法拉古艦長(zhǎng)喊:舵向右,向前開(kāi)!
These orders were executed, and the frigate swiftly retreated from this core of light.
以上命令執(zhí)行了,戰(zhàn)艦很快離開(kāi)了發(fā)光的中心。
My mistake. It wanted to retreat, but the unearthly animal came at us with a speed double our own.
我弄錯(cuò)了。我們船要走開(kāi),但那神秘的動(dòng)物卻以加借的速度逼近來(lái)。
We gasped. More stunned than afraid, we stood mute and motionless. The animal caught up with us, played with us.
我們氣都喘不過(guò)來(lái)。當(dāng)時(shí),驚呆更甚于恐懼,弄得我們靜默不動(dòng)。
It made a full circle around the frigate--then doing fourteen knots-and wrapped us in sheets of electricity that were like luminous dust.
這個(gè)動(dòng)物好像開(kāi)玩笑似的在海面上向我們沖來(lái)。它繞著戰(zhàn)艦,并且把船罩在像光塵一樣的電光網(wǎng)中。
Then it retreated two or three miles, leaving a phosphorescent trail comparable to thoseswirls of steam that shoot behind the locomotive of an express train.
然后它走出兩三海里遠(yuǎn),后面拖著一條磷光的尾巴,好像快車(chē)的機(jī)車(chē)留在后面的一團(tuán)團(tuán)煙霧般的氣體。
Suddenly, all the way from the dark horizon where it had gone to gather momentum, the monster abruptly dashed toward the Abraham Lincoln with frightening speed,
忽然間,這個(gè)怪物從天邊的盡頭。以驚人的速度突然向林肯號(hào)沖來(lái),在離船身二十英尺的海而上又突然停住,
stopped sharply twenty feet from our side plates, and died out-not by diving under the water,
光全滅了—不是潛入水中,因?yàn)樗墓獠皇锹叵ⅲ?/p>
since its glow did not recede gradually-but all at once, as if the source of this brilliant emanation had suddenly dried up.
而是猝然地,像光的來(lái)源陡然斷了一般!