Gideon Spilett was standing motionless on the shore, his arms crossed, gazing over the sea, the horizon of which was lost towards the east in a thick black cloud which was spreading rapidly towards the zenith. —
吉迪恩·斯普利特站在海岸边一动不动，双臂交叉，凝视着大海，东方的地平线在一团向天顶迅速蔓延的乌云中消失了。 —

The wind was already strong, and increased with the decline of day. —
风已经刮得很大，而且随着天色渐晚，风势还在增强。 —

The whole sky was of a threatening aspect, and the first symptoms of a violent storm were clearly visible.
整个天空的形势颇为危险，第一波猛烈暴风的迹象清晰可见。

Herbert entered the Chimneys, and Pencroft went towards the reporter. —
赫伯特走进了烟囱，而潘克罗夫则走向了记者。 —

The latter, deeply absorbed, did not see him approach.
深深陷入沉思的记者没有看到他走近。

“We are going to have a dirty night, Mr. Spilett!” —
“我们今晚会有个惨况，斯普利特先生！” —

said the sailor: “Petrels delight in wind and rain.”
水手说道：”海燕们喜欢风雨。”

The reporter, turning at the moment, saw Pencroft, and his first words were,–
记者在那一刻转身，看到了潘克罗夫，他的第一句话是：

“At what distance from the coast would you say the car was, when the waves carried off our companion?”
“我们的同伴被浪冲走时距离海岸多远?”

The sailor had not expected this question. He reflected an instant and replied,–
水手没有料到这个问题。他思考了一会儿回答说：

“Two cables lengths at the most.”
“最多两个绳长的距离。”

“But what is a cable’s length?” asked Gideon Spilett.
“那么一个绳长是多少?” 吉迪恩·斯普利特问道。

“About a hundred and twenty fathoms, or six hundred feet.”
“大约一百二十英寻，或六百英尺。”

“Then,” said the reporter, “Cyrus Harding must have disappeared twelve hundred feet at the most from the shore?”
“那么,” 记者说，”赛勒斯·哈丁最多离岸失踪了一千二百英尺?”

“About that,” replied Pencroft.
“大约是这样，”潘克罗夫回答说。

“And his dog also?”
“他的狗也？”

“Also.”
“也。”

“What astonishes me,” rejoined the reporter, “while admitting that our companion has perished, is that Top has also met his death, and that neither the body of the dog nor of his master has been cast on the shore!”
“让我感到惊讶的是，虽然我们的同伴已经丧生，但Top也去世了，并且他和他的主人的尸体都没有被冲到岸边！”记者回答道。

“It is not astonishing, with such a heavy sea,” replied the sailor. —
“在这样汹涌的海浪下，这并不令人惊讶，”水手答道。 —

“Besides, it is possible that currents have carried them farther down the coast.”
“此外，也有可能是洋流将它们带到了沿岸的更远处。”

“Then, it is your opinion that our friend has perished in the waves?” again asked the reporter.
“那么，你认为我们的朋友已经在海浪中丧生了？”记者再次问道。

“That is my opinion.”
“这就是我的看法。”

“My own opinion,” said Gideon Spilett, “with due deference to your experience, Pencroft, is that in the double fact of the absolute disappearance of Cyrus and Top, living or dead, there is something unaccountable and unlikely.”
“我认为，在赛勒斯和Top，无论是生是死，绝对消失这一事实中，有一些无法解释和不太可能的事情，”吉迪恩·斯皮莱特说道。

“I wish I could think like you, Mr. Spilett,” replied Pencroft; —
“很遗憾，我不能像您思考，斯派勒特先生，”彭克罗夫回答道； —

“unhappily, my mind is made up on this point.” —
“不幸的是，我的想法在这一点上已经确定了。” —

Having said this, the sailor returned to the Chimneys. A good fire crackled on the hearth. —
说完这句话，水手回到了烟囱。炉子上烧着旺盛的火。 —

Herbert had just thrown on an armful of dry wood, and the flame cast a bright light into the darkest parts of the passage.
赫伯特刚刚扔了一把干木头，火焰照亮了通道中最暗的地方。

