Winter arrived with the month of June, which is the December of the northern zones, and the great business was the making of warm and solid clothing.
冬天来临时，时间是北半球的十二月，最重要的工作就是制作温暖结实的衣物。

The musmons in the corral had been stripped of their wool, and this precious textile material was now to be transformed into stuff.
围栏里的梦娜山羊已经被剥去羊毛，这珍贵的纺织材料现在要被加工成布料。

Of course Cyrus Harding, having at his disposal neither carders, combers, polishers, stretchers, twisters, mule-jenny, nor self-acting machine to spin the wool, nor loom to weave it, was obliged to proceed in a simpler way, so as to do without spinning and weaving. —
当然，没有了梳理机、剔毛机、抛光机、拉床、纺纱机和织布机这些设备，赛勒斯·哈丁只能用更简单的方法进行操作，以免用纺纱和织造工艺。 —

And indeed he proposed to make use of the property which the filaments of wool possess when subjected to a powerful pressure of mixing together, and of manufacturing by this simple process the material called felt. —
事实上，他打算利用羊毛纤维在强大压力下相互混合的特性，通过这简单的工艺制作毛毡。 —

This felt could then be obtained by a simple operation which, if it diminished the flexibility of the stuff, increased its power of retaining heat in proportion. —
这种毡料是通过一个简单的步骤得到的，虽然会降低布料的柔软性，但会提高保温性。 —

Now the wool furnished by the musmons was composed of very short hairs, and was in a good condition to be felted.
梦娜山羊提供的羊毛是由非常短的毛发组成的，很适于制作毛毡。

The engineer, aided by his companions, including Pencroft, who was once more obliged to leave his boat, commenced the preliminary operations, the subject of which was to rid the wool of that fat and oily substance with which it is impregnated, and which is called grease. —
在亚麻布风格中，一个非常有效的做法是用动力减小山羊毛中的油脂物质，并且这个过程通常会足够简单。 —

This cleaning was done in vats filled with water, which was maintained at the temperature of seventy degrees, and in which the wool was soaked for four-and-twenty hours; —
洗涤是在温度保持在七十度的水槽中进行的，山羊毛在里面泡24小时； —

it was then thoroughly washed in baths of soda, and, when sufficiently dried by pressure, it was in a state to be compressed, that is to say, to produce a solid material, rough, no doubt, and such as would have no value in a manufacturing center of Europe or America, but which would be highly esteemed in the Lincoln Island markets.
然后在小苏打溶液中彻底清洗，并在足够的压力下干燥，这时就可以压缩了，也就是说，可以生产一种坚固的布料，虽然粗糙，在欧洲或美国的制造业中可能没什么价值，但在林肯岛市场上会被高度看重。

This sort of material must have been known from the most ancient times, and, in fact, the first woolen stuffs were manufactured by the process which Harding was now about to employ. —
这种材料可能早在最古老的时代就已知晓，事实上，最早的毛织物就是用赛勒斯·哈丁正准备采用的工艺制造的。 —

Where Harding’s engineering qualifications now came into play was in the construction of the machine for pressing the wool; —
哈丁的工程技术现在发挥作用的地方在于压缩羊毛的机器的构建； —

for he knew how to turn ingeniously to profit the mechanical force, hitherto unused, which the waterfall on the beach possessed to move a fulling-mill.
因为他知道如何巧妙地利用机械力，以前没有用过的，海滩上瀑布的力量可以驱动一个精炼磨。

Nothing could be more rudimentary. The wool was placed in troughs, and upon it fell in turns heavy wooden mallets; —
这个过程非常基础。羊毛被放在槽里，然后重木槌轮番相助； —

such was the machine in question, and such it had been for centuries until the time when the mallets were replaced by cylinders of compression, and the material was no longer subjected to beating, but to regular rolling.
这就是所说的机器，几个世纪以来一直如此，直到木槌被压缩缸取代，物料不再受到敲击，而是被定期滚动。

The operation, ably directed by Cyrus Harding, was a complete success. —
赛勒斯·哈丁明智地指导下的操作取得了完全成功。 —

The wool, previously impregnated with a solution of soap, intended on the one hand to facilitate the interlacing, the compression, and the softening of the wool, and on the other to prevent its diminution by the beating, issued from the mill in the shape of thick felt cloth. —
先前浸泡在肥皂溶液中的羊毛，一方面旨在便于编织、压实和软化羊毛，另一方面防止它在敲打过程中减少，从工厂出来时呈现出厚厚的毡布形状。 —

