太阳系历险记(中文导读英文版)(txt+pdf+epub+mobi电子书下载)

作者：纪飞,王勋,（法）儒勒·凡尔纳

出版社：清华大学出版社

格式: AZW3, DOCX, EPUB, MOBI, PDF, TXT

太阳系历险记(中文导读英文版)试读：

前言

儒勒凡尔纳（Jules Verne，1828-1905），法国著名作家，现代科幻小说的奠基人，被誉为“科幻小说之父”。一生共创作了六十多部充满神奇与浪漫的科幻小说，其代表作有《气球上的五星期》、《地心游记》、《从地球到月球》、《海底两万里》、《八十天周游世界》、《格兰特船长的儿女》和《神秘岛》等，这些小说被译成世界上几十种文字，并多次被搬上银幕，在世界上广为流传。

儒勒凡尔纳于1828年2月8日出生在法国西部海港南特。自幼热爱海洋，向往远航探险。他的父亲是一位事业成功的律师，并希望凡尔纳日后也以律师作为职业。18岁时，他遵从父训到首都巴黎攻读法律。可是他对法律毫无兴趣，却爱上了文学和戏剧。1863年，他发表第一部科幻小说《气球上的五星期》，之后又出版了使他获得巨大声誉的科幻三部曲：《格兰特船长的儿女》、《海底两万里》和《神秘岛》。凡尔纳的科幻小说是真实性与大胆幻想的结合：奇幻的故事情节、鲜明的人物形象、丰富而奇妙的想象、浓郁的浪漫主义风格和生活情趣，使之产生了巨大的艺术魅力，赢得了全世界各国读者，特别是青少年读者的喜爱。他的作品中所表现的自然科学方面的许多预言和假设，在他去世之后得以印证和实现，至今仍然启发人们的想象力和创造力。

总的说来，凡尔纳的小说有两大特点。第一，他的作品是丰富的幻想和科学知识的结合。虽然凡尔纳笔下的幻想极为奇特、大胆，但其中有着坚实的科学基础，这些作品既是科学精神的幻想曲，也是富有幻想色彩的科学预言，他的许多科幻猜想最后变成了现实。例如，他不仅在小说《从地球到月球》中用大炮将探月飞行器送上太空，甚至还将发射场安排在了美国佛罗里达州，这正是“阿波罗登月计划”的发射场；他在小说《海底两万里》中虚构了“鹦鹉螺号”潜水艇，在该小说出版10年后，第一艘真正的潜水艇才下水；在《征服者罗比尔》中有一个类似直升飞机的飞行器，数十年后，人类才将这一设想变成了现实。此外，他的小说中还出现了电视、霓虹灯、导弹、坦克和太空飞船等科学技术应用概念，而这些后来都变成了现实。第二，他的作品中的主人公是一些鲜明、生动而富有进取心和正义感的人物，他们或是地理发现者、探险家、科学家、发明家，他们具有超人的智慧、坚强的毅力和执著不懈的精神；或是反对民族歧视、民族压迫的战士，反对社会不公的抗争者，追求自由的旅行家，在他们身上具有反压迫、反强权、反传统的战斗精神，他们热爱自由、热爱平等，维护人的尊严。凡尔纳所塑造的这些人物形象，他们远大的理想、坚强的性格、优秀的品质和高尚的情操已赢得了亿万读者的喜爱和尊敬，并一直成为人们向往的偶像和学习的榜样。

1900年，儒勒凡尔纳的第一部中译本小说《八十天周游世界》（当时的中文译名是《八十日环游记》）被介绍给中国的读者，直至新中国成立之前，陆续又有梁启超、鲁迅等文化名人将凡尔纳的作品翻译出版。20世纪50年代后期，凡尔纳的科幻小说又开始为国内翻译界和出版界所关注，并在新中国读者面前重新显示了科幻小说旺盛的生命力。20世纪80年代，凡尔纳的作品再次受到读者的青睐，国内许多出版社相继翻译出版了凡尔纳的科幻小说，一时形成了“凡尔纳热”。

目前，国内已出版的凡尔纳小说的形式主要有两种：一种是中文翻译版，另一种是中英文对照版。而其中的中英文对照读本比较受读者的欢迎，这主要是得益于中国人热衷于学习英文的大环境。而从英文学习的角度上来看，直接使用纯英文的学习资料更有利于英语学习。考虑到对英文内容背景的了解有助于英文阅读，使用中文导读应该是一种比较好的方式，也可以说是该类型书的第三种版本形式。采用中文导读而非中英文对照的方式进行编排，这样有利于国内读者摆脱对英文阅读依赖中文注释的习惯。基于以上原因，我们决定编译凡尔纳系列科幻小说中的经典，其中包括《气球上的五星期》、《地心游记》、《从地球到月球》、《环游月球》、《海底两万里》、《八十天周游世界》、《格兰特船长的儿女》、《神秘岛》、《沙皇的信使》、《咯尔巴阡古堡》、《无名之家》、《征服者罗比尔》、《大臣号幸存者》、《亚马逊漂流记》、《太阳系历险记》、《两年假期》和《测量子午线》等，并采用中文导读英文版的形式出版。在中文导读中，我们尽力使其贴近原作的精髓，也尽可能保留原作的风格。我们希望能够编出为当代中国读者所喜爱的经典读本。读者在阅读英文故事之前，可以先阅读中文导读内容，这样有利于了解故事背景，从而加快阅读速度。我们相信，这些经典著作的引进对加强当代中国读者，特别是青少年读者的科学素养和人文修养是非常有帮助的。

本书主要内容由王勋、纪飞编译。参加本书故事素材搜集整理及编译工作的还有郑佳、刘乃亚、赵雪、左新杲、黄福成、冯洁、徐鑫、马启龙、王业伟、王旭敏、陈楠、王多多、邵舒丽、周丽萍、王晓旭、李永振、孟宪行、熊红华、胡国平、熊建国、徐平国、王小红等。限于我们的文学素养和英语水平，书中难免不当之处，衷心希望读者朋友批评指正。第一章　决斗　Chapter 1　A Challenge导读

十二月三十一日正午，在阿尔及利亚一个小海岬的顶端，赫克托尔瑟尔瓦德克上尉和瓦西里铁马什夫伯爵两人为争夺一个女人在这里商议，谁也不肯让步。最后商定以决斗来解决此事，双方的证人将在两点钟在莫斯塔加内姆城参谋部相见，协商决定相关事宜。

伯爵提议：决斗对外宣称因音乐问题而引发，伯爵喜欢华格纳，上尉喜欢罗西尼。于是两人交换了名片，道了再见。伯爵上了岸边的四桨小艇，坐定后，小艇飞快驶向不远处的多布里纳号双桅帆船。

上尉向二十步外的士兵打了个手势，士兵将一匹阿拉伯骏马牵了过来，他飞身上马，士兵跟在后面，向莫斯塔加内姆方向奔去。一时三刻，他们跨进了马斯卡拉城门。

莫斯塔加内姆有居民一万五千人，是奥兰省一个县级政府和军分区的所在地。它的港口设备完善、安全可靠。多布里纳号双桅帆船在这一带过冬，船上悬挂着一面俄国国旗和一面法兰西俱乐部的游船标志，上面绣着缩写字母：M.C.W.T。

