The engineer, the meshes of the net having given way, had been carried off by a wave. —
工程师被浪潮卷走了，网的网眼已经坏了。 —

His dog also had disappeared. The faithful animal had voluntarily leaped out to help his master. —
他的狗也不见了。这只忠诚的狗主动跳下去帮助主人。 —

“Forward,” cried the reporter; and all four, Spilett, Herbert, Pencroft, and Neb, forgetting their fatigue, began their search. —
“前进！”记者喊道，斯皮莱特、赫伯特、彭克罗夫特和尼布四人忘记了疲劳，开始搜索。 —

Poor Neb shed bitter tears, giving way to despair at the thought of having lost the only being he loved on earth.
可怜的尼布心碎地流泪，陷入绝望之中，想到自己在世上唯一爱的人失去了。

Only two minutes had passed from the time when Cyrus Harding disappeared to the moment when his companions set foot on the ground. —
从辛克莱斯·哈丁消失，到他的同伴们踏上陆地，只过了两分钟。 —

They had hopes therefore of arriving in time to save him. —
他们因此有希望及时赶到救他。 —

“Let us look for him! let us look for him!” cried Neb.
“让我们找他！让我们找他！”尼布喊道。

“Yes, Neb,” replied Gideon Spilett, “and we will find him too!”
“是的，尼布，”吉迪恩·斯皮莱特回答说，“我们也会找到他的！”

“Living, I trust!”
“我相信他还活着！”

“Still living!”
“还活着！”

“Can he swim?” asked Pencroft.
“他会游泳吗？” 彭克罗夫特问道。

“Yes,” replied Neb, “and besides, Top is there.”
“会的，”尼布回答道，“而且，汀普在那儿。”

The sailor, observing the heavy surf on the shore, shook his head.
水手看着海岸上的巨浪，摇了摇头。

The engineer had disappeared to the north of the shore, and nearly half a mile from the place where the castaways had landed. —
工程师消失在海岸以北，距离荒岛的幸存者登陆地点几乎有半英里远。 —

The nearest point of the beach he could reach was thus fully that distance off.
他能够到达的最近的海滩点距离整整那段距离。

It was then nearly six o’clock. A thick fog made the night very dark. —
当时已接近六点。浓雾使夜晚变得非常黑暗。 —

The castaways proceeded toward the north of the land on which chance had thrown them, an unknown region, the geographical situation of which they could not even guess. —
漂流者们朝着被机会投掷到的陆地北部前进，一个他们根本无法猜测地理位置的未知区域。 —

They were walking upon a sandy soil, mingled with stones, which appeared destitute of any sort of vegetation. —
他们走在一片沙石混合、似乎缺乏任何植被的土地上。 —

The ground, very unequal and rough, was in some places perfectly riddled with holes, making walking extremely painful. —
地面颇不平整，有些地方被洞穴深深挖穿，让人走路非常痛苦。 —

From these holes escaped every minute great birds of clumsy flight, which flew in all directions. —
从这些洞穴里不时飞出笨拙飞行的大鸟，它们四处飞翔。 —

Others, more active, rose in flocks and passed in clouds over their heads. —
更为活跃的其他鸟群则齐声升起，在他们头顶上飞过。 —

The sailor thought he recognized gulls and cormorants, whose shrill cries rose above the roaring of the sea.
水手觉得他认出了海鸥和鸬鹚，它们尖厉的叫声盖过了海浪的轰鸣声。

From time to time the castaways stopped and shouted, then listened for some response from the ocean, for they thought that if the engineer had landed, and they had been near to the place, they would have heard the barking of the dog Top, even should Harding himself have been unable to give any sign of existence. —
漂流者们不时停下来喊叫，然后倾听大海有无回应，因为他们认为如果工程师已经登陆，并且他们距离那个地方很近，他们应该听到狗托普的吠声，即使哈丁本人无法发出存在的任何迹象。 —

They stopped to listen, but no sound arose above the roaring of the waves and the dashing of the surf. —
他们停下来倾听，但没有任何声音超过了海浪的咆哮和海浪的拍打声。 —

The little band then continued their march forward, searching into every hollow of the shore.
那小队接着向前走，搜索岸边的每一个洞穴。

