But no wall appeared. So they tried a different tactic, veering sharply, figuring they'd bump into a side wall. They heard swiftlets calling overhead, the river roaring somewhere beneath their feet. Still no wall. Their headlamp beams simply dissolved into the darkness.
但是他們沒(méi)有看到墻壁。因此,他們改變策略,突然轉(zhuǎn)向,以為會(huì)撞上側(cè)壁。他們聽(tīng)見(jiàn)金絲燕在頭頂發(fā)出叫聲,河流在腳下咆哮,但還是沒(méi)有看到墻。他們頭上的照明燈發(fā)出的光束消失在黑暗中。
After 17 hours of exploring, the men tumbled out of Good Luck Cave, soaked and confused. Either they'd just spent hours walking in circles, or they'd made an astounding find.
17個(gè)小時(shí)的探索后,隊(duì)員們跌跌撞撞地離開(kāi)了幸運(yùn)洞,渾身濕透,滿臉困惑。他們要么就是花了幾小時(shí)在洞里轉(zhuǎn)圈,要么就是有了驚人的發(fā)現(xiàn)。
Later teams proved that Sarawak Chamber is the largest known enclosed space on Earth, at 2,000 feet long, 1,400 feet wide, and almost 500 feet tall. It's more than twice as big as the United Kingdom's most celebrated sports arena, Wembley Stadium.
后來(lái)的探險(xiǎn)隊(duì)證明,砂拉越洞穴是已知的世界上最大的封閉空間,足有2000英尺長(zhǎng)、1400英尺寬、近500英尺高。面積是英國(guó)最有名的體育場(chǎng)溫布利球場(chǎng)的兩倍多。
As we trekked toward Good Luck through thick rainforest, I asked a caver named Philip Rowsell, known as "Mad Phil," why an ambitious explorer would return to this storied terrain if so many records had been set here. He told me that caves never reveal everything during a first visit.
當(dāng)我們穿越茂密的熱帶雨林,向幸運(yùn)洞艱苦跋涉時(shí),我問(wèn)了一個(gè)名叫菲利普·勞斯?fàn)柕奶诫U(xiǎn)者(人們稱他為“瘋狂菲爾”):如果這里已經(jīng)創(chuàng)下了許多記錄,那為什么這樣一個(gè)有抱負(fù)的探險(xiǎn)者還要回到這個(gè)非常有名的地方?他告訴我,人們第一次來(lái)洞穴時(shí),不可能了解這里的一切。
"You often find things earlier guys missed. Especially if it's so frickin' massive that they're sort of stunned."
“你往往能發(fā)現(xiàn)前人所遺漏的東西,尤其是一個(gè)大到讓人目瞪口呆的洞穴?!?/p>