瑟尔瓦德克上尉进入城内，就到司令部找自己的两个朋友——第二步兵团团长和第八炮兵连连长，要他们为自己当决斗的证人。当他们听说是为一些音乐问题而决斗时，建议双方都做些让步。而上尉坚持自己的观点，两位军官看事已至此，便向参谋部走去。两点钟，他们和伯爵的证人见了面，两小时后，决斗条件谈定，身为沙皇副官的铁马什夫伯爵同意用剑解决问题。时间定在第二天即一月一日上午九时，地点在高出谢利夫河口一公里半的一块悬崖上。

这两个星期，上尉一直没在“武器广场”自己的住所住。根据测绘的需要，这位上尉参谋一直和勤务兵住在离高谢利夫河四到五公里的一间茅屋里。

走在去茅屋的路上，他在拼凑一首十三行诗献给他要为之决斗的年轻寡妇。可怎么也拼凑不好，他问身边的勤务兵本祖夫写过诗没有，勤务兵也只是听一位江湖艺人念过一首诗，并将这首蹩脚的诗背了出来。上尉感到太平淡了，随即自己想了两句。当六点钟到达茅草屋时，依然还是那四句诗。othing，sir，can induce me to surrender my claim.”“I am sorry，count，but in such a matter your views “Ncannot modify mine.”

“But allow me to point out that my seniority unquestionably gives me a prior fight.”

“Mere seniority，I assert，in an affair of this kind，cannot possibly entitle you to any prior claim whatever.”

“Then，captain，no alternative is left but for me to compel you to yield at the sword's point.”

“As you please，count；but neither sword nor pistol can force me to forego my pretensions.Here is my card.”

“And mine.”

This rapid altercation was thus brought to an end by the formal interchange of the names of the disputants.On one of the cards was inscribed：Captain Hector Servadac，Staff Officer，Mostaganem.

On the other was the title：Count Wassili Timascheff，On board the Schooner Dobryna.

It did not take long to arrange that seconds should be appointed，who would meet in Mostaganem at two o'clock that day；and the captain and the count were on the point of parting from each other，with a salute of punctilious courtesy，when Timascheff，as if struck by a sudden thought，said abruptly：“Perhaps it would be better，captain，not to allow the real cause of this to transpire？”

“Far better，”replied Servadac；“it is undesirable in every way for any names to be mentioned.”

“In that case，however，”continued the count，“it will be necessary to assign an ostensible pretext of some kind.Shall we allege a musical dispute？a contention in which I feel bound to defend Wagner，while you are the zealous champion of Rossini？”

“I am quite content，”answered Servadac，with a smile；and with another low bow they parted.

The scene，as here depicted，took place upon the extremity of a little cape on the Algerian coast，between Mostaganem and Tenes，about two miles from the mouth of the Shelif.The headland rose more than sixty feet above the sea-level，and the azure waters of the Mediterranean，as they softly kissed the strand，were tinged with the reddish hue of the ferriferous rocks that formed its base.It was the 31st of December.The noontide sun，which usually illuminated the various projections of the coast with a dazzling brightness，was hidden by a dense mass of cloud，and the fog，which for some unaccountable cause，had hung for the last two months over nearly every region in the world，causing serious interruption to traffic between continent and continent，spread its dreary veil across land and sea.

After taking leave of the staff-officer，Count Wassili Timascheff wended his way down to a small creek，and took his seat in the stern of a light four-oar that had been awaiting his return；this was immediately pushed off from shore，and was soon alongside a pleasure-yacht，that was lying to，not many cable lengths away.

At a sign from Servadac，an orderly，who had been standine at a respectful distance，led forward a magnificent Arabian horse；the captain vaulted into the saddle，and followed by his attendant，well mounted as himself，started off towards Mostaganem.It was half-past twelve when the two riders crossed the bridge that had been recently erected over the Shelif，and a quarter of an hour later their steeds，flecked with foam，dashed through the Mascara Gate，which was one of five entrances opened in the embattled wall that encircled the town.

At that date，Mostaganem contained about fifteen thousand inhabitants，three thousand of whom were French.Besides being one of the principal district towns of the province of Oran，it was also a military station.Mostaganem rejoiced in a well-sheltered harbor，which enabled her to utilize all the rich products of the Mina and the Lower Shelif.It was the existence of so good a harbor amidst the exposed cliffs of this coast that had induced the owner of the Dobryna to winter in these parts，and for two months the Russian standard had been seen floating from her yard，whilst on her mast-head was hoisted the pennant of the French Yacht Club，with the distinctive letters M.C.W.T.，the initials of Count Timascheff.

Having entered the town，Captain Servadac made his way towards Matmore，the military quarter，and was not long in finding two friends on whom he might rely-a major of the 2nd Fusileers，and a captain of the 8th Artillery.The two officers listened gravely enough to Servadac's request that they would act as his seconds in an affair of honor，but could not resist a smile on hearing that the dispute between him and the count had originated in a musical discussion.Surely，they suggested，the matter might be easily arranged；a few slight concessions on either side，and all might be amicably adjusted.But no representations on their part were of any avail.Hector Servadac was inflexible.

“No concession is possible，”he replied，resolutely.“Rossini has been deeply injured，and I cannot suffer the injury to be unavenged.Wagner is a fool.I shall keep my word.I am quite firm.”“Be it so，then，”replied one of the officers；“and after all，you know，a sword-cut need not be a very serious affair.”“Certainly not，”rejoined Servadac；“and especially in my case，when I have not the slightest intention of being wounded at all.”

Incredulous as they naturally were as to the assigned cause of the quarrel，Servadac's friends had no alternative but to accept his explanation，and without farther parley they started for the staff office，where，at two o'clock precisely，they were to meet the seconds of Count Timascbeff.Two hours later they had returned.All the preliminaries had been arranged；the count，who like many Russians abroad was an aide-de-camp of the Czar，had of course proposed swords as the most ap propriate weapons，and the duel was to take place on the following morning，the first of January，at nine o'clock，upon the cliff at a spotabout a mile and a half from the mouth of the Shelif.With the assurance that they would not fail to keep their appointment with military punctuality，the two officers cordially wrung their friend's hand and retired to the Zulma Care for a game at piquet.Captain Servadac at once retraced his steps and left the town.

For the last fortnight Servadac had not been occupying his proper lodgings in the military quarters；having been appointed to make a local levy，he had been living in a gourhi，or native hut，on the Mostaganem coast，between four and five miles from the Shelif.His orderly was his sole companion，and by any other man than the captain the enforced exile would have been esteemed little short of a severe penance.

On his way to the gourbi，his mental occupation was a very laborious effort to put together what he was pleased to call a rondo，upon a model of versification all but obsolete.This rondo，it is unnecessary to conceal，was to be an ode addressed to a young widow by whom he had been captivated，and whom he was anxious to marry，and the tenor of his muse was intended to prove that when once a man has found an object in all respecta worthy of his affections，he should love her”in all simplicity.“Whether the aphorism were universally true was not very material to the gallant captain，whose sole ambition at present was to construct a roundelay of which this should be the prevailing sentiment.He indulged the fancy that he might succeed in producing a composition which would have a fine effect here in Algeria，where poetry in that form was all but unknown.

