From this time Pencroft did not let a single day pass without going to visit what he gravely called his “corn-field.” —
从那时起，潘克罗夫每天都要去看望他严肃地称为他的“玉米地”的地方。 —

And woe to the insects which dared to venture there! —
谁敢冒着自己的性命去那里的昆虫们，真是够倒霉的！ —

No mercy was shown them.
毫不留情地对待它们。

Towards the end of the month of June, after incessant rain, the weather became decidedly colder, and on the 29th a Fahrenheit thermometer would certainly have announced only twenty degrees above zero, that is considerably below the freezing-point. —
六月底，大雨之后，天气明显变冷，到了29日，华氏温度计准确地显示只有零下二十度，远低于冰点。 —

The next day, the 30th of June, the day which corresponds to the 31st of December in the northern year, was a Friday. —
第二天，也就是6月30日，相当于北半球的12月31日，是一个星期五。 —

Neb remarked that the year finished on a bad day, but Pencroft replied that naturally the next would begin on a good one, which was better.
尼布注意到一年在这样一个不好的日子结束了，但潘克罗夫回答说，自然下一年会在一个好日子开始，那会更好。

At any rate it commenced by very severe cold. —
无论如何，新的一年以极端寒冷开始了。 —

Ice accumulated at the mouth of the Mercy, and it was not long before the whole expanse of the lake was frozen.
密尔西河口积聚了冰块，很快整个湖面都冻结了。

The settlers had frequently been obliged to renew their store of wood. —
居民们经常不得不更换燃料库存。 —

Pencroft also had wisely not waited till the river was frozen, but had brought enormous rafts of wood to their destination. —
潘克罗夫也聪明地没有等到河面结冰，而是将大量木材筏运到目的地。 —

The current was an indefatigable moving power, and it was employed in conveying the floating wood to the moment when the frost enchained it. —
河流就是不倦的动力，被用来将漂浮的木材传送到冰冻。 —

To the fuel which was so abundantly supplied by the forest, they added several cartloads of coal, which had to be brought from the foot of the spurs of Mount Franklin. —
除了林木丰富供应的燃料，他们还添加了几车煤，这些煤必须从富兰克林山脉的低处运来。 —

The powerful heat of the coal was greatly appreciated in the low temperature, which on the 4th of July fell to eight degrees of Fahrenheit, that is, thirteen degrees below zero. —
在这段寒冷时期，赛勒斯·哈丁因为将来自格兰特湖的小溪引入花岗岩屋而感到自豪。被冰封表面以下，通过通道传导，保持了其液态，并到达贮藏室后部挖掘出的内部水库，而溢出的水则流过井口进入大海。 —

A second fireplace had been established in the dining-room, where they all worked together at their different avocations. —
餐厅里又增设了一个壁炉，他们都在那里一起做各自的职业。 —

During this period of cold, Cyrus Harding had great cause to congratulate himself on having brought to Granite House the little stream of water from Lake Grant. Taken below the frozen surface, and conducted through the passage, it preserved its fluidity, and arrived at an interior reservoir which had been hollowed out at the back part of the storeroom, while the overflow ran through the well to the sea.
在这段寒冷时期，赛勒斯·哈丁有充分的理由为将来自格兰特湖的小溪引入花岗岩屋而感到满意。被冰封表面以下，通过通道传导，保持了其液态，并到达贮藏室后部挖掘出的内部水库，而溢出的水则流过井口进入大海。

About this time, the weather being extremely dry, the colonists, clothed as warmly as possible, resolved to devote a day to the exploration of that part of the island between the Mercy and Claw Cape. It was a wide extent of marshy land, and they would probably find good sport, for water-birds ought to swarm there.
大约在这个时候，天气非常干燥，殖民者们穿得尽可能暖和，决定把一天的时间花在探索从梅西河到爪角岬之间的那一部分岛屿上。那是一片广阔的沼泽地，他们可能会发现丰富的猎物，因为水鸟应该会在那里成群结队。

They reckoned that it would be about eight or nine miles to go there, and as much to return, so that the whole of the day would be occupied. —
他们估计那里去返程各约八九英里，所以整整一天都会被占据。 —

