23 珊瑚王国(38)
Then our ship went along at a distance of six miles from the Arabic coasts of Mahra and Hadhramaut, their undulating lines of mountains relieved by a few ancient ruins.
这一带海岸线上有起伏不平的山岭，间有一些古代遗迹。
On February 5 we finally put into the Gulf of Aden, a genuine funnel stuck into the neck of Bab el Mandeb and bottling these Indian waters in the Red Sea.
2月5月，我们进人亚丁湾，这湾是巴布厄尔曼特长颈形海峡的真正漏斗，把印度洋的水倒流入红海中。
On February 6 the Nautilus cruised in sight of the city of Aden, perched on a promontory connected to the continent by a narrow isthmus, a sort of inaccessible Gibraltar whose fortifications the English rebuilt after capturing it in 1839.
2月6日，诺第留斯号浮出一水面，远远看见亚丁港，港筑在海呷上，一条很窄的地峡把它跟大一陆连接起来。
I was convinced that when Captain Nemo reached this point, he would back out again; but I was mistaken, and much to my surprise, he did nothing of the sort.
我认为尼摩船长到了这个地方，一定要退回来，可是我错了，我很惊异，他并不这样做。
The next day, February 7, we entered the Strait of Bab el Mandeb, whose name means "Gate of Tears" in the Arabic language.
第二天，2月7日，我们走进巴布厄尔曼特海峡，这个名字照阿拉伯语是“泪门”的意思。
Twenty miles wide, it's only fifty-two kilometers long, and with the Nautilus launched at full speed, clearing it was the work of barely an hour.
海峡二十海里宽，只有五十二公里长，对诺底留斯号来说。开足马力走过去，不过是1小时的事，
But I didn't see a thing, not even Perim Island where the British government built fortifications to strengthen Aden's position.
但是我看不见什么，就是丕林岛也没有看到这岛是英国政一府拿来使亚丁港的防卫更加巩固的。
There were many English and French steamers plowing this narrow passageway, liners going from Suez to Bombay, Calcutta, Melbourne, Réunion Island, and Mauritius; far too much traffic for the Nautilus to make an appearance on the surface. So it wisely stayed in midwater
过多的英国船和法国船，从苏伊士到孟买、到加尔各答、到墨尔本到波旁、到一毛一利斯，都经过这狭窄的海峡，使诺第留斯号不慈浮出来。所以它很小心地只在水底下行驶。