“I know well enough，”he said repeatedly to himself，“what I want to say.I want to tell her that I love her sincerely，and wish to marry her；but，confound it！the words won't rhyme.Plague on it！Does nothing rhyme with‘simplicity'？Ah！I have it now：‘Lovers should，whoe'er they be，Love in all simplicity.'But what next？how am I to go on？I say，Ben Zoof，”he called aloud to his orderly，who was trotting silently close in his rear，“did you ever compose any poetry？”

“No，captain，”answered the man promptly：“I have never made any verses，but I have seen them made fast enough at a booth during the fete of Montmartre.”

“Can you remember them？”

“Remember them！to be sure I can.This is the way they began：‘Come in！come in！you'll not repent The entrance money you have spent；The wondrous mirror in this place Reveals your future sweetheart's face.'”

“Bosh！”cried Servadac in disgust；“your verses are detestable trash.”

“As good as any others，captain，squeaked through a reed pipe.”

“Hold your tongue，man，”said Servadac peremptorily；“I have made another couplet.‘Lovers should，whoe'er they be，Love in all simplicity；Lover，loving honestly，Offer I myself to thee.'”

Beyond this，however，the captain's poetical genius was impotent to carry him；his farther efforts were unavailing，and when at six o'clock he reached the gourbi，the four lines still remained the limit of his composition.第二章　瑟尔瓦德克上尉和他的勤务兵　Chapter 2　Captain Servadac and His Orderly导读

今年三十岁的赫克托尔瑟尔瓦德克从小就是孤儿，是一位种植葡萄的农妇把他养大的。他服役已经超过十四年，上过两年圣西尔军校，现任莫斯塔加内姆上尉参谋，曾荣获骑士级勋章。

他至今未婚，年收入一千二百法郎。他对金钱不感兴趣，却十分渴望荣誉。他头脑聪明，喜欢绘画，驯马的技术也十分高超。他曾在日本和苏丹参加作战，随后一直在阿尔及利亚任职，现在负责从特内斯到谢利夫河口海滨地区的测绘工作。

他是在一次宴会中认识L夫人的。L夫人去世的丈夫是一个上校，她年轻美貌，对别人献的殷勤不屑一顾，所以上尉一直没有冒昧向她表白。明天，上尉就是为她去决斗的。

上尉的勤务兵是巴黎人，出生在著名的蒙马特高地。当时他可以选择做阿尔及利亚总督的副官或上尉的勤务兵，他选择做了上尉的勤务兵。他没有雄心大志，只是想有一天能和上尉一起回蒙马特安度晚年。为此每天都要在上尉面前叙说蒙马特的美丽，这使上尉烦透了。他已超期服役，二十八岁正准备退役时，忽然接到通知，让他去做上尉的勤务兵。从此，他跟随上尉参加战斗，表现十分勇敢。上级要发给他一枚十字勋章让他退役，可他舍不得离开上尉，上尉曾在日本救过他一命，他也曾在苏丹救过上尉一命，他俩算是生死之交。

t the time of which I write，there might be seen in the registers

ofthe Minister of War the following entry：A

SERVADAC（Hector），born at St.Trelody in the district of Lesparre，department of the Gironde，July 19th，18-.Property：1200 francs in rentes.Length of service：Fourteen years，three months，and five days.Service：Two years at school at St.Cyr；two years at L'Ecole d'Application；two years in the 8th Regiment of the Line；two years in the 3rd Light Cavalry；seven years in Algeria.Campaigns：Soudan and Japan.Rank：Captain on the staff at Mostaganem.Decorations：Chevalier of the Legion of Honor，March 13th，18-.

Hector Servadac was thirty years of age，an orphan without lineage and almost without means.Thirsting for glory rather than for gold，slightly scatter-brained，but warm-hearted，generous，and brave，he was eminently formed to be the protege of the god of battles.

For the first year and a half of his existence he had been the foster-child of the sturdy wife of a vine-dresser of Medoc-a lineal descendant of the heroes of ancient prowess；in a word，he was one of those individuals whom nature seems to have predestined for remarkable things，and around whose cradle have hovered the fairy godmothers of adventure and good luck.

In appearance Hector Servadac was quite the type of an officer；he was rather more than five feet six inches high，slim and graceful，with dark curling hair and mustaches，wellformed hands and feet，and a clear blue eye.He seemed born to please without being conscious of the power he possessed.It must be owned，and no one was more ready to confess it than himself，that his literary attainments were by no means of a high order.“We don't spin tops”is a favorite saying amongst artillery officers，indicating that they do not shirk their duty by frivolous pursuits；but it must be confessed that Servadac，being natu rally idle，was very much given to“spinning tops.”His good abilities，however，and bis ready intelligence had carried him successfully through the curriculum of his early career.He was a good draughtsman，an excellent rider-having thoroughly mastered the successor to the famous“Uncle Tom”at the riding-school of St.Cyrand in the records of his military service his name had several times been included in the order of the day.

The following episode may suffice，in a certain degree，to illustrate his character.Once，in action，he was leading a detachment of infantry through an intrenchment.They came to place where the side-work of the trench had been so fiddled by shell that a portion of it had ctually fallen in，leaving an aperture quite unsheltered from the grape-shot that was pouring in thick and fast.The men hesitated.In an inStant Servadac mounted the side-work，laid himself down in the gap，and thus filling up the breach by his own body，shouted，“March on！”

And through a storm of shot，not one of which touched the prostrate office，the troop passed in safety.

Since leaving the military college，Servadac，with the exception of his two campaigns in the Soudan and Japan，had been always stationed in Algeria.He had now a staff appointment at Mostaganem，and had lately been entrusted with some topographical work on the coast between Tenes and the Shelif.It was a matter of little consequence to him that the gourbi，in which of necessity he was quartered，was uncomfortable and ill-contrived；he loved the open air，and the independence of his life suited him well.Sometimes he would wander on foot upon the gandy shore，and sometimes he would enjoy a ride along the summit of the cliff；altogether being in no hurry at all to bring his task to an end.His occupation，moreover，was not so engrossing but that he could find leisure for taking a short railway journey once or twice a week；so that he was ever and again putting in an appearance at the general's receptions at Oran，and at the fetes given by the governor at Algiers.

It was on one of these occasions that he had first met Madame de L-，the lady to whom he was desirous of dedicating the rondo，the first four lines of which had just seen the light.She was a colonel's widow，young and handsome，very reserved，not to say haughty in her manner，and either indifferent or impervious to the admiration which she inspired.Captain Servadac had not yet ventured to declare his at tachment；of rivals he was well aware he had not a few，and amongst these not the least formidable was the Russian Count Timascheff.And although the young widow was all unconscious of the share she had in the matter，it was she，and she alone，who was the cause of the challenge just given and accepted by her two ardent admirers.

During his residence in the gourbi，Hector Servadac's sole companion was his orderly，Ben Zoof.Ben Zoof was devoted，body and soul，to his superior officer.His own personal ambition was so entirely absorbed in his master's welfare，that it is certain no offer of promotion-even had it been that of aide-de-camp to the Governor-General of Algiers-would have induced him to quit that master's service.His name might seem to imply that he was a native of Algeria；but such was by no means the ease.His true name was Laurent；he was a native of Montmartre in Paris，and how or why he had obtained his patronymic was one of those anomalies which the most sagacious of etymologists would find it hard to explain.

