英语听书《海底两万里》第284期 第21章 在陆地上的两天(15)

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　　Taking advantage of the low tide, some of them had moved forward over the heads of coral to within two cable lengths of the Nautilus.  有些土人乘着低潮，来到珊瑚石尖上，离诺第留斯号约四百米远。

　　I could easily distinguish them.  我可以清楚地看见他们。

　　They obviously were true Papuans, men of fine stock, athletic¹ in build, forehead high and broad, nose large but not flat, teeth white.  他们是真正的巴布亚人，身材高大，体格魁伟，前额宽大高起，鼻子粗大，但不扁平，牙齿洁白。

　　Their woolly, red-tinted hair was in sharp contrast to their bodies, which were black and glistening² like those of Nubians.  他们像羊毛一般的头发作红颜色，披散在漆黑发亮的、像非洲纽比人一般的身躯上。

　　Beneath their pierced, distended³ earlobes there dangled⁴ strings⁵ of beads⁶ made from bone.  他们的耳垂子，割开了和拉长了，挂着骨质的耳环。

　　Generally these savages⁷ were naked.  这些土人通常是光着身子，不穿衣服。

　　I noted⁸ some women among them, dressed from hip⁹ to knee in grass skirts held up by belts made of vegetation.  我看见他们中间有些女人，从腰至膝穿一件真正草叶做的粗糙裙子，上面用一根草带子系起来。

　　Some of the chieftains adorned¹⁰ their necks with crescents and with necklaces made from beads of red and white glass.  有些头领脖子上带着一个弯月形的饰物和红白两色的玻璃编成的项链。

　　Armed with bows, arrows, and shields, nearly all of them carried from their shoulders a sort of net, which held those polished stones their slings¹¹ hurl¹² with such dexterity¹³. 差不多全体上人都带了弓、箭和盾，肩上背着象网一类的东西，网中装满他们能巧妙地用投石机投出来的溜圆石块。

　　One of these chieftains came fairly close to the Nautilus, examining it with care.  其中一个头领走到相当接近诺第留斯号的地方，很细心地考察这只船。

　　He must have been a "mado" of high rank, because he paraded in a mat of banana leaves that had ragged¹⁴ edges and was accented with bright colors. 他好像是一个高级的“马多”，因为他披着一条香蕉树叶编的围巾，中边上织成花样，并且染了很鲜明的颜色。

　　I could easily have picked off this islander, he stood at such close range; but I thought it best to wait for an actual show of hostility¹⁵.  我可以很容易击毙这个土人，因为他站在很近的地方；

　　Between Europeans and savages, it's acceptable for Europeans to shoot back but not to attack first. 但我认为等待他表示出真正故意的攻击行动之后，再还手才对。

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