Cyrus Harding’s project had succeeded, but, according to his usual habit he showed no satisfaction; —
赛勒斯·哈丁的项目取得了成功，但按照他的习惯，他并没有表现出满意； —

with closed lips and a fixed look, he remained motionless. —
嘴唇紧闭，目光呆滞，他一动不动； —

Herbert was in ecstasies, Neb bounded with joy, Pencroft nodded his great head, murmuring these words,–
赫伯特欣喜若狂，奈布兴高采烈，彭克罗夫点点头，喃喃道，–

“Come, our engineer gets on capitally!”
“来吧，我们的工程师做得相当出色！”

The nitro-glycerine had indeed acted powerfully. —
硝化甘油确实发挥了强大的作用； —

The opening which it had made was so large that the volume of water which escaped through this new outlet was at least treble that which before passed through the old one. —
它开辟的裂口如此之大，经此新出口逃逸的水量至少是之前通过旧出口的三倍； —

The result was, that a short time after the operation the level of the lake would be lowered two feet, or more.
结果是，手术之后过了不久，湖水的水位将下降两英尺，甚至更多；

The settlers went to the Chimneys to take some pickaxes, iron-tipped spears, string made of fibers, flint and steel; —
殖民者们去烟囱拿了一些镐、铁尖枪、由纤维制成的绳子、燧石和打火石； —

they then returned to the plateau, Top accompanying them.
然后他们回到高原，多比伴随着他们；

On the way the sailor could not help saying to the engineer,–
在途中，水手忍不住对工程师说，–

“Don’t you think, captain, that by means of that charming liquid you have made, one could blow up the whole of our island?”
“你不认为，船长，通过那种迷人的液体，我们可以炸毁整个岛吗？”

“Without any doubt, the island, continents, and the world itself,” replied the engineer. —
“毫无疑问，岛屿、大陆，甚至整个世界，”工程师回答说； —

“It is only a question of quantity.”
“这只是一个数量问题。”

“Then could you not use this nitro-glycerine for loading firearms?” asked the sailor.
“那么你能不能用这种硝化甘油来装填火器？”水手问道。

“No, Pencroft; for it is too explosive a substance. —
“不行，彭克罗夫；因为它是太易爆的物质。” —

But it would be easy to make some guncotton, or even ordinary powder, as we have azotic acid, saltpeter, sulphur, and coal. —
但是很容易制造一些火棉，甚至普通的火药，因为我们有硝酸、硝酸钾、硫和煤。 —

Unhappily, it is the guns which we have not got.
不幸的是，我们没有枪。

“Oh, captain,” replied the sailor, “with a little determination–”
“哦，船长，”水手回答道，”只要有一点决心–”

Pencroft had erased the word “impossible” from the dictionary of Lincoln Island.
潘克罗夫已经将”不可能”这个词从林肯岛的词典中删除了。

The settlers, having arrived at Prospect Heights, went immediately towards that point of the lake near which was the old opening now uncovered. —
渡过展望山丘后，殖民者立即走向了湖泊附近的那个旧开口。 —

This outlet had now become practicable, since the water no longer rushed through it, and it would doubtless be easy to explore the interior.
由于水不再奔腾而过，这个出口现在变得可行，探索内部肯定很容易。

In a few minutes the settlers had reached the lower point of the lake, and a glance showed them that the object had been attained.
几分钟后，殖民者已经到达了湖泊的低点，一眼望去，他们已经实现了目标。

In fact, in the side of the lake, and now above the surface of the water, appeared the long-looked-for opening. —
实际上，湖泊的一侧，现在水面上方，出现了长期盼望的开口。 —

A narrow ridge, left bare by the retreat of the water, allowed them to approach it. —
由于水位退去，使得一个窄窄的岭路露出来，让他们可以靠近。 —

This orifice was nearly twenty feet in width, but scarcely two in height. —
这个孔口近二十英尺宽，但高度几乎只有两英尺。 —