Born on the hill of Montmartre，between the Solferino tower and the mill of La Galette，Ben Zoof had ever possessed the most unreserved admiration for his birthplace；and to his eyes the heights and district of Montmartre represented an epitome of all the wonders of the world.In all his travels，and these had been not a few，he had never beheld scenery which could compete with that of his native home.No cathedral-not even Burgos itself-could vie with the church at Montmartre.Its race-course could well hold its own against that at Pentelique；its reservoir would throw the Mediterranean into the shade；its forests had flourished long before the invasion of the Celts；and its very mill produced no ordinary flour，but provided material for cakes of world-wide renown.To crown all，Montmartre boasted a mountain-a veritable mountain；envious tongues indeed might pronounce it little more than a hill；but Ben Zoof would have allowed himself to be hewn in pieces rather than admit that it was anything less than fifteen thousand feet in height.

Ben Zoof's most ambitious desire was to induce the captain to go with him and end his days in his much-loved home，and so incessantly were Servadac's ears besieged with descriptions of the unparalleled beauties and advantages of this eighteenth arrondissement of Paris，that he could scarcely hear the name of Montmartre without a conscious thrill of aversion：Ben Zoof，however，did not despair of ultimately converting the captain，and mean-while had resolved never to leave him.When a private in the 8th Cavalry.，he had been on the point of quitting the army at twentyeight years of age，but unexpectedly he had been appointed orderly to Captain Servadac.Side by side they fought in twocampaigns.Servadac had saved Ben Zoof's life in Japan；Ben Zoof had rendered his master a like service in the Soudan.The bond of union thus effected could never be severed；and although Ben Zoof's achievements had fairly earned him the right of retirement，he firmly declined all honors or any pension that might part him from his superior officer.Two stout arms，an iron constitution，a powerful frame，and an indomitable courage were all loyally devoted to his master's service，and fairly entitled him to his soi-disant designation of“The Rampart of Montmartre.”Unlike his master，he made no pretension to any gift of poetic power，but his inexhaustible memory made him a living encyclopaedia；and for his stock of anecdotes and trooper’s tales he was matchless.

Thoroughly appreciating his servant's good qualities，Captain Servadac endured with imperturbable good humor those idiosyncrasies，which in a less faithful follower would have been intolerable，and from time to time he would drop a word of sympathy that served to deepen his subordinate's devotion.

On one occasion，when Ben Zoof had mounted his hobby-horse，and was indulging in highflown praises about his beloved eighteenth arrondissement，the captain had remarked gravely，“Do you know，Ben Zoof，that Montmartre only requires a matter of some thirteen thousand feet to make it as high as Mont Blanc？”

Ben Zoof's eyes glistened with delight；and from that moment Hector Servadac and Montmartre held equal places in his affection.第三章　被打断的灵感　Chapter 3　Interrupted Effusions导读

瑟尔瓦德克上尉住在一间茅草屋里，本祖夫和两匹马住在旁边的一间石头房子里。他们俩对吃和住都不挑剔，上尉趁勤务兵吃东西时到山崖上去散步。

太阳已经落山，一种淡色的光从北边出现，把云层照得很亮，这种景象恐怕天文学家也解释不了。

八点钟，上尉回到茅屋，本祖夫在石屋准备第二天的午餐，上尉坐在桌前推敲他的十三行诗。本祖夫在墙角打盹，他听不清上尉在嘀咕什么，不由得叹了口气，上尉的灵感被打断，大声叫了一声“本祖夫”，他答了一声“到”并站起来敬礼。上尉的灵感来了，让他不要动。随后便开始吟诗，突然大地发生了强烈的震动，他们两个摔在地上。omposed of mud and loose stones，and covered with a thatch of turfand straw，known to the natives by the name of“driss，”the Cgourbi，though a grade better than the tents of the nomad Arabs，was yet far inferior to any habitation built of brick or stone.It adjoined an old stone hostelry，previously occupied by a detachment of engineers，and which now afforded shelter for Ben Zoof and the two horses.It still contained a considerable number of tools，such as mattocks，shovels，and pick-axes.

Uncomfortable as was their temporary abode，Servadac and his attendant made no complaints；neither of them was dainty in the matter either of board or lodging.After dinner，leaving his orderly to stow away the remains of the repast in what he was pleased to term the“cupboard of his stomach”Captain Servadac turned out into the open air to smoke his pipe upon the edge of the cliff.The shades of night were drawing on.An hour previously，veiled in heavy clouds，the sun had sunk below the horizon that bounded the plain beyond the Shelif.

The sky presented a most singular appearance.Towards the north，although the darkness rehdered it impossible to see beyond a quarter of a mile，the upper strata of the atmosphere were suffused with a rosy glare，No well-defined fringe of light，nor arch of luminous rays，betokened a display of aurora borealis，even had such a phenomenon been posssible in these latitudes；and the most experienced meteorologist would have been puzzled to explain the cause of tiffs striking illumination on this 31st of December，the last evening of the passing year.

But Captain Servadae was no meteorologist，and it is to be doubted whether，since leaving school，he had ever opened his“Course of Cosmography.”Besides，he had other thoughts to occupy his mind.The prospects of the morrow offered serious matter for consideration.The captain was actuated by no personal animosity against the count；though rivals，the two men regarded each other with sincere respect；they had simply reached a crisis in which one of them was detrop；which of them，fate must decide.

At eight o'clock，Captain Servadac re-entered the gourbi，the single apartment of which contained his bed，a small writing-table，and some trunks that served instead of cupboards.The orderly performed his culinary operations in the adjoining building，which he also used as a bedroom，and where，extended on what he called his“good oak mattress，”he would sleep soundly as a dormouse for twelve hours at astmtch.Ben Zoof had not yet received his orders to retire，and ensconcing himself in a corner of the gourbi，he endeavored to doze-a task which the unusual agitation of his master rendered somewhat difficult.Captain Servadac was evidently in no hurry to betake himself to rest，but seating himself at his table，with a pair of compasses and asheet of tracing-paper，he began to draw，with red and blue crayons，a variety of colored lines，which could hardly be supposed to have much connection with a topo graphical survey.In truth，his character of staff-officer was now entirely absorbed in that of Gascon poet.Whether he imagined that the compasses would bestow upon his verses the measure of a mathematical accuracy，or whether he fancied that the parti-colored lines would lend variety to his rhythm，it is impossible to determine；be that as it may，he was devoting all his energies to the compilation of his rondo，and supremely difficult he found the task.

“Hang it！”he ejaculated，“whatever induced me to choose this meter？It is as hard to find rhymes as to rally fugitive in a battle.But，by all the powers！it shan't be said that a French officer cannot cope with a piece of poetry.One battalion has fought-now for the rest！”

Perseverance had its reward.Presently two lines，one red，the other blue，appeared upon the paper，and the captain murmured：“Words，mere words，cannot avail，Telling true heart's tender tale.”

“What on earth ails my master？”muttered Ben Zoof；“for the last hour he has been as fidgety as a bird returning after its winter migration.”

