The next day, the 8th day of January, after a day and night passed at the corral, where they left all in order, Cyrus Harding and Ayrton arrived at Granite House.
第二天，一月八日，赛勒斯·哈丁和艾顿在留下一切井然有序的畜栏度过了一天一夜后，到达了花岗岩屋。

The engineer immediately called his companions together, and informed them of the imminent danger which threatened Lincoln Island, and from which no human power could deliver them.
工程师立即召集他的同伴们，并告知他们林肯岛即将面临的紧急危险，而没有任何人力可以拯救他们。

“My friends,” he said, and his voice betrayed the depth of his emotion, “our island is not among those which will endure while this earth endures. —
“我的朋友们，”他说，他的声音流露出深深的情感，“我们的岛屿不属于那些将与大地共存的岛屿。 —

It is doomed to more or less speedy destruction, the cause of which it bears within itself, and from which nothing can save it.”
它注定要或迅速或缓慢地毁灭，它内在地承载着这种原因，而没有什么可以拯救它。”

The colonists looked at each other, then at the engineer. They did not clearly comprehend him.
殖民者们相互看了看，然后看向工程师。他们并没有清楚地理解他。

“Explain yourself, Cyrus!” said Gideon Spilett.
“请解释一下，赛勒斯！”吉迪恩·斯皮莱特说。

“I will do so,” replied Cyrus Harding, “or rather I will simply afford you the explanation which, during our few minutes of private conversation, was given me by Captain Nemo.”
“我会的，”赛勒斯·哈丁回答说，“或者我只是会简单地告诉你们一下，在我们私下交谈的几分钟里，卫斯理给了我的解释。”

“Captain Nemo!” exclaimed the colonists.
“卫斯理船长！”殖民者们惊呼道。

“Yes, and it was the last service he desired to render us before his death!”
“是的，而这也是他在去世前希望向我们提供的最后一项服务！”

“The last service!” exclaimed Pencroft, “the last service! —
“最后一项服务！”彭克罗夫叫道，“最后一项服务！你会看到，尽管他已经去世，他还会给我们带来更多的服务！” —

You will see that though he is dead he will render us others yet!”
“但船长说了什么？”记者问道。

“But what did the captain say?” inquired the reporter.
“我会告诉你们的，我的朋友们，”工程师说。

“I will tell you, my friends,” said the engineer. —
“林肯岛不像太平洋的其他岛屿，而卫斯理告诉我的一件事，迟早会导致其基础的倒塌。” —

“Lincoln Island does not resemble the other islands of the Pacific, and a fact of which Captain Nemo has made me cognizant must sooner or later bring about the subversion of its foundation.”
“胡说！怎么可能是林肯岛！”尽管对赛勒斯·哈丁感到尊敬，彭克罗夫还是忍不住表现出怀疑的姿态。

“Nonsense! Lincoln Island, it can’t be!” cried Pencroft, who, in spite of the respect he felt for Cyrus Harding, could not prevent a gesture of incredulity.
“得了吧！林肯岛，不可能！”彭克罗夫大叫道。

“Listen, Pencroft,” resumed the engineer, “I will tell you what Captain Nemo communicated to me, and which I myself confirmed yesterday, during the exploration of Dakkar Grotto.
“听着，潘克罗夫”，工程师继续说道，“我会告诉你船长尼摩跟我说的事情，而且我昨天在探索达卡尔洞穴时也亲眼确认了。

“This cavern stretches under the island as far as the volcano, and is only separated from its central shaft by the wall which terminates it. —
“这个洞穴延伸到了火山下方，只有被终止它的墙壁分隔开来。 —

Now, this wall is seamed with fissures and clefts which already allow the sulphurous gases generated in the interior of the volcano to escape.”
现在，这面墙壁上布满了裂缝和破裂，已经允许火山内部生成的硫磺气体逸出。”

“Well?” said Pencroft, his brow suddenly contracting.
“嗯？”潘克罗夫说，他的眉头突然皱起。

“Well, then, I saw that these fissures widen under the internal pressure from within, that the wall of basalt is gradually giving way and that after a longer or shorter period it will afford a passage to the waters of the lake which fill the cavern.”
“所以？”赛勒斯·哈丁继续说，“我看到这些裂缝在内部压力下不断扩大，玄武岩墙壁正在逐渐变薄，在更长或更短的时间内，它将为填满洞穴的湖水提供一个通道。”

“Good!” replied Pencroft, with an attempt at pleasantry. —
“好！”潘克罗夫试图开玩笑地回答。 —

“The sea will extinguish the volcano, and there will be an end of the matter!”
“海水将灭火山，问题就结束了！”

“Not so!” said Cyrus Harding, “should a day arrive when the sea, rushing through the wall of the cavern, penetrates by the central shaft into the interior of the island to the boiling lava, Lincoln Island will that day be blown into the air–just as would happen to the island of Sicily were the Mediterranean to precipitate itself into Mount Etna.”
“并非如此！”赛勒斯·哈丁说，“如果有一天，海水冲破洞穴的墙壁，通过中心通道进入岛屿内部的熔岩，那么林肯岛就会在那一天爆炸——就像地中海倒进埃特纳火山时会发生的那样。”

