THE NEXT DAY, November 9, I woke up only after a long, twelve-hour slumber1. Conseil, a creature of habit, came to ask "how master's night went," and to offer his services. He had left his Canadian friend sleeping like a man who had never done anything else.
I let the gallant2 lad babble3 as he pleased, without giving him much in the way of a reply. I was concerned about Captain Nemo's absence during our session the previous afternoon, and I hoped to see him again today.
Soon I had put on my clothes, which were woven from strands4 of seashell tissue. More than once their composition provoked comments from Conseil. I informed him that they were made from the smooth, silken filaments5 with which the fan mussel, a type of seashell quite abundant along Mediterranean6 beaches, attaches itself to rocks. In olden times, fine fabrics7, stockings, and gloves were made from such filaments, because they were both very soft and very warm. So the Nautilus's crew could dress themselves at little cost, without needing a thing from cotton growers, sheep, or silkworms on shore.
As soon as I was dressed, I made my way to the main lounge. It was deserted8.
I dove into studying the conchological treasures amassed9 inside the glass cases. I also investigated the huge plant albums that were filled with the rarest marine10 herbs, which, although they were pressed and dried, still kept their wonderful colors. Among these valuable water plants, I noted11 various seaweed: some Cladostephus verticillatus, peacock's tails, fig-leafed caulerpa, grain-bearing beauty bushes, delicate rosetangle tinted12 scarlet13, sea colander14 arranged into fan shapes, mermaid's cups that looked like the caps of squat15 mushrooms and for years had been classified among the zoophytes; in short, a complete series of algae16.
The entire day passed without my being honored by a visit from Captain Nemo. The panels in the lounge didn't open. Perhaps they didn't want us to get tired of these beautiful things.
The Nautilus kept to an east-northeasterly heading, a speed of twelve miles per hour, and a depth between fifty and sixty meters.
Next day, November 10: the same neglect, the same solitude17. I didn't see a soul from the crew. Ned and Conseil spent the better part of the day with me. They were astonished at the captain's inexplicable18 absence. Was this eccentric man ill? Did he want to change his plans concerning us?
But after all, as Conseil noted, we enjoyed complete freedom, we were daintily and abundantly fed. Our host had kept to the terms of his agreement. We couldn't complain, and moreover the very uniqueness of our situation had such generous rewards in store for us, we had no grounds for criticism.
That day I started my diary of these adventures, which has enabled me to narrate19 them with the most scrupulous20 accuracy; and one odd detail: I wrote it on paper manufactured from marine eelgrass.
Early in the morning on November 11, fresh air poured through the Nautilus's interior, informing me that we had returned to the surface of the ocean to renew our oxygen supply. I headed for the central companionway and climbed onto the platform.
It was six o'clock. I found the weather overcast21, the sea gray but calm. Hardly a billow. I hoped to encounter Captain Nemo there--would he come? I saw only the helmsman imprisoned22 in his glass-windowed pilothouse. Seated on the ledge23 furnished by the hull24 of the skiff, I inhaled25 the sea's salty aroma26 with great pleasure.
Little by little, the mists were dispersed27 under the action of the sun's rays. The radiant orb28 cleared the eastern horizon. Under its gaze, the sea caught on fire like a trail of gunpowder29. Scattered30 on high, the clouds were colored in bright, wonderfully shaded hues31, and numerous "ladyfingers" warned of daylong winds.*
*Author's Note: "Ladyfingers" are small, thin, white clouds with ragged32 edges.
But what were mere33 winds to this Nautilus, which no storms could intimidate34!
So I was marveling at this delightful35 sunrise, so life-giving and cheerful, when I heard someone climbing onto the platform.
I was prepared to greet Captain Nemo, but it was his chief officer who appeared--whom I had already met during our first visit with the captain. He advanced over the platform, not seeming to notice my presence. A powerful spyglass to his eye, he scrutinized36 every point of the horizon with the utmost care. Then, his examination over, he approached the hatch and pronounced a phrase whose exact wording follows below. I remember it because, every morning, it was repeated under the same circumstances. It ran like this:
"Nautron respoc lorni virch."
What it meant I was unable to say.