Servadac suddenly started from his seat，and as he paced the room with all the frenzy of poetic inspiration，read out：“Empty words cannot convey All a lover's heart would say.”

“Well，to be sure，he is at his everlasting verses again！”said Ben Zoof to himself，as he roused himself in his corner.“Impossible to sleep in such a noise；”and he gave vent to a loud groan.

“How now，Ben Zoof？”said the captain sharply.“What ails you？”

“Nothing，sir，only the nightmare.”

“Curse the fellow，he has quite interrupted me！”ejaculated the captain.“Ben Zoof！”he called aloud.

“Here，sir！”was the prompt reply；and in an instant the orderly was upon his feet，standing in a military attitude，one hand to his forehead，the other closely pressed to his trouserseam.

“Stay where you are！don't move an inch！”shouted Servadac；“I have justthought of the end of my rondo.”And in a voice of inspiration，accompanying his words with dramatic gestures，Servadac began to declaim：“Listen，lady，to my vows-O，consent to be my spouse；Constant ever I will be，Constant……”No closing lines were uttered.All at once，with unutterable violence，the captain and his orderly were dashed，face downwards，to the ground.第四章　自然界的威力　Chapter 4　A Convulsion of Nature导读

为什么海天相接的地方使人无法辨出，而浪花达到如此的高度，大地的震动还伴随震耳的隆隆声。

为什么天空如此明亮，一个新的星球如昙花一现，月亮也增大了许多，地中海的水又失而复得。

这陆、海、空的巨大变化是基于什么原因，没人能解释清楚。hence came it that at that very moment thehorizon underwent so strange and sudden a modification，that the eye of the most Wpracticed mariner could not distinguish between sea and sky？

Whence came it that the billows raged and rose to a height hitherto unregistered in the records of science？

Whence came it that the elements united in one deafening crash；that the earth groaned as though the whole framework of the globe were ruptured；that the waters roared from their innermost depths；that the air shrieked with all the fury of a cyclone？

Whence came it that a radiance，intenser than the effulgence of the Northern Lights，overspread the firmament，and momentarily dimmed the splendor of the brightest stars？

Whence came it that the Mediterranean，one instant emptied of its waters，was the next flooded with a foaming surge？

Whence came it that in the space of a few seconds the moon's disc reached a magnitude as though it were but a tenth part of its ordinary distance from the earth？

Whence came it that a new blazing spheroid，hitherto unknown to astronomy，now appeared suddenly in the firmament，though it were but to lose itself immediately behind masses of accumulated cloud？

What phenomenon was this that had produced a cataclysm so tremendous in effect upon earth，sky，and sea？

Was it possible that a single human being could have survived the convulsion？and if so，could he explain its mystery？第五章　神秘之海　Chapter 5　A Mysterious Sea导读

这一次的强烈震动，没使阿尔及利亚沿海发生任何变化。本祖夫住的石头房子的墙体有一些裂缝，茅草屋倒塌了。

两小时后，上尉醒来，扒开茅草，以为来了龙卷风，他发觉自己没受伤，便开始找本祖夫，本祖夫从茅草下钻了出来。

本祖夫以为发生了大的灾难，上尉告诉他只是刮了一场龙卷风，他们将衣服、枪支及工具扒了出来。本祖夫看看太阳，说最少有八点了，催上尉去赴伯爵的约会。上尉这才想起来，掏出怀表一看才两点，上尉看到太阳在西边，以为快下山了，而本祖夫看到太阳又升高了一些，这太阳是从西边升起来了。

上尉告诉本祖夫，不管发生了什么，先去赴伯爵的约会。他们一会儿便走了五公里的路程，一路上，感到身体非常轻。一条狗为躲避他们，轻易地就跳到十米高的岩石上，本祖夫拿一块大石头去砸它，感到石头轻如海绵，飞出了二百多米。他们在跳过一个水沟时，竟然也跳了十多米高，而落下来的震动和平常跳一两米时差不多。他们好像是在梦中。

到了约定的地点，发现空无一人，上尉感到来得早了，而本祖夫让他看太阳，太阳在头顶，应该是十二点了。上尉不知是怎么回事，白天和黑夜都缩短了一半，东西方也颠倒了。他想即使俄国人走了，自己的证人也该在此等吧，现在空无一人，到底发生了什么事？

他到悬崖边去看大海上伯爵的双桅船，一点影子也没有。令人吃惊的是没有一点风，海里却翻着汹涌的波浪。二十五公里外的地平线现在看来只有六公里远。

上尉决定渡过谢利夫河到莫斯塔加内姆去，他没有走小道，而是直线走。遇着水一跳就过去了，遇着沟也一样。他们基本上没在地面上，好像地面装有弹簧一样，跳跃着前进。很快到了河的右岸，河上的桥已没有了，右岸现在成了海岸。左岸也没有了，小河已变成一望无际的大海。上尉尝了尝，水也变咸了，他在担心同事和朋友，但太阳一下子落到了海里，他们处在了黑暗中。

iolent as the commotion had been，that portion of the Algerian

coastwhich is bounded on the north by the Mediterranean，and V

on the west by the right bank of the Shelif，appeared to have suffered little change.It is true that indentations were perceptible in the fertile plain，and the surface of the sea was ruffled with an agitation that was quite unusual；but the rugged outline of the cliff was the same as heretofore，and the aspect of the entire scene appeared unaltered.The stone hostelry，with the exception of some deep clefts in its walls，had sustained little injury；but the gourbi，like a house of cards destroyed by an infant's breath，had completely subsided，and its two inmates lay motionless，buried under the sunken thatch.

It was two hours after the catastrophe that Captain Servadac regained consciousness；he had some trouble to collect his thoughts，and the first sounds that escaped his lips were the concluding words of the rondo which had been so ruthlessly interrupted；“Constant ever I will be，Constant……。”

His next thought was to wonder what had happened；and in order to find an answer，he pushed aside the broken thatch，so that his head appeared above the debris.“The gourbi leveled to the ground！”he exclaimed，“surely a waterspout has passed along the coast.”

He felt all over his body to perceive what injuries he had sustained，but not a sprain nor a scratch could he discover.“Where are you，Ben Zoof？”he shouted.

“Here，sir！”and with military promptitude a second head protruded from the rubbish.

“Have you any notion what has happened，Ben Zoof？”

“I've a notion，captain，that it's all up with US.”

“Nonsense，Ben Zoof；it is nothing but a waterspout！”

“Very good，sir，”was the philosophical reply，immediately followed by the query，“Any bones broken，sir？”

“None whatever，”said the captain.

Both men were soon on their feet，and began to make a vigorous clearance of the ruins，beneath which they found that their arms，cooking Utensils，and other property，had sustained little injury.

“By-the-by，what o'clock is it？”asked the captain.

“It must be eight o'clock，at least，”said Ben Zoof，looking at the sun，which was a consid erable height above the horizon.“It is almost time for us to start.”

“To start！what for？”

“To keep your appointment with Count Timascheff.”

“By Jove！I had forgotten all about it！”exclaimed Servadac.Then looking at his watch，he cried，“What are you thinking of，Ben Zoof？It is scarcely two o'clock.”