After walking for twenty minutes, the four castaways were suddenly brought to a standstill by the sight of foaming billows close to their feet. —
走了二十分钟后，四名漂流者突然被海浪波涛近在脚边的景象所阻碍。 —

The solid ground ended here. They found themselves at the extremity of a sharp point on which the sea broke furiously.
坚固的地面在这里结束了。他们发现自己位于海浪猛烈拍打的一个尖锐的岬角。

“It is a promontory,” said the sailor; “we must retrace our steps, holding towards the right, and we shall thus gain the mainland.”
“这是一个岬角，”水手说道，”我们必须沿着右边返回，这样我们就会走回到大陆上去。”

“But if he is there,” said Neb, pointing to the ocean, whose waves shone of a snowy white in the darkness. —
“但如果他在那里呢，”尼布指着在黑暗中闪亮如雪的海浪说。 —

“Well, let us call again,” and all uniting their voices, they gave a vigorous shout, but there came no reply. —
“好，让我们再喊一次，”所有人齐声大喊，但没有回应。 —

They waited for a lull, then began again; still no reply.
他们等待了片刻的寂静，然后重新开始；仍然没有回应。

The castaways accordingly returned, following the opposite side of the promontory, over a soil equally sandy and rugged. —
然后，漂流者们返回，沿着海角的另一侧走去，沿途是同样多沙多岩的土地。 —

However, Pencroft observed that the shore was more equal, that the ground rose, and he declared that it was joined by a long slope to a hill, whose massive front he thought that he could see looming indistinctly through the mist. —
但是潘克罗夫观察到海岸更为平坦，地面升高，他说那里有一条长坡道，他觉得可以隐约看到遥远山丘的厚实正面。 —

The birds were less numerous on this part of the shore; —
这一部分海岸上的鸟类较少； —

the sea was also less tumultuous, and they observed that the agitation of the waves was diminished. —
海面也较为平静，他们发现海浪的激荡有所减少。 —

The noise of the surf was scarcely heard. —
海浪的声音几乎听不见。 —

This side of the promontory evidently formed a semicircular bay, which the sharp point sheltered from the breakers of the open sea. —
海角的这一侧明显形成了一个半圆形的海湾，锐利的尖端使它免受来自开阔海域的破浪侵袭。 —

But to follow this direction was to go south, exactly opposite to that part of the coast where Harding might have landed. —
但是沿着这个方向走将会向南，与哈定可能登陆的海岸正好相反。 —

After a walk of a mile and a half, the shore presented no curve which would permit them to return to the north. —
走了一英里半后，海岸并没有出现使他们返回北面的曲线。 —

This promontory, of which they had turned the point, must be attached to the mainland. —
他们绕过的这个海角必定连着大陆。 —

The castaways, although their strength was nearly exhausted, still marched courageously forward, hoping every moment to meet with a sudden angle which would set them in the first direction. —
虽然他们的体力几近耗尽，漂流者们依然勇敢向前，希望每一刻都会遇到一处突然的拐角，使他们重回原来的方向。 —

What was their disappointment, when, after trudging nearly two miles, having reached an elevated point composed of slippery rocks, they found themselves again stopped by the sea.
当他们跋涉了近两英里，到达一个由光滑岩石组成的高点时，发现自己再次被海水挡住了。

“We are on an islet,” said Pencroft, “and we have surveyed it from one extremity to the other.”
“我们在一个小岛上，”潘克罗夫说，“我们已经从一个端点到另一个端点查看了。”

The sailor was right; they had been thrown, not on a continent, not even on an island, but on an islet which was not more than two miles in length, with even a less breadth.
船员说得对；他们被抛在了一个孤立小岛上，只有不到两英里的长度，甚至更窄。

Was this barren spot the desolate refuge of sea-birds, strewn with stones and destitute of vegetation, attached to a more important archipelago? —
这片荒凉的区域难道是海鸟们荒无人烟的避难所，散布着石头，缺乏植被，与更重要的群岛相连吗？ —

It was impossible to say. When the voyagers from their car saw the land through the mist, they had not been able to reconnoiter it sufficiently. —
很难确定。当旅行者们从车里通过薄雾看到这片陆地时，他们无法足够地侦察清楚。 —