These words pronounced, the chief officer went below again. I thought the Nautilus was about to resume its underwater navigating37. So I went down the hatch and back through the gangways to my stateroom.
Five days passed in this way with no change in our situation. Every morning I climbed onto the platform. The same phrase was pronounced by the same individual. Captain Nemo did not appear.
I was pursuing the policy that we had seen the last of him, when on November 16, while reentering my stateroom with Ned and Conseil, I found a note addressed to me on the table.
I opened it impatiently. It was written in a script that was clear and neat but a bit "Old English" in style, its characters reminding me of German calligraphy38.
The note was worded as follows:
Professor Aronnax
Aboard the Nautilus
November 16, 1867
Captain Nemo invites Professor Aronnax on a hunting trip that will take place tomorrow morning in his Crespo Island forests. He hopes nothing will prevent the professor from attending, and he looks forward with pleasure to the professor's companions joining him.
CAPTAIN NEMO,
Commander of the Nautilus.
"A hunting trip!" Ned exclaimed.
"And in his forests on Crespo Island!" Conseil added.
"But does this mean the old boy goes ashore39?" Ned Land went on.
"That seems to be the gist40 of it," I said, rereading the letter.
"Well, we've got to accept!" the Canadian answered. "Once we're on solid ground, we'll figure out a course of action. Besides, it wouldn't pain me to eat a couple slices of fresh venison!"
Without trying to reconcile the contradictions between Captain Nemo's professed41 horror of continents or islands and his invitation to go hunting in a forest, I was content to reply:
"First let's look into this Crespo Island."
I consulted the world map; and in latitude42 32 degrees 40' north and longitude43 167 degrees 50' west, I found an islet that had been discovered in 1801 by Captain Crespo, which old Spanish charts called Rocca de la Plata, in other words, "Silver Rock." So we were about 1,800 miles from our starting point, and by a slight change of heading, the Nautilus was bringing us back toward the southeast.
I showed my companions this small, stray rock in the middle of the north Pacific.
"If Captain Nemo does sometimes go ashore," I told them, "at least he only picks desert islands!"
Ned Land shook his head without replying; then he and Conseil left me. After supper was served me by the mute and emotionless steward44, I fell asleep; but not without some anxieties.
When I woke up the next day, November 17, I sensed that the Nautilus was completely motionless. I dressed hurriedly and entered the main lounge.
Captain Nemo was there waiting for me. He stood up, bowed, and asked if it suited me to come along.
Since he made no allusion45 to his absence the past eight days, I also refrained from mentioning it, and I simply answered that my companions and I were ready to go with him.
"Only, sir," I added, "I'll take the liberty of addressing a question to you."
"Address away, Professor Aronnax, and if I'm able to answer, I will."
"Well then, captain, how is it that you've severed46 all ties with the shore, yet you own forests on Crespo Island?"
"Professor," the captain answered me, "these forests of mine don't bask47 in the heat and light of the sun. They aren't frequented by lions, tigers, panthers, or other quadrupeds. They're known only to me. They grow only for me. These forests aren't on land, they're actual underwater forests."
"Underwater forests!" I exclaimed.
"Yes, professor."
"And you're offering to take me to them?"
"On foot?"
"Without getting your feet wet."
"While hunting?"
"While hunting."
"Rifles in hand?"
"Rifles in hand."
I stared at the Nautilus's commander with an air anything but flattering to the man.
"Assuredly," I said to myself, "he's contracted some mental illness. He's had a fit that's lasted eight days and isn't over even yet. What a shame! I liked him better eccentric than insane!"
These thoughts were clearly readable on my face; but Captain Nemo remained content with inviting49 me to follow him, and I did so like a man resigned to the worst.
We arrived at the dining room, where we found breakfast served.
"Professor Aronnax," the captain told me, "I beg you to share my breakfast without formality. We can chat while we eat. Because, although I promised you a stroll in my forests, I made no pledge to arrange for your encountering a restaurant there. Accordingly, eat your breakfast like a man who'll probably eat dinner only when it's extremely late."