“Two in the morning，or two in the afternoon？”asked Ben Zoof，again regarding the sun.

Servadac raised his watch to his ear.“It is going，”said he；“but，by all the wines of Medoc，I am puzzled.Don't you see the sun is in the west？It must be near setting.”

“Setting，captain！Why，it is rising finely，like a conscript at the sound of the reveille.It is considerably higher since we have been talking.”

Incredible as it might appear，the fact was undeniable that the sun was rising over the Shelif from that quarter of the horizon behind which it usually sank for the latter portion of its daily round.They were utterly bewildered.Some mysterious phenomenon must not only have altered the position of the sun in the sidereal system，but must even have brought about an important modification of the earth's rotation on her axis.

Captain Servadac consoled himself with the prospect of reading an explanation of the mystery in next week's newspapers，and turned his attention to what was to him of more immediate importance.“Come.let us be off，”saidhe to his orderly；“though heaven and earth be topsyturvy，I must be at my post this morning.”“To do Count Timascheff the honor of running him through the body，”added Ben Zoof.

If Servadac and his orderly had been less preoccupied，they would have noticed that a variety of other physical changes besides the apparent alteration in the movement of the sun had been evolved during the atmospheric disturbances of that New Year's night.As they descended the steep footpath leading from the cliff towards the Shelif，they were unconscious that their respiration became forced and rapid，like that of a mountaineer when he has reached an altitude where the air has become less charged with oxygen.They were also unconscious that their voices were thin and feeble；either they must themselves have become rather deaf，or it was evident that the air had become less capable of transmitting sound.

The weather，which on the previous evening had been very foggy，had entirely changed.The sky had assumed a singular tint，and was soon covered with lowering clouds that completely hid the sun.There were，indeed，all the signs of a coming storm，but the vapor，on account of the insufficient condensation，failed to fall.

The sea appeared quite deserted，a most unusual circumstance along this coast，and not a sail nor a trail of smoke broke the gray monotony of water and sky.The limits of the horizon，too，had become much circumscribed.On land，as well as on sea，the remote distance had completely disappeared，and it seemed as though the globe had assumed a more decided convexity.

At the pace at which they were walking，it was very evident that the captain and his attendant would not take long to accomplish the three miles that lay between the gourbi and the place of rendezvous.They did not exchange a word，but each was conscious of an unusual buoyancy，which appeared to lift up their bodies and give as it were，wings to their feet.If Ben Zoof had expressed his sensations in words，he would have said that he felt“up to anything，”and he had even forgotten to taste so much as a crust of bread，a lapse of memory of which the worthy soldier was rarely guilty.

As these thoughts were crossing his mind，a harsh bark was heard to the left of the footpath，and a jackal was seen emerging from a large grove oflentisks.Regarding the two way farers with manifest uneasiness，the beast took up its position at the foot of a rock，more than thirty feet in height.It belonged to an African species distinguished by a black spotted skin，and a black line down the front of the legs.At night-time，when they scour the country in herds，the creatures are somewhat formidable，but singly they are no more dangerous than a dog.Though by no means afraid of them，Ben Zoof had a particular aversion to jackals，perhaps because they had no place among the fauna of his beloved Montmartre.He accordingly began to make threatening gestures，when，to the unmitigated astonishment of himself and the captain，the animal darted forward，and in one single bound gained the summit of the rock.

“Good Heavens！”cried Ben Zoof，“that leap must have been thirty feet at least.”

“True enough，”replied the captain；“I never saw such a jump.”

Meantime the jackal had seated itself upon its haunches，and was staring at the two men with an air Of impudent defiance.This was too much for Ben Zoofs forbearance，and stooping down he caught up a huge stone，when to his surprise，he found that it was no heavier than a piece of petrified sponge.“Confound the brute！”he exclaimed，“I might as well throw a piece of bread at him.What accounts for its being as light as this？”

Nothing daunted，however，he hurled the stone into the air.It missed its aim；but the jackal，deeming it on the whole prudent to decamp，disappeared across the trees and hedges with a series of bounds，which could only be likened to those that might be made by an india-rubber kangaroo.Ben Zoof was sure that his own powers of propelling must equal those of a howitzer，for his stone，after a lengthened flight through the air，fell to the ground full five hundred paces the other side of the rock.

The orderly was now some yards ahead of his master，and had reached a ditch full of water，and about ten feet wide.With the intention of cleating it，he made a spring，when a loud cry burst from Servadac.“Ben Zoof，you idiot！What are you about？You will break your back！”

And well might he be alarmed，for Ben Zoof had sprung to a height of forty feet into the air.Fearful of the consequences that would attend the descent of his servant to terra firma，Servadac bounded forwards，to be on the other sideof the ditch in time to break his fall.But the muscular effort that he made carried him in his turn to an altitude of thirty feet；in his ascent he passed Ben Zoof，who had already commenced his downward course；and then，obedient to the laws of gravitation，he descended with increasing rapidity，and alighted upon the earth without experiencing a shock greater than if he had merely made a bound of four or five feet high.

Ben Zoof burst into a roar of laughter.“Bravo！”he said，“we should make a good pair of clowns.”But the captain was inclined to take a more serious view of the matter.For a few seconds he stood lost in thought，then said solemnly，“Ben Zoof，I must be dreaming.Pinch me hard；I must be either asleep or mad.”

“It is very certain that something has happened to us，”said Ben Zoof.“I have occasionally dreamed that I was a swallow flying over the Montmartre，but I never experienced anything of this kind before；it must be peculiar to the coast of Algeria.”

Servadae was stupefied；he felt instinctively that he was not dreaming，and yet was powerless to solve the mystery.He was not，however，the man to puzzle himself for long over any insoluble problem.“Come what may，”he presently exclaimed，“we will make up our minds for the future to be surlarised at nothing.”

“Right，captain，”replied Ben Zoof；“and，first of all，let us settle our little score with Count Timascheff.”

Beyond the ditch lay a small piece of meadow land，about an acre in extent.A soft and delicious herbage carpeted the soil，whilst trees formed a charming framework to the whole.No spot could have been chosen more suitable for the meeting between the two adversaries.

Servadac cast a hasty glance round.No one was in sight.“We are the first on the field，”he said.

“Not so sure of that，sir，”said Ben Zoof.

“What do you mean？”asked Scrvadac，looking at his watch，which he had set as nearly as possible by the sun before leaving the gourbi；“it is not nine o'clock yet.”

“Look up there，sir.I am much mistaken if that is not the sun；”and as BenZoof spoke，he pointed direcdy overhead to where a faint white disc was dimly visible through the haze of clouds.

“Nonsense！”exclaimed Servadac.“How can the sun be in the zenith，in the month of January，in lat.39 degrees N.？”

“Can't say，sir.I only know the sun is there；and at the rate he has been traveling，I would lay my cap to a dish of couscous that in less than three hours he will have set.”

Hector Servadac，mute and motionless，stood with folded arms.Presently he roused himself，and began to look about again.“What means all this？”he murmured.“Laws of gravity disturbed！Points of the compass reversed！The length of day reduced one half！Surely this will indefinitely postpone my meeting with the count.Something has happened；Ben Zoof and I cannot both be mad！”The orderly，meantime，surveyed his master with the greatest equanimity；no phenomenon，however extraordinary，would have drawn from him a single exclamation of surprise.“Do you see anyone，Ben Zoof？”asked the captain，at last.