It was like the mouth of a drain at the edge of the pavement, and therefore did not offer an easy passage to the settlers; —
它就像是人行道边缘的排水口，因此对殖民者来说并不是一个容易通过的通道； —

but Neb and Pencroft, taking their pickaxes, soon made it of a suitable height.
但是尼布和潘克罗夫拿起他们的鹤嘴锄，很快将其挖得适合高度。

The engineer then approached, and found that the sides of the opening, in its upper part at least, had not a slope of more than from thirty to thirty-five degrees. —
工程师接近后发现，至少在上部，开口的两侧坡度不超过三十至三十五度。 —

It was therefore practicable, and, provided that the declivity did not increase, it would be easy to descend even to the level of the sea. —
所以这是可行的，只要斜坡不增加，甚至可以容易地下降到海平面。 —

If then, as was probable, some vast cavity existed in the interior of the granite, it might, perhaps, be of great use.
如果像可预料的那样，在花岗岩内部存在着巨大的空洞，那可能会非常有用。

“Well, captain, what are we stopping for?” —
“队长，我们停下来是为了什么？” —

asked the sailor, impatient to enter the narrow passage. You see Top has got before us!”
船员不耐烦地问道，想要进入狭窄的通道。“你看，Top已经走在我们前面了！”

“Very well,” replied the engineer. “But we must see our way. —
“好的，”工程师回答道。“但是我们必须小心谨慎。” —

Neb, go and cut some resinous branches.”
“尼布，去砍些树脂树枝。”

Neb and Herbert ran to the edge of the lake, shaded with pines and other green trees, and soon returned with some branches, which they made into torches. —
尼布和赫伯特跑到湖边，被松树和其他绿树荫蔽。很快他们带着一些树枝回来，制成了火把。 —

The torches were lighted with flint and steel, and Cyrus Harding leading, the settlers ventured into the dark passage, which the overplus of the lake had formerly filled.
火把被打火石点燃，赛勒斯·哈定率领着，移民们冒险进入黑暗的通道，这个通道曾被湖水填满。

Contrary to what might have been supposed, the diameter of the passage increased as the explorers proceeded, so that they very soon were able to stand upright. —
与人们可能想象的相反，随着探险者前行，通道的直径增大，使得他们很快就能直立站立。 —

The granite, worn by the water for an infinite time, was very slippery, and falls were to be dreaded. —
花岗岩被水侵蚀很长一段时间，非常滑，需要注意防止跌倒。 —

But the settlers were all attached to each other by a cord, as is frequently done in ascending mountains. —
但是移民们都用绳子互相系在一起，就像在攀登山峰时经常这样做。 —

Happily some projections of the granite, forming regular steps, made the descent less perilous. —
幸运的是，一些形成规则阶梯的花岗岩凸起使下降变得不那么危险。 —

Drops, still hanging from the rocks, shone here and there under the light of the torches, and the explorers guessed that the sides were clothed with innumerable stalactites. —
在火把的光下，岩石上仍挂着一些水滴，探险者猜想侧面布满了无数钟乳石。 —

The engineer examined this black granite. There was not a stratum, not a break in it. —
工程师检查了这块黑色花岗岩。没有一层破损。 —

The mass was compact, and of an extremely close grain. —
这个巨大的质地坚实，非常密实。 —

The passage dated, then, from the very origin of the island. —
因此，这个通道可追溯到岛屿的起源。 —

It was not the water which little by little had hollowed it. —
这不是水逐渐侵蚀而形成的。 —

Pluto and not Neptune had bored it with his own hand, and on the wall traces of an eruptive work could be distinguished, which all the washing of the water had not been able totally to efface.
冥王星而不是海王星用自己的手闷穿了墙壁，在墙上还可以清晰地看到一些喷发作用的痕迹，水的冲刷并没有完全抹去。

The settlers descended very slowly. They could not but feel a certain awe, in this venturing into these unknown depths, for the first time visited by human beings. —
定居者们下降很慢。他们不禁感到一种敬畏之情，因为他们首次踏足这些未知深处，此前从未有人到访过。 —