The roughnesses with which the staple of wool is naturally filled were so thoroughly entangled and interlaced together that a material was formed equally suitable either for garments or bedclothes. —
羊毛纤维固有的粗糙被彻底纠缠和交织在一起，形成了一种同样适合做衣服或床上用品的材料。 —

It was certainly neither merino, muslin, cashmere, rep, satin, alpaca, cloth, nor flannel. —
它肯定既不是美利奴羊绒、莫斯林、开士米尔、缎子、羊驼毛织物、布料也不是法兰绒。 —

It was “Lincolnian felt,” and Lincoln Island possessed yet another manufacture. —
它是“林肯毡”，而林肯岛拥有另一种制造工艺。 —

The colonists had now warm garments and thick bedclothes, and they could without fear await the approach of the winter of 1866-67.
殖民者们现在有了暖和的衣物和厚实的床上用品，他们可以毫无畏惧地等待1866-67年的冬天的到来。

The severe cold began to be felt about the 20th of June, and, to his great regret, Pencroft was obliged to suspend his boat-building, which he hoped to finish in time for next spring.
严寒在6月20日左右开始显现，令潘克罗夫很遗憾，他不得不暂时中断他希望能在明年春天完成的船只建造工作。

The sailor’s great idea was to make a voyage of discovery to Tabor Island, although Harding could not approve of a voyage simply for curiosity’s sake, for there was evidently nothing to be found on this desert and almost arid rock. —
水手的伟大想法是进行一次前往塔伯岛的探险之旅，尽管哈丁不能认同仅仅出于好奇心而进行一次航行，因为这座荒凉几乎贫瘠的岩石上显然没有任何东西可寻。 —

A voyage of a hundred and fifty miles in a comparatively small vessel, over unknown seas, could not but cause him some anxiety. —
在未知的海域中，驾驶一艘相对较小的船只进行一百五十英里的航程无疑会让他感到一些焦虑。 —

Suppose that their vessel, once out at sea, should be unable to reach Tabor Island, and could not return to Lincoln Island, what would become of her in the midst of the Pacific, so fruitful of disasters?
如果他们的船只一旦驶离海岸，无法到达塔伯岛，并且无法返回林肯岛，那么在太平洋上，这个充满灾难的海域中她会变成什么样呢？

Harding often talked over this project with Pencroft, and he found him strangely bent upon undertaking this voyage, for which determination he himself could give no sufficient reason.
哈丁经常与潘克罗夫讨论这个项目，他发现他对进行这次航行异常执着，而对于这一决定他自己无法给出充分的理由。

“Now,” said the engineer one day to him, “I must observe, my friend, that after having said so much, in praise of Lincoln Island, after having spoken so often of the sorrow you would feel if you were obliged to forsake it, you are the first to wish to leave it.”
“现在，”工程师有一天对他说，”我的朋友，我必须指出，你对林肯岛赞不绝口，你谈到如果不得不离开它会感到多么悲伤，而你却是第一个希望离开它的人。”

“Only to leave it for a few days,” replied Pencroft, “only for a few days, captain. —
“只是离开几天，”潘克罗夫回答说，”只是几天，船长。 —

Time to go and come back, and see what that islet is like!”
去看看那个小岛是什么样子!”

“But it is not nearly as good as Lincoln Island.”
“但它远不如林肯岛好。”

“I know that beforehand.”
“我事先就知道这一点。”

“Then why venture there?”
“那为什么要冒险去那里？”

“To know what is going on in Tabor Island.”
“为了了解塔博尔岛上正在发生的事情。”

“But nothing is going on there; nothing could happen there.”
“但在那里什么都没有发生；那里不可能发生什么事情。”

“Who knows?”
“谁知道呢？”

“And if you are caught in a hurricane?”
“如果你们遇到飓风怎么办？”

“There is no fear of that in the fine season,” replied Pencroft. —
“在好季节里不会有这种风险，” 潘克罗夫回答说。 —

“But, captain, as we must provide against everything, I shall ask your permission to take Herbert only with me on this voyage.”
“但是，船长，由于我们必须准备好应对一切，我请求得到您的允许，只带赫伯特与我一同前往这次航行。”