As an unknown part of the island was about to be explored, the whole colony took part in the expedition. —
由于即将探索到一片未知的岛屿土地，整个殖民地都参与了这次远足。 —

Accordingly, on the 5th of July, at six o’clock in the morning, when day had scarcely broken, Cyrus Harding, Gideon Spilett, Herbert, Neb, and Pencroft, armed with spears, snares, bows and arrows, and provided with provisions, left Granite House, preceded by Top, who bounded before them.
因此，在7月5日清晨六点钟，当天刚破晓时，赛勒斯·哈丁、吉迪恩·斯普雷特、赫伯特、内布和彭克罗夫，带着矛、陷阱、弓箭和食物，离开花岗岩屋，前面是顶正在追逐的队伍。

Their shortest way was to cross the Mercy on the ice, which then covered it.
他们最短的路线是在当时覆盖着的冰上穿过梅西河。

“But,” as the engineer justly observed, “that could not take the place of a regular bridge!” —
但是，正如工程师所正视地指出的，“那不能代替一个正规的桥梁！” —

So, the construction of a regular bridge was noted in the list of future works.
因此，建造一个正规的桥梁被列入了未来工程的清单。

It was the first time that the settlers had set foot on the right bank of the Mercy, and ventured into the midst of those gigantic and superb coniferae now sprinkled over with snow.
这是殖民者们第一次踏上梅西河右岸，踏入那些巨大而华丽的针叶树之中，如今已被雪覆盖。

But they had not gone half a mile when from a thicket a whole family of quadrupeds, who had made a home there, disturbed by Top, rushed forth into the open country.
但他们走了不到半英里，一整个家庭的四足兽从灌木丛中奔向开阔的土地，因为顶激动不安而被惊动了。

“Ah! I should say those are foxes!” cried Herbert, when he saw the troop rapidly decamping.
“啊！我觉得那些应该是狐狸！”赫伯特看到那群迅速逃跑的动物时喊道。

They were foxes, but of a very large size, who uttered a sort of barking, at which Top seemed to be very much astonished, for he stopped short in the chase, and gave the swift animals time to disappear.
它们是狐狸，但个头非常大，发出一种吠叫声，让顶看起来非常吃惊，他停下追逐，让这些敏捷的动物有机会消失。

The dog had reason to be surprised, as he did not know Natural History. —
这只狗有理由感到惊讶，因为他并不了解自然历史。 —

But, by their barking, these foxes, with reddish-gray hair, black tails terminating in a white tuft, had betrayed their origin. —
但是，通过它们的吠叫声，这些有着红灰色毛发和黑色尾巴的狐狸已经暴露了它们的身份。 —

So Herbert was able, without hesitating, to give them their real name of “Arctic foxes.” —
因此，赫伯特毫不犹豫地将它们称为“北极狐”。 —

They are frequently met with in Chile, in the Falkland Islands, and in all parts of America traversed by the thirtieth and fortieth parallels. —
它们经常出现在智利、福克兰群岛以及所有被南纬30度和北纬40度穿越的美洲各地。 —

Herbert much regretted that Top had not been able to catch one of these carnivora.
赫伯特非常遗憾，托普未能捕捉到这些食肉动物。

“Are they good to eat?” asked Pencroft, who only regarded the representatives of the fauna in the island from one special point of view.
“它们好吃吗？”彭克罗夫特问道，他只是从一个特殊的角度看待这个岛上的动物代表。

“No,” replied Herbert; “but zoologists have not yet found out if the eye of these foxes is diurnal or nocturnal, or whether it is correct to class them in the genus dog, properly so called.”
“不，”赫伯特回答道，“但动物学家还没有找出这些狐狸的眼睛是白天活动还是夜晚活动，或者是否正确将它们归类为真正的犬科动物。”

Harding could not help smiling on hearing the lad’s reflection, which showed a thoughtful mind. —
哈定听到少年的反思时忍不住笑了，这显示出他有一个思维缜密的头脑。 —

As to the sailor, from the moment when he found that the foxes were not classed in the genus eatable, they were nothing to him. —
至于水手，自从他发现这些狐狸并不属于可食用的物种后，他就不再关心它们了。 —

