海底兩萬里 第358期 第23章 珊瑚王國(58)
I stood up and could clearly observe the Canadian's adversary. This dugong--which also boasts the name halicore--closely resembled a manatee.
我站起來，很清楚地看見加拿大人的對手。這海馬又名為儒良，很像海牛。
Its oblong body ended in a very long caudal fin and its lateral fins in actual fingers.
它的長方身體后邊是拉得很長的尾巴，它兩側(cè)的緒尖端就是指爪。
It differs from the manatee in that its upper jaw is armed with two long, pointed teeth that form perging tusks on either side.
它跟海牛不同的地方是它的上顎有兩枚很長很長的牙齒，作為分在兩旁的防御武器。
This dugong that Ned Land was preparing to attack was of colossal dimensions, easily exceeding seven meters in length.
尼德蘭準(zhǔn)備攻打的這條海馬身軀巨大，身長至少超過七米。
It didn't stir and seemed to be sleeping on the surface of the waves, a circumstance that should have made it easier to capture.
它在水面上躺著不動(dòng)，好像睡著了，這種情況就比較容易獵齲小艇小心地挨近海馬，只有五六米遠(yuǎn)了。
The skiff approached cautiously to within three fathoms of the animal. The oars hung suspended above their rowlocks.
所有的槳都、掛在鐵圈子上不動(dòng)。我身子站起一半。
I was crouching. His body leaning slightly back, Ned Land brandished his harpoon with expert hands.
尼德·蘭全身有些往后仰，老練的手揮動(dòng)魚叉，把叉找出。
Suddenly a hissing sound was audible, and the dugong disappeared. Although the harpoon had been forcefully hurled, it apparently had hit only water.
忽然聽到一聲呼嘯，海馬沉下不見了。龜叉用力過猛，可能是打在水中了。
Damnation! exclaimed the furious Canadian. I missed it!
鬼怪東西！憤怒的加拿大人喊道，我沒有打中它！
No, I said, the animal's wounded, there's its blood; but your weapon didn't stick in its body.
打中了，我說，那東西受傷了，瞧，那不是它的血？：不過你的叉并沒有釘在它的身上。
My harpoon! Get my harpoon! Ned Land exclaimed.
我的魚叉！我的魚叉！尼德·蘭喊。
The sailors went back to their sculling, and the coxswain steered the longboat toward the floating barrel.
水手們又劃起來，小艇艇長讓小艇向浮桶劃去。
We fished up the harpoon, and the skiff started off in pursuit of the animal.
魚叉收回來，小艇就追趕那海馬。
The latter returned from time to time to breathe at the surface of the sea.
海馬時(shí)時(shí)浮出海面上來呼吸。
Its wound hadn't weakened it because it went with tremendous speed.
它受到的傷沒有使它的…氣力削弱，因?yàn)樗艿梅浅？臁?/p>
Driven by energetic arms, the longboat flew on its trail.
小艇由健壯的胳膊劃著，迅速追上去。
Several times we got within a few fathoms of it, and the Canadian hovered in readiness to strike; but then the dugong would steal away with a sudden pe, and it proved impossible to overtake the beast.
好幾次只相距兒米了，加拿大人就要投叉了，但海馬立即沉下，躲開了，簡直不可能打中它。