“Pencroft,” replied the engineer, placing his hand on the sailor’s shoulder, “if any misfortune happens to you, or to this lad, whom chance has made our child, do you think we could ever cease to blame ourselves?”
“潘克罗夫，”工程师放手搭在水手的肩膀上说道，”如果你们发生了任何不幸，或者我们命运弄巧成就了一个孩子，你认为我们会不会一直责怪自己？”

“Captain Harding,” replied Pencroft, with unshaken confidence, “we shall not cause you that sorrow. —
“哈定船长，”潘克罗夫坚定自信地回答说，”我们不会让您感到懊悔的。 —

Besides, we will speak further of this voyage, when the time comes to make it. —
此外，我们将在航行的时候进一步讨论这次航程。 —

And I fancy, when you have seen our tight- rigged little craft, when you have observed how she behaves at sea, when we sail round our island, for we will do so together–I fancy, I say, that you will no longer hesitate to let me go. —
我相信，当您见识了我们精心搭建的小船，当您观察到她在海上的表现，当我们绕着我们的岛屿航行时，因为我们将一起这样做–我相信，我说，您将不再犹豫让我去了。 —

I don’t conceal from you that your boat will be a masterpiece.”
我不会向您隐瞒，您的小船将是一个杰作。

“Say ‘our’ boat, at least, Pencroft,” replied the engineer, disarmed for the moment. —
“至少说‘我们’的小船，潘克罗夫，”工程师回答，此刻被调解了。 —

The conversation ended thus, to be resumed later on, without convincing either the sailor or the engineer.
这次对话就此结束，稍后会再次讨论，但并没有说服水手或者工程师。

The first snow fell towards the end of the month of June. The corral had previously been largely supplied with stores, so that daily visits to it were not requisite; —
六月底时下起了第一场雪。原先已经大量储备了仓库的东西，因此不需要每天去检查； —

but it was decided that more than a week should never be allowed to pass without someone going to it.
但是决定每隔一个星期就有人前往。

Traps were again set, and the machines manufactured by Harding were tried. —
陷阱重新设置，哈丁制造的机器试用。 —

The bent whalebones, imprisoned in a case of ice, and covered with a thick outer layer of fat, were placed on the border of the forest at a spot where animals usually passed on their way to the lake.
弯曲的鲸骨被封在一层冰里，并包裹在厚厚的脂肪外层中，放在森林边界的一个地方，那里通常有动物经过去往湖泊。

To the engineer’s great satisfaction, this invention, copied from the Aleutian fishermen, succeeded perfectly. —
工程师非常满意，这个模仿阿留申渔民的发明完全成功了。 —

A dozen foxes, a few wild boars, and even a jaguar, were taken in this way, the animals being found dead, their stomachs pierced by the unbent bones.
一打狐狸，几只野猪，甚至一只美洲虎，都是这样被捕获的，这些动物被发现死去，胃被未弯曲的骨头刺穿。

An incident must here be related, not only as interesting in itself, but because it was the first attempt made by the colonists to communicate with the rest of mankind.
这里必须提及的一个事件，并不仅仅因为本身有趣，还因为这是殖民者们与外界最初沟通的尝试。

Gideon Spilett had already several times pondered whether to throw into the sea a letter enclosed in a bottle, which currents might perhaps carry to an inhabited coast, or to confide it to pigeons.
吉迪恩·斯普莱特已经几次考虑过应该把一封信装在瓶里扔进海里，让洋流或许会把它带到有人居住的海岸，或者交给鸽子。

But how could it be seriously hoped that either pigeons or bottles could cross the distance of twelve hundred miles which separated the island from any inhabited land? —
但是怎么能认真希望鸽子或瓶子能够穿过将岛屿与任何有人口的陆地隔开的一千两百英里的距离？ —

It would have been pure folly.
那纯属愚蠢的行为。

But on the 30th of June the capture was effected, not without difficulty, of an albatross, which a shot from Herbert’s gun had slightly wounded in the foot. —
但是在六月三十日，成功捕获了一只信天翁，希伯特枪击的脚部受了轻伤。 —

It was a magnificent bird, measuring ten feet from wing to wing, and which could traverse seas as wide as the Pacific.
这是一只壮观的鸟，翼展十英尺，能飞越太平洋那样宽阔的海域。