I did justice to this meal. It was made up of various fish and some slices of sea cucumber, that praiseworthy zoophyte, all garnished50 with such highly appetizing seaweed as the Porphyra laciniata and the Laurencia primafetida. Our beverage51 consisted of clear water to which, following the captain's example, I added some drops of a fermented52 liquor extracted by the Kamchatka process from the seaweed known by name as Rhodymenia palmata.
At first Captain Nemo ate without pronouncing a single word. Then he told me:
"Professor, when I proposed that you go hunting in my Crespo forests, you thought I was contradicting myself. When I informed you that it was an issue of underwater forests, you thought I'd gone insane. Professor, you must never make snap judgments53 about your fellow man."
"But, captain, believe me--"
"Kindly54 listen to me, and you'll see if you have grounds for accusing me of insanity55 or self-contradiction."
"I'm all attention."
"Professor, you know as well as I do that a man can live underwater so long as he carries with him his own supply of breathable air. For underwater work projects, the workman wears a waterproof56 suit with his head imprisoned in a metal capsule, while he receives air from above by means of force pumps and flow regulators."
"That's the standard equipment for a diving suit," I said.
"Correct, but under such conditions the man has no freedom. He's attached to a pump that sends him air through an india-rubber hose; it's an actual chain that fetters57 him to the shore, and if we were to be bound in this way to the Nautilus, we couldn't go far either."
"Then how do you break free?" I asked.
"We use the Rouquayrol-Denayrouze device, invented by two of your fellow countrymen but refined by me for my own special uses, thereby58 enabling you to risk these new physiological59 conditions without suffering any organic disorders60. It consists of a tank built from heavy sheet iron in which I store air under a pressure of fifty atmospheres. This tank is fastened to the back by means of straps61, like a soldier's knapsack. Its top part forms a box where the air is regulated by a bellows62 mechanism63 and can be released only at its proper tension. In the Rouquayrol device that has been in general use, two india-rubber hoses leave this box and feed to a kind of tent that imprisons64 the operator's nose and mouth; one hose is for the entrance of air to be inhaled, the other for the exit of air to be exhaled65, and the tongue closes off the former or the latter depending on the breather's needs. But in my case, since I face considerable pressures at the bottom of the sea, I needed to enclose my head in a copper66 sphere, like those found on standard diving suits, and the two hoses for inhalation and exhalation now feed to that sphere."
"That's perfect, Captain Nemo, but the air you carry must be quickly depleted67; and once it contains no more than 15% oxygen, it becomes unfit for breathing."
"Surely, but as I told you, Professor Aronnax, the Nautilus's pumps enable me to store air under considerable pressure, and given this circumstance, the tank on my diving equipment can supply breathable air for nine or ten hours."
"I've no more objections to raise," I replied. "I'll only ask you, captain: how can you light your way at the bottom of the ocean?"
"With the Ruhmkorff device, Professor Aronnax. If the first is carried on the back, the second is fastened to the belt. It consists of a Bunsen battery that I activate68 not with potassium dichromate but with sodium69. An induction70 coil gathers the electricity generated and directs it to a specially71 designed lantern. In this lantern one finds a glass spiral that contains only a residue72 of carbon dioxide gas. When the device is operating, this gas becomes luminous73 and gives off a continuous whitish light. Thus provided for, I breathe and I see."
"Captain Nemo, to my every objection you give such crushing answers, I'm afraid to entertain a single doubt. However, though I have no choice but to accept both the Rouquayrol and Ruhmkorff devices, I'd like to register some reservations about the rifle with which you'll equip me."
"But it isn't a rifle that uses gunpowder," the captain replied.
"Then it's an air gun?"
"Surely. How can I make gunpowder on my ship when I have no saltpeter, sulfur74, or charcoal75?"
"Even so," I replied, "to fire underwater in a medium that's 855 times denser77 than air, you'd have to overcome considerable resistance."
"That doesn't necessarily follow. There are certain Fulton-style guns perfected by the Englishmen Philippe-Coles and Burley, the Frenchman Furcy, and the Italian Landi; they're equipped with a special system of airtight fastenings and can fire in underwater conditions. But I repeat: having no gunpowder, I've replaced it with air at high pressure, which is abundantly supplied me by the Nautilus's pumps."
"But this air must be swiftly depleted."