The colonists made no answer to these significant words of the engineer. —
殖民者对工程师的这些意味深长的话没有回应。 —

They now understood the danger by which they were menaced.
他们现在明白了他们所面临的危险。

It may be added that Cyrus Harding had in no way exaggerated the danger to be apprehended. —
可以补充说，赛勒斯·哈丁并没有夸大所应当担心的危险。 —

Many persons have formed an idea that it would be possible to extinguish volcanoes, which are almost always situated on the shores of a sea or lake, by opening a passage for the admission of the water. —
许多人认为通过打开水的通道来扑灭火山是可能的，而火山几乎总是位于海洋或湖泊的岸边。 —

But they are not aware that this would be to incur the risk of blowing up a portion of the globe, like a boiler whose steam is suddenly expanded by intense heat. —
但他们不知道这将意味着冒着像锅炉被强烈热量迅速膨胀时一样的地球部分爆炸的风险。 —

The water, rushing into a cavity whose temperature might be estimated at thousands of degrees, would be converted into steam with a sudden energy which no enclosure could resist.
水冲入一个温度可能达到数千度的空洞，会被瞬间转化为蒸汽，这种突然的能量是任何围栏都无法抵抗的。

It was not therefore doubtful that the island, menaced by a frightful and approaching convulsion, would endure only so long as the wall of Dakkar Grotto itself should endure. —
因此，毫无疑问，被一场可怕且逼近的动荡所威胁的岛屿只会存在的时间跟达卡尔洞穴的墙壁能存在的时间一样长。 —

It was not even a question of months, nor of weeks, but of days; —
这甚至不是几个月的问题，也不是几周，而是几天； —

it might be of hours.
甚至可能是几个小时。

The first sentiment which the colonists felt was that of profound sorrow. —
殖民者们最初感到的是深深的悲伤。 —

They thought not so much of the peril which menaced themselves personally, but of the destruction of the island which had sheltered them, which they had cultivated, which they loved so well, and had hoped to render so flourishing. —
他们并不那么关心危及他们个人的危险，而是关心他们所居住的岛屿被摧毁，他们曾经栽种和热爱的岛屿，他们曾希望能够让它变得繁荣。 —

So much effort ineffectually expended, so much labor lost.
这么多辛劳白费，这么多劳动付之东流。

Pencroft could not prevent a large tear from rolling down his cheek, nor did he attempt to conceal it.
本克罗夫特忍不住眼泪滑落下来，也没有企图掩饰。

Some further conversation now took place. The chances yet in favor of the colonists were discussed; —
现在谈论的内容转向了殖民者们仍然有利的机会； —

but finally it was agreed that there was not an hour to be lost, that the building and fitting of the vessel should be pushed forward with their utmost energy, and that this was the sole chance of safety for the inhabitants of Lincoln Island.
但最终他们一致同意，时间不容分说，建造和装配船只必须全力以赴，这是林肯岛居民唯一的生存希望。

All hands, therefore, set to work on the vessel. —
所有人开始为船只工作。 —

What could it avail to sow, to reap, to hunt, to increase the stores of Granite House? —
播种、收获、打猎、增加格兰特山的储备能有何作用？ —

The contents of the storehouse and outbuildings contained more than sufficient to provide the ship for a voyage, however long might be its duration. —
仓库和辅助建筑的存货远远足够为这次航行提供所需，无论它的持续时间有多长。 —

But it was imperative that the ship should be ready to receive them before the inevitable catastrophe should arrive.
但是船只必须在不可避免的灾难到来之前做好接纳他们的准备。

Their labors were now carried on with feverish ardor. —
他们的工作现在进行得异常狂热。 —

By the 23rd of January the vessel was half-decked over. —
到1月23日，船只的上半部甲板已经完工。 —

Up to this time no change had taken place on the summit of the volcano. —
到目前为止，火山顶上没有发生任何变化。 —

Vapor and smoke mingled with flames and incandescent stones were thrown up from the crater. —
蒸汽和烟雾夹杂着火焰和白炽石从火山口喷出来。 —

But during the night of the 23rd, in consequence of the lava attaining the level of the first stratum of the volcano, the hat-shaped cone which formed over the latter disappeared. —
但在23日的夜晚，由于熔岩达到火山第一个岩层的高度，覆盖在火山上的那个像帽子一样的锥体消失了。 —

A frightful sound was heard. The colonists at first thought the island was rent asunder, and rushed out of Granite House.
传来了可怕的声音。殖民者们起初以为岛屿要裂开了，纷纷冲出花岗岩屋。

This occurred about two o’clock in the morning.
这发生在凌晨两点左右。

The sky appeared on fire. The superior cone, a mass of rock a thousand feet in height, and weighing thousands of millions of pounds, had been thrown down upon the island, making it tremble to its foundation. —
天空看起来像是着火了。那个高达一千英尺，重达数十亿磅的巨大岩石锥体被抛落到岛上，使整个岛屿都震动起来。 —