However, Pencroft, accustomed with his sailor eyes to piece through the gloom, was almost certain that he could clearly distinguish in the west confused masses which indicated an elevated coast. —
然而，与船员眼睛习惯于穿透黑暗的潘克罗夫几乎可以肯定在西方看到了一些混乱的地形，表明那是一片高耸的海岸。 —

But they could not in the dark determine whether it was a single island, or connected with others. —
但他们无法在黑暗中确定这是一座孤岛，还是与其他岛屿相连的。 —

They could not leave it either, as the sea surrounded them; —
他们也无法离开这里，因为四周是大海； —

they must therefore put off till the next day their search for the engineer, from whom, alas! —
因此他们必须推迟到第二天继续寻找工程师，可惜！ —

not a single cry had reached them to show that he was still in existence.
没有一声呼喊传到他们这里，显示工程师是否还活着。

“The silence of our friend proves nothing,” said the reporter. —
“我们的朋友沉默无声并不能证明什么，”记者说。 —

“Perhaps he has fainted or is wounded, and unable to reply directly, so we will not despair.”
“也许他已经昏迷或受伤，无法直接回答，所以我们不会失去希望。”

The reporter then proposed to light a fire on a point of the islet, which would serve as a signal to the engineer. —
记者随后建议在小岛的一个地方点起火，作为向工程师发信号的方式。 —

But they searched in vain for wood or dry brambles; nothing but sand and stones were to be found. —
但他们寻找了木材或干草，却一无所获；只有沙土和石块。 —

The grief of Neb and his companions, who were all strongly attached to the intrepid Harding, can be better pictured than described. —
内布和他的同伴们对这位无畏的哈丁感情深厚，这种悲伤无法用言语描述。 —

It was too evident that they were powerless to help him. —
显然他们无法帮助他。 —

They must wait with what patience they could for daylight. —
他们只能尽可能耐心地等待黎明。 —

Either the engineer had been able to save himself, and had already found a refuge on some point of the coast, or he was lost for ever! —
要么工程师已经救自己，已在海岸某处找到避难所，要么永远失去了！ —

The long and painful hours passed by. The cold was intense. —
长时间而痛苦的时光过去了。寒冷异常。 —

The castaways suffered cruelly, but they scarcely perceived it. —
荒岛上的幸存者遭受了残酷的折磨，但他们几乎没有意识到。 —

They did not even think of taking a minute’s rest. —
他们甚至没有想要休息一分钟。 —

Forgetting everything but their chief, hoping or wishing to hope on, they continued to walk up and down on this sterile spot, always returning to its northern point, where they could approach nearest to the scene of the catastrophe. —
忘记了一切，除了他们的首领，希望着或者希望着有所指望，他们不停地在这片贫瘠的土地上走来走去，总是回到北端，那里他们可以最接近灾难的现场。 —

They listened, they called, and then uniting their voices, they endeavored to raise even a louder shout than before, which would be transmitted to a great distance. —
他们聆听着，呼喊着，然后合声高喊，试图发出比之前更响亮的呼喊，希望能够传到更远的地方。 —

The wind had now fallen almost to a calm, and the noise of the sea began also to subside. —
风已经几乎平静下来，海洋的声音也开始减弱。 —

One of Neb’s shouts even appeared to produce an echo. —
Neb的一个喊声甚至似乎引起了回音。 —

Herbert directed Pencroft’s attention to it, adding, “That proves that there is a coast to the west, at no great distance.” —
Herbert引起了Pencroft的注意，补充说：“这证明西边有一片海岸，距离不远。” —

The sailor nodded; besides, his eyes could not deceive him. —
水手点了点头；此外，他的眼睛不会欺骗他。 —

If he had discovered land, however indistinct it might appear, land was sure to be there. —
如果他发现了岛屿，无论看起来多么模糊，解放肯定在那里。 —

But that distant echo was the only response produced by Neb’s shouts, while a heavy gloom hung over all the part east of the island.
但是Neb的呼喊只引起了那遥远回声，而沉闷笼罩着岛屿东部的一切。

