英语听书《海底两万里》第493期 第31章 章鱼(1)

 Chapter 18 The Devilfish 第十八章 章鱼

For some days the Nautilus kept veering¹ away from the American coast. 几天来，“鹦鹉螺号”船只总是一直避开美洲海岸，

It obviously didn't want to frequent the waves of the Gulf² of Mexico or the Caribbean Sea. 它显然不愿意出没在墨西哥湾或安第列斯海海面的水波上。

Yet there was no shortage of water under its keel, since the average depth of these seas is 1,800 meters; 然而，既然这一带的海水的平均深度有1800米，那就并不是因为这一带的海水浅得淹不到它船的龙骨而使它却步；

but these waterways, strewn with islands and plowed³ by steamers, probably didn't agree with Captain Nemo. 而可能是这一带海域布满岛屿，又有汽轮来往，这对尼摩船长不适合。

On April 16 we raised Martinique and Guadalupe from a distance of about thirty miles.  4月16日，我们望到了在30海里远处的马提尼克岛和加得鲁岛。

For one instant I could see their lofty peaks. 有一阵子我还望见了岛上的高峰。

The Canadian was quite disheartened, having counted on putting his plans into execution in the gulf,  此时加拿大人非常地沮丧。他本来指意在墨西哥湾实施他的逃跑计划，

either by reaching shore or by pulling alongside one of the many boats plying⁴ a coastal⁵ trade from one island to another. 或是逃到一块陆地上，或是爬上众多在两个岛屿之间沿海航行的船只中的一艘。

An escape attempt would have been quite feasible, assuming Ned Land managed to seize the skiff without the captain's knowledge. 如果在墨西哥湾，尼德·兰能趁尼摩船长不备夺取那只小艇，那逃跑计划是可以实现的。

But in midocean it was unthinkable. 但现在在海洋里，他就想都不用想了。

The Canadian, Conseil, and I had a pretty long conversation on this subject. 我、加拿大人和康塞尔对这个问题已经谈论了很久。

For six months we had been prisoners aboard the Nautilus. 六个月来，我们一直是“鹦鹉螺号”船上的囚徒。

We had fared 17,000 leagues, and as Ned Land put it, there was no end in sight.  而且我们已经走了17000里，就像尼德·兰说的，没有任何理由不结束这一切。

So he made me a proposition I hadn't anticipated. 于是他向我提出一个我意料不到的请求。

We were to ask Captain Nemo this question straight out: did the captain mean to keep us on board his vessel⁶ permanently⁷? 那就是明确地向尼摩船长挑明这个问题：船长他想把我们永远留在他的船上吗？

1 veering   

n.改变的；犹豫的；顺时针方向转向；特指使船尾转向上风来改变航向v.（尤指交通工具）改变方向或路线( veer的现在分词 )；（指谈话内容、人的行为或观点）突然改变；（指风） （在北半球按顺时针方向、在南半球按逆时针方向）逐渐转向；风向顺时针转

参考例句：

• Anyone veering too close to the convoys risks being shot. 任何人改变方向，过于接近车队就有遭枪击的风险。 来自互联网
• The little boat kept veering from its course in such a turbulent river. 小船在这湍急的河中总是改变方向。 来自互联网

2 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

3 plowed   

v.耕( plow的过去式和过去分词 )；犁耕；费力穿过

参考例句：

• They plowed nearly 100,000 acres of virgin moorland. 他们犁了将近10万英亩未开垦的高沼地。 来自辞典例句
• He plowed the land and then sowed the seeds. 他先翻土，然后播种。 来自辞典例句

4 plying   

v.使用（工具）( ply的现在分词 )；经常供应（食物、饮料）；固定往来；经营生意

参考例句：

• All manner of hawkers and street sellers were plying their trade. 形形色色的沿街小贩都在做着自己的买卖。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It was rather Mrs. Wang who led the conversation, plying Miss Liu with questions. 倒是汪太太谈锋甚健，向刘小姐问长问短。 来自汉英文学 - 围城

5 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

6 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

7 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。