Fortunately, this cone inclined to the north, and had fallen upon the plain of sand and tufa stretching between the volcano and the sea. —
幸运的是，这个锥体向北倾斜，在火山与海洋之间的沙地和凝灰岩平原上倒下。 —

The aperture of the crater being thus enlarged projected towards the sky a glare so intense that by the simple effect of reflection the atmosphere appeared red-hot. —
火山口的开口被扩大，向天空喷射出一道耀眼的光芒，照亮了整片大气。 —

At the same time a torrent of lava, bursting from the new summit, poured out in long cascades, like water escaping from a vase too full, and a thousand tongues of fire crept over the sides of the volcano.
同时，从新的火山口涌出一股熔岩瀑布，如同从装得太满的花瓶中溢出的水一样，数以千计的火焰舔向火山的侧面。

“The corral! the corral!” exclaimed Ayrton.
“兽舍！兽舍！”艾尔顿喊道。

It was, in fact, towards the corral that the lava was rushing as the new crater faced the east, and consequently the fertile portions of the island, the springs of Red Creek and Jacamar Wood, were menaced with instant destruction.
事实上，由于新的火山口朝东，火山口向兽舍方向冲去，因此岛屿的肥沃区域，红溪和蓝喉林的泉水，立刻受到了威胁。

At Ayrton’s cry the colonists rushed to the onagers’ stables. The cart was at once harnessed. —
艾尔顿的呼喊引发了殖民者们冲向野马马厩。马车立即套好。 —

All were possessed by the same thought–to hasten to the corral and set at liberty the animals it enclosed.
所有人都被同样的念头所支配——赶快赶到兽舍，释放里面的动物。

Before three in the morning they arrived at the corral. —
凌晨三点之前，他们到达了兽舍。 —

The cries of the terrified musmons and goats indicated the alarm which possessed them. —
恐惧的野羊和山羊的哭声表明它们的惊慌。 —

Already a torrent of burning matter and liquefied minerals fell from the side of the mountain upon the meadows as far as the side of the palisade. —
火山山腰的一条熔化的矿物质和燃烧物的热流已经开始涌向牧场，一直延伸到栅栏一侧。 —

The gate was burst open by Ayrton, and the animals, bewildered with terror, fled in all directions.
Ayrton冲出草门，惊恐万物四处逃窜。

An hour afterwards the boiling lava filled the corral, converting into vapor the water of the little rivulet which ran through it, burning up the house like dry grass, and leaving not even a post of the palisade to mark the spot where the corral once stood.
一个小时后，滚烫的熔岩充满了牲畜栏，将穿过它的小溪水化为蒸汽，像干草一样烧毁了房屋，甚至没有一根栅栏支柱留下来标记曾经牲畜栏所在之地。

To contend against this disaster would have been folly–nay, madness. —
对抗这场灾难将是愚蠢的–实际上是疯狂的。 —

In presence of Nature’s grand convulsions man is powerless.
面对大自然的伟大动荡，人类是无能为力的。

It was now daylight–the 24th of January. —
现在是白天–一月二十四日。 —

Cyrus Harding and his companions, before returning to Granite House, desired to ascertain the probable direction this inundation of lava was about to take. —
在返回花岗岩屋之前，赛勒斯·哈丁和他的伙伴们想要确定这场熔岩洪流可能的方向。 —

The soil sloped gradually from Mount Franklin to the east coast, and it was to be feared that, in spite of the thick Jacamar Wood, the torrent would reach the plateau of Prospect Heights.
地势从富兰克林山逐渐向东海岸倾斜，可以担心，尽管密密的丰富山林，洪流可能会到达展望高地。

“The lake will cover us,” said Gideon Spilett.
“湖水会淹没我们，” 吉迪恩·斯皮莱特说。

“I hope so!” was Cyrus Harding’s only reply.
“我希望如此！” 赛勒斯·哈丁的唯一回答。

The colonists were desirous of reaching the plain upon which the superior cone of Mount Franklin had fallen, but the lava arrested their progress. —
移民渴望到达富兰克林山的上层锥体坠落的平原，但熔岩阻碍了他们的前进。 —

It had followed, on one side, the valley of Red Creek, and on the other that of Falls River, evaporating those watercourses in its passage. —
它沿着一侧跟随了红溪谷，另一侧是瀑布河谷，在通过时蒸发了这些水道。 —

There was no possibility of crossing the torrent of lava; —
无法横穿熔岩的洪流； —

on the contrary, the colonists were obliged to retreat before it. —
相反，移民们被迫在其面前退却。 —

The volcano, without its crown, was no longer recognizable, terminated as it was by a sort of flat table which replaced the ancient crater. —
这座失去了顶部的火山再也认不出来，取而代之的是一种取代了古老火山口的扁平桌子。 —

