海底兩萬里 第202期 第15章 一封邀請信(4)

What it meant I was unable to say.

這話是什么意思，那我可說不上來。

These words pronounced, the chief officer went below again. I thought the Nautilus was about to resume its underwater navigating.

說了這句話之后，船副又下到船艙去了。我想諾第留斯號又要潛入海底航行了。

So I went down the hatch and back through the gangways to my stateroom.

所以我走回嵌板邊，穿過狹長的過道，回到我的房中。

Five days passed in this way with no change in our situation. Every morning I climbed onto the platform.

這樣過了五天，情形一點沒有改變。每天早晨，我走上平臺。

The same phrase was pronounced by the same individual. Captain Nemo did not appear.

聽到同樣的人說出同樣的話。尼摩船長仍然沒有露面。

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.

我不再指望見他了。到了11月16比我跟尼德·蘭和康塞爾回到我房中的時候，看見桌上有一封給我的信。

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 calligraphy.

我拿過信來，立刻把信拆開。信上的字體寫得清楚…很干凈，但帶一點古體，使人想起是有些像德文字體。

The note was worded as follows:

這信的內(nèi)容如下：

Professor Aronnax Aboard the Nautilus November 16, 1867

送交諾第留斯號船上的阿龍納斯教授 1867年11月16日

Captain Nemo invites Professor Aronnax on a hunting trip that will take place tomorrow morning in his Crespo Island forests.

尼摩船長邀請阿龍納斯教授出去打獵，這次打獵定于明天早晨在克利斯波島的林中舉行。

He hopes nothing will prevent the professor from attending, and he looks forward with pleasure to the professor's companions joining him.

船長希望他沒有什么亭，能來參加，同時也很高興他的同伴能跟他一道來。

CAPTAIN NEMO,Commander of the Nautilus.

諾第留斯號船長尼摩

A hunting trip! Ned exclaimed.

打獵! 尼德·蘭喊道。

And in his forests on Crespo Island! Conseil added.

在克利斯波島的林中!康塞爾加上一句。

But does this mean the old boy goes ashore? Ned Land went on.

這個怪人要到陸地上去嗎?尼德·蘭又說。

That seems to be the gist of it, I said, rereading the letter.

在我看來，信中是說得清清楚楚的。我再看了下信

Well, we've got to accept! the Canadian answered. Once we're on solid ground, we'll figure out a course of action.

那么，一定要接受邀請，加拿大人說，我們該怎么辦，到了陸地上就知道了。

Besides, it wouldn't pain me to eat a couple slices of fresh venison!

此外我也很高興能吃到幾塊新鮮的野味。