英语听书《海底两万里》第470期 第29章 缺少空气(2)

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I informed the captain of Ned's proposition, which was promptly¹ accepted. 我把尼德·兰的提议告诉船长，船长接受了。

The Canadian got into his underwater costume and was ready as soon as his fellow workers. 加拿大人穿上他的海中衣服，不久就跟他的工作同伴们一样准备好了。

Each of them carried on his back a Rouquayrol device that the air tanks had supplied with a generous allowance of fresh oxygen. 每人背上一个卢格罗尔的空气箱，由储藏库供应了大量的纯空气。

A considerable but necessary drain on the Nautilus's reserves. 对诺第留斯号的空气储藏库来说，这是大量的，然而是必要的支出。

As for the Ruhmkorff lamps, 至于兰可夫灯，

they were unnecessary in the midst of these brilliant waters saturated² with our electric rays. 在这满是电光的明亮海水中间是没有用的。

After Ned was dressed, I reentered the lounge, whose windows had been uncovered; 当尼德装备好了，我回到客厅，厅中的嵌板都开了，

stationed next to Conseil, 我站在康塞尔旁边，

I examined the strata³ surrounding and supporting the Nautilus. 细看那顶住诺第留斯号的周围冰层。

Some moments later, we saw a dozen crewmen set foot on the shelf of ice, 几分钟后，我们看见十多个船员下到冰地上，

among them Ned Land,easily recognized by his tall figure. 其中有尼德·兰，由于他的身材高大，很容易认出。

Captain Nemo was with them. 尼摩船长跟他门在一起。

Before digging into the ice, the captain had to obtain borings, 在进行穿凿冰墙之前，他让人先做种种探测，

to insure working in the best direction. 保证工作是向顺利方面进行。

Long bores were driven into the side walls; 很长的探测绳放人上下两面的冰墙。

but after fifteen meters, 上面到了十五米，

the instruments were still impeded⁴ by the thickness of those walls. 仍然被厚冰墙挡住，

It was futile⁵ to attack the ceiling since that surface was the Ice Bank itself, 所以从上层冰板来穿凿是不成的，

more than 400 meters high. 因为那就是四百米高的冰山本身。

Captain Nemo then bored into the lower surface. 尼摩船长于是使人探测下部冰层的厚度。

There we were separated from the sea by a ten-meter barrier. 下部有十米厚的冰板把我们跟海水隔开。

That's how thick the iceberg⁶ was. 就是这片冰场有十米厚。

From this point on, 自后就是要把冰场凿开一片，

it was an issue of cutting out a piece equal in surface area to the Nautilus's waterline. 大小等于诺第留斯号从浮标线上来计算的面积。

This meant detaching about 6,500 cubic meters, 那大约需挖掘六千五百立方米的冰，

to dig a hole through which the ship could descend⁷ below this tract⁸ of ice. 要凿开这么一个大孔，我们可以从这孔下到这冰地的下面去。

Work began immediately and was carried on with tireless tenacity⁹. 工作立即开始，以十分坚持的顽强力气来进行。

Instead of digging all around the Nautilus, which would have entailed¹⁰ even greater difficulties, 不是在诺第留斯号周围挖掘，这样可能带来更大的困难，

Captain Nemo had an immense trench¹¹ outlined on the ice, eight meters from our port quarter. 尼摩船长是另外在距船左舷八米远的地方画了一个巨大的圆圈

Then his men simultaneously¹² staked it off at several points around its circumference¹³.  他的人员就在这圆圈的周围数处同时挖掘，

Soon their picks were vigorously attacking this compact matter, 不久，铁锨很有劲的打进了坚硬的冰，

and huge chunks¹⁵ were loosened from its mass. 一块一块的冰从冰场凿开来。

These chunks weighed less than the water, and by an unusual effect of specific gravity,  由于体重的新奇作用，这些冰块没有水重，

each chunk¹⁴ took wing, as it were, to the roof of the tunnel, 它们于是飞跑到冰们顶上去了，

which thickened above by as much as it diminished below. 这样一来，下面是减薄，上面就增厚了。

But this hardly mattered so long as the lower surface kept growing thinner. 但没关系，下层的冰总是削薄了。

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