Herbert would have liked to keep this superb bird, as its wound would soon heal, and he thought he could tame it; —
希伯特想留下这只美丽的鸟，因为它的伤很快就会好，他认为可以驯服它； —

but Spilett explained to him that they should not neglect this opportunity of attempting to communicate by this messenger with the lands of the Pacific; —
但是斯普莱特告诉他，他们不应该忽视这个通过这个信使与太平洋地区进行尝试沟通的机会； —

for if the albatross had come from some inhabited region, there was no doubt but that it would return there so soon as it was set free.
因为如果这只信天翁来自某个有人居住的地方，那么它被释放后肯定会返回那里的。

Perhaps in his heart Gideon Spilett, in whom the journalist sometimes came to the surface, was not sorry to have the opportunity of sending forth to take its chance an exciting article relating the adventures of the settlers in Lincoln Island. —
也许吉迪恩·斯普莱特心里，这位有时表现出记者特质的人，他并不后悔有机会发布一篇激动人心的文章，讲述林肯岛定居者的冒险。 —

What a success for the authorized reporter of the New York Herald, and for the number which should contain the article, if it should ever reach the address of its editor, the Honorable James Bennett!
纽约先驱报的授权记者取得了巨大成功，这篇文章的编号，如果它真的能送到编辑詹姆斯·贝内特阁下那里，将是多少呢！

Gideon Spilett then wrote out a concise account, which was placed in a strong waterproof bag, with an earnest request to whoever might find it to forward it to the office of the New York Herald. —
吉迪恩·斯皮莱特接着写下了简明扼要的报告，然后将其放入一个防水袋中，并恳求无论谁找到它都要转交给纽约先驱报的编辑部。 —

This little bag was fastened to the neck of the albatross, and not to its foot, for these birds are in the habit of resting on the surface of the sea; —
这个小袋子系在信天翁的脖子上，而不是脚上，因为这些鸟习惯于停息在海面上； —

then liberty was given to this swift courier of the air, and it was not without some emotion that the colonists watched it disappear in the misty west.
然后，这只快递员般飞行的大鸟得到了自由，看着它消失在茫茫西方的雾中，殖民者们不禁有些感慨。

“Where is he going to?” asked Pencroft.
“它飞向哪里了？” 彭克罗夫问道。

“Towards New Zealand,” replied Herbert.
“往新西兰飞去，” 赫伯特回答说。

“A good voyage to you,” shouted the sailor, who himself did not expect any great result from this mode of correspondence.
“祝你一路顺风！” 水手叫喊着，但他自己并不期待这种通信方式能取得多大成效。

With the winter, work had been resumed in the interior of Granite House, mending clothes and different occupations, among others making the sails for their vessel, which were cut from the inexhaustible balloon-case.
随着冬天的到来，格兰特庄园内的工作重新开始了，包括补衣服等种种活计，其中就有为他们的船制作帆布，这些帆布就是从那个用不完的气球外套裁减而来的。

During the month of July the cold was intense, but there was no lack of either wood or coal. —
七月里，寒冷异常，但木材和煤炭都不缺。 —

Cyrus Harding had established a second fireplace in the dining-room, and there the long winter evenings were spent. —
赛勒斯·哈丁在餐厅里另起了一个壁炉，他们在那里度过漫长的冬夜。 —

Talking while they worked, reading when the hands remained idle, the time passed with profit to all.
一边工作一边交谈，手闲时读书，时间对大家都是有益的。

It was real enjoyment to the settlers when in their room, well lighted with candles, well warmed with coal, after a good dinner, elderberry coffee smoking in the cups, the pipes giving forth an odoriferous smoke, they could hear the storm howling without. —
当他们在明亮的烛光下的房间里，煤炭取暖，吃过一顿丰盛的晚饭后，看着杯中冒着热气的接骨木咖啡，烟斗里飘出阵阵芬芳的烟味，外面风暴呼啸，他们的舒适感是无以伦比的。 —

Their comfort would have been complete, if complete comfort could ever exist for those who are far from their fellow-creatures, and without any means of communication with them. —
如果完全的舒适还有可能存在的话，远离家人、无法与他人交流的情况下，对这些殖民者来说，他们的舒适是完整的。 —

They often talked of their country, of the friends whom they had left, of the grandeur of the American Republic, whose influence could not but increase; —
他们经常谈起自己的祖国，离开的朋友们，美利坚合众国的伟大，其影响力必将不断增长； —

and Cyrus Harding, who had been much mixed up with the affairs of the Union, greatly interested his auditors by his recitals, his views, and his prognostics.
赛勒斯·哈丁曾经与美利坚合众国的事务有着密切联系，通过他的叙述、观点和预测，极大地吸引了听众的兴趣。