However, when a poultry-yard was established at Granite House, he observed that it would be best to take some precautions against a probable visit from these four-legged plunderers, and no one disputed this.
然而，当Granite House建立起一个家禽园时，他观察到最好采取一些预防措施来防止这些四条腿的掠夺者的可能造访，没有人对此提出异议。

After having turned the point, the settlers saw a long beach washed by the open sea. —
在绕过海角后，殖民者们看到了一片被开阔海洋冲刷的长长海滩。 —

It was then eight o’clock in the morning. —
当时是早上八点钟。 —

The sky was very clear, as it often is after prolonged cold; —
天空非常清晰，这在经历了漫长寒冷后常常会发生； —

but warmed by their walk, neither Harding nor his companions felt the sharpness of the atmosphere too severely. —
但由于步行使他们有些发热，哈定和他的伙伴们并没有感受到大气的锐利。 —

Besides there was no wind, which made it much more bearable. —
此外，没有风，这使得天气好受多了。 —

A brilliant sun, but without any calorific action, was just issuing from the ocean. —
一个明亮的太阳，但没有产生热作用，刚刚从海洋中升起。 —

The sea was as tranquil and blue as that of a Mediterranean gulf, when the sky is clear. —
海面像地中海湾的海面那样宁静而碧蓝，天空晴朗。 —

Claw Cape, bent in the form of a yataghan, tapered away nearly four miles to the southeast. —
爪角岬呈短剑形向东南方向延伸了将近四英里。 —

To the left the edge of the marsh was abruptly ended by a little point. —
左侧的沼泽边缘被一个小点突然结束。 —

Certainly, in this part of Union Bay, which nothing sheltered from the open sea, not even a sandbank, ships beaten by the east winds would have found no shelter. —
在联合湾的这一部分，连一个沙洲都没有能够遮挡住开阔的海洋，即使是遭受东风侵袭的船只也找不到任何庇护。 —

They perceived by the tranquillity of the sea, in which no shallows troubled the waters, by its uniform color, which was stained by no yellow shades, by the absence of even a reef, that the coast was steep and that the ocean there covered a deep abyss. —
他们从海的宁静中感觉到，没有浅滩扰乱水面，它的均匀色彩，不被任何黄色阴影所染色，甚至没有暗礁，表明岸边陡峭，海洋在那里覆盖了深渊。 —

Behind in the west, but at a distance of four miles, rose the first trees of the forests of the Far West. They might have believed themselves to be on the desolate coast of some island in the Antarctic regions which the ice had invaded. —
在西边，但四英里之外，是远西森林的第一排树木。他们可能认为自己在南极地区某个被冰雪侵袭的荒凉岛屿的海岸。 —

The colonists halted at this place for breakfast. —
移民们在这里停下来吃早饭。 —

A fire of brushwood and dried seaweed was lighted, and Neb prepared the breakfast of cold meat, to which he added some cups of Oswego tea.
他们点燃了一堆草木和干海草来准备早餐，尼布准备了冷肉，还有一些奥斯威戈茶。

While eating they looked around them. This part of Lincoln Island was very sterile, and contrasted with all the western part. —
他们一边吃一边四处看着。林肯岛的这一部分非常贫瘠，与西部形成鲜明对比。 —

The reporter was thus led to observe that if chance had thrown them at first on the shore, they would have had but a deplorable idea of their future domain.
记者因此观察到，如果一开始他们被机缘决定搁浅在这片海岸上，他们对未来的领地将会产生很不乐观的看法。

“I believe that we should not have been able to reach it,” replied the engineer, “for the sea is deep, and there is not a rock on which we could have taken refuge. —
“我相信我们不可能到达这里的,” 工程师回答说, “因为海水很深，我们在哪里都找不到可以避难的岩石。 —

Before Granite House, at least, there were sandbanks, an islet, which multiplied our chances of safety. —
至少在花岗石屋前，有沙洲，有一个小岛，增加了我们的安全机会。 —

Here, nothing but the depths!”
这里，除了深渊，什么都没有!”