They did not speak, but they thought; and the thought came to more than one, that some polypus or other gigantic cephalopod might inhabit the interior cavities, which were in communication with the sea. —
他们没有说话，但在想着，有不止一个人认为，可能有某种大型头足类动物或其他巨大乌贼栖息在与海洋相通的洞穴里。 —

However, Top kept at the head of the little band, and they could rely on the sagacity of the dog, who would not fail to give the alarm if there was any need for it.
不过，汤普始终处于小队的前方，并且他们可以依靠这只狗的机智，如果有必要的话，它一定会发出警报。

After having descended about a hundred feet, following a winding road, Harding who was walking on before, stopped, and his companions came up with him. —
下降了约一百英尺后，赫丁走在前面停了下来，他的同伴赶上了他。 —

The place where they had halted was wider, so as to form a cavern of moderate dimensions. —
他们停下的地方更宽敞一些，形成了一个适度大小的洞穴。 —

Drops of water fell from the vault, but that did not prove that they oozed through the rock. —
水珠从穹顶滴落，但这并不意味着它们是从岩石中渗出的。 —

They were simply the last traces left by the torrent which had so long thundered through this cavity, and the air there was pure though slightly damp, but producing no mephitic exhalation.
它们只不过是由洪流留下的最后痕迹，虽然那里的空气纯净但略微潮湿，却没有产生任何有毒的气体。

“Well, my dear Cyrus,” said Gideon Spilett, “here is a very secure retreat, well hid in the depths of the rock, but it is, however, uninhabitable.”
“好了，我亲爱的赛勒斯,“吉迪恩·斯普利特说道，”这里是一个非常安全的避难所，在岩石深处被很好地隐藏了起来，但是，它却无法居住。”

“Why uninhabitable?” asked the sailor.
“为什么无法居住?“水手问道。

“Because it is too small and too dark.”
“因为太小太暗了。”

“Couldn’t we enlarge it, hollow it out, make openings to let in light and air?” —
“那我们不能扩大它，挖空它，开一些通风和采光的窗口吗?“彭克罗夫说道，此时他已经认为没有什么是不可能的了。 —

replied Pencroft, who now thought nothing impossible.
赛勒斯·哈丁回答说：”让我们继续探索下去吧。也许往下走，大自然会省下这个劳动。”

“Let us go on with our exploration,” said Cyrus Harding. —
“或许在更低处，会留给我们一些空间，”塞浦特说。 —

“Perhaps lower down, nature will have spared us this labor.”
“我们继续向下探索吧。”赛勒斯·哈丁说。

“We have only gone a third of the way,” observed Herbert.
“我们才走了三分之一的路，”赫伯特观察到。

“Nearly a third,” replied Harding, “for we have descended a hundred feet from the opening, and it is not impossible that a hundred feet farther down–”
“差不多走了三分之一，”哈定回答道，“因为我们已经从开口处下降了一百英尺，再往下一百英尺并非不可能。”

“Where is Top?” asked Neb, interrupting his master.
“Top在哪里？”尼布打断他的主人问道。

They searched the cavern, but the dog was not there.
他们在洞穴中搜寻，但狗不在那里。

“Most likely he has gone on,” said Pencroft.
“他很可能已经走了，”彭克罗夫说。

“Let us join him,” replied Harding.
“让我们加入他，”哈定回答道。

The descent was continued. The engineer carefully observed all the deviations of the passage, and notwithstanding so many detours, he could easily have given an account of its general direction, which went towards the sea.
继续下降。工程师仔细观察通道的所有弯曲，尽管有那么多的岔道，他仍然可以轻易地描述其总体方向，向海洋方向延伸。

The settlers had gone some fifty feet farther, when their attention was attracted by distant sounds which came up from the depths. —
当定居者走了大约五十英尺时，他们注意到了从深处传来的遥远声音。 —