It chanced one day that Spilett was led to say–
有一天，斯皮莱特偶然说道-

“But now, my dear Cyrus, all this industrial and commercial movement to which you predict a continual advance, does it not run the danger of being sooner or later completely stopped?”
“但是，我亲爱的赛勒斯，您所预测的这一持续进步的工业和商业活动，是否有可能迟早会被完全停止？”

“Stopped! And by what?”
“停止了！又是因为什么呢？”

“By the want of coal, which may justly be called the most precious of minerals.”
“是由于煤炭的短缺，它确实可以被称为最宝贵的矿物。”

“Yes, the most precious indeed,” replied the engineer; —
“是的，确实是最宝贵的，”工程师回答道； —

“and it would seem that nature wished to prove that it was so by making the diamond, which is simply pure carbon crystallized.”
“而且，看起来自然想证明这一点，通过形成纯结晶化的碳，也就是钻石。”

“You don’t mean to say, captain,” interrupted Pencroft, “that we burn diamonds in our stoves in the shape of coal?”
“船长，您并不是说我们在炉灶里烧的煤其实就是钻石吧？”潘克罗夫打断道。

“No, my friend,” replied Harding.
“不，我的朋友，”哈丁回答说。

“However,” resumed Gideon Spilett, “you do not deny that some day the coal will be entirely consumed?”
“然而，”基迪恩·斯皮莱特继续说，“您并不否认有一天煤炭将被完全耗尽吧？”

“Oh! the veins of coal are still considerable, and the hundred thousand miners who annually extract from them a hundred millions of hundredweights have not nearly exhausted them.”
“哦！煤炭矿脉仍然相当丰富，每年从这些矿脉中开采出一亿百万百磅的十万名矿工们还远远没有耗尽。”

“With the increasing consumption of coal,” replied Gideon Spilett, “it can be foreseen that the hundred thousand workmen will soon become two hundred thousand, and that the rate of extraction will be doubled.”
“随着煤炭的消耗增加，” 基迪恩·斯皮莱特说，“可以预见到这十万名工人很快会变成二十万名，并且开采速度会翻倍。”

“Doubtless; but after the European mines, which will be soon worked more thoroughly with new machines, the American and Australian mines will for a long time yet provide for the consumption in trade.”
“毫无疑问，但是在欧洲矿山被更多新机器彻底开采之后，美洲和澳大利亚的矿山将在相当长的时间内继续满足贸易的需求。”

“For how long a time?” asked the reporter.
“至少多长时间呢？”记者问道。

“For at least two hundred and fifty or three hundred years.”
“至少两百五十或三百年。”

“That is reassuring for us, but a bad look-out for our great- grandchildren!” observed Pencroft.
“这对我们来说是令人放心的，但对我们的曾孙们来说看来前景不妙！”潘克罗夫观察到。

“They will discover something else,” said Herbert.
“’他们会发现其他东西的，’ Herbert说道。

“It is to be hoped so,” answered Spilett, “for without coal there would be no machinery, and without machinery there would be no railways, no steamers, no manufactories, nothing of that which is indispensable to modern civilization!”
“但愿如此，”Spilett回答道，“因为没有煤炭，就没有机械，没有机械就没有铁路、汽船、制造厂，没有现代文明所必需的一切！”

“But what will they find?” asked Pencroft. “Can you guess, captain?”
“但他们会发现什么呢？”Pencroft问道，“船长，你能猜到吗？”

“Nearly, my friend.”
“差不多，我的朋友。”

“And what will they burn instead of coal?”
“那他们将用什么替代煤炭燃烧呢？”

“Water,” replied Harding.
“水，”Harding回答道。

“Water!” cried Pencroft, “water as fuel for steamers and engines! water to heat water!”
“水！”Pencroft叫道，“水作为蒸汽船和引擎的燃料！用水来加热水！”

“Yes, but water decomposed into its primitive elements,” replied Cyrus Harding, “and decomposed doubtless, by electricity, which will then have become a powerful and manageable force, for all great discoveries, by some inexplicable laws, appear to agree and become complete at the same time. —
“是的，但是水会被分解为其初级元素，”Cyrus Harding回答，“并且毫无疑问会通过电力分解，届时电力将变得强大且易于操纵，因为所有伟大的发现似乎都遵循某些莫名其妙的规律，同时变得完整。 —