Meanwhile, the sky was clearing little by little. —
与此同时，天空一点点变得清晰。 —

Towards midnight the stars shone out, and if the engineer had been there with his companions he would have remarked that these stars did not belong to the Northern Hemisphere. —
午夜过后，星空闪耀着光芒，如果工程师和他的同伴在场，他会注意到这些星星不属于北半球。 —

The Polar Star was not visible, the constellations were not those which they had been accustomed to see in the United States; —
极星不可见，星座也不是他们在美国习惯看到的。 —

the Southern Cross glittered brightly in the sky.
南十字星在天空中熠熠发光。

The night passed away. Towards five o’clock in the morning of the 25th of March, the sky began to lighten; —
夜晚过去了。3月25日凌晨五点左右，天空开始变亮； —

the horizon still remained dark, but with daybreak a thick mist rose from the sea, so that the eye could scarcely penetrate beyond twenty feet or so from where they stood. —
地平线依旧笼罩在黑暗中，但随着黎明，一股浓雾从海面上升起，以至于眼睛几乎无法看清他们所站立的二十英尺之外的地方。 —

At length the fog gradually unrolled itself in great heavily moving waves.
最终，浓雾逐渐卷动成巨大而沉重的波浪。

It was unfortunate, however, that the castaways could distinguish nothing around them. —
然而，不幸的是，遇难者周围什么都看不清。 —

While the gaze of the reporter and Neb were cast upon the ocean, the sailor and Herbert looked eagerly for the coast in the west. —
当记者和尼布的目光投向大海时，水手和赫伯特急切地望向西边的海岸。 —

But not a speck of land was visible. “Never mind,” said Pencroft, “though I do not see the land, I feel it. —
但是一点陆地的影子也看不见。“别担心，”彭克罗夫说，“即使我看不到陆地，我也感觉得到。 —

.. it is there… there… as sure as the fact that we are no longer at Richmond.” —
..它就在那里…确实在那里…就像我们不再在里士满一样肯定地知道。” —

But the fog was not long in rising. it was only a fine-weather mist. —
但是薄雾没有持续很久。只是一场晴朗天气下的薄雾。 —

A hot sun soon penetrated to the surface of the island. —
很快，火热的阳光穿透到了岛屿表面。 —

About half-past six, three-quarters of an hour after sunrise, the mist became more transparent. —
大约六点半，在日出后大约三刻钟，雾气变得更加透明。 —

It grew thicker above, but cleared away below. —
它在上面变得更浓，但在下面消散。 —

Soon the isle appeared as if it had descended from a cloud, then the sea showed itself around them, spreading far away towards the east, but bounded on the west by an abrupt and precipitous coast.
很快，小岛似乎从云层降下，海面在周围展开，向东远远延伸，但在西边被一片陡峭而险峻的海岸所限制。

Yes! the land was there. Their safety was at least provisionally insured. —
是的，陆地就在那里。他们的安全至少暂时得到了保障。 —

The islet and the coast were separated by a channel about half a mile in breadth, through which rushed an extremely rapid current.
小岛和海岸之间有一条约半英里宽的海峡，沿着这条海峡急流急速流动。

However, one of the castaways, following the impulse of his heart, immediately threw himself into the current, without consulting his companions, without saying a single word. —
然而，其中一名遇难者顺着内心的冲动，立即扑进了急流，没有征求同伴的意见，也没有说一句话。 —

It was Neb. He was in haste to be on the other side, and to climb towards the north. —
那是尼布。他急于到达对岸，并向北方攀登。 —

It had been impossible to hold him back. Pencroft called him in vain. —
他被挽留不住。潘克罗夫徒劳地叫他。 —

The reporter prepared to follow him, but Pencroft stopped him. “Do you want to cross the channel?” —
记者准备跟着他，但是潘克罗夫拦住了他。”你想渡过海峡吗？”他问道。”是的，”斯皮莱特回答说。”好吧，”水手说，”等一等； —

he asked. “Yes,” replied Spilett. “All right!” said the seaman; “wait a bit; —
内布完全有能力给他的主人送去帮助。 —

Neb is well able to carry help to his master. —
如果我们冒险穿过海峡，我们有可能被急流冲到开阔的海面上去，那里现在水流很强； —

