海底兩萬里 第164期 第11章 諾第留斯號(15)

　　Aside and in special compartments1, strings2 of supremely3 beautiful pearls were spread out, the electric light flecking them with little fiery4 sparks:

　　另外，在特殊的格子中，擺著最美麗的串珠，被電光照得發(fā)出星星的火花，

　　pink pearls pulled from saltwater fan shells in the Red Sea; green pearls from the rainbow abalone;

　　其中有從紅海的尖角螺中取出來的玫瑰紅色珠，有蝶形海耳螺的青色珠，

　　yellow, blue, and black pearls, the unusual handiwork of various mollusks from every ocean and of certain mussels from rivers up north;

　　有黃色珠，藍色珠，黑色珠，以及各海洋中各種軟體動物，北方海中蚌蛤類的新奇產(chǎn)品。

　　in short, several specimens5 of incalculable worth that had been oozed6 by the rarest of shellfish.

　　最后是價值不可估計的寶珠，那是從最稀罕的珍珠貝中取出來的。

　　Some of these pearls were bigger than a pigeon egg; they more than equaled the one that the explorer Tavernier sold the Shah of Persia for 3,000,000 francs,

　　其中有的比鴿蛋大，它們的價值要超過旅行家達成尼埃賣給波斯國王得價三百萬的那顆珍珠，

　　and they surpassed that other pearl owned by the Imam of Muscat, which I had believed to be unrivaled in the entire world.

　　就是和我認為世界上獨一無二的、馬斯加提教長的另一顆珍珠比較起來，它們還是貴重得多。

　　Consequently, to calculate the value of this collection was, I should say, impossible.

　　所以，要估計出這全部物品的價值，可以說是不可能的。

　　Captain Nemo must have spent millions in acquiring these different specimens,

　　尼摩船長一定花了數(shù)百萬金錢來購買這些珍寶，

　　and I was wondering what financial resources he tapped to satisfy his collector's fancies, when these words interrupted me:

　　我心里想，他從哪里弄來這筆款子，來滿足他收藏家的欲望呢，我正想的時候，被下面的諾打斷了：