From two openings in its southern and eastern sides an unceasing flow of lava poured forth, thus forming two distinct streams. —
在它的南部和东部两个开口不断地涌出熔岩，形成了两股不同的流。 —

Above the new crater a cloud of smoke and ashes, mingled with those of the atmosphere, massed over the island. —
在新火山口上方，一团烟雾和火山灰混合着大气中的烟雾，笼罩着整个岛屿。 —

Loud peals of thunder broke, and could scarcely be distinguished from the rumblings of the mountain, whose mouth vomited forth ignited rocks, which, hurled to more than a thousand feet, burst in the air like shells. —
巨大的雷声响起，几乎不能与火山的低沉隆隆声区分开来，火山口喷发出点燃的岩石，被抛向千余英尺的高空，像炮弹一样在空中爆炸。 —

Flashes of lightning rivaled in intensity the volcano’s eruption.
闪电的闪光与火山的喷发一样强烈。

Towards seven in the morning the position was no longer tenable by the colonists, who accordingly took shelter in the borders of Jacamar Wood. Not only did the projectiles begin to rain around them, but the lava, overflowing the bed of Red Creek, threatened to cut off the road to the corral. —
在早上七点左右，殖民者再也无法停留在那里，他们果断地躲进了蕉阴树林的边缘。不仅是抛射物开始在他们周围下起，而且熔岩溢出了红河的河床，威胁着切断通往畜栏的道路。 —

The nearest rows of trees caught fire, and their sap, suddenly transformed into vapor, caused them to explode with loud reports, while others, less moist, remained unhurt in the midst of the inundation.
最近的一排树着火了，它们的树液突然变成蒸气，导致它们发出巨大的爆炸声，而其他树木则在洪水中幸存了下来。

The colonists had again taken the road to the corral. —
殖民者再次走上了通往畜栏的道路。 —

They proceeded but slowly, frequently looking back; —
他们走得很慢，经常回头看着； —

but, in consequence of the inclination of the soil, the lava gained rapidly in the east, and as its lower waves became solidified others, at boiling heat, covered them immediately.
但是，由于土壤的倾斜，熔岩在东边蔓延迅速，随着它下面的浪潮变得固化，热浪立即覆盖它们。

Meanwhile, the principal stream of Red Creek Valley became more and more menacing. —
与此同时，红河谷的主要溪流变得越来越威胁人命。 —

All this portion of the forest was on fare, and enormous wreaths of smoke rolled over the trees, whore trunks were already consumed by the lava.
森林的所有这一部分都在燃烧，巨大的烟雾卷过树木，树干已被熔岩焚毁。

The colonists halted near the lake, about half a mile from the mouth of Red Creek. A question of life or death was now to be decided.
在湖边停下来的时候，距离红河河口大约半英里。现在必须决定生与死的问题。

Cyrus Harding, accustomed to the consideration of important crises, and aware that he was addressing men capable of hearing the truth, whatever it might be, then said,–
赛勒斯·哈丁习惯于考虑重要的危机，知道他正在对能够接受事实的人说话，无论事实是什么，他接着说，

“Either the lake will arrest the progress of the lava, and a part of the island will be preserved from utter destruction, or the stream will overrun the forests of the Far West, and not a tree or plant will remain on the surface of the soil. —
“要么湖水将阻止熔岩的扩张，部分岛屿将免于彻底毁灭，要么熔岩会淹没西部的森林，土壤表面将不剩下任何树木或植物。 —

We shall have no prospect but that of starvation upon these barren rocks–a death which will probably be anticipated by the explosion of the island.”
我们将毫无希望地饱受这些贫瘠的岩石上的饥饿–这种死亡可能会被岛屿的爆炸提前预测。”

“In that case,” replied Pencroft, folding his arms and stamping his foot, “what’s the use of working any longer on the vessel?”
“在那种情况下，”潘克罗夫回答，抱着双臂，踩脚，“再修造船又有何用？”

“Pencroft,” answered Cyrus Harding, “we must do our duty to the last!”
“潘克罗夫，”赛勒斯・哈丁回答道，“我们必须尽到最后的责任！”

At this instant the river of lava, after having broken a passage through the noble trees it devoured in its course, reached the borders of the lake. —
就在这时，熔岩河穿过沿途吞噬的高大树木，到达了湖泊边缘。 —

At this point there was an elevation of the soil which, had it been greater, might have sufficed to arrest the torrent.
在这一点上，土壤的高度如果更高些，或许可以阻止洪流。

“To work!” cried Cyrus Harding.
“开始工作！”赛勒斯・哈丁喊道。

The engineer’s thought was at once understood. —
工程师的想法立刻被理解了。 —

it might be possible to dam, as it were, the torrent, and thus compel it to pour itself into the lake.
可能可以堵住这股洪流，迫使它流入湖泊。

