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I had climbed onto the platform just as the chief officer was taking his readings of hour angles. Out of habit I waited for him to pronounce his daily phrase. But that day it was replaced by a different phrase, just as incomprehensible. Almost at once I saw Captain Nemo appear, lift his spyglass, and inspect the horizon.
我在船副來測量角度的時候，走到平臺上。我等待他照平常的習慣，說每日要說的那句話。可是，那天，這句話被另一句一樣不可懂的話所替了。我立即看見尼摩船長出來，眼睛對著望遠鏡，向天邊隙望。
For some minutes the captain stood motionless, rooted to the spot contained within the field of his lens. Then he lowered his spyglass and exchanged about ten words with his chief officer. The latter seemed to be in the grip of an excitement he tried in vain to control. More in command of himself, Captain Nemo remained cool. Furthermore, he seemed to be raising certain objections that his chief officer kept answering with flat assurances. At least that's what I gathered from their differences in tone and gesture.
在幾分鐘內，船長站住不動，不離開他目標內的那個點。一會兒，他把鏡子放下，跟船副交換了十多句話。船副好像情緒很激動，沒有法子抑制的樣子。尼摩船長比較有主意，神氣很冷靜。他好像提出了些反對的意見，船副帶著肯定明確的語氣回答他。至少，我是從他們的口氣和他們的姿勢作這樣的了解。
As for me, I stared industriously in the direction under observation but without spotting a thing. Sky and water merged into a perfectly clean horizon line.
至于我，也細心地注視他們所指的方向，什么也看不見。夭和水完全清楚地相交在一條水平線上。
Meanwhile Captain Nemo strolled from one end of the platform to the other, not glancing at me, perhaps not even seeing me. His step was firm but less regular than usual. Sometimes he would stop, cross his arms over his chest, and observe the sea. What could he be looking for over that immense expanse? By then the Nautilus lay hundreds of miles from the nearest coast!
但是，尼摩船長在平臺的兩極端間走來走去，沒有留心我，可能沒有看見我。他的腳步很堅定，但沒有平時一樣的規律。他有時停住，兩手交叉在胸前，觀察大海。他要在這個浩瀚的空間中找些什么呢？諾第留斯號這時距最近的邊岸也已經有好幾百海里了！
The chief officer kept lifting his spyglass and stubbornly examining the horizon, walking up and down, stamping his foot, in his nervous agitation a sharp contrast to his superior.
船副又拿過望遠鏡來，固執地搜索著天際，走來走去，不停地跺腳，他神經質的激動跟船長的冷靜正成一個對比。
But this mystery would inevitably be cleared up, and soon, because Captain Nemo gave orders to increase speed; at once the engine stepped up its drive power, setting the propeller in swifter rotation.
此外，這個神秘必須弄清楚，并且要很快弄清楚，因為船上得到尼摩船長的命令，機器增加推動力，機器轉動更快了。