Pencroft immediately began to prepare the dinner. —
彭克罗夫马上开始准备晚餐。 —

It appeared best to introduce something solid into the bill of fare, for all needed to get up their strength. —
最好提供一些固体食物，因为所有人都需要恢复体力。 —

The strings of couroucous were kept for the next day, but they plucked a couple of grouse, which were soon spitted on a stick, and roasting before a blazing fire.
班子瑞的雌黑琴鸡准备留到第二天，但他们拔了一对松鸡，很快就在熊熊燃烧的火堆上被穿在木棍上烤着。

At seven in the evening Neb had not returned. —
晚上七点的时候，尼布还没有回来。 —

The prolonged absence of the Negro made Pencroft very uneasy. —
那位黑人的长时间不见让彭克罗夫感到非常不安。 —

It was to be feared that he had met with an accident on this unknown land, or that the unhappy fellow had been driven to some act of despair. —
人们担心他在这片未知的土地上发生了意外，或者这位不幸的家伙已经被逼上绝路。 —

But Herbert drew very different conclusions from this absence. —
但赫伯特对这种缺席得出了完全不同的结论。 —

According to him, Neb’s delay was caused by some new circumstances which had induced him to prolong his search. —
根据他的看法，尼布的耽搁是由于一些新情况使他延长了搜索时间。 —

Also, everything new must be to the advantage of Cyrus Harding. —
而且，一切新的发现都必定对赛勒斯·哈丁有利。 —

Why had Neb not returned unless hope still detained him? —
除非依然有希望让他留下来，不然尼布为什么还不回来呢？ —

Perhaps he had found some mark, a footstep, a trace which had put him in the right path. —
也许他发现了一些痕迹，一只脚印，一条线索，使他走上了正确的道路。 —

Perhaps he was at this moment on a certain track. —
也许他此时正在某条特定的小径上。 —

Perhaps even he was near his master.
甚至也许他就在他的主人身旁。

Thus the lad reasoned. Thus he spoke. His companions let him talk. —
青年如此推理，如此说，他的同伴们听他说。 —

The reporter alone approved with a gesture. —
只有记者通过一个手势表示赞同。 —

But what Pencroft thought most probable was, that Neb had pushed his researches on the shore farther than the day before, and that he had not as yet had time to return.
但彭克罗夫认为最有可能的情况是，尼布在岸边的研究比前一天还要深入，因此他还没有时间回来。

Herbert, however, agitated by vague presentiments, several times manifested an intention to go to meet Neb. But Pencroft assured him that that would be a useless course, that in the darkness and deplorable weather he could not find any traces of Neb, and that it would be much better to wait. —
然而，被模糊不安的预感所困扰的赫伯特几次表示要去迎接尼布。但彭克罗夫向他保证，这样做是无益的，在黑暗和糟糕的天气下，他找不到尼布的任何踪迹，最好还是等待。 —

If Neb had not made his appearance by the next day, Pencroft would not hesitate to join him in his search.
如果尼布到第二天还没有露面，彭克罗夫将毫不犹豫地加入他的搜索行列。

Gideon Spilett approved of the sailor’s opinion that it was best not to divide, and Herbert was obliged to give up his project; —
吉迪恩·斯皮莱特赞同水手的意见，最好不要分开，赫伯特被迫放弃了他的计划； —

but two large tears fell from his eyes.
但是他的眼泪却流了下来；

The reporter could not refrain from embracing the generous boy.
记者情不自禁地拥抱了这位慷慨的少年；

Bad weather now set in. A furious gale from the southeast passed over the coast. —
恶劣的天气如期而至。一股来自东南方的狂风横扫海岸； —

The sea roared as it beat over the reef. —
海浪冲过礁石时咆哮不止； —

Heavy rain was dashed by the storm into particles like dust. —
暴风雨将大雨击打成了粉末状； —

Ragged masses of vapor drove along the beach, on which the tormented shingles sounded as if poured out in cart- loads, while the sand raised by the wind added as it were mineral dust to that which was liquid, and rendered the united attack insupportable. —
零碎的蒸汽云集中在海滩上，被强风吹起的沙子仿佛是矿物尘埃，将两者结合在一起，使这场联合攻势不堪重负； —