The colonists hastened to the dockyard. They returned with shovels, picks, axes, and by means of banking the earth with the aid of fallen trees they succeeded in a few hours in raising an embankment three feet high and some hundreds of paces in length. —
殖民地居民匆忙赶往造船厂。他们带回了铁锹、铲子、斧头，借助已倒下的树木堆土，在几个小时内筑起了一道高三英尺，长数百步的堤坝。 —

It seemed to them, when they had finished, as if they had scarcely been working more than a few minutes.
当他们完成时，似乎只工作了几分钟。

It was not a moment too soon. The liquefied substances soon after reached the bottom of the barrier. —
来不及了。液态物质很快到达了障碍物的底部。 —

The stream of lava swelled like a river about to overflow its banks, and threatened to demolish the sole obstacle which could prevent it from overrunning the whole Far West. But the dam held firm, and after a moment of terrible suspense the torrent precipitated itself into Grant Lake from a height of twenty feet.
熔岩流像河水一样膨胀，似乎将要溢出堤坝，威胁要摧毁唯一能阻止它淹没整个远西的障碍物。但堤坝坚固，经过一会儿可怕的悬念后，洪流从二十英尺的高度推入格兰特湖。

The colonists, without moving or uttering a word, breathlessly regarded this strife of the two elements.
殖民者们无动于衷，一言不发，屏住呼吸，凝视着这两种元素的冲突。

What a spectacle was this conflict between water and fire! —
水与火之间的这场斗争多么壮观！ —

What pen could describe the marvelous horror of this scene–what pencil could depict it? —
这场景面前的奇异恐怖，何等无法用笔描述，何等无法用画笔描绘。 —

The water hissed as it evaporated by contact with the boiling lava. —
水与沸腾的熔岩接触时，发出嘶嘶声。 —

The vapor whirled in the air to an immeasurable height, as if the valves of an immense boiler had been suddenly opened. —
蒸汽旋转在空中，高得无法计量，如同巨大锅炉的阀门突然打开一样。 —

But, however considerable might be the volume of water contained in the lake, it must eventually be absorbed, because it was not replenished, while the stream of lava, fed from an inexhaustible source, rolled on without ceasing new waves of incandescent matter.
但是，尽管湖中含有的水量可能很大，但最终必定会被吸收，因为没有再补给水源，而岩浆的流动却源源不断地滚动着新的炽热物质。

The first waves of lava which fell in the lake immediately solidified and accumulated so as speedily to emerge from it. —
第一波落入湖中的岩浆立即凝固并堆积起来，以便迅速从中冒出来。 —

Upon their surface fell other waves, which in their turn became stone, but a step nearer the center of the lake. —
在它们表面落下的是其他波浪，它们又变成了石头，但更靠近湖心。 —

In this manner was formed a pier which threatened to gradually fill up the lake, which could not overflow, the water displaced by the lava being evaporated. —
就这样形成了一座码头，威胁着逐渐填满湖泊，因为被岩浆所取代的水蒸发了。 —

The hissing of the water rent the air with a deafening sound, and the vapor, blown by the wind, fell in rain upon the sea. —
水的嘶嘶声划破了空气，被风吹散的蒸汽落在海上。 —

The pier became longer and longer, and the blocks of lava piled themselves one on another. —
码头变得越来越长，熔岩块堆积在一起。 —

Where formerly stretched the calm waters of the lake now appeared an enormous mass of smoking rocks, as if an upheaving of the soil had formed immense shoals. —
在以前温湖的地方，现在出现了一大片冒烟的巨大岩石，仿佛地壳的隆起形成了巨大的浅滩。 —

Imagine the waters of the lake aroused by a hurricane, then suddenly solidified by an intense frost, and some conception may be formed of the aspect of the lake three hours alter the eruption of this irresistible torrent of lava.
想象一下湖水被一阵飓风搅拌后，又被强烈的霜冻凝固，或许可以对这个湖在这无法抵抗的熔岩洪水爆发三小时后的景象有些概念。

This time water would be vanquished by fire.
这一次水将被火打败。

Nevertheless it was a fortunate circumstance for the colonists that the effusion of lava should have been in the direction of Lake Grant. They had before them some days’ respite. —
然而，对殖民者来说，岩浆的喷发向着格兰特湖的方向是一个幸运的情况。 他们在前方有几天的喘息之机。 —

The plateau of Prospect Heights, Granite House, and the dockyard were for the moment preserved. —
展望高地、花岗岩屋和船坞暂时得以保存。 —

And these few days it was necessary to employ in planking and carefully calking the vessel, and launching her. —
这几天必须用来铺设甲板和仔细封缝船只，并将其下水。 —

The colonists would then take refuge on board the vessel, content to rig her after she should be afloat on the waters. —
殖民者们在船上会有庇护，只要船在水上漂浮起来后，他们就会船上配备设备。 —

With the danger of an explosion which threatened to destroy the island there could be no security on shore. —
岛屿面临着引爆的危险，这种危险可能会毁灭岛屿，但在陆地上却没有安全可言。 —

The walls of Granite House, once so sure a retreat, might at any moment fall in upon them.
花岗岩屋的墙壁，曾经是一个可靠的避难所，可能随时倒塌在他们头上。