Yes, my friends, I believe that water will one day be employed as fuel, that hydrogen and oxygen which constitute it, used singly or together, will furnish an inexhaustible source of heat and light, of an intensity of which coal is not capable. —
“是的，我的朋友们，我相信有一天水将被用作燃料，构成水的氢和氧，单独或混合使用，将提供一种无穷无尽的热量和光线，这种强度是煤炭无法比拟的。 —

Some day the coalrooms of steamers and the tenders of locomotives will, instead of coal, be stored with these two condensed gases, which will burn in the furnaces with enormous calorific power. —
“有一天，蒸汽船的煤舱和火车头的燃料箱里，将不再存放煤炭，而是存放这两种浓缩气体，它们会在燃烧炉中燃烧产生巨大的热量。 —

There is, therefore, nothing to fear. As long as the earth is inhabited it will supply the wants of its inhabitants, and there will be no want of either light or heat as long as the productions of the vegetable, mineral or animal kingdoms do not fail us. —
“因此，没有什么可担心的。只要地球被居住，它将满足居民的需求，只要植物、矿物或动物王国的产物没有让我们失望，我们就不会缺少光线或热量。 —

I believe, then, that when the deposits of coal are exhausted we shall heat and warm ourselves with water. —
“我相信，当煤炭储量耗尽时，我们将用水来加热和温暖自己。 —

Water will be the coal of the future.”
“水将是未来的煤炭。”

“I should like to see that,” observed the sailor.
“我想见证这一切，”水手观察到。

“You were born too soon, Pencroft,” returned Neb, who only took part in the discussion by these words.
“你出生的时间太早了，Pencroft，”Neb这样回应，只说了这些话参与讨论。

However, it was not Neb’s speech which interrupted the conversation, but Top’s barking, which broke out again with that strange intonation which had before perplexed the engineer. —
然而，打断了对话的不是尼布的讲话，而是托普的吠声，那种奇怪的声调再次让工程师感到困惑。 —

At the same time Top began to run round the mouth of the well, which opened at the extremity of the interior passage.
与此同时，托普开始围着井口跑，井口开在内部通道的尽头。

“What can Top be barking in that way for?” asked Pencroft.
“托普为什么要那样狂吠呢？” 彭克罗夫问道。

“And Jup be growling like that?” added Herbert.
“还有朱普为什么那样咆哮呢？” 赫伯特补充道。

In fact the orang, joining the dog, gave unequivocal signs of agitation, and, singular to say, the two animals appeared more uneasy than angry.
事实上，猩猩和狗一起表现出明显的不安情绪，而且很奇怪的是，这两只动物看起来更多的是不安而不是愤怒。

“It is evident,” said Gideon Spilett, “that this well is in direct communication with the sea, and that some marine animal comes from time to time to breathe at the bottom.”
“很明显，” 吉迪恩·斯普莱特说道，”这口井与海洋直接相连，而且某种海洋动物不时会到底部呼吸。”

“That’s evident,” replied the sailor, “and there can be no other explanation to give. —
“那是毫无疑问的，”水手回答道，”不可能再有其他解释了。 —

Quiet there, Top!” added Pencroft, turning to the dog, “and you, Jup, be off to your room!”
“安静，托普！” 彭克罗夫对着狗说道，”你，朱普，回你的房间去！”

The ape and the dog were silent. Jup went off to bed, but Top remained in the room, and continued to utter low growls at intervals during the rest of the evening. —
猿猴和狗沉默了。朱普去睡觉了，但托普留在房间里，接下来的晚上不时发出低沉的咆哮声。 —

There was no further talk on the subject, but the incident, however, clouded the brow of the engineer.
没有再讨论这个话题了，但是这件事情却使工程师的脸上蒙上了阴影。

During the remainder of the month of July there was alternate rain and frost. —
在7月的其余日子里，雨雪交加。 —

The temperature was not so low as during the preceding winter, and its maximum did not exceed eight degrees Fahrenheit. —
温度虽然没有像前一个冬天那样低，但最高气温也不超过-8华氏度。 —

