海底兩萬里 第58期 第5章 冒險活動(13)

Come on, Conseil! I told him. Here's your last chance to pocket that 2,000.00!

喂，康塞爾，我跟他說，現(xiàn)在是獲得兩千美元獎金的最后一次機會了。

If master will permit my saying so, Conseil replied, I never expected to win that prize, and the Union government could have promised 100,000.00 and been none the poorer.

請先生容許我對這件事說句話，康塞爾答，我從不想獲得這筆獎金，合眾國政府可以答應(yīng)給十萬美元，它也并不因此就窮了。

You're right, Conseil, it turned out to be a foolish business after all, and we jumped into it too hastily.

你說得對，康塞爾;總之，這是一件愚蠢的事情，我們沒怎么考慮就參加進來了。

What a waste of time, what a futile expense of emotion! Six months ago we could have been back in France.

白費了多少時間，消耗了多少精神!要不，六個月以前，我們已經(jīng)回到法國了…

In master's little apartment, Conseil answered. In master's museum! And by now I would have classified master's fossils.

在先生的小房子里!康塞爾答道，在先生的博物館里!我早已把先生的生物化石分類了!

And master's babirusa would be ensconced in its cage at the zoo in the Botanical Gardens, and it would have attracted every curiosity seeker in town!

先生的野豬也早就養(yǎng)在植物園的籠中，吸引著巴黎全城所有好奇的人來參觀了!

Quite so, Conseil, and what's more, I imagine that people will soon be poking fun at us!

正跟你所說的一樣，康塞爾，并且，我想，我們還沒有估計到人家會怎樣嘲笑我們呢!

To be sure, Conseil replied serenely, I do think they'll have fun at master's expense. And must it be said...?

可不是，康塞爾安然回答，我想，人們一定會嘲笑您先生。我該不該說…?

It must be said, Conseil.

你說下去，康塞爾。

Well then, it will serve master right!

好，那就是先生應(yīng)得的報酬!

How true!

確是這樣!

When one has the honor of being an expert as master is, one mustn't lay himself open to.

一個人如果有幸能和先生一樣是一位學(xué)者，他就決不該冒昧從事…

Conseil didn't have time to complete the compliment. In the midst of the general silence, a voice became audible. It was Ned Land's voice, and it shouted:

康塞爾沒有說完他的恭維話。在全船的沉默當(dāng)中，大家聽到了一個人的聲音，那是尼德·蘭的聲音，他喊著：

Ahoy! There's the thing in question, abreast of us to leeward!

看哪!我們尋找了多時的那家伙就在那里，正斜對著我們呢!