“It is singular enough,” remarked Spilett, “that this comparatively small island should present such varied ground. —
“这是非常奇怪的,” 斯派勒特说, “这个相对较小的岛屿居然有如此多样的地形。 —

This diversity of aspect, logically only belongs to continents of a certain extent. —
这种多样化的景观，逻辑上只出现在一定规模的大陆上。 —

One would really say, that the western part of Lincoln Island, so rich and so fertile, is washed by the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, and that its shores to the north and the southeast extend over a sort of Arctic sea.”
一个人确实会说，林肯岛的西部，如此富饶肥沃，被墨西哥湾的温暖水域所浸润，而它的北部和东南部海岸则延伸到了一种北极海洋。

“You are right, my dear Spilett,” replied Cyrus Harding, “I have also observed this. —
“你说得对，我亲爱的斯派勒特,” 西里斯哈丁回答说, “我也观察到了这一点。 —

I think the form and also the nature of this island strange. —
我觉得这个岛屿的形状和性质都很奇怪。 —

It is a summary of all the aspects which a continent presents, and I should not be surprised if it was a continent formerly.”
这是大陆呈现的各个方面的总结，如果这是一个以前的大陆，我应该不会感到惊讶。

“What! a continent in the middle of the Pacific?” cried Pencroft.
“什么！太平洋中间有一个大陆？”彭克罗夫喊道。

“Why not?” replied Cyrus Harding. “Why should not Australia, New Ireland, Australasia, united to the archipelagoes of the Pacific, have once formed a sixth part of the world, as important as Europe or Asia, as Africa or the two Americas? —
“为什么不呢?“西里斯·哈丁回答道。”为什么澳大利亚、新爱尔兰、澳大利亚洲与太平洋群岛不曾一度形成世界的六分之一，与欧洲、亚洲、非洲或两个美洲一样重要呢? —

To my mind, it is quite possible that all these islands, emerging from this vast ocean, are but the summits of a continent, now submerged, but which was above the waters at a prehistoric period.”
在我看来，这些岛屿都是从这片浩瀚的海洋中出现的，可能只是一座在史前时期曾经高出水面的大陆的山顶，如今已经沉入海底。

“As the Atlantis was formerly,” replied Herbert.
“就像亚特兰蒂斯曾经那样，”赫伯特回答道。

“Yes, my boy… if, however, it existed.”
“是的，孩子…如果亚特兰蒂斯确实存在的话。”

“And would Lincoln Island have been a part of that continent?” asked Pencroft.
“那林肯岛会成为那片大陆的一部分吗?“彭克罗夫问道。

“It is probable,” replied Cyrus Harding, “and that would sufficiently, explain the variety of productions which are seen on its surface.”
“这很有可能，”西里斯·哈丁回答道，”这应该足以解释我们在这里所见到的各种生物。

“And the great number of animals which still inhabit it,” added Herbert.
“并且栖息在这里的动物非常之多，”赫伯特补充道。

“Yes, my boy,” replied the engineer, “and you furnish me with an argument to support my theory. —
“是的，孩子，”工程师回答道，”你的话支持了我的理论。 —

It is certain, after what we have seen, that animals are numerous in this island, and what is more strange, that the species are extremely varied. —
毫无疑问，根据我们所见，这个岛上的动物数量众多，更奇特的是，这里的物种极其多样。 —

There is a reason for that, and to me it is that Lincoln Island may have formerly been a part of some vast continent which had gradually sunk below the Pacific.”
这其中必有原因，我认为林肯岛可能曾经是某个渐渐沉入太平洋下的巨大大陆的一部分。

“Then, some fine day,” said Pencroft, who did not appear to be entirely convinced, “the rest of this ancient continent may disappear in its turn, and there will be nothing between America and Asia.”
“那么，某一天，”似乎并不完全相信的彭克罗夫说，”这个古老的大陆的其余部分也会消失，那时美洲和亚洲之间就没有任何障碍。

“Yes,” replied Harding, “there will be new continents which millions and millions of animalculae are building at this moment.”
“是的，”哈丁回答道，”会有数以百万计的微生物此刻正在建造着新的大陆。”