Between the river’s mouth and the end of the cliff, eddies of wind whirled and gusts from this maelstrom lashed the water which ran through the narrow valley. —
在河口和悬崖尽头之间，旋涡的风从麻里斯特龙姆吹过，暴风雨的阵阵狂风狠狠地抽打着从狭窄山谷中流过的水； —

The smoke from the fireplace was also driven back through the opening, filling the passages and rendering them uninhabitable.
炉子里的烟也被驱逐出去，填满了通道，使它们变得不能居住；

Therefore, as the grouse were cooked, Pencroft let the fire die away, and only preserved a few embers buried under the ashes.
因此，当松鸡烹制好吃的时候，彭克洛夫特任由火慢慢熄灭，只保留了一些深藏在灰烬下的余烬；

At eight o’clock Neb had not appeared, but there was no doubt that the frightful weather alone hindered his return, and that he must have taken refuge in some cave, to await the end of the storm or at least the return of day. —
八点钟时奈布还没有出现，但毫无疑问，恶劣的天气阻碍了他的返回，他一定躲在某个洞穴中等待风暴结束，或者至少等候着黎明到来； —

As to going to meet him, or attempting to find him, it was impossible.
至于去迎接他，或者试图找到他，那是不可能的；

The game constituted the only dish at supper; —
晚餐的唯一菜肴就是野禽； —

the meat was excellent, and Pencroft and Herbert, whose long excursion had rendered them very hungry, devoured it with infinite satisfaction.
肉非常美味，彭克洛夫特和一直处于饥饿状态的赫伯特津津有味地吃着；

Their meal concluded, each retired to the corner in which he had rested the preceding night, and Herbert was not long in going to sleep near the sailor, who had stretched himself beside the fireplace.
吃完饭后，每个人回到了他们前一晚休息的角落，赫伯特迅速入眠，靠近壁炉的地方躺下，身旁是船员。

Outside, as the night advanced, the tempest also increased in strength, until it was equal to that which had carried the prisoners from Richmond to this land in the Pacific. —
外面，随着夜色渐深，暴风雨的猛烈也逐渐增强，直到与把囚犯从里士满带到太平洋这片土地的风暴相当。 —

The tempests which are frequent during the seasons of the equinox, and which are so prolific in catastrophes, are above all terrible over this immense ocean, which opposes no obstacle to their fury. —
赤道季节频繁发生的暴风雨，在这片广阔的海洋上尤其可怕，这里没有什么阻挡它们的狂风。 —

No description can give an idea of the terrific violence of the gale as it beat upon the unprotected coast.
无法描述风暴对这片无人防护的海岸激烈的袭击是何等可怕。

Happily the pile of rocks which formed the Chimneys was solid. —
幸运的是，形成烟囱的岩石块非常坚固。 —

It was composed of enormous blocks of granite, a few of which, insecurely balanced, seemed to tremble on their foundations, and Pencroft could feel rapid quiverings under his head as it rested on the rock. —
这些岩石由巨大的花岗岩块组成，少数岩石不稳地平衡着，似乎在根基上颤抖，潘克罗夫躺在岩石上时，能感觉到快速的颤动。 —

But he repeated to himself, and rightly, that there was nothing to fear, and that their retreat would not give way. —
但他自言自语，完全正确，认为不必恐慌，撤退不会塌陷。 —

However he heard the noise of stones torn from the summit of the plateau by the wind, falling down on to the beach. —
然而，他听见岩石被风拽下高原顶部的声音，落在海滩上。 —

A few even rolled on to the upper part of the Chimneys, or flew off in fragments when they were projected perpendicularly. —
一些岩石甚至滚到烟囱的上部，或者当它们被垂直投射时会飞成碎片。 —

Twice the sailor rose and intrenched himself at the opening of the passage, so as to take a look in safety at the outside. —
水手两次站起来，依靠在通道口，以便安全地外面看一眼。 —

But there was nothing to be feared from these showers, which were not considerable, and he returned to his couch before the fireplace, where the embers glowed beneath the ashes.
但这些雨点无需担心，它们并不多，他回到火炉前的铁床上，灰烬下面的余烬发出微弱光芒。

