Captain Nemo decided to make for the ocean floor by submerging on an appropriately gradual diagonal with the help of his side fins, which were set at a 45 degrees angle to the Nautilus's waterline.
尼摩船長決定這樣探測海底,即使用船側(cè)的縱斜機(jī)板,使它與諾第留斯號的浮標(biāo)線成四十五度角,然后沿著一條充分引伸的對角線潛下去。
Then the propeller was brought to its maximum speed, and its four blades churned the waves with indescribable violence.
這樣安排好后,推進(jìn)器開到最大的速度,它的四重機(jī)葉猛烈攪打海水,這情景簡直難以形容。
Under this powerful thrust the Nautilus's hull quivered like a resonating chord, and the ship sank steadily under the waters.
在這強(qiáng)大力量的推送下,諾第留斯號的船殼像一根咚咚震響的繩索一樣,全部抖動(dòng),很規(guī)律地潛入水中。
Stationed in the lounge, the captain and I watched the needle swerving swiftly over the pressure gauge.
船長和我在客廳中守候,我們眼盯著那移動(dòng)得很快的壓力表的指針。
Soon we had gone below the livable zone where most fish reside. Some of these animals can thrive only at the surface of seas or rivers, but a minority can dwell at fairly great depths.
不久就超過了那大部分魚類可以生活居住的水層。有些魚類只能生活在海水或河水的上層,其他數(shù)量較少的魚類又時(shí)常住在相當(dāng)深的水中。
Among the latter I observed a species of dogfish called the cow shark that's equipped with six respiratory slits, the telescope fish with its enormous eyes,
在后一種魚類中,我看到六孔海豚,有六個(gè)呼吸口,望遠(yuǎn)鏡魚,有望遠(yuǎn)鏡一般的巨大眼睛,
the armored gurnard with gray thoracic fins plus black pectoral fins and a breastplate protected by pale red slabs of bone, then finally the grenadier, living at a depth of 1,200 meters, by that point tolerating a pressure of 120 atmospheres.
帶甲刀板魚,這魚有灰色的前胸鰭和黑色的后胸鰭,有淡紅色的骨片胸甲保護(hù),最后,榴彈魚,生活在一千二百米的深處,頂著一百二十度的大氣壓力。
I asked Captain Nemo if he had observed any fish at more considerable depths.
我問尼摩船長,他是不是曾在更深的水層觀察過魚類。
"Fish? Rarely!" he answered me. "But given the current state of marine science, who are we to presume, what do we really know of these depths?"
他回答我:魚類嗎?很少很少。但在目前這一階段人們對于科學(xué)又推測到些什么?人們知道了什么?