“No one，sir；the count has evidently been and gone，”“But supposing that to be the case，”persisted the captain，“my seconds would have waited，and not seeing me，would have come on towards the gourbi.I can only conclude that they have been unable to get here；and as for Count Timascheff-”

Without finishing his sentence.Captain Servadac，thinking it just probable that the count，as on the previous evening，might come by water，walked to the ridge of rock that overhung the shore，in order to ascertain if the Dobryna were anywhere in sight.But the sea was deserted，and for the first time the captain noticed that，although the wind was calm，the waters were unusually agitated，and seethed and foamed as though they were boiling.It was very certain that the yacht would have found a difficulty in holding her own in such a swell.Another thing that now struck Servadae was the extraordinary contraction of the horizon.Under ordinary circumstances，his elevated position would have allowed him a radius of vision at least five and twenty miles in length；but the terrestrial sphere seemed，in the course of the last few hours，to have become considerably reduced in volume，and he could now see for a distance of only six miles in every direction.

Meantime，with the agility of a monkey，Ben Zoof had clambered to the top of a euea lyptus，and from his lofty perch was surveying the country to the south，as well as towards both Tenes and Mostaganem.On descending，be informed the captain that the plain was deserted.

“We will make our way to the river，and get over into Mostaganem，”said the captain.

The Shelif was not more than a mile and a half from the meadow，but no time was to be lost if the two men were to reach the town before nightfall.Though still hidden by heavy clouds，the sun was evidently declining fast；and what was equally inexplicable，it was not following the oblique curve that in these latitudes and at this time of year might be expected，but was sinking perpendicularly on to the horizon.

As he went along，Captain Servadac pondered deeply.Perchance some unheard-of phenomenon had modified the rotary motion of the globe；or perhaps the Algerian coast had been transported beyond the equator into the southern hemisphere.Yet the earth，with the exception of the alteration in its convexity，in this part of Africa at least，seemed to have undergone no change of any very great importance.As far as the eye could reach，the shore was，as it had ever been，a succession of cliffs，beach，and arid rocks，tinged with a red ferruginous hue.To the south-if south，in this inverted order of things，it might still be called-the face of the country also appeared unaltered，and some leagues away，the peaks of the Merdeyah mountains still retained their accustomed outline.

Presently a rift in the clouds gave passage to an oblique ray of light that clearly proved that the sun was setting in the east.

“Well，I am curious to know what they think of all this at Mostaganem，”said the captain.“I wonder，too，what the Minister of War will say when he receives a telegram informing him that his African colony has become，not morally，but physically discorganized；that the cardinal points are at variance with ordinary rules，and that the sun in the month of January is shining down vertically upon our heads.”

Ben Zoof，whose ideas of discipline were extremely rigid，at once suggested that the colony should be put under the surveillance of the police，that the cardinal points should be placed under restraint，and that the sun should be shot for breach of discipline.

Meantime，they were both advancing with the utmost speed.The decompression of the atmosphere made the specific gravity of their bodies extraordinarily light，and they ran like hares and leaped like chamois.Leaving the devious windings of the footpath，they went as a crow would fly across the country.Hedges，trees，and streams were cleared at a bound，and under these conditions Ben Zoof felt that he could have overstepped Montmartre at a single stride.The earth seemed as elastic as the springboard of an acrobat；they scarcely touched it with their feet，and their only fear was lest the height to which they were propelled would consume the time which they were saving by their short cut across the fields.

It was not long before their wild career brought them to the right bank of the Shelif.Here they were compelled to stop，for not only had the bridge completely disappeared，but the river itself no longer existed.Of the left bank there was not the slightest trace，and the right bank，which on the previous evening had bounded the yellow stream，as it murmured peacefully along the fertile plain，had now become the shore of a tumultuous ocean，its azure waters extending westwards far as the eye could reach，and annihilating the tract of country which had hitherto formed the district of Mostaganem.The shore coincided exactly with what had been the right bank of the Shelif，and in a slightly curved line ran north and south，whilst the adjacent groves and meadows all retained their previous positions.But the riverbank had beco me the shore of an unknown sea.

Eager to throw some light upon the mystery，Servadac hurriedly made his way through the oleander bushes that overhung the shore，took up some water in the hollow of his hand，and carried it to his lips.“Salt as brine！”he exclaimed，as soon as he had tasted it.“The sea has undoubtedly swallowed up all the western part of Algeria.”“It will not last long，sir，”said Ben Zoof.“It is，probably，only a severe flood.”

The captain shook his head.“Worse than that，I fear，Ben Zoof，”he replied with emotion.“It is a catastrophe that may have very serious consequences.What can have become of all my friends and fellow-officers？”

Ben Zoof was silent.Rarely had he seen his master so much agitated；and though himself inclined to receive these phenomena with philosophic indifference，his notions of military duty caused his countenance to reflect the captain's expression of amazement.

But there was little time for Servadac to examine the changes which a few hours had wrought.The sun had already reached the eastern horizon，and just as though it were crossing the ecliptic under the tropics，it sank like a cannon ball into the sea.Without any warning，day gave place to night，and earth，sea，and sky were immediately wrapped in profound obscurity.第六章　上尉探险　Chapter 6　The Captain Makes an Exploration导读

善于思考的上尉不会对如此怪的现象无动于衷的。现在夜幕已经降临，只有等明天再说了。当晚，他们就停留在了海边，本祖夫在一块巨石旁躺了下来，瑟尔瓦德克在岸边踱来踱去，不知道这灾难的规模有多大，朋友和同事是否已葬身水中。

一个半小时后，西边地平线上有一束强烈的光射出，是月亮吗？月亮的光线不会如此强烈，可太阳刚落下。一个半钟头不会又出现太阳吧！一个小时后，这个星球沿着和地球赤道垂直的方向落下去，一切又回到了黑暗中。上尉越来越糊涂，现在一切都乱了。三个小时后，太阳突然从西方出来了。他看了一下表，这一夜是六个小时，他把本祖夫叫醒，他们要赶快回住地，上尉让本祖夫将马喂饱。上尉要知道阿尔及利亚其他地方怎么样了。

他们用了一个半小时回到住地，马上就做好了出发的准备。本祖夫带了些饼干和罐头，他们骑的马像长了翅膀一样跑得飞快。二十分钟后来到谢利夫河口，沿着右岸向南方飞奔而去。四个钟头后，他们停下来过夜，这里曾经是米纳河流入谢利夫河的河口，现在是一片汪洋大海。

第二天，他们继续赶路，走出二十公里后，一段河岸消失了。河岸附近的苏尔克城及八百居民已被海水吞噬。到了晚上，他们来到原来的莫门图诺镇的所在地，现在也成了一片汪洋。

太阳出来后，上尉对这一带进行了观察：新形成的海岸拐了个弯由南向北而去，本祖夫爬到一个山坡上向海中望去，东南方十公里处的奥尔良市一点也看不到了。他们沿着新的海岸往北走，不时绕过一些大裂缝，太阳落山时他们来到迈尔吉查山的山脚下，山脉突然被截断，突起一个个奇峰。