Notwithstanding the fury of the hurricane, the uproar of the tempest, the thunder, and the tumult, Herbert slept profoundly. —
尽管飓风的狂暴，风暴的喧嚣，雷声和骚动，赫伯特深深地睡去。 —

Sleep at last took possession of Pencroft, whom a seafaring life had habituated to anything. —
最终，征服一切的睡意降临到潘克罗夫身上，对于习惯于航海生活的他，一切都不算什么。 —

Gideon Spilett alone was kept awake by anxiety. —
只有吉迪恩·斯皮莱特因为焦虑而保持着清醒。 —

He reproached himself with not having accompanied Neb. It was evident that he had not abandoned all hope. —
他责备自己没有陪同尼布。很明显，他没有放弃所有的希望。 —

The presentiments which had troubled Herbert did not cease to agitate him also. —
令赫伯特困扰的预感也不停地困扰着他。 —

His thoughts were concentrated on Neb. Why had Neb not returned? —
他的想法集中在尼布身上。为什么尼布还没有回来呢？ —

He tossed about on his sandy couch, scarcely giving a thought to the struggle of the elements. —
他在沙发上翻来覆去，几乎没有想过元素的斗争。 —

Now and then, his eyes, heavy with fatigue, closed for an instant, but some sudden thought reopened them almost immediately.
他的眼睛时而因疲劳而闭上一瞬间，但某种突如其来的想法几乎立即使它们重新睁开。

Meanwhile the night advanced, and it was perhaps two hours from morning, when Pencroft, then sound asleep, was vigorously shaken.
与此同时，夜晚渐进，也许离清晨还有两个小时左右的时候，彭克罗夫就已熟睡，这时他被强烈地摇了摇。

“What’s the matter?” he cried, rousing himself, and collecting his ideas with the promptitude usual to seamen.
“出了什么事？”他大声喊道，像海员一样立即集中思想。

The reporter was leaning over him, and saying,–
记者弯腰俯身在他身上，说道，-

“Listen, Pencroft, listen!”
“听着，彭克罗夫，听着！”

The sailor strained his ears, but could hear no noise beyond those caused by the storm.
海员竖起耳朵，但除了风声外，听不到其他声音。

“It is the wind,” said he.
“是风，”他说。

“No,” replied Gideon Spilett, listening again, “I thought I heard–”
“不，”吉迪恩·斯普利特回答道，再次倾听，“我觉得我听到-”

“What?”
“什么？”

“The barking of a dog!”
“一只狗叫！”

“A dog!” cried Pencroft, springing up.
“一只狗！”彭克罗夫叫道，跳了起来。

“Yes–barking–”
“是的-叫-”

“It’s not possible!” replied the sailor. “And besides, how, in the roaring of the storm–”
“不可能！”海员回答道。“而且，如何在风声呼啸中-”

“Stop–listen–” said the reporter.
“停下来–听着–”记者说。

Pencroft listened more attentively, and really thought he heard, during a lull, distant barking.
Pencroft更加专心地倾听，确实在一阵风停止时听到了远处的犬吠声。

“Well!” said the reporter, pressing the sailor’s hand.
“嗯！”记者说着，紧紧握住水手的手。

“Yes–yes!” replied Pencroft.
“是的–是的！”Pencroft回答道。

“It is Top! It is Top!” cried Herbert, who had just awoke; —
“是Top！是Top！”刚醒来的Herbert叫道； —

and all three rushed towards the opening of the Chimneys. They had great difficulty in getting out. —
三人冲向烟囱的出口。他们很难出去。 —

The wind drove them back. But at last they succeeded, and could only remain standing by leaning against the rocks. —
风把他们推了回来。但最终他们成功了，只能靠着岩石站着。 —

They looked about, but could not speak. The darkness was intense. —
他们四处张望，但说不出话。黑暗非常深。 —

The sea, the sky, the land were all mingled in one black mass. —
海洋、天空、陆地全都混为一体的黑色块。 —

Not a speck of light was visible.
一个光点也看不见。

The reporter and his companions remained thus for a few minutes, overwhelmed by the wind, drenched by the rain, blinded by the sand.
记者和他的同伴们这样呆了一会儿，被风吹倒，被雨淋湿，被沙子迷住了眼睛。