“And what are these masons?” asked Pencroft.
“那这些砌砖工是什么?“彭克罗夫问道。

“Coral insects,” replied Cyrus Harding. “By constant work they made the island of Clermont-Tonnerre, and numerous other coral islands in the Pacific Ocean. Forty-seven millions of these insects are needed to weigh a grain, and yet, with the sea-salt they absorb, the solid elements of water which they assimilate, these animalculae produce limestone, and this limestone forms enormous submarine erections, of which the hardness and solidity equal granite. —
“珊瑚昆虫,“赛勒斯·哈丁回答道。”通过不断的努力，它们在克莱蒙特诺内尔岛和太平洋的许多其他珊瑚岛上建造了岛屿。四千七百万这些昆虫需要称一粒谷物的重量，然而，它们吸收的海盐，同化的水的固体成分，使这些微生物产生石灰岩，这些石灰岩形成硬度和坚固性等同于花岗岩。 —

Formerly, at the first periods of creation, nature employing fire, heaved up the land, but now she entrusts to these microscopic creatures the task of replacing this agent, of which the dynamic power in the interior of the globe has evidently diminished–which is proved by the number of volcanoes on the surface of the earth, now actually extinct. —
“从前，在创造的最初时期，大自然使用火焰，抬升了陆地，但现在她委托这些微小生物的任务是取代这种作用剂，表现得明显的地球内部动力已经减弱–这由现在地球表面上现实已经灭绝的火山数量证明。 —

And I believe that centuries succeeding to centuries, and insects to insects, this Pacific may one day be changed into a vast continent, which new generations will inhabit and civilize in their turn.”
“我相信世纪接续着世纪，昆虫接替着昆虫，这个太平洋有一天会变成一个巨大的大陆，新一代人将居住并依次文明化它。

“That will take a long time,” said Pencroft.
“那需要很长时间,“潘克洛夫说道。

“Nature has time for it,” replied the engineer.
“大自然有足够的时间，”工程师回答道。

“But what would be the use of new continents?” asked Herbert. —
“但是新大陆有什么用处呢?“赫伯特问道。 —

“It appears to me that the present extent of habitable countries is sufficient for humanity. —
“在我看来，目前有人类居住的国家范围已经足够了。 —

Yet nature does nothing uselessly.”
但是大自然并不做无用之事。

“Nothing uselessly, certainly,” replied the engineer, “but this is how the necessity of new continents for the future, and exactly on the tropical zone occupied by the coral islands, may be explained. —
“毫无疑问不做无用之事，”工程师说道，”但这个太平洋上所有珊瑚岛所占的热带地带将来需要新的大陆的必要性，可能就是这样的解释。 —

At least to me this explanation appears plausible.”
至少对我来说，这个解释看起来是合理的。

“We are listening, captain,” said Herbert.
“我们在听着，船长，”赫伯特说道。

“This is my idea: philosophers generally admit that some day our globe will end, or rather that animal and vegetable life will no longer be possible, because of the intense cold to which it will be subjected. —
“这是我的想法：哲学家们普遍认为，有一天我们的地球会毁灭，或者说动物和植物生命将不再可能存在，因为它会受到极端寒冷的影响。 —

What they are not agreed upon, is the cause of this cold. —
他们不同意的是这种寒冷的原因。 —

Some think that it will arise from the falling of the temperature, which the sun will experience alter millions of years; —
有些人认为这将是由太阳经历数百万年后温度下降导致的; —

others, from the gradual extinction of the fires in the interior of our globe, which have a greater influence on it than is generally supposed. —
另一些人则认为是由我们地球内部火源的逐渐消失造成的，这对它的影响比一般所认为的要大。” —

I hold to this last hypothesis, grounding it on the fact that the moon is really a cold star, which is no longer habitable, although the sun continues to throw on its surface the same amount of heat. —
我坚持最后一种假设，依据是月亮实际上是一颗已经不再适宜居住的寒冷星球，尽管太阳继续向其表面投射同样数量的热量。 —

If, then, the moon has become cold, it is because the interior fires to which, as do all the stars of the stellar world, it owes its origin, are completely extinct. —
若是如此，那么月球之所以变得寒冷，是因为内部火焰已经完全熄灭，正如所有恒星世界中的星体一样。 —

Lastly, whatever may be the cause, our globe will become cold some day, but this cold will only operate gradually. —
最后，无论原因是什么，我们的地球总有一天也会变冷，但这种寒冷只会逐渐发生。 —