"Well, in a pinch can't my Rouquayrol tank supply me with more? All I have to do is draw it from an ad hoc spigot.* Besides, Professor Aronnax, you'll see for yourself that during these underwater hunting trips, we make no great expenditure78 of either air or bullets."
*Latin: a spigot "just for that purpose." Ed.
"But it seems to me that in this semidarkness, amid this liquid that's so dense76 in comparison to the atmosphere, a gunshot couldn't carry far and would prove fatal only with difficulty!"
"On the contrary, sir, with this rifle every shot is fatal; and as soon as the animal is hit, no matter how lightly, it falls as if struck by lightning."
"Why?"
"Because this rifle doesn't shoot ordinary bullets but little glass capsules invented by the Austrian chemist Leniebroek, and I have a considerable supply of them. These glass capsules are covered with a strip of steel and weighted with a lead base; they're genuine little Leyden jars charged with high-voltage electricity. They go off at the slightest impact, and the animal, no matter how strong, drops dead. I might add that these capsules are no bigger than number 4 shot, and the chamber79 of any ordinary rifle could hold ten of them."
"I'll quit debating," I replied, getting up from the table. "And all that's left is for me to shoulder my rifle. So where you go, I'll go."
Captain Nemo led me to the Nautilus's stern, and passing by Ned and Conseil's cabin, I summoned my two companions, who instantly followed us.
Then we arrived at a cell located within easy access of the engine room; in this cell we were to get dressed for our stroll.
第二夭，十一月九日，我足足睡了十二个钟头才醒来。康塞尔来了，他习惯地问我“先生晚上睡得好”，接着就干起活来了。他不去惊动他的朋友，那个加拿大人，让他像瞌睡虫那样在房中睡觉。
我让这个好好先生随心所欲他说话，没有回答他的每一句。我一心想着为什么还看不见尼摩船长，从我们昨天聚谈以后，他一直没有露面，我希望今天能看到他。
我很快穿好了贝足丝织造的衣服。这一身衣料不止一次引起了康塞尔的思索。我告诉他，这身衣料是由发光的、丝一般柔软的纤维制成，这些纤维产在海石上，是地中海沿岸很丰富的一种像“猪腔形”介壳贝类留下的。从前人们拿来做成很好看的衣料，袜子，手套，因为它们又软又暖。诺第留斯号的船员一点不需要陆地上的棉花、羊毛和蚕丝，就可以穿起物美价廉的衣服。
我穿好了衣服就到客厅去，那里还没有人。
我于是钻研那些玻璃柜中堆积着的贝类学上的宝藏，全神贯注地研究。我也潜心搜索那宽大的植物标本库，库里充满着海中最希罕的植物，它们虽然风干了，但仍然保存着令人赞美的颜色。在这些珍贵的水产植物中间，我看到了那些坏生的海苔，孔雀昆布，葡萄叶形的海藻，粒状的水马齿，大红色的柔软海草，扇子形的海苑，吸盘草，这草很像外形下陷的冬菇，很久以来就被归人植虫动物的一类，最后我看到了整个一组的海藻类植物。
整整一天过去了，尼摩船长始终没有来看我。客厅的嵌板没有打开也许人家不愿意我们对于美丽的事物接触得太多吧。诺第留斯号行驶的方向仍是东北偏东，速度为每小时十二海里，距离海面五十至六十米。
第三天，11月10日，还是没有人，同样是冷清清的。我看见一个船员。尼德·兰和康塞尔跟我在一起过了大半天。他们对船长的不可理解的不露面很惊讶，这个奇异的人病了吗？他要改变他怎样安排我们的计划吗?