During the six following days, from the 25th to the 30th of January, the colonists accomplished as much of the construction of their vessel as twenty men could have done. —
在随后的六天里，从1月25日到30日，殖民者完成了他们船舶建造的工作，相当于二十个人的工作量。 —

They hardly allowed themselves a moment’s repose, and the glare of the flames which shot from the crater enabled them to work night and day. —
他们几乎没有休息的时间，喷发出的火山光使他们能够夜以继日地工作。 —

The flow of lava continued, but perhaps less abundantly. —
熔岩的流动仍在继续，但可能不那么丰富了。 —

This was fortunate, for Lake Grant was almost entirely choked up, and if more lava should accumulate it would inevitably spread over the plateau of Prospect Heights, and thence upon the beach.
这是幸运的，因为格兰特湖几乎完全被堵塞，如果更多的熔岩积累起来，它必然会泛滥到展望高地的平原，然后蔓延到海滩。

But if the island was thus partially protected on this side, it was not so with the western part.
但是，如果岛屿在这一侧部分受到保护，西部却不是这样。

In fact, the second stream of lava, which had followed the valley of Falls River, a valley of great extent, the land on both sides of the creek being flat, met with no obstacle. —
实际上，第二股沿着费尔斯河谷流动的熔岩，在这个流域两侧平坦的土地上没有遇到任何障碍。 —

The burning liquid had then spread through the forest of the Far West. At this period of the year, when the trees were dried up by a tropical heat, the forest caught fire instantaneously, in such a manner that the conflagration extended itself both by the trunks of the trees and by their higher branches, whose interlacement favored its progress. —
燃烧的液体随后蔓延到了远西的森林。在这一年的这个时候，树木因热带酷热而干枯，森林瞬间着火，以至于大火通过树木的树干和更高的树枝互相交织，有利于火势的蔓延。 —

It even appeared that the current of flame spread more rapidly among the summits of the trees than the current of lava at their bases.
似乎火焰的蔓延速度比树木底部的熔岩流速要快。

Thus it happened that the wild animals, jaguars, wild boars, capybaras, koalas, and game of every kind, mad with terror, had fled to the banks of the Mercy and to the Tadorn Marsh, beyond the road to Port Balloon. —
因此，受到惊恐的野生动物，美洲豹、野猪、水豚、考拉和各种野生动物，都逃到了梅西河和通往气球港的道路对面的泽地上。 —

But the colonists were too much occupied with their task to pay any attention to even the most formidable of these animals. —
但殖民者们忙于任务，甚至没有留意这些最可怕的动物。 —

They had abandoned Granite House, and would not even take shelter at the Chimneys, but encamped under a tent, near the mouth of the Mercy.
他们离开了花岗岩屋，甚至不在烟囱下避难，而搭帐篷在梅西河口附近扎营。

Each day Cyrus Harding and Gideon Spilett ascended the plateau of Prospect Heights. —
每天赛勒斯·哈丁和吉迪恩·斯普莱特都会上展望高地。 —

Sometimes Herbert accompanied them, but never Pencroft, who could not bear to look upon the prospect of the island now so utterly devastated.
有时赫伯特会和他们一起去，但潘克罗夫从未去过，他无法忍受眼前这个被彻底毁坏的岛屿景象。

It was, in truth, a heart-rending spectacle. —
这确实是一个令人心碎的景象。 —

All the wooded part of the island was now completely bare. —
岛屿上所有有树木的部分现在完全光秃秃的。 —

One single clump of green trees raised their heads at the extremity of Serpentine Peninsula. —
翡翠半岛的尽头，一簇翠绿的树木挺立起来。 —

Here and there were a few grotesque blackened and branchless stumps. —
这里和那里散布着一些怪诞的烧焦而无枝的树桩。 —

The side of the devastated forest was even more barren than Tadorn Marsh. The eruption of lava had been complete. —
比起塔多恩沼泽，被毁灭的森林一侧更加贫瘠。熔岩的喷发是彻底的。 —

Where formerly sprang up that charming verdure, the soil was now nothing but a savage mass of volcanic tufa. —
以前郁郁葱葱的植被现在仅仅是一大片质感粗糙的火山凝灰岩。 —

In the valleys of the Falls and Mercy rivers no drop of water now flowed towards the sea, and should Lake Grant be entirely dried up, the colonists would have no means of quenching their thirst. —
夀瀑布和慈河谷中再也没有一滴水流入海洋，如果格兰特湖完全干涸，殖民者们将没有水源止渴。 —

But, fortunately the lava had spared the southern corner of the lake, containing all that remained of the drinking water of the island. —
但是幸运的是，熔岩没有波及到湖的南角，那里还保存着岛上剩余的饮用水。 —

Towards the northwest stood out the rugged and well-defined outlines of the sides of the volcano, like a gigantic claw hovering over the island. —
往西北方向突出的是火山的崎岖和清晰的轮廓，像一只巨大的爪子悬挂在岛上方。 —

