What rage then drove us against these monsters! We lost all self-control. Ten or twelve devilfish had overrun the Nautilus's platform and sides. We piled helter-skelter into the thick of these sawed-off snakes, whichdarted over the platform amid waves of blood and sepia ink. It seemed as if these viscous tentacles grew back like the many heads of Hydra. At every thrust Ned Land's harpoon would plunge into a squid's sea-green eyeand burst it. But my daring companion was suddenly toppled by the tentacles of a monster he could not avoid.
于是我们对这些怪物愤怒至极!我们再也忍无可忍。十几条章鱼侵入了“鹦鹉螺号”的平台和船侧,平台上,在血浪和墨汁中扭动着像蛇一样的肉段,我们在这些肉段中间上砍下滚。这些粘乎乎的触须就像多头蛇的头一样,不断地长出来。尼德·兰的渔叉每投一次,都叉进枪乌贼海绿色的眼睛里,把眼珠挖出来。但我这位勇敢的同伴突然被一只他来不及逃避的怪物的触须打翻在地。
Oh, my heart nearly exploded with excitement and horror! The squid's fearsome beak was wide open over Ned Land. The poor man was about to be cut in half. I ran to his rescue. But Captain Nemo got there first. His ax disappeared between the two enormous mandibles, and the Canadian, miraculously saved, stood and plunged his harpoon all the way into the devilfish's triple heart.
啊!我激动和恐惧得心都提到了嗓子上!那只枪乌贼把大嘴对着尼德·兰张大:这个不幸的人就要被咬成两段了。我要冲过去救他,但尼摩船长已经抢在了我的前面。他把斧子卡进那两排巨大的牙骨之间,加拿大人奇迹般地获救了,他站起来,把鱼叉整个叉进章鱼的三个心脏中。
Tit for tat, Captain Nemo told the Canadian. "I owed it to myself!" Ned bowed without answering him.
“这是我应该报答您的!”尼摩船长对加拿大人说。 尼德点点头,没说话。
This struggle had lasted a quarter of an hour. Defeated, mutilated, battered to death, the monsters finally yielded to us and disappeared beneath the waves.
这场战斗持续了一刻钟。这些怪物被打败了,死的死,伤的伤,最终撤退了,消失在水波下。
Red with blood, motionless by the beacon, Captain Nemo stared at the sea that had swallowed one of his companions, and large tears streamed from his eyes.
尼摩船长被血染红了,他一动不动地站在探照灯旁,凝视着吞没了他的一个同伴的大海,大颗大颗的泪珠从他的眼里滚出来。
End of chapter 18
第18章完