They stopped and listened. These sounds, carried through the passage as through an acoustic tube, came clearly to the ear.
他们停下来倾听。这些声音通过通道传递，清晰地传入耳中。

“That is Top barking!” cried Herbert.
“那是Top在叫！”赫伯特喊道。

“Yes,” replied Pencroft, “and our brave dog is barking furiously!”
“是的，”彭克罗夫回答，“我们勇敢的狗在狂叫！”

“We have our iron-tipped spears,” said Cyrus Harding. “Keep on your guard, and forward!”
“我们有铁尖矛，”赛勒斯·哈定说。“保持警惕，向前！”

“It is becoming more and more interesting,” murmured Gideon Spilett in the sailor’s ear, who nodded. —
“越来越有趣了，”吉迪恩·斯皮莱特低声对水手说，水手点了点头。 —

Harding and his companions rushed to the help of their dog. —
哈定和他的同伴冲向他们的狗。 —

Top’s barking became more and more perceptible, and it seemed strangely fierce. —
Top的叫声变得越来越明显，似乎异常凶猛。 —

Was he engaged in a struggle with some animal whose retreat he had disturbed? —
他是在与某种动物搏斗吗，激怒了撤退的动物吗？ —

Without thinking of the danger to which they might be exposed, the explorers were now impelled by an irresistible curiosity, and in a few minutes, sixteen feet lower they rejoined Top.
没有考虑到可能面临的危险，探险家们现在被一种无法抗拒的好奇心推动着，在几分钟内，他们降低了十六英尺，重新和Top相遇。

There the passage ended in a vast and magnificent cavern.
在那里，通道结束于一个巨大而华丽的洞穴。

Top was running backwards and forwards, barking furiously. —
Top来回奔跑，狂吠着。 —

Pencroft and Neb, waving their torches, threw the light into every crevice; —
Pencroft和Neb挥舞着火把，将光线投入每一个缝隙； —

and at the same time, Harding, Gideon Spilett, and Herbert, their spears raised, were ready for any emergency which might arise. —
与此同时，Harding、Gideon Spilett和Herbert举起长矛，准备应对可能出现的危险。 —

The enormous cavern was empty. The settlers explored it in every direction. —
巨大的洞穴是空的。定居者们在各个方向探索着。 —

There was nothing there, not an animal, not a human being; —
什么也没有，既没有动物，也没有人类； —

and yet Top continued to bark. Neither caresses nor threats could make him be silent.
但Top继续吠叫。无论是爱抚还是威胁都不能让他安静下来。

“There must be a place somewhere, by which the waters of the lake reached the sea,” said the engineer.
“湖水通向海洋的地方必须有一个出口，”工程师说。

“Of course,” replied Pencroft, “and we must take care not to tumble into a hole.”
“当然，”Pencroft回答说，“我们必须小心不要掉进坑里。”

“Go, Top, go!” cried Harding.
“去吧，Top，去吧！”Harding喊道。

The dog, excited by his master’s words, ran towards the extremity of the cavern, and there redoubled his barking.
激动于主人的话，狗朝着洞穴的尽头跑去，同时又加大了吠叫声。

They followed him, and by the light of the torches, perceived the mouth of a regular well in the granite. —
他们跟着它，通过火把的光线，看到了花岗岩中一个规律的井口。 —

It was by this that the water escaped; and this time it was not an oblique and practicable passage, but a perpendicular well, into which it was impossible to venture.
正是从这里水流出去；这次不是一个倾斜且可行的通道，而是一个垂直的井口，无法冒险探索。

The torches were held over the opening: nothing could be seen. —
火把被举起放在洞口上面：什么也看不见。 —

Harding took a lighted branch, and threw it into the abyss. —
哈丁拿了一根点燃的树枝，扔进了深渊。 —

The blazing resin, whose illuminating power increased still more by the rapidity of its fall, lighted up the interior of the well, but yet nothing appeared. —
燃烧的树脂由于下落的速度增加而发出更明亮的光芒，照亮了井的内部，但仍然没有看到任何东西。 —

