出是谁了。
"Ned!" I exclaimed.
“尼德-兰！“我喊。
"In person, sir, and still after his prize!" the Canadian replied.
“正是他哩，先生，他是来追他的奖金的！”加拿大人答。
"You were thrown overboard after the frigate's collision?"
“您也是在战舰被撞的时候被抛人海中的吗？”
"Yes, professor, but I was luckier than you, and right away I was able to set foot on this floating islet."
“是的，教授，但情形比您好些，我几乎是立刻就能站立在一个浮动的小岛上了。”
"Islet?"
“一个小岛吗？”
"Or in other words, on our gigantic narwhale."
“或者更正确地说，是站在你的那只巨大的独角鲸上。”
"Explain yourself, Ned."
“尼德-兰，请你讲清楚吧。”
"It's just that I soon realized why my harpoon got blunted and couldn't puncture its hide."
“不过，我很快就了解我的鱼叉为什么不能伤害它，为什么碰在它表皮上就碰弯了。”
"Why, Ned, why?"
“为什么呢？尼德-兰，为什么呢？”
"Because, professor, this beast is made of boilerplate steel!"
“教授，因为那个东西是钢板做的！”
At this point in my story, I need to get a grip on myself, reconstruct exactly what I experienced, and make doubly sure of everything I write.
到这里，我不能不振作精神，重新回忆一番，并且检查一下自己以前的想法。
The Canadian's last words caused a sudden upheaval in my brain. I swiftly hoisted myself to the summit of this half-submerged creature or object that was serving as our refuge. I tested it with my foot. Obviously it was some hard, impenetrable substance, not the soft matter that makes up the bodies of our big marine mammals.
加拿大人的最后几句话使我心中的想法立即转变了。我很快爬到这个半浸在水中，已经作了我们的临时避难所的生物（或物体）上面。我用脚踢它，它分明是坚固结实、钻不透的硬物体，而不是构成海中哺侞类动物的庞大躯体的柔软物质。
But this hard substance could have been a bony carapace, like those that covered some prehistoric animals, and I might have left it at that and classified this monster among such amphibious reptiles as turtles or alligators.
不过这个坚硬物体可能是一种骨质的-甲壳，跟太古时代动物的甲壳相似，我很可以把这个怪物归人两栖的爬虫类，如龟鳖、鳄鱼、遥龙之类。
Well, no. The blackish back supporting me was smooth and polished with no overlapping scales. On impact, it gave off a metallic sonority, and as incredible as this sounds, it seemed, I swear, to be made of riveted plates.
可是！不然！在我脚下的灰黑色的背脊是有光泽的。滑溜溜的，而不是粗糙有鳞的。它被撞时发出金属的响亮声，这是那么不可思议，看来，我只好说它是由螺丝钉铆成的铁板制造的了。
No doubts were possible! This animal, this monster, this natural phenomenon that had puzzled the whole scientific world, that had muddled and misled the minds of seamen in both hemispheres, was, there could be no escaping it, an even more astonishing phenomenon-- a phenomenon made by the hand of man.
再不可能怀疑了！这动物，这怪东西，这天然的怪物，它使整个学术界费尽了心血，它使东西两半球的航海家糊里糊涂，现在应当承认，它是一种更惊人的怪东西，它是人工制造的怪东西。
Even if I had discovered that some fabulous, mythological creature really existed, it wouldn't have given me such a terrific mental jolt. It's easy enough to accept that prodigious things can come from our Creator. But to find, all at once, right before your eyes, that the impossible had been mysteriously achieved by man himself: this staggers the mind!
看到最怪诞、最荒唐、甚至神话式的生物，也不会使我惊骇到这种程度。造物者手中造出来的东西怎么出奇，也容易了解。现在一下子看到那种不可能的事竟是奥妙地由人的双手实现的，那就不能不使人感到十分惊讶了！
But there was no question now. We were stretched out on the back of some kind of underwater boat that, as far as I could judge, boasted the shape of an immense steel fish. Ned Land had clear views on the issue. Conseil and I could only line up behind him.
现在不容犹豫了。我们现在是躺在一只潜水船的脊背上，按照我可能的判断，这船似乎有点像一条巨大的钢鱼。对这，尼德-兰也早有他的看法：我们——康塞尔和我——只能同意他。
"But then," I said, "does this contraption contain some sort of locomotive mechanism, and a crew to run it?"
“那么，这只船里面是不是有一套驾驶机器和一批驾驶人员？”我说。
"Apparently," the harpooner replied. "And yet for the three hours I've lived on this floating island, it hasn't shown a sign of life."
“当然有，”鱼叉手答，“不过，我上这浮动小岛已三小时了，它还没有一点动静。”
"This boat hasn't moved at all?"
“这船一直没有走动吗？”
"No, Professor Aronnax. It just rides with the waves, but otherwise it hasn't stirred."
“没有走动，阿龙纳斯先生。它只是随波飘荡，而不是“它自己动。”
"But we know that it's certainly gifted with great speed. Now then, since an engine is needed to generate that speed, and a mechanic to run that engine, I conclude: we're saved."
“可是，我们都知道，它移动的速度很大。正因为它有这样的速度，所以就必然有一套机器，和一批躁纵机器的人，所以，我的结论是……我们是得救了。”
"Humph!" Ned Land put in, his tone denoting reservations.
“晤！”尼德-兰带着保留的语气说。
Just then, as if to take my side in the argument, a bubbling began astern of this strange submersible--whose drive mechanism was obviously a propeller--and the boat started to move. We barely had time to hang on to its topside, which emerged about eighty centimeters above water. Fortunately its speed was not excessive.