But although this winter was less cold, it was more troubled by storms and squalls; —
但尽管这个冬天不那么寒冷，却更多受到暴风雨的困扰； —

the sea besides often endangered the safety of the Chimneys. —
海洋还经常危及到烟囱的安全。 —

At times it almost seemed as if an under-current raised these monstrous billows which thundered against the wall of Granite House.
有时几乎似乎是一股底层洋流掀起了这些巨大的波涛，砰然撞击着花岗岩屋的墙壁。

When the settlers, leaning from their windows, gazed on the huge watery masses breaking beneath their eyes, they could not but admire the magnificent spectacle of the ocean in its impotent fury. —
当殖民者们从窗户倾身向外眺望时，他们不由得钦佩大海在其愤怒中展示出的壮丽景象。 —

The waves rebounded in dazzling foam, the beach entirely disapppearing under the raging flood, and the cliff appearing to emerge from the sea itself, the spray rising to a height of more than a hundred feet.
波浪迸溅着奔驰的泡沫，海滩完全被狂暴的洪水淹没，悬崖似乎是从大海中涌现而出，喷雾高达百余英尺。

During these storms it was difficult and even dangerous to venture out, owing to the frequently falling trees; —
在这些暴风雨期间，由于树木频繁倒下，要冒险外出是困难的，甚至危险的； —

however, the colonists never allowed a week to pass without having paid a visit to the corral. —
然而，殖民者们从未在不去围栏那里的情况下度过整整一个星期。 —

Happily, this enclosure, sheltered by the southeastern spur of Mount Franklin, did not greatly suffer from the violence of the hurricanes, which spared its trees, sheds, and palisades; —
这个院子幸运地被弗兰克林山东南部的山脊所掩蔽，不太受飓风的摧残，飓风大都放过了院内的树木、小屋和围栅； —

but the poultry-yard on Prospect Heights, being directly exposed to the gusts of wind from the east, suffered considerable damage. —
但是坐落在展望高地上的家禽场，直面来自东方的阵风，遭受了相当大的破坏。 —

The pigeon-house was twice unroofed and the paling blown down. —
鸽子房两次失了顶，篱笆被风吹倒。 —

All this required to be remade more solidly than before, for, as may be clearly seen, Lincoln Island was situated in one of the most dangerous parts of the Pacific. —
所有这一切都要比以前更结实地重新建造，因为可以明显看到，林肯岛坐落在太平洋最危险的区域之一。 —

It really appeared as if it formed the central point of vast cyclones, which beat it perpetually as the whip does the top, only here it was the top which was motionless and the whip which moved. —
看起来它似乎形成了广阔的气旋的中心点，不停地像鞭子抽打着它，这里，顶部是静止的，而鞭子是移动的。 —

During the first week of the month of August the weather became more moderate, and the atmosphere recovered the calm which it appeared to have lost forever. —
八月的第一个星期天气变得更为温和，大气层恢复了好像永远丧失的宁静。 —

With the calm the cold again became intense, and the thermometer fell to eight degrees Fahrenheit, below zero.
随着宁静，寒冷再次加剧，温度计降至零下华氏八度。

On the 3rd of August an excursion which had been talked of for several days was made into the southeastern part of the island, towards Tadorn Marsh. The hunters were tempted by the aquatic game which took up their winter quarters there. —
八月三日，有关多天前就有讨论的探险走向了岛屿东南部的Tadorn Marsh。猎人们被那些在那里过冬的水禽所吸引。 —

Wild duck, snipe, teal and grebe abounded there, and it was agreed that a day should be devoted to an expedition against these birds.
野鸭、沙锥、水鸭和䴙䴘在那里大量存在，大家商定要专门安排一天的时间去捕猎这些鸟类。

Not only Gideon Spilett and Herbert, but Pencroft and Neb also took part in this excursion. —
不仅仅有吉迪恩·斯普雷特和赫伯特，还有潘克洛夫和尼布也参加了这次探险。 —

Cyrus Harding alone, alleging some work as an excuse, did not join them, but remained at Granite House.
辛克莱尔·哈丁一个人，以工作为借口拒绝了他们，留在了花岗岩屋中。

The hunters proceeded in the direction of Port Balloon, in order to reach the marsh, after having promised to be back by the evening. —
猎人们前往波特气球附近的方向，以便到达沼泽地，承诺在傍晚前回来。 —

Top and Jup accompanied them. As soon as they had passed over the Mercy Bridge, the engineer raised it and returned, intending to put into execution a project for the performance of which he wished to be alone.
Top和Jup陪同他们。工程师一旦经过了慈悲桥，就立即把桥升起并返回，打算独自实施一个项目。