Then, in a pause of the tumult, they again heard the barking, which they found must be at some distance.
然后，在混乱停顿的时候，他们再次听到犬吠声，他们发现声音似乎是从一段距离传来的。

It could only be Top! But was he alone or accompanied? —
那只能是Top！但他是独自一只还是被陪伴着呢？ —

He was most probably alone, for, if Neb had been with him, he would have made his way more directly towards the Chimneys. —
他很可能是独自一只，因为如果Neb和他在一起，他会更直接地朝着烟囱前进的。 —

The sailor squeezed the reporter’s hand, for he could not make himself heard, in a way which signified “Wait!” —
水手紧握记者的手，因为自己发不出声音，以一种表示“等一下！”的方式。 —

then he reentered the passage.
他重新进入过道。

An instant after he issued with a lighted fagot, which he threw into the darkness, whistling shrilly.
随即，他手持一捆点燃的柴，将它扔进黑暗中，发出尖锐的啸声。

It appeared as if this signal had been waited for; —
看样子这个信号是等待已久的； —

the barking immediately came nearer, and soon a dog bounded into the passage. —
狗的吠声立刻越来越近，不久一只狗跳进了过道。 —

Pencroft, Herbert, and Spilett entered after him.
彭克罗夫特、赫伯特和斯皮莱特跟着他进去。

An armful of dry wood was thrown on the embers. The passage was lighted up with a bright flame.
一把干木头被扔到残火上。整个过道被明亮的火光照亮。

“It is Top!” cried Herbert.
“是Top！”赫伯特喊道。

It was indeed Top, a magnificent Anglo-Norman, who derived from these two races crossed the swiftness of foot and the acuteness of smell which are the preeminent qualities of coursing dogs. —
确实是Top，一只华丽的英诺犬，从这两种混血种族中继承了奔跑犬的快速和嗅觉灵敏，这是狩猎犬的杰出品质。 —

It was the dog of the engineer, Cyrus Harding. But he was alone! —
这是工程师赛勒斯·哈丁的狗。但是它是孤身一人！ —

Neither Neb nor his master accompanied him!
尼布和他的主人都没有跟着它！

How was it that his instinct had guided him straight to the Chimneys, which he did not know? —
他的直觉是如何引导他直奔烟囱的呢，烟囱他并不认识？ —

It appeared inexplicable, above all, in the midst of this black night and in such a tempest! —
在这个漆黑的夜晚和如此狂风暴雨中，这似乎是无法解释的！ —

But what was still more inexplicable was, that Top was neither tired, nor exhausted, nor even soiled with mud or sand! —
但更难以解释的是，Top既不累，也不疲惫，甚至没有沾满泥沙！ —

–Herbert had drawn him towards him, and was patting his head, the dog rubbing his neck against the lad’s hands.
赫伯特把他拉过来，抚摸着他的头，狗把脖子蹭在少年的手上。

“If the dog is found, the master will be found also!” said the reporter.
“如果找到了狗，主人也会找到！”记者说道。

“God grant it!” responded Herbert. “Let us set off! Top will guide us!”
“愿神保佑！”赫伯特回答道。“让我们出发吧！托普会带路的！”

Pencroft did not make any objection. He felt that Top’s arrival contradicted his conjectures. —
彭克罗夫没有反对。他感到托普的到来是否定了他的猜测。 —

“Come along then!” said he.
“那就走吧！”他说。

Pencroft carefully covered the embers on the hearth. —
彭克罗夫小心地把炉灶上的余烬盖好。 —

He placed a few pieces of wood among them, so as to keep in the fire until their return. —
他在其中间放了几块木头，以保持火焰直到归来。 —

Then, preceded by the dog, who seemed to invite them by short barks to come with him, and followed by the reporter and the boy, he dashed out, after having put up in his handkerchief the remains of the supper.
然后，在狗的带领下，他冲了出去，记者和男孩紧随其后，他把晚餐剩下的放在手帕里。

The storm was then in all its violence, and perhaps at its height. —
当时风暴正处于其猛烈时期，也许达到了顶峰。 —

Not a single ray of light from the moon pierced through the clouds. —
月亮的一丝光芒也没能穿透云层。 —

