海底两万里 第123期 第9章 尼德·兰的愤怒(8)

　　To tell the truth, friend Land, I know little more about it than you do.

　　老实说，尼德·兰好朋友，我跟您一样，知道的不比您多。

　　But in a nutshell, what do you suppose is going on?

　　那么，您就猜一猜，怎么样?

　　My supposition is that sheer chance has made us privy to an important secret.

　　我想，这次偶然事件使我们知道了一个重大的秘密。

　　Now then, if the crew of this underwater boat have a personal interest in keeping that secret,

　　如果潜水艇上的人认为这个秘密对他们有重大利害关系，一定要保守，

　　and if their personal interest is more important than the lives of three men, I believe that our very existence is in jeopardy.

　　如果这种利害关系比三个人的生命更要紧，那么，我认为我们的生命就危险了。

　　If such is not the case, then at the first available opportunity, this monster that has swallowed us will return us to the world inhabited by our own kind.

　　反过来，如果情形不是这样，那么，一有机会，这个吞食我们的怪物就可以把我们送回我们人类居住的大陆。

　　Unless they recruit us to serve on the crew, Conseil said, and keep us here.

　　就怕他们把我们编人他们的船员名册中了，康塞尔说，他们就这样把我们留下来了…

　　Till the moment, Ned Land answered, when some frigate that's faster or smarter than the Abraham Lincoln captures this den of buccaneers, then hangs all of us by the neck from the tip of a mainmast yardarm!

　　留下我们，尼德·兰答，一直到有一艘比林肯号更快、或更灵巧的战舰，破获了这个匪巢，把巢中的人员和我们送到船上大桅的横木上，让大家自由自在，尽量呼吸一次空气。

　　Well thought out, Mr. Land, I replied.

　　尼德·兰师傅，您想得对，我答，

　　But as yet, I don't believe we've been tendered any enlistment offers. Consequently, it's pointless to argue about what tactics we should pursue in such a case.

　　可是，据我们知道，人家还没有向我们提出关于这事的建议，我们现在就来讨论应该采取哪一种办法，是没有用处的。

　　I repeat: let's wait, let's be guided by events, and let's do nothing, since right now there's nothing we can do.

　　我一再说，我们要等待，既然没事就不必随便找事。