What a sad and fearful sight, and how painful to the colonists, who, from a fertile domain covered with forests, irrigated by watercourses, and enriched by the produce of their toils, found themselves, as it were, transported to a desolate rock, upon which, but for their reserves of provisions, they could not even gather the means of subsistence!
这是多么悲伤和可怕的景象，对于殖民者们来说更是痛苦，他们从一个被森林覆盖、受水道灌溉和劳作产物丰收的肥沃领地，转移到一块荒凉的岩石上，在那里除了储备的食物，他们甚至无法获得生存的手段！

“It is enough to break one’s heart!” said Gideon Spilett, one day.
“这足以让人心碎！”有一天盖迪恩·斯波利特说。

“Yes, Spilett,” answered the engineer. “May God grant us the time to complete this vessel, now our sole refuge!”
“是的，斯波利特，”工程师回答。“愿上帝赐予我们时间去完成这艘船，现在是我们唯一的避难所！”

“Do not you think, Cyrus, that the violence of the eruption has somewhat lessened? —
“你不觉得，赛勒斯，火山喷发的暴力有些减弱了吗？” —

The volcano still vomits forth lava, but somewhat less abundantly, if I mistake not.”
“火山仍在喷发岩浆，但如果我没有看错，数量稍有减少。”

“It matters little,” answered Cyrus Harding. —
“这无关紧要，”赛勒斯·哈丁回答。 —

“The fire is still burning in the interior of the mountain, and the sea may break in at any moment. —
“火山内部仍在燃烧，大海随时可能涌入。 —

We are in the condition of passengers whose ship is devoured by a conflagration which they cannot extinguish, and who know that sooner or later the flames must reach the powder-magazine. —
我们就像一艘船上的乘客，船被一场无法扑灭的大火吞噬，他们知道迟早火焰将到达火药库。 —

To work, Spilett, to work, and let us not lose an hour!”
斯皮莱特，工作吧，让我们不要浪费任何时间！

During eight days more, that is to say until the 7th of February, the lava continued to flow, but the eruption was confined within the previous limits. —
在接下来的八天里，也就是直到2月7日，熔岩持续流动，但喷发范围始终在之前的限制范围内。 —

Cyrus Harding feared above all lest the liquefied matter should overflow the shore, for in that event the dockyard could not escape. —
赛勒斯·哈丁最担心的是液态物质会溢出岸边，因为如果发生这种情况，修船厂将无法幸免。 —

Moreover, about this time the colonists felt in the frame of the island vibrations which alarmed them to the highest degree.
此外，此时殖民者感到了让他们极度担忧的岛屿震动。

It was the 20th of February. Yet another month must elapse before the vessel would be ready for sea. —
那是2月20日。在船只准备就绪之前，还必须再过一个月。 —

Would the island hold together till then? —
岛屿能坚持到那时吗？ —

The intention of Pencroft and Cyrus Harding was to launch the vessel as soon as the hull should be complete. —
彭克罗夫和赛勒斯·哈丁的意图是一旦船体完工，就立即将船下水。 —

The deck, the upperworks, the interior woodwork and the rigging might be finished afterwards, but the essential point was that the colonists should have an assured refuge away from the island. —
甲板、上层结构、内部木工和缆绳可以事后完成，但关键是殖民者应当有一个可靠的避难所远离岛屿。 —

Perhaps it might be even better to conduct the vessel to Port Balloon, that is to say, as far as possible from the center of eruption, for at the mouth of the Mercy, between the islet and the wall of granite, it would run the risk of being crushed in the event of any convulsion. —
也许将船只引向波特气球会更好，也就是说，尽可能远离喷发中心，因为在梅西河口，小岛和花岗岩之间，船只有被压碎的风险如果有任何震动。 —

All the exertions of the voyagers were therefore concentrated upon the completion of the hull.
所有航行者的努力都集中在船体的竣工上。

Thus the 3rd of March arrived, and they might calculate upon launching the vessel in ten days.
因此3月3日到来了，他们可以估计在十天内下水。

Hope revived in the hearts of the colonists, who had, in this fourth year of their sojourn on Lincoln island, suffered so many trials. —
希望重新燃起在殖民者的心中，他们在林肯岛上的第四年承受了如此多的考验。 —

Even Pencroft lost in some measure the somber taciturnity occasioned by the devastation and ruin of his domain. —
甚至彭克罗夫在一定程度上也消失了因其领地的毁灭而引起的阴郁沉默。 —

His hopes, it is true, were concentrated upon his vessel.
他的希望，确实集中在他的船只上。

“We shall finish it,” he said to the engineer, “we shall finish it, captain, and it is time, for the season is advancing and the equinox will soon be here. —
“我们会完成的，”他对工程师说道，“我们会完成的，船长，现在是时候了，因为季节正在推进，晚至不久。” —

Well, if necessary, we must put in to Tabor island to spend the winter. —
嗯，如果必要的话，我们必须停靠在塔波尔岛过冬。 —