To follow a straight course was difficult. It was best to rely on Top’s instinct. They did so. —
要走直线是困难的，最好依靠托普的直觉。他们就这样做。 —

The reporter and Herbert walked behind the dog, and the sailor brought up the rear. —
记者和赫伯特跟在狗后面，水手在最后。 —

It was impossible to exchange a word. The rain was not very heavy, but the wind was terrific.
无法交谈。雨不是很大，但风势猛烈。

However, one circumstance favored the seaman and his two companions. —
但有一点有利于这位海员和他的两个同伴。 —

The wind being southeast, consequently blew on their backs. —
东南风吹在他们的背后。 —

The clouds of sand, which otherwise would have been insupportable, from being received behind, did not in consequence impede their progress. —
沙尘云要不是被吹到他们背后，本来会使他们难以忍受，不会因此而妨碍他们的前进。 —

In short, they sometimes went faster than they liked, and had some difficulty in keeping their feet; but hope gave them strength, for it was not at random that they made their way along the shore. —
总而言之，他们有时候走得比他们喜欢的还要快，有时在保持脚步时会有些困难；但希望给了他们力量，因为他们并非盲目地沿着海岸前进。 —

They had no doubt that Neb had found his master, and that he had sent them the faithful dog. —
他们毫无疑问，尼布找到了他的主人，并且他派遣了这只忠诚的狗。 —

But was the engineer living, or had Neb only sent for his companions that they might render the last duties to the corpse of the unfortunate Harding?
但工程师是活着的吗，还是尼布只是派人来让他们为不幸的哈定尸体尽最后的责任？

After having passed the precipice, Herbert, the reporter, and Pencroft prudently stepped aside to stop and take breath. —
经过悬崖后，赫伯特、记者和潘克罗夫谨慎地站到一边停下来喘口气。 —

The turn of the rocks sheltered them from the wind, and they could breathe after this walk or rather run of a quarter of an hour.
石头的转弯处保护他们免受风吹，他们走了大概15分钟，现在能喘口气了。

They could now hear and reply to each other, and the lad having pronounced the name of Cyrus Harding, Top gave a few short barks, as much as to say that his master was saved.
他们现在可以相互听到并回答对方，小伙子说了赛勒斯·哈定的名字，Top发出了几声短吠声，好像是说他的主人得救了。

“Saved, isn’t he?” repeated Herbert; “saved, Top?”
“得救了，对吗？” 赫伯特重复道，“Top，得救了吗？”

And the dog barked in reply.
狗狗吠着回答。

They once more set out. The tide began to rise, and urged by the wind it threatened to be unusually high, as it was a spring tide. —
他们再次出发。潮汐开始上涨，被风推动，威胁要变得异常高，因为是春潮。 —

Great billows thundered against the reef with such violence that they probably passed entirely over the islet, then quite invisible. —
巨浪猛烈地撞击着礁石，以至于它们可能完全覆盖了这座小岛，完全看不见了。 —

The mole no longer protected the coast, which was directly exposed to the attacks of the open sea.
堤岸不再保护海岸线，直接暴露在开放海洋的攻击下。

As soon as the sailor and his companions left the precipice, the wind struck them again with renewed fury. —
水手和他的伙伴们一离开悬崖，风再次猛烈地吹袭他们。 —

Though bent under the gale they walked very quickly, following Top, who did not hesitate as to what direction to take.
虽然在狂风下弯腰，他们走得非常快，跟随Top，他对前进的方向毫不犹豫。

They ascended towards the north, having on their left an interminable extent of billows, which broke with a deafening noise, and on their right a dark country, the aspect of which it was impossible to guess. —
他们向北上升，左边是一片无尽的汹涌浪潮，发出震耳欲聋的声音，右边是一个黑暗的土地，无法猜测其面貌。 —

But they felt that it was comparatively flat, for the wind passed completely over them, without being driven back as it was when it came in contact with the cliff.
但他们感觉到相对较平坦，因为风完全吹过他们，而不像在悬崖碰到时那样被挡回来。

At four o’clock in the morning, they reckoned that they had cleared about five miles. —
凌晨四点，他们估计已经走了大约五英里。 —