The flame then went out with a slight hiss, which showed that it had reached the water, that is to say, the level of the sea.
火焰随后发出轻微的嘶嘶声熄灭了，这表明它已经达到了水面，也就是说海平面。

The engineer, calculating the time employed in its fall, was able to calculate the depth of the well, which was found to be about ninety feet.
工程师根据其下落所用时间，能够计算出井的深度，发现大约有九十英尺。

The floor of the cavern must thus be situated ninety feet above the level of the sea.
洞穴的地面因此必须位于海平面以上九十英尺处。

“Here is our dwelling,” said Cyrus Harding.
“这里是我们的住所，”赛勒斯·哈丁说。

“But it was occupied by some creature,” replied Gideon Spilett, whose curiosity was not yet satisfied.
“但是有一些生物占领过这里，”吉迪恩·斯普莱特回答，他的好奇心还没有得到满足。

“Well, the creature, amphibious or otherwise, has made off through this opening,” replied the engineer, “and has left the place for us.”
“好吧，不管怎样，这个生物，无论是两栖动物还是其他生物，已经从这个洞口离开了，”工程师回答，“为我们留下了这个地方。”

“Never mind,” added the sailor, “I should like very much to be Top just for a quarter of an hour, for he doesn’t bark for nothing!”
“没关系，”海员补充道，“我非常想成为Top，只要有一刻钟，因为它不会无缘无故叫！”

Cyrus Harding looked at his dog, and those of his companions who were near him might have heard him murmur these words,–
赛勒斯·哈丁看着他的狗，他的同伴们听得见他喃喃自语，

“Yes, I believe that Top knows more than we do about a great many things.”
“是的，我相信Top知道很多事情比我们多。”

However, the wishes of the settlers were for the most part satisfied. —
然而，定居者的愿望大部分得到了满足。 —

Chance, aided by the marvelous sagacity of their leader, had done them great service. —
机遇和他们团队领袖的神奇智慧为他们做了很大的贡献。 —

They had now at their disposal a vast cavern, the size of which could not be properly calculated by the feeble light of their torches, but it would certainly be easy to divide it into rooms, by means of brick partitions, or to use it, if not as a house, at least as a spacious apartment. —
他们现在拥有一个巨大的洞穴，光线微弱的火把无法准确计算其大小，但很容易通过砖墙分隔成房间，或者将其用作宽敞的房间。 —

The water which had left it could not return. The place was free.
流走的水不会回来了，这个地方现在空了。

Two difficulties remained; firstly, the possibility of lighting this excavation in the midst of solid rock; —
有两个困难还留着；首先，需要在坚硬的岩石之中点亮这个挖掘洞； —

secondly, the necessity of rendering the means of access more easy. —
其次，需要更容易地提供进入的途径。 —

It was useless to think of lighting it from above, because of the enormous thickness of the granite which composed the ceiling; —
从上方点亮是没用的，因为顶部的花岗岩非常厚； —

but perhaps the outer wall next the sea might be pierced. —
可能是可以在面向大海的外墙上开孔。 —

Cyrus Harding, during the descent, had roughly calculated its obliqueness, and consequently the length of the passage, and was therefore led to believe that the outer wall could not be very thick. —
在下降的过程中，赛勒斯·哈丁粗略地计算了其倾斜度，因此也就了解了通道的长度，因此他相信外墙不会很厚。 —

If light was thus obtained, so would a means of access, for it would be as easy to pierce a door as windows, and to establish an exterior ladder.
如果能够获取光线，那也就意味着有了进入的途径，因为开门和开窗户一样容易，可以建立一个外部的梯子。

Harding made known his ideas to his companions.
哈丁把他的想法告诉了同伴们。

“Then, captain, let us set to work!” replied Pencroft. —
“那么，队长，让我们开始吧！”潘克洛夫回答说。 —