总而言之，正像康塞尔说的，我们享受到完全的自由，我们吃得很讲究。我们的主人完全遵守他约定的条款。我们不能抱怨，而且，我们意想不到的遭遇使我们受到了很好的待遇，光这一点，我们就没有权利控诉他。
这一天我开始写这次奇遇的日记，这样，我可以详尽而确切地把事情记录下来；我是用海中大叶藻制的纸写日记，这也是一件新奇的事。
11月11日，大清早，诺第留斯号的内部全换了新鲜空气，我知道我们现在又回到洋面上来补充氧气。我向中央楼梯走去，走上平台。
这时是早晨六点。我看见天是阴的，海也发暗，但相当平静。差不多没有波浪。我希望在平台上碰见尼摩船长，他会来吗）我只看见领航人关在他那玻璃笼间里。我坐在小艇外壳的突出部分，很自在地呼吸着海上的新鲜空气。
在太阳光的照射下，浓雾渐渐消散了。一轮红日从东方的天际涌出。海面被阳光照射得像燃着了的火药，发出一片红光。云彩散在高空，染上深浅不同的色泽，无数的“猫舌头”③预告今天整天都要刮风。
可是对于大风暴也不惊怕的诺第留斯号，普通的风又算得了什么呢？
我正在欣赏使人愉快的日出景象，忽然听到有人走上平台来。
我正准备招呼尼摩船长，但上来的人不是他，而是他的副手。他在平台上向前走，好像没有看见我似的。他拿一架倍数很大的望远镜，十分细心地观察四周的天边、观察过后，他走近嵌板，说了一句话，这句话的语音拼法完全跟下面写的一样。我所以把它记下来，是因为每天早晨，在同样的情况下，总是听到这句话。这句话是这样：
“诺土隆一雷斯扑一罗宜一维尔希。”
这话是什么意思，那我可说不上来。
说了这句话之后，船副又下到船舱去了。我想诺第留斯号又要潜入海底航行了。所以我走回嵌板边，穿过狭长的过道，回到我的房中。
这样过了五天，情形一点没有改变。每天早晨，我走上平台，听到同样的人说出同样的话。尼摩船长仍然没有露面。
我不再指望见他了。到了11月16比我跟尼德·兰和康塞尔回到我房中的时候，看见桌上有一封给我的信。
我拿过信来，立刻把信拆开。信上的字体写得清楚…很干净，但带一点古体，使人想起是有些像德文字体。
这信的内容如下：
送交诺第留斯号船上的阿龙纳斯教授
尼摩船长邀请阿龙纳斯教授出去打猎，这次打猎定于明天早晨在克利斯波岛的林中举行。船长希望他没有什么亭，能来参加，同时也很高兴他的同伴能跟他一道来。
诺第留斯号船长尼摩
1867年11月16日“打猎! 尼德·兰喊道。“在克利斯波岛的林中！”康塞尔加上一句。“这个怪人要到陆地上去吗？”尼德·兰又说。“在我看来，信中是说得清清楚楚的。”我再看了下信
“那么，一定要接受邀请，”加拿大人说，“我们该怎么办，到了陆地上就知道了。此外我也很高兴能吃到几块新鲜的野味。”
尼摩船长本来是讨厌大陆和岛屿的，现在反来邀我们去林中打猎，这矛盾我不想去求得解释，只是满意地说。
“我们先看看克利斯波岛是个什么样的地方。”
我于是查平面地图，在北纬32度40分，西经167度50分的地方，找到一个小岛，它是1801年由克利斯波船长发现的，古老的西班牙地图叫它洛加·德拉·蒲拉达，意译过来就是银石。所以我们现在距出发点约为一千八百海里，诺第留斯号行驶的方向有些改变了，它现在又向东南方驶去。
我把这个处在太平洋北部的小岛指给我的同伴看。
我对他们说：“尼摩船长即使偶然想上陆地，他一定也要选择那些荒凉无人的地方。”
尼德·兰摇摇头，不答话，一会，康塞尔和他都走开了。不动声色的管事人给我端来晚餐,我用过晚餐以后，心里盘算着明天的事，很久才入睡。
第二天， 11月：7日，我醒来，觉得诺第留斯号不动了。我赶忙穿上衣服，走进了客厅。
尼摩船长已经在厅里等着我了，他看见我，使站起来向我招呼，问我们跟他一同去打猎有什么不方便没有。
既然他一点不提他八天不露面的原因，我也不便打听，所以只是干脆地回答说，我的同伴和我都很乐意跟他去打猎。
“不过，”我又补上一句，“先生，请允许我向您提一个问题。”
“提吧， 阿龙纳斯先生，只要我能答复，我就一定答复。"“那么，船长，既然您跟陆地割断了任何联系，您怎会有森林在克利斯波岛上呢?"