But think of Tabor island after Lincoln Island. —
但要考虑林肯岛之后再考虑塔波尔岛。 —

Ah, how unfortunate! Who could have believed it possible?”
啊，这是多么令人不幸啊！谁会相信这是可能的呢？

“Let us get on,” was the engineer’s invariable reply.
“让我们继续前进”，工程师总是回答说。

And they worked away without losing a moment.
他们毫不耽搁地继续工作。

“Master,” asked Neb, a few days later, “do you think all this could have happened if Captain Nemo had been still alive?”
“克里斯·哈丁大人，”几天后，尼布问道，”您认为如果尼莫船长还活着，这一切会发生吗？”

“Certainly, Neb,” answered Cyrus Harding.
“当然，尼布，”赛勒斯·哈丁回答说。

“I, for one, don’t believe it!” whispered Pencroft to Neb.
“我倒是不信！”潘克罗夫对尼布低声说道。

“Nor I!” answered Neb seriously.
“我也不信！”尼布认真地回答说。

During the first week of March appearances again became menacing. —
三月初的一个星期，景象再次变得危险起来。 —

Thousands of threads like glass, formed of fluid lava, fell like rain upon the island. —
成千上万的玻璃般的流体熔岩丝在雨中落到岛上。 —

The crater was again boiling with lava which overflowed the back of the volcano. —
火山口再次沸腾着熔岩，溢出火山的后部。 —

The torrent flowed along the surface of the hardened tufa, and destroyed the few meager skeletons of trees which had withstood the first eruption. —
熔岩沿着硬化凝灰岩的表面流动，并摧毁了少数几根顽强的树骨骼，它们曾经抵抗过第一次喷发。 —

The stream, flowing this time towards the southwest shore of Lake Grant, stretched beyond Creek Glycerine, and invaded the plateau of Prospect Heights. —
这最后一击对殖民地居民的工作来说是可怕的。 —

This last blow to the work of the colonists was terrible. —
洪流这次向着格兰特湖西南岸流去，延伸至甘油溪，侵入了前景高地的高地。 —

The mill, the buildings of the inner court, the stables, were all destroyed. —
磨坊，内院建筑，马厩，全部被摧毁了。 —

The affrighted poultry fled in all directions. —
惊恐的家禽四处逃窜。 —

Top and Jup showed signs of the greatest alarm, as if their instinct warned them of an impending catastrophe. —
特普和卓普显示出极大的恐慌迹象，仿佛它们的本能警告它们即将面临一场灾难。 —

A large number of the animals of the island had perished in the first eruption. —
岛上许多动物在第一次火山爆发中丧生。 —

Those which survived found no refuge but Tadorn Marsh, save a few to which the plateau of Prospect Heights afforded asylum. —
幸存下来的动物除了一些找到塔多恩沼泽作为避难所外，再也找不到避难处了。 —

But even this last retreat was now closed to them, and the lava- torrent, flowing over the edge of the granite wall, began to pour down upon the beach its cataracts of fire. —
但甚至这最后一个避难处现在也对它们关闭了，熔岩流冲破花岗岩墙边缘，开始向沙滩倾泻火焰。 —

The sublime horror of this spectacle passed all description. —
这一景象的崇高恐怖无法形容。 —

During the night it could only be compared to a Niagara of molten fluid, with its incandescent vapors above and its boiling masses below.
在夜晚，只能将它比作毛熔液的尼亚加拉，上方是其光辉的蒸汽，下方是沸腾的大团物质。

The colonists were driven to their last entrenchment, and although the upper seams of the vessel were not yet calked, they decided to launch her at once.
殖民者被逼至最后一道防线，虽然船体的上缝尚未封缝，但他们决定立即将其下水。

Pencroft and Ayrton therefore set about the necessary preparations for the launching, which was to take place the morning of the next day, the 9th of March.
因此，潘克罗夫特和艾尔顿着手进行第二天早晨，也就是3月9日的下水准备。

But during the night of the 8th an enormous column of vapor escaping from the crater rose with frightful explosions to a height of more than three thousand feet. —
但在8号晚上，一个巨大的蒸汽柱从火山口冒出，发出可怕的爆炸声，高达三千英尺以上。 —

The wall of Dakkar Grotto had evidently given way under the pressure of gases, and the sea, rushing through the central shalt into the igneous gulf, was at once converted into vapor. —
达卡尔洞窟的壁垒显然在气体压力下垮塌，海水冲过中央通道，立刻被转化为水蒸气。 —

But the crater could not afford a sufficient outlet for this vapor. —
但火山口无法提供足够的通道来释放这些水蒸气。 —

An explosion, which might have been heard at a distance of a hundred miles, shook the air. —
一声爆炸声响彻百里之外，空气炸裂。 —

Fragments of mountains fell into the Pacific, and, in a few minutes, the ocean rolled over the spot where Lincoln island once stood.
山的碎片掉入太平洋，几分钟后，海水覆盖了林肯岛原来的位置。