What will happen, then? The temperate zones, at a more or less distant period, will not be more habitable than the polar regions now are. —
那么会发生什么呢？温带地区，在更远或更近的未来，将不再比现在的极地地区更适宜生存。 —

Then the population of men, as well as the animals, will flow towards the latitudes which are more directly under the solar influence. —
那时，人类以及动物群将流向更直接受到太阳影响的纬度地区。 —

An immense emigration will take place. Europe, Central Asia, North America, will gradually be abandoned, as well as Australasia and the lower parts of South America. —
将会发生巨大的移民潮。欧洲、中亚、北美将逐渐被废弃，同样也会有澳大利亚和南美洲较低部分。 —

The vegetation will follow the human emigration. —
植被将会追随人类迁徙。 —

The flora will retreat towards the Equator at the same time as the fauna. —
植物群将会伴随动物群向赤道地区撤退。 —

The central parts of South America and Africa will be the continents chiefly inhabited. —
南美洲和非洲中部将成为主要人类聚集的大陆。 —

The Laplanders and the Samoides will find the climate of the polar regions on the shores of the Mediterranean. —
拉布兰德人和萨摩伊人将在地中海沿岸找到极地地区气候。 —

Who can say, that at this period, the equatorial regions will not be too small, to contain and nourish terrestrial humanity? —
谁能说，到了那个时期，赤道地区不会变得太小，无法容纳和供养地球上的人类？ —

Now, may not provident nature, so as to give refuge to all the vegetable and animal emigration, be at present laying the foundation of a new continent under the Equator, and may she not have entrusted these insects with the construction of it? —
难道敏锐的自然不是正在为了容纳所有植物和动物迁徙，正在地赤道下方建立一座新大陆的基础，并且不是把这些昆虫委托给了它的建设？ —

I have often thought of all these things, my friends, and I seriously believe that the aspect of our globe will some day be completely changed; —
我常常思考这一切，朋友们，我认为我们地球的面貌将有一天会完全改变； —

that by the raising of new continents the sea will cover the old, and that, in future ages, a Columbus will go to discover the islands of Chimborazo, of the Himalayas, or of Mont Blanc, remains of a submerged America, Asia, and Europe. —
随着新大陆的升起，海水将覆盖旧大陆，在未来的岁月里，学者将去探寻钦博拉佐岛、喜马拉雅山、勃朗峰的岛屿，这些都是一些沉没的美洲、亚洲和欧洲的遗迹。 —

Then these new continents will become, in their turn, uninhabitable; —
随后这些新大陆也将变得无法居住； —

heat will die away, as does the heat from a body when the soul has left it; —
热量会消失，就像灵魂离开身体时的热量一样； —

and life will disappear from the globe, if not for ever, at least for a period. —
生命将从地球上消失，如果不是永远的话，那至少是一段时间。 —

Perhaps then, our spheroid will rest– will be left to death–to revive some day under superior conditions! —
或许，我们的圆球将安息–将被留给死亡–有一天会在更好的条件下复苏！ —

But all that, my friends, is the secret of the Author of all things; —
但这一切，我的朋友们，是万物创造者的秘密； —

and beginning by the work of the insects, I have perhaps let myself be carried too far, in investigating the secrets of the future.
从昆虫的工作开始，我或许在探讨未来的秘密时走得太远。

“My dear Cyrus,” replied Spilett, “these theories are prophecies to me, and they will be accomplished some day.”
“我亲爱的赛勒斯，”斯皮雷特回答说，“这些理论对我来说就像预言，它们有一天会实现。”

“That is the secret of God,” said the engineer.
“这是神的秘密，”工程师说。

“All that is well and good,” then said Pencroft, who had listened with all his might, “but will you tell me, captain, if Lincoln Island has been made by your insects?”
“那一切都很好，”彭克罗夫说道，他一直在竭力倾听，“但请告诉我，船长，林肯岛是你们的昆虫造出来的吗？”

“No,” replied Harding; “it is of a purely volcanic origin.”
“不是的，”哈丁回答道，“它纯粹是火山起源的。”

“Then it will disappear some day?”
“那么它有一天会消失吗？”

“That is probable.
“很有可能。”

“I hope we won’t be here then.”
“我希望那时我们不在这里。”