“教授;"船长回答，“我的森林不需要太阳，不需要它的光，也不需要它的热。狮子，老虎，豹子，等等，不管什么四足兽都不能到我的森林中来。林中的一切东西只为我一个人生长。这不是陆地的森林，而是海底的森林。”
“海底的森林！”我喊道。
“是的，教授。”
“您请我到海底森林中去吗？”
“正是”
“步行去吗？”“步行去，而且不沾一点海水."“一面打猎吗？”
"一面打猎。”
“手拿着猎枪吗？”
“手拿着猎枪。"
我两眼盯着诺第留斯号的船长、一点没有露出讨好他的神气。
我想，他的脑子一定有毛病；敢情是最近还发作了一，次，拖了八天，现在还没有好呢。怪可怜的！但愿他发怪脾气，千万不要发狂才好！
我的脸色清楚地透露了我这种想法，但尼摩船长不说：什么，只请我跟着他走俄就像不顾一切地听天由命的人一样跟着他。我们到了饭厅，早餐早就摆好在那里了。
“阿龙纳斯先生，”船长对我说，“我请您用饭，不要客：气。我们一边吃饭，一边谈话。尽管我答应您可以去林中散步，但我并没有向您保证可以在林中碰到一家饭馆。所以请您尽量吃，就像一个要很迟才能回来吃午饭的人一样地多吃一点。”
我这顿饭吃得很饱。各式各样的菜是由鱼类，海参，美味的植虫动物，另外还有助消化的海藻类植物，像青红片海藻，苦乳味海藻等等做出来的。饮料是用水和酵素酒合成，这酒是按照勘察加岛人的方法，从有名的海藻，即所谓掌形蔷蔽藻酿造出来的。
起初，尼摩船长只是吃，不说一句话，后来才对我说：
“阿龙纳斯先生，我邀请您到我的克利斯波岛的森林中打猎的时候，您以为我是自相矛盾。当我告诉您这是海底森林的时候，您以为我是发疯。教授，您不能这样轻易判断
“不过，船长，请您相信……”
“请您耐心听下去，然后再看看您是不是应当责备我发疯和自相矛盾了。”
“我听您说，船长。"
“教授，您和我都知道，人只要带了充分的可呼吸的空气，他就可以生活在水底下。工人在水底下工作时，穿上～件不透水的衣服，头上套了一个金属的盒子，再利用打气机和节流器，就可以从水上面获得空气。”
“那是一套潜水设备。”我说。
“对，可是，带了这套设备，人是不自由的，那条输送空气的胶皮管子把他和打气机连接起来， 简直就是一条把他拴在陆地上的锁链，如果我们 是这样拴连着诺第留斯号，那我们就不能往远处走了."
“那么，可以自由行动的方法是什么呢?"我问。
“那就是使用您的两个法国同乡——卢格罗尔和德纳露兹创造的器械。为了符合我的要求，我改善了这种器械，靠了这种器械，可以在新的生理条件下在海水中生活，您的器官一点也不感到什么痛苦。它有一个厚钢板制的密封瓶，瓶中满贮五十大气压力压缩的空气。它像士兵的背囊一样，用一条腰带捆在人的背后，瓶的上部像个钢盒，盒中的空气由吹风机操纵，只在一定的压力下才能流出来。现在通用的卢格罗尔器械，都有两条胶皮管子从钢盒通出来，套在口鼻上罩着的喇叭形东西；其中一条是吸气用的，另一分是呼气用的，人的舌头按照呼吸的需要，控制这两条胶皮管的开关。但是，在海底下受到的压力很大，所以我要像潜水员一样，把我的脑袋装在铜制的圆球中，那两条胶皮管——吸气管和呼气管就连结在这个圆球上。”
"好极了， 尼摩船长。不过您所携带的空气很快就会用完的，空气中只含有百分之十五的氧时，就不宜再呼吸了。”
“可不是，但我跟您说过，阿龙纳斯先生，诺第留斯号的打气机使我可以把高压压缩的空气装进去，在这种条件下，这套器械的密封瓶能供应的空气足够我呼吸九到十小时。"
“我再没有什么可以非难的了，”我回答，“但我要问，您在海底下行动是靠什么来照明呢？”
“我用的是兰可夫灯，阿龙纳斯先生。呼吸器放在我背上，探照灯带在我腰间。探照灯装有一组本生电池，但我不用氯化钾，而用海中含量很多的氯化钠来发电。用一个感应线圈把发生的电收集起来，送到特制的灯泡。灯泡中有一根弯曲的玻璃管，管中只有少量的二氧化碳气。使用探照灯的时候，二氧化碳气发出一种连续不断的白光，照亮起来。有了这些设备，我就可以呼吸，可以看见。”
“尼摩船长，您对我提出的所有反对意见，都作了十分有力的答复，现在我再也不能怀疑了。不过，我虽然不得不承认卢格罗尔呼吸器和兰可夫探照灯，但我对那支猎枪，眈是您要我携带的这件武器，还不得不保留我的意见。"
“这不是什么火药枪。”船长回答。
“那么，是气枪吗？”
"可不是。船上没有硝石，没有硫磺，没有木炭，您要我怎么制造火药呢？”
“还有，”我说，“海水比空气重八百五十五倍，在这种环境中开枪要有实效，首先就要克服这种巨大的压力。”
“这不能算作一个理由。现在有一种枪，是按照富尔顿①的设计，由英国人菲力哥尔和布列、法国人傅尔西、意大利人兰帝加以改进的，它装有特殊的开关，可以在海水中射击。但是我要再一次告诉您，我没有火药，只能用压缩空气代替，这种空气是诺第留斯号的打气机可以大量供应的。”
“可是这空气很快就会用完的。”
“不错，但我带有卢格罗尔瓶，不是能按需要随时供应：：空气吗? 只要按需要装上一个开关龙头就够了 此外， 阿龙纳斯先生、您自己就将亲身看到，水底打猎并不费大量的空气和很多的子弹。”
“但是，在这种看不太清楚的地方，在这个比空气重得多的海水中间，我觉得发出的枪弹不能打得很远，并且也很难命中吧？”
“先生，用这种枪，每一发都是可以致命的，并且，动物一被打中，不管伤得怎样轻微，它必然像被雷击一般，立即倒下来。”
“为什么呢?"
“因为这枪发出的子弹并不是普通的子弹，这是奥地利化学家列妮布洛克发明的一种小波璃球，我船上储备了许多,这种小玻璃球装有钢的套子,下面又加了铅底,象真正的来顿瓶一样，里面具有很高的电压。就是最轻微的冲击，也要炸开，被打中的动物，不管怎样强大有力，也得倒下来死去。我要告诉您，它不比四号子弹大，普通猎枪的弹盒可以装上十个。”
“我再不争论了，”我从桌旁站起来说，“我只有拿起我的枪来就是了。您去哪里，我就跟您去哪里。”
船长领我到诺第留斯号的后部，走过尼德·兰和康塞尔的舱房门前，我叫了我的两个同伴，他们立即跟着我们出来。
一会儿，我们到了前面，靠近机器房的一个小房子里，我们要在这个小房子中穿起我们的海底打猎衣服来。
收听单词发音 |
1
slumber
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| n.睡眠，沉睡状态 | |
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gallant
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| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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babble
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| v.含糊不清地说，胡言乱语地说，儿语 | |
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strands
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| n.（线、绳、金属线、毛发等的）股( strand的名词复数 )；缕；海洋、湖或河的)岸；（观点、计划、故事等的）部份v.使滞留，使搁浅( strand的第三人称单数 ) | |
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filaments
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| n.（电灯泡的）灯丝( filament的名词复数 )；丝极；细丝；丝状物 | |
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Mediterranean
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| adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的 | |
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fabrics
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| 织物( fabric的名词复数 )； 布； 构造； （建筑物的）结构（如墙、地面、屋顶）：质地 | |
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deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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amassed
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| v.积累，积聚( amass的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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marine
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| adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵 | |
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noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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tinted
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| adj. 带色彩的 动词tint的过去式和过去分词 | |
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scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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colander
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| n.滤器，漏勺 | |
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squat
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| v.蹲坐，蹲下；n.蹲下；adj.矮胖的，粗矮的 | |