Now this project was to minutely explore the interior well, the mouth of which was on a level with the passage of Granite House, and which communicated with the sea, since it formerly supplied a way to the waters of the lake.
现在这个项目是要详细探索内部井，井口与花岗岩屋的通道齐平，曾经通向海洋，因为它曾经向湖水提供了一条通道。

Why did Top so often run round this opening? —
为什么Top经常围绕着这个开口跑？ —

Why did he utter such strange barks when a sort of uneasiness seemed to draw him towards this well? —
为什么在某种不安的情况下，他朝着这口井的方向发出如此奇怪的吠声？ —

Why did Jup join Top in a sort of common anxiety? —
为什么Jup会加入Top表现出某种共同的焦虑？ —

Had this well branches besides the communication with the sea? —
这口井是否还有其他分支通向海洋？ —

Did it spread towards other parts of the island? This is what Cyrus Harding wished to know. —
它是否延伸到岛屿的其他部分？这是赛勒斯·哈丁想要了解的。 —

He had resolved, therefore, to attempt the exploration of the well during the absence of his companions, and an opportunity for doing so had now presented itself.
因此，在同伴不在的时候，他已决定尝试探索这口井，现在出现了这样的机会。

It was easy to descend to the bottom of the well by employing the rope ladder which had not been used since the establishment of the lift. —
使用自升降机建立后从未使用过的绳梯可以轻松地下到井底。 —

The engineer drew the ladder to the hole, the diameter of which measured nearly six feet, and allowed it to unroll itself after having securely fastened its upper extremity. —
工程师把梯子拉到几乎六英尺的直径孔洞口，并在安全地系紧上端后让它自行展开。 —

Then, having lighted a lantern, taken a revolver, and placed a cutlass in his belt, he began the descent.
然后，点亮了一盏灯笼，拿起了一支左轮手枪，把一把短剑插在腰带上，开始下降。

The sides were everywhere entire; but points of rock jutted out here and there, and by means of these points it would have been quite possible for an active creature to climb to the mouth of the well.
四周到处都是整齐的边缘；但岩石的尖角在此此处凸出，通过这些尖角，一个活跃的生物完全可以爬到井口。

The engineer remarked this; but although he carefully examined these points by the light of his lantern, he could find no impression, no fracture which could give any reason to suppose that they had either recently or at any former time been used as a staircase. —
工程师注意到了这一点；但尽管他在灯光下仔细检查了这些尖角，却找不到任何印记，也找不到任何断裂，表明它们最近或以往曾被用作楼梯。 —

Cyrus Harding descended deeper, throwing the light of his lantern on all sides.
赛勒斯·哈丁继续往下走，把灯笼的光投向四面八方。

He saw nothing suspicious.
他没有看到任何可疑的东西。

When the engineer had reached the last rounds he came upon the water, which was then perfectly calm. —
当工程师到达最后一轮时，他发现水面非常平静。 —

Neither at its level nor in any other part of the well, did any passage open, which could lead to the interior of the cliff. —
无论是在井口的水平线上还是其他地方，都没有任何通道可以通往悬崖内部。 —

The wall which Harding struck with the hilt of his cutlass sounded solid. —
哈定用刀柄敲击的墙壁发出了坚实的声音。 —

It was compact granite, through which no living being could force a way. —
那是一块紧凑的花岗岩，没有活物能穿过。 —

To arrive at the bottom of the well and then climb up to its mouth it was necessary to pass through the channel under the rocky subsoil of the beach, which placed it in communication with the sea, and this was only possible for marine animals. —
要到达井底，然后爬到井口，必须穿过沙滩下的岩石地下渠，这使得它与海洋相通，这只有海洋生物才能做到。 —

As to the question of knowing where this channel ended, at what point of the shore, and at what depth beneath the water, it could not be answered.
至于知道这条海道在何处结束，在岸边的什么地方，以及在水下的深度，这个问题无法回答。

Then Cyrus Harding, having ended his survey, re-ascended, drew up the ladder, covered the mouth of the well, and returned thoughtfully to the diningroom, saying to himself,–
赛勒斯·哈定结束了他的勘察，重新爬了上去，收起梯子，盖上了井口，心事重重地回到餐厅，自言自语道，

“I have seen nothing, and yet there is something there!”
“我什么都没看到，但是那里一定有什么！”