“I have my pickaxe, and I shall soon make my way through this wall. —
“我有我的鹤嘴锄，我很快就能穿过这堵墙。 —

Where shall I strike?”
我应该在哪里开始？”

“Here,” replied the engineer, showing the sturdy sailor a considerable recess in the side, which would much diminish the thickness.
“在这里，”工程师回答，指着侧面一个相当大的凹处，这会大大减少厚度。

Pencroft attacked the granite, and for half an hour, by the light of the torches, he made the splinters fly around him. —
潘克洛夫攻击着花岗岩，半小时后，借着火炬的光亮，碎片在他周围飞溅。 —

Neb relieved him, then Spilett took Neb’s place.
内布替换了他，然后斯皮勒特替换了内布。

This work had lasted two hours, and they began to fear that at this spot the wall would not yield to the pickaxe, when at a last blow given by Gideon Spilett, the instrument, passing through the rock, fell outside.
这项工作已经持续了两个小时，他们开始担心在这个地方墙壁不会受到鹤嘴锄的影响，当吉迪恩·斯皮勒特最后一击击中时，这个工具穿过了岩石，飘落在外面。

“Hurrah! hurrah!” cried Pencroft.
“快看！快看！”潘克洛夫叫道。

The wall only measured there three feet in thickness.
那里的墙只有三英尺厚。

Harding applied his eye to the aperture, which overlooked the ground from a height of eighty feet. —
哈丁把眼睛贴在这个洞口上，俯视着八十英尺高的地面。 —

Before him was extended the sea-coast, the islet, and beyond the open sea.
眼前展开的是海岸线、小岛和开阔的海洋。

Floods of light entered by this hole, inundating the splendid cavern and producing a magic effect! —
大量光线透过这个洞口涌入，淹没了辉煌的洞穴，产生了魔幻般的效果！ —

On its left side it did not measure more than thirty feet in height and breadth, but on the right it was enormous, and its vaulted roof rose to a height of more than eighty feet.
在左侧，高度和宽度仅有三十英尺，但在右侧巨大无比，拱顶高达八十英尺以上。

In some places granite pillars, irregularly disposed, supported the vaulted roof, as those in the nave of a cathedral, here forming lateral piers, there elliptical arches, adorned with pointed moldings, losing themselves in dark bays, amid the fantastic arches of which glimpses could be caught in the shade, covered with a profusion of projections formed like so many pendants. —
在某些地方，不规则排列的花岗岩柱支撑着拱顶，宛如大教堂中的这种侧面支柱，那里形成了椭圆形拱门，装饰着尖角线条，迷失在黑暗的海湾之间的神秘拱形中，那里塞满了形状如吊坠的强烈突出物。 —

This cavern was a picturesque mixture of all the styles of Byzantine, Roman, or Gothic architecture ever produced by the hand of man. —
这个洞穴是拜占庭式、罗马式或哥特式建筑风格的交融，这一切都是人类之手创造的。 —

And yet this was only the work of nature. —
然而这仅仅是大自然的杰作。 —

She alone had hollowed this fairy Aihambra in a mass of granite.
只有她在一块花岗岩中挖空了这个童话般的阿尔罕布拉宫殿。

The settlers were overwhelmed with admiration. —
殖民者们感到无比惊叹。 —

Where they had only expected to find a narrow cavity, they had found a sort of marvelous palace, and Neb had taken off his hat, as if he had been transported into a temple!
在他们只期望会发现一个狭窄洞穴的地方，他们却发现了一座奇妙的宫殿，奈布像是被带入了一个寺庙似的，脱下帽子！

Cries of admiration issued from every mouth. —
赞叹声从每个嘴里涌出。 —

Hurrahs resounded, and the echo was repeated again and again till it died away in the dark naves.
欢呼声回荡，回声在黑暗的拱顶中一遍又一遍地回荡，直至消失。