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algae
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| n.水藻，海藻 | |
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solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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inexplicable
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| adj.无法解释的，难理解的 | |
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narrate
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| v.讲，叙述 | |
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scrupulous
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| adj.审慎的，小心翼翼的，完全的，纯粹的 | |
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overcast
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| adj.阴天的，阴暗的，愁闷的；v.遮盖，（使）变暗，包边缝；n.覆盖，阴天 | |
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imprisoned
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| 下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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ledge
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| n.壁架，架状突出物；岩架，岩礁 | |
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hull
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| n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳 | |
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inhaled
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| v.吸入( inhale的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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aroma
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| n.香气，芬芳，芳香 | |
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dispersed
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| adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的 | |
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orb
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| n.太阳；星球；v.弄圆；成球形 | |
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gunpowder
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| n.火药 | |
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scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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hues
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| 色彩( hue的名词复数 )； 色调； 信仰； 观点 | |
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ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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intimidate
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| vt.恐吓，威胁 | |
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delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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scrutinized
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| v.仔细检查，详审( scrutinize的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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navigating
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| v.给（船舶、飞机等）引航，导航( navigate的现在分词 )；（从海上、空中等）横越；横渡；飞跃 | |
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calligraphy
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| n.书法 | |
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ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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gist
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| n.要旨；梗概 | |
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professed
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| 公开声称的，伪称的，已立誓信教的 | |
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latitude
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| n.纬度，行动或言论的自由(范围)，(pl.)地区 | |
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longitude
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| n.经线，经度 | |
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44
steward
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| n.乘务员，服务员；看管人；膳食管理员 | |
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allusion
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| n.暗示，间接提示 | |
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46
severed
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| v.切断，断绝( sever的过去式和过去分词 )；断，裂 | |
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bask
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| vt.取暖，晒太阳，沐浴于 | |
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48
precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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inviting
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| adj.诱人的，引人注目的 | |
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50
garnished