If we venture into the channel, we risk being carried into the open sea by the current, which is running very strong; —
但如果我没有看错，潮水正在落。看，潮水正在海滩上退去。 —

but, if I’m not wrong, it is ebbing. See, the tide is going down over the sand. —
让我们耐心等待，在低潮时我们可能会找到一个可以涉水通过的通道。 —

Let us have patience, and at low water it is possible we may find a fordable passage.” —
“你说得对，”记者回答说，”我们会尽量不分开。” —

“You are right,” replied the reporter, “we will not separate more than we can help.”
在此期间，内布正在与急流奋力搏斗。

During this time Neb was struggling vigorously against the current. —
他斜着方向穿越。他黑色的肩膀在每一次划水时都会浮出水面。 —

He was crossing in an oblique direction. His black shoulders could be seen emerging at each stroke. —
他虽然下得很快，但也在向岸边前进。 —

He was carried down very quickly, but he also made way towards the shore. —
从小岛到岸边的过程花了半个多小时，他在岸上登陆距离他出发的地点对面几百英尺远的地方。 —

It took more than half an hour to cross from the islet to the land, and he reached the shore several hundred feet from the place which was opposite to the point from which he had started.
登陆在一座花岗岩高墙的脚下，他用力摇了摇自己；

Landing at the foot of a high wall of granite, he shook himself vigorously; —
然后，他开始狂奔，很快消失在一块几乎达到小岛北端高度的岩石尖背后。 —

and then, setting off running, soon disappeared behind a rocky point, which projected to nearly the height of the northern extremity of the islet.
内布的同伴们焦虑地注视着他的大胆尝试，当他看不见时，他们把希望寄托在岸边，同时吃着散落在沙滩上的贝壳。

Neb’s companions had watched his daring attempt with painful anxiety, and when he was out of sight, they fixed their attention on the land where their hope of safety lay, while eating some shell-fish with which the sand was strewn. —
在此过程中，他们把注意力放在他们的求生希望所在的陆地上，同时吃着沙滩上散落的贝壳。 —

It was a wretched repast, but still it was better than nothing. —
这顿饥饿的餐食虽然很糟糕，但总比没有好。 —

The opposite coast formed one vast bay, terminating on the south by a very sharp point, which was destitute of all vegetation, and was of a very wild aspect. —
对岸形成了一个巨大的海湾，南部端点非常尖锐，没有任何植被，显得非常荒凉。 —

This point abutted on the shore in a grotesque outline of high granite rocks. —
这个尖端在海岸边形成一个滑稽的高花岗岩岩石轮廓。 —

Towards the north, on the contrary, the bay widened, and a more rounded coast appeared, trending from the southwest to the northeast, and terminating in a slender cape. —
相反，向北，海湾变宽了，出现了一个更为圆润的海岸线，从西南到东北延伸，最终以一座细长的岬角结束。 —

The distance between these two extremities, which made the bow of the bay, was about eight miles. —
这两个极端之间的距离，形成了海湾的弓形，大约有八英里。 —

Half a mile from the shore rose the islet, which somewhat resembled the carcass of a gigantic whale. —
离海岸线半英里远处，矗立着一个看起来有点像一只巨大鲸鱼尸体的小岛。 —

Its extreme breadth was not more than a quarter of a mile.
它的最大宽度不超过四分之一英里。

Opposite the islet, the beach consisted first of sand, covered with black stones, which were now appearing little by little above the retreating tide. —
在小岛的对面，海滩首先由沙子构成，覆盖着黑色的石头，这些石头现在逐渐在随潮退去的海水中露出。 —

The second level was separated by a perpendicular granite cliff, terminated at the top by an unequal edge at a height of at least 300 feet. —
第二层由一块垂直的花岗岩悬崖分隔开来，顶端以至少300英尺高的不规则边缘结束。 —

It continued thus for a length of three miles, ending suddenly on the right with a precipice which looked as if cut by the hand of man. —
它沿着三英里的长度保持这种方式，右侧突然结束于一处看起来像是人工切割的悬崖。 —

