23 珊瑚王国(48)
Hence, Captain Nemo, this isn't the first time you've gone through the Red Sea aboard the Nautilus?
尼摩船长，这样说来，您乘诺第留斯号经过红海，难道这回不是第一次吗？
No, sir.
不是第一次，先生。
Then, since you've already mentioned the crossing of the Israelites and the catastrophe that befell the Egyptians, I would ask if you've ever discovered any traces under the waters of that great historic event?
那么，您上面说过以一色一列人走过这海和埃及军队淹没水中的事，我要问问您，您在海底下曾经看到这件历史大事的一些痕迹吗？
No, professor, and for an excellent reason.
没看见，教授，因为有一个显明的理由。
What's that?
什么理由呢？
It's because that same locality where Moses crossed with all his people is now so clogged with sand, camels can barely get their legs wet.
就是赐西带领他的人民走过的地方，现在完全是沙土了，差不多骆驼的一腿一也泡不一湿一了。
You can understand that my Nautilus wouldn't ha一ve enough water for itself.
您很明白，我的诺第留斯号没有足够的水，是不可能驶过那里。
And that locality is...? I asked.
这地方在哪儿？…我问。
That locality lies a little above Suez in a sound that used to form a deep estuary when the Red Sea stretched as far as the Bitter Lakes.
这地方在苏伊士上面一点，在从前是很深的河口的海汉里面，因为当时红海的水面还一直伸到这些咸水湖中。
Now, whether or not their crossing was literally miraculous, the Israelites did cross there in returning to the Promised Land, and the Pharaoh's army did perish at precisely that locality.
现在这条水道是不是能发生奇迹，暂且不管，但从前以一色一列人就是通过这里走到巴勒斯但去的，法老的军队也就是在这里被水淹没的。
So I think that exca一vating those sands would bring to light a great many weapons and tools of Egyptian origin.
所以我想，在这些沙土中间来做发掘工作，一定可以发现埃及制造的大量武器和用具。
Obviously, I replied. And for the sake of archaeology, let's hope that sooner or later such exca一vations do take place, once new towns are settled on the isthmus after the Suez Canal has been cut through-a canal, by the way, of little use to a ship such as the Nautilus!
那很显然，我回答，同时希望考古学家有一天要把这种发掘工作赶快进行，因为苏伊士运flpffi穿后，许多新的城市就要在这地峡上建设起来了。对于诺第留斯号这样的一只船来说，这条运河实在没有什么用处！