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| v.给（上餐桌的食物）加装饰( garnish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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51
beverage
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| n.(水，酒等之外的)饮料 | |
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52
fermented
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| v.（使）发酵( ferment的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）激动；骚动；骚扰 | |
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53
judgments
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| 判断( judgment的名词复数 )； 鉴定； 评价； 审判 | |
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54
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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55
insanity
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| n.疯狂，精神错乱；极端的愚蠢，荒唐 | |
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56
waterproof
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| n.防水材料；adj.防水的；v.使...能防水 | |
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57
fetters
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| n.脚镣( fetter的名词复数 )；束缚v.给…上脚镣，束缚( fetter的第三人称单数 ) | |
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58
thereby
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| adv.因此，从而 | |
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59
physiological
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| adj.生理学的，生理学上的 | |
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60
disorders
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| n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调 | |
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61
straps
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| n.带子( strap的名词复数 )；挎带；肩带；背带v.用皮带捆扎( strap的第三人称单数 )；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带 | |
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62
bellows
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| n.风箱；发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的名词复数 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的第三人称单数 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫 | |
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63
mechanism
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| n.机械装置；机构，结构 | |
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64
imprisons
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| v.下狱，监禁( imprison的第三人称单数 ) | |
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65
exhaled
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| v.呼出，发散出( exhale的过去式和过去分词 )；吐出（肺中的空气、烟等），呼气 | |
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66
copper
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| n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的 | |
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67
depleted
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| adj. 枯竭的, 废弃的 动词deplete的过去式和过去分词 | |
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68
activate
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| vt.使活动起来，使开始起作用 | |
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69
sodium
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| n.（化）钠 | |
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70
induction
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| n.感应，感应现象 | |
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71
specially
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| adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地 | |
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72
residue
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| n.残余，剩余，残渣 | |
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73
luminous
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| adj.发光的，发亮的；光明的；明白易懂的；有启发的 | |
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74
sulfur
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| n.硫，硫磺（=sulphur） | |
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75
charcoal
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| n.炭，木炭，生物炭 | |
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76
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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77
denser
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| adj. 不易看透的, 密集的, 浓厚的, 愚钝的 | |
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78
expenditure
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| n.(时间、劳力、金钱等)支出；使用，消耗 | |
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79
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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