The clouds were slightly raised, and the wind, though less damp, was very sharp and cold. —
云朵稍稍升高，风虽然不那么潮湿，却非常刺骨寒冷。 —

Insufficiently protected by their clothing, Pencroft, Herbert and Spilett suffered cruelly, but not a complaint escaped their lips. —
潘克洛夫、赫伯特和斯皮莱特的衣物保护不足，遭受着严重的煎熬，但他们没有发出一丝抱怨。 —

They were determined to follow Top, wherever the intelligent animal wished to lead them.
他们决心跟随着顶，无论这只聪明的动物想要引领他们去哪里。

Towards five o’clock day began to break. At the zenith, where the fog was less thick, gray shades bordered the clouds; —
大约五点钟时，天开始亮了起来。在天顶的地方，迷雾不那么浓密，灰色的阴影勾勒出云层； —

under an opaque belt, a luminous line clearly traced the horizon. —
在一条不透明的带子下方，一道光明的线条清晰地勾勒出地平线。 —

The crests of the billows were tipped with a wild light, and the foam regained its whiteness. —
浪尖泛着疯狂的光芒，海浪重新变得洁白。 —

At the same time on the left the hilly parts of the coast could be seen, though very indistinctly.
与此同时，左边可以看到海岸的丘陵部分，尽管非常模糊。

At six o’clock day had broken. The clouds rapidly lifted. —
六点钟天亮了。 云朵迅速消散。 —

The seaman and his companions were then about six miles from the Chimneys. —
那时，海员和他的同伴离烟囱约六英里远。 —

They were following a very flat shore bounded by a reef of rocks, whose heads scarcely emerged from the sea, for they were in deep water. —
他们沿着一片非常平坦的海岸前行，海岸由一排岩石礁组成，岩石仅露出水面，因为他们正处于深水中。 —

On the left, the country appeared to be one vast extent of sandy downs, bristling with thistles. —
左边，那片土地似乎是无边无际的沙丘，长满了蓟草。 —

There was no cliff, and the shore offered no resistance to the ocean but a chain of irregular hillocks. —
这里没有悬崖，海岸也没有对抗海洋的障碍，只有一串不规则的小丘。 —

Here and there grew two or three trees, inclined towards the west, their branches projecting in that direction. —
有时长出两三棵树，向西倾斜，树枝朝那个方向伸展。 —

Quite behind, in the southwest, extended the border of the forest.
在西南方向的远处，延伸着森林的边界。

At this moment, Top became very excited. He ran forward, then returned, and seemed to entreat them to hasten their steps. —
此刻，Top变得非常兴奋。 它向前跑，然后返回，似乎恳求他们加快步伐。 —

The dog then left the beach, and guided by his wonderful instinct, without showing the least hesitation, went straight in among the downs. —
狗随后离开了海滩，凭借着其奇妙的本能，毫不犹豫地直奔沙丘之中。 —

They followed him. The country appeared an absolute desert. —
他们跟着它。 这片土地看起来绝对荒凉。 —

Not a living creature was to be seen.
一个活物也找不到。

The downs, the extent of which was large, were composed of hillocks and even of hills, very irregularly distributed. —
这片沙丘面积很大，由小丘甚至山丘不规则地分布而成。 —

They resembled a Switzerland modeled in sand, and only an amazing instinct could have possibly recognized the way.
它们看起来像是用沙子塑造的瑞士，只有惊人的本能才能认得出道路。

Five minutes after having left the beach, the reporter and his two companions arrived at a sort of excavation, hollowed out at the back of a high mound. —
离开海滩五分钟后，记者和他的两个同伴到达了一种在高丘背后挖掘出来的凹洞。 —

There Top stopped, and gave a loud, clear bark. —
Top停在那里，发出一声响亮而清晰的吠声。 —

Spilett, Herbert, and Pencroft dashed into the cave.
史普莱特、赫伯特和彭克罗夫冲进洞穴。

Neb was there, kneeling beside a body extended on a bed of grass.
尼布跪在一张铺着草的床旁，身旁是一个躺着的人。

The body was that of the engineer, Cyrus Harding.
躺着的人是工程师赛勒斯·哈丁。