这时候，好像是为了要证明我的论据是对的，这个奇异东西的后面沸腾起来，它现在开行了，推动它的分明是那推进器。我们赶快紧紧把住它那浮出水面约八十厘米的上层。还算运气，它的速度并不十分快。
"So long as it navigates horizontally," Ned Land muttered, "I've no complaints. But if it gets the urge to dive, I wouldn't give $2.00 for my hide!"
它如果就这样在水平面上行驶，我倒一点不在乎，”尼德-兰低声说，“但是，如果它忽然异想天开沉到水底下去，那我的性命就靠不住了！”
The Canadian might have quoted a much lower price. So it was imperative to make contact with whatever beings were confined inside the plating of this machine. I searched its surface for an opening or a hatch, a "manhole," to use the official term; but the lines of rivets had been firmly driven into the sheet-iron joins and were straight and uniform.
加拿大人说得一点不错。所以，最要紧的是赶快想办法跟里面的人取得联系。我想在它上层找到一个开口，一块盖板，用专门术语来说，找到一个“人孔”；但一行行的螺丝钉很清楚、很均匀，把钢板衔接得十分结实，无缝可寻。
Moreover, the moon then disappeared and left us in profound darkness. We had to wait for daylight to find some way of getting inside this underwater boat.
而且这时，月亮又消逝了，我们是在一片深沉的黑暗中。只好等到天亮，才能想法进入这只潜水船的内部。
So our salvation lay totally in the hands of the mysterious helmsmen steering this submersible, and if it made a dive, we were done for! But aside from this occurring, I didn't doubt the possibility of our making contact with them. In fact, if they didn't produce their own air, they inevitably had to make periodic visits to the surface of the ocean to replenish their oxygen supply. Hence the need for some opening that put the boat's interior in contact with the atmosphere.
所以，我们的命运是完全由指挥这机器的神秘的领航人的意思来决定了。如果他们潜入水中，我们便完了！除了这种情形，那我并不怀疑跟他们取得联系的可能性。正是，如果他们不能造空气，他们一定要常常到洋面上来，更换他们呼吸的空气。所以，船上层必然有一个孔，使船内部可以跟外间的大气互相交流。
As for any hope of being rescued by Commander Farragut, that had to be renounced completely. We were being swept westward, and I estimate that our comparatively moderate speed reached twelve miles per hour. The propeller churned the waves with mathematical regularity, sometimes emerging above the surface and throwing phosphorescent spray to great heights.
至于希望得到法拉古舰长来救的想法，现在要完全放弃了。我们被拖到西方去，我估计船的速度相当缓慢，每小时约十二海里。船的推进器搅动海水，十分规律，有时船浮出一些，向高空喷出磷光的水柱。
Near four o'clock in the morning, the submersible picked up speed. We could barely cope with this dizzying rush, and the waves battered us at close range. Fortunately Ned's hands came across a big mooring ring fastened to the topside of this sheet-iron back, and we all held on for dear life.
到早晨四点左右，这船的速度增加了。我们被拖得头晕眼花，有点吃不消了，同时海浪又直接向我们打来。很幸运，尼德-兰一下子摸到了一个钉在钢背上的大环，我们就牢牢地挽住它，才不至滑倒。
Finally this long night was over. My imperfect memories won't let me recall my every impression of it. A single detail comes back to me. Several times, during various lulls of wind and sea, I thought I heard indistinct sounds, a sort of elusive harmony produced by distant musical chords. What was the secret behind this underwater navigating, whose explanation the whole world had sought in vain? What beings lived inside this strange boat? What mechanical force allowed it to move about with such prodigious speed?
最后，长夜过去了。我的不完全的回忆不容我将当时的印象完全写出来。单有一件小事现在还可以记起来。就是当风浪比较平静的时候，我似乎几次都听到有模糊不清的声音，好像是从远方传来的不可捉摸的乐曲的和声。全世界的人都无法解释的那水底航行的秘密是怎么一回事呢？生活在这只-怪船里的是怎样的人呢？怎样的机械使它行动有这样惊人的速度呢？
Daylight appeared. The morning mists surrounded us, but they soon broke up. I was about to proceed with a careful examination of the hull, whose topside formed a sort of horizontal platform, when I felt it sinking little by little.
天亮了。朝雾笼罩着我们，但不久就消散了。我正要仔细观察一下上层形成平台的船壳的时候，我觉得船渐渐下沉了。
"Oh, damnation!" Ned Land shouted, stamping his foot on the resonant sheet iron. "Open up there, you antisocial navigators!"
“喂！鬼东西！”尼德-兰喊着，用脚狠踢钢板，“开门吧，不好客的航海人！”
But it was difficult to make yourself heard above the deafening beats of the propeller. Fortunately this submerging movement stopped.
但在推进器拨水的隆隆声响中间，想叫人听到他的活是不容易的。很幸运，船一会儿又不往下沉了。
From inside the boat, there suddenly came noises of iron fastenings pushed roughly aside. One of the steel plates flew up, a man appeared, gave a bizarre yell, and instantly disappeared.
突然，一片猛然推动铁板的声音从船里面发出来。一块铁板掀起了，出来一个人，这人怪叫了一声，立即又进去不见了。
A few moments later, eight strapping fellows appeared silently, their faces like masks, and dragged us down into their fearsome machine.
不久，八个又高又大的壮汉，蒙着脸，一声不响地走出来，把我们拉进了他们的可怕机器中。