“Ah, my friends!” exclaimed Cyrus Harding, “when we have lighted the interior of this place, and have arranged our rooms and storehouses in the left part, we shall still have this splendid cavern, which we will make our study and our museum!”
“啊，我的朋友们！”西里斯·哈丁喊道，”当我们点亮这个地方的内部，把我们的房间和储藏室安排在左侧后，我们还有这个绝妙的洞穴，我们将把它打造成我们的研究室和博物馆！”

“And we will call it?–” asked Herbert.
“我们要给它取什么名字呢？”赫伯特问道。

“Granite House,” replied Harding; a name which his companions again saluted with a cheer.
“花岗岩屋，”哈定回答道；他的同伴们再次欢呼着赞同这个名字。

The torches were now almost consumed, and as they were obliged to return by the passage to reach the summit of the plateau, it was decided to put off the work necessary for the arrangement of their new dwelling till the next day.
火炬现在已经将近燃尽，由于他们不得不通过通道返回到高地的顶部，他们决定把新居所需的工作推迟到第二天。

Before departing, Cyrus Harding leaned once more over the dark well, which descended perpendicularly to the level of the sea. —
在离开之前，赛勒斯·哈定再次倾身于那个垂直通往海面的黑暗井边。 —

He listened attentively. No noise was heard, not even that of the water, which the undulations of the surge must sometimes agitate in its depths. —
他仔细倾听。没有任何声音，甚至水的声音也没有听到，尽管海浪的波动有时会激荡到井底。 —

A flaming branch was again thrown in. The sides of the well were lighted up for an instant, but as at the first time, nothing suspicious was seen.
又把一根燃烧的树枝扔了进去。井壁在一瞬间被照亮，但和第一次一样，并未发现可疑之处。

If some marine monster had been surprised unawares by the retreat of the water, he would by this time have regained the sea by the subterranean passage, before the new opening had been offered to him.
如果有些海洋怪物被水退却惊吓到了，此时他早已通过地下通道重新回到海中，在新的开口向他开放之前。

Meanwhile, the engineer was standing motionless, his eyes fixed on the gulf, without uttering a word.
与此同时，工程师站在那里一动不动，目光紧盯着深渊，一言不发。

The sailor approached him, and touching his arm, “Captain!” said he.
水手走近他，轻轻地碰了碰他的胳膊，“船长！”他说。

“What do you want, my friend?” asked the engineer, as if he had returned from the land of dreams.
“你想要什么，我的朋友？”工程师问道，仿佛刚刚从梦境中返回。

“The torches will soon go out.”
“火炬马上就要熄灭了。”

“Forward!” replied Cyrus Harding.
“前进！”赛勒斯·哈定回答。

The little band left the cavern and began to ascend through the dark passage. —
小队离开洞穴，开始穿过黑暗通道向上攀登。 —

Top closed the rear, still growling every now and then. The ascent was painful enough. —
狗狗Top在后方警惕地跟随，不时发出低声吠叫。攀登相当费力。 —

The settlers rested a few minutes in the upper grotto, which made a sort of landing-place halfway up the long granite staircase. —
定居者在上面的洞穴休息了几分钟，这里是通向漫长的花岗岩阶梯一半高度的一个登陆点。 —

Then they began to climb again.
然后他们开始再次攀登。

Soon fresher air was felt. The drops of water, dried by evaporation, no longer sparkled on the walls. The flaring torches began to grow dim. —
很快就感受到了更清新的空气。 墙上蒸发后干燥的水滴不再闪闪发光。 火把开始变得昏暗。 —

The one which Neb carried went out, and if they did not wish to find their way in the dark, they must hasten.
尼布携带的火把熄灭了，如果他们不想在黑暗中迷路，他们必须赶紧。

This was done, and a little before four o’clock, at the moment when the sailor’s torch went out in its turn, Cyrus Harding and his companions passed out of the passage.
这样做了，在四点前一点的时候，当水手的火把依次熄灭时，塞勒斯·哈定和他的同伴们走出了通道。