On the left, above the promontory, this irregular and jagged cliff descended by a long slope of conglomerated rocks till it mingled with the ground of the southern point. —
在左侧，悬崖上面，这不规则多刺的悬崖经过一个长长的圆石斜坡直至与南端的地面混合。 —

On the upper plateau of the coast not a tree appeared. —
海岸的上方高地上没有一棵树。 —

It was a flat tableland like that above Cape Town at the Cape of Good Hope, but of reduced proportions; —
它是一个平坦的高地，类似于好望角的好望角岛上的平坦高地，但规模更小； —

at least so it appeared seen from the islet. —
至少从小岛上看来是这样。 —

However, verdure was not wanting to the right beyond the precipice. —
然而，在右侧超过悬崖的地方绿草丛生。 —

They could easily distinguish a confused mass of great trees, which extended beyond the limits of their view. —
他们很容易区分出一片伸展范围超出视野范围的混乱的大树。 —

This verdure relieved the eye, so long wearied by the continued ranges of granite. —
这片绿色植物缓解了眼睛的疲劳，长时间被不断延伸的花岗岩山脉所困扰。 —

Lastly, beyond and above the plateau, in a northwesterly direction and at a distance of at least seven miles, glittered a white summit which reflected the sun’s rays. —
最后，在高原的上方，朝西北方向至少七英里的距离处，闪耀着一座反射太阳光芒的白色山峰。 —

It was that of a lofty mountain, capped with snow.
那是一座被积雪覆盖的高山。

The question could not at present be decided whether this land formed an island, or whether it belonged to a continent. —
目前还不能确定这片土地是岛屿，还是属于大陆。 —

But on beholding the convulsed masses heaped up on the left, no geologist would have hesitated to give them a volcanic origin, for they were unquestionably the work of subterranean convulsions.
但是当看到左边堆积的颠覆岩块时，没有一个地质学家会犹豫认为它们具有火山起源，因为它们毫无疑问是地下动荡的结果。

Gideon Spilett, Pencroft, and Herbert attentively examined this land, on which they might perhaps have to live many long years; —
吉迪恩·斯波雷特、彭克罗夫特和赫伯特仔细地检查了这片土地，他们也许将不得不在这里生活许多年； —

on which indeed they might even die, should it be out of the usual track of vessels, as was likely to be the case.
甚至可能死在这里，如果这里不是常规船只的航行路线，那很可能会是这种情况。

“Well,” asked Herbert, “what do you say, Pencroft?”
“好吧，”赫伯特问，“你说什么，彭克罗夫特？”

“There is some good and some bad, as in everything,” replied the sailor. “We shall see. —
“好坏兼有，无可避免，”水手回答道。“我们会看到的。 —

But now the ebb is evidently making. In three hours we will attempt the passage, and once on the other side, we will try to get out of this scrape, and I hope may find the captain.” —
但现在显然在涨潮。三小时后我们将尝试穿越，一旦到达另一侧，我们将尽力摆脱这个困境，并希望能找到船长。” —

Pencroft was not wrong in his anticipations. —
彭克罗夫特的预期并没有错。 —

Three hours later at low tide, the greater part of the sand forming the bed of the channel was uncovered. —
三小时后，退潮时，水道底部的大部分沙子露出水面。 —

Between the islet and the coast there only remained a narrow channel which would no doubt be easy to cross.
在小岛和岸边之间，只剩下一个窄窄的水道，无疑会很容易穿过。

About ten o’clock, Gideon Spilett and his companions stripped themselves of their clothes, which they placed in bundles on their heads, and then ventured into the water, which was not more than five feet deep. —
大约十点，吉迪恩·斯波雷特和他的同伴们脱下衣服，将衣物捆成一捆放在头上，然后冒险涉水，水深不超过五英尺。 —

Herbert, for whom it was too deep, swam like a fish, and got through capitally. —
Herbert, 因为水太深了，游泳像鱼一样游得很好。 —

All three arrived without difficulty on the opposite shore. —
三人毫无困难地抵达了对岸。 —

Quickly drying themselves in the sun, they put on their clothes, which they had preserved from contact with the water, and sat down to take counsel together what to do next.
他们迅速晒干身体，穿上从未被水沾湿的衣服，然后坐下商议接下来该怎么办。