“No, don’t be uneasy, Pencroft; we shall not be here then, as we have no wish to die here, and hope to get away some time.”
“不要担心，彭克罗夫；我们到那时应该不在这里，因为我们没打算在这里死去，希望能够早日离开。”

“In the meantime,” replied Gideon Spilett, “let us establish ourselves here as if forever. —
“与此同时，”吉迪恩·斯普莱特回答道，“让我们如同永远留在这里一样建立起我们的生活吧。” —

There is no use in doing things by halves.”
“事情做一半是没有意义的。”

This ended the conversation. Breakfast was finished, the exploration was continued, and the settlers arrived at the border of the marshy region. —
这结束了对话。早餐吃完后，探险继续进行，定居者们来到了沼泽区的边界。 —

It was a marsh of which the extent, to the rounded coast which terminated the island at the southeast, was about twenty square miles. —
这是一个沼泽地，从岛东南端结束的圆滑海岸延伸出去，大约有20平方英里。 —

The soil was formed of clayey flint-earth, mingled with vegetable matter, such as the remains of rushes, reeds, grass, etc. —
土壤是由黏土状的燧石土壤和植物物质组成，如蒲草、芦苇、草等的残余物。 —

Here and there beds of grass, thick as a carpet, covered it. —
那里草叶浓密，如地毯般覆盖着。 —

In many places icy pools sparkled in the sun. —
许多地方的冰池在阳光下闪耀着。 —

Neither rain nor any river, increased by a sudden swelling, could supply these ponds. —
这些池塘既不是雨水也不是突然膨胀的河流供应的。 —

They therefore naturally concluded that the marsh was fed by the infiltrations of the soil and it was really so. —
因此，他们自然地得出结论，这个沼泽地是由土壤的渗透所滋养的，而实际确实如此。 —

It was also to be feared that during the heat miasmas would arise, which might produce fevers.
同时也要担心在炎热天气中会产生瘴气，可能引发发热。

Above the aquatic plants, on the surface of the stagnant water, fluttered numbers of birds. —
在水生植物以上，漂浮着许多鸟类。 —

Wild duck, teal, snipe lived there in flocks, and those fearless birds allowed themselves to be easily approached.
野鸭、矶鹬、半蹼鹬群居于此，这些胆大的鸟很容易接近。

One shot from a gun would certainly have brought down some dozen of the birds, they were so close together. —
一枪肯定可以击落几十只鸟，它们聚得如此密集。 —

The explorers were, however, obliged to content themselves with bows and arrows. —
然而探险者只能满足于弓箭。 —

The result was less, but the silent arrow had the advantage of not frightening the birds, while the noise of firearms would have dispersed them to all parts of the marsh. —
结果少了一些，但无声箭矢的好处在于不会惊到鸟类，而枪声则会将它们驱散到沼泽的各处。 —

The hunters were satisfied, for this time, with a dozen ducks, which had white bodies with a band of cinnamon, a green head, wings black, white, and red, and flattened beak. —
猎人们这次满意，收获了一打鸭子，它们有着白色的身体，带有桂皮色的条纹，青色的头部，黑白红相间的翅膀，扁平的喙。 —

Herbert called them tadorns. Top helped in the capture of these birds, whose name was given to this marshy part of the island. —
赫伯特称它们为矶鹬。狗狗在捕捉这些鸟类时出力，这片湿地因此得名。 —

The settlers had here an abundant reserve of aquatic game. —
殖民者在这里可以得到大量的水生飞禽。 —

At some future time they meant to explore it more carefully, and it was probable that some of the birds there might be domesticated, or at least brought to the shores of the lake, so that they would be more within their reach.
他们将在将来更仔细地探索这里，很可能会驯养某些鸟类，或至少将它们带到湖岸边，这样它们就更容易接近。

About five o’clock in the evening Cyrus Harding and his companions retraced their steps to their dwelling by traversing Tadorn’s Fens, and crossed the Mercy on the ice-bridge.
大约下午五点，赛勒斯·哈定和他的同伴通过矶鹬泽回到他们的住所，穿过海滨河上的冰桥。

At eight in the evening they all entered Granite House.
晚上八点，他们全部进入花岗岩屋。