第二天早上他们骑马越过一个山口，然后徒步登上一个山峰，看到这道新的海岸从迈尔吉查山的山脚下一直伸展到北边的地中海，全长有三十公里，他们要去的特内斯已经不存在了。他们现在所处的是一座孤岛，四周看不到陆地的影子。这个岛是一个不规则的四边形，其周长为一百七十一公里。

他们骑马继续向北，一直到了地中海，海滨小城蒙特诺特也不见了。一月六号，他们沿着地中海海岸向西，岸边的四个村庄也消失了。他们用了六十个小时转了一圈，又回到倒塌的茅草屋，现在岛上只有他们两个居民了。本祖夫称上尉是阿尔及利亚的总督，自己是臣民。可现在上尉想的是自己的十三行诗。ector Servadac was not the man to remain long unnerved by anyuntoward event.It was part of his character to discover the Hwhy and the wherefore of everything that came under his observation，and he would have faced a cannon ball the more unflinchingly from under standing the dynamic force by which it was propelled.Such being his temperament，it may well be imagined that he was anxious not to remain long in ignorance of the cause of the phenomena which had been so startling in their consequences.

“We must inquire into this to-morrow，”he exclaimed，as darkness fell suddenly upon him.Then，after a pause，he added：“That is to say，if there is to be a to-morrow；for if I were to be put to the torture，I could not tell what has become of the sun.”

“May I ask，sir，what we are to do now？”put in Ben Zoof.

“Stay where we are for the present；and when daylight appears-if it ever does appearwe will explore the coast to the west and south，and return to the gourbi.If we can find out nothing else，we must at least discover where we are.”

“Meanwhile，sir，may we go to sleep？”

“Certainly，if you like，and if you can.”

Nothing loath to avail himself of his master's permission，Ben Zoof crouched down in an angle of the shore，threw his arms over his eyes，and very soon slept the sleep of the ignorant，which is often sounder than the sleep of the just.Overwhelmed by the questions that crowded upon his brain，Captain Servadac could only wander up and down the shore.Again and again he asked himself what the catastrophe could portend.Had the towns of Algiers，Oran，and Mostaganem escaped the inundation？Could he bring himself to believe that all the inhabitants，his friends，and comrades had perished；or was it not more probable that the Mediterranean had merely invaded the region of the mouth of the Shelif？But this supposition did not in the least explain the other physical disturbances.Another hypothesis that presented itself to his mind was that the African coast might have been suddenly transported to the equatorial zone.But although this might get over the difficulty of the altered altitude of the sun and the absence of twilight，yet it would neither account for the sun setting in the east，nor for the length of the day being reduced to six hours.

“We must wait till to-morrow，”he repeated；adding，for he had become distrustful of the future，“that is to say，if to-morrow ever comes.”

Although not very learned in astronomy，Servadac was acquainted with the position of the principal constellations.It was therefore a considerable disappointment to him that，in consequence of the heavy clouds，not a star was visible in the firmament.To have ascertained that the pole-star had become displaced would have been an undeniable proof that the earth was revolving on a new axis；but not a rift appeared in the lowering clouds，which seemed to threaten torrents of rain.

It happened that the moon was new on that very day；naturally，therefore，it would have set at the same time as the sun.What，then，was the captain's bewilderment when，after he had been walking for about an hour and a half，he noticed on the western horizon a strong glare that penetrated even the masses of the clouds.

“The moon in the west！”he cried aloud；but suddenly bethinking himself，he added：“But no，that cannot be the moon；unless she had shifted very much nearer the earth，she could never give a light as intense as this.”

As he spoke the screen of vapor was illuminated to such a degree that the whole country was as it were bathed in twilight.“What can this be？”soliloquized the captain.“It cannot be the sun，for the sun set in the east only an hour and a half ago.Would that those clouds would disclose what enormous luminary lies behind them！What a fool I was not to have learnt more astronomy！Perhaps，after all，I am racking my brain over something that is quite in the ordinary course of nature.”

But，reason as he might，the mysteries of the heavens still remained impenetrable.For about an hour some luminous body，its disc evidently of gigantic dimensions，shed its rays upon the upper strata of the clouds；then，marvelous to relate，instead of obeying the ordinary laws of celestial mechanism，and descending upon the opposite horizon，it seemed to retreat farther off，grew dimmer，and vanished.

The darkness that returned to the face of the earth was not more profound than the gloom which fell upon the captain's soul.Everything was incomprehensible.The simplest mechanical rules seemed falsified；the planets had defied the laws of gravitation；the motions of the celestial spheres were erroneous as those of a watch with a defective mainspring，and there was reason to fear that the sun would never again shed his radiance upon the earth.

But these last fears were groundless.In three hours'time，without any intervening twilight，the morning sun made its appearance in the west，and day once more had dawned.On consulting his watch，Servadac found that night had lasted precisely six hours.Ben Zoof，who was unaccustomed to so brief a period of repose，was still slumbering soundly.

“Come，wake up！”said Servadac，shaking him by the shoulder；“it is time to start.”

“Time to start？”exclaimed Ben Zoof，rubbing his eyes.“I feel as if I had only just gone to sleep.”

“You have slept all night，at any rate，”replied the captain；“it has only been for six hours，but you must make it enough.”

“Enough it shall be，sir，”was the submissive rejoinder.

“And now，”continued Scrvadac，“we will take the shortest way back to the gourbi，and see what our horses think about it all.”

“They will think that they ought to be groomed，”said the orderly.

“Very good；you may groom them and saddle them as quickly as you like.I want to know what has become of the rest of Algeria：if we cannot get round by the south to Mostaganem，we must go eastwards to Tenes.”And forthwith they started.Beginning to feel hungry，they had no hesitation in gathering figs，dates，and oranges from the plantations that formed a continuous rich and luxuriant orchard along their path.The district was quite deserted，and they had no reason to fear any legal penalty.

In an hour and a half they reached the gourbi.Everything was just as they had left it；and it was evident that no one had visited the place during their absence.All was desolate as the shore they had quitted.

The preparations for the expedition were brief and simple.Ben Zoof saddled the horses and filled his pouch with biscuits and game；water，he felt certain，could be obtained in abundance from the numerous affluents of the Shelif，which，although they had now becometributaries of the Mediterranean，still meandered through the plain.Captain Servadac mounted his horse Zephyr，and Ben Zoof simultaneously got astride his mare Galette，named after the mill of Montmartre.They galloped off in the direction of the Shelif，and were not long in discovering that the diminution in the pressure of the atmosphere had precisely the same effect upon their horses as it had had upon themselves.Their muscular strength seemed five times as great as hitherto；their hoofs scarcely touched the ground，and they seemed transformed from ordinary quadrupeds into veritable hippogriffs.Happily，Servadac and his orderly were fearless riders；they made no attempt to curb their steeds，but even urged them to still greater exertions.Twenty minutes sufficed to carry them over the four or five miles that intervened between the gourbi and the mouth of the Shelif；then，slackening their speed，they proceeded at a more leisurely pace to the southeast，along what had once been the right bank of the river，but which，although it still retained its former characteristics，was now the boundary of a sea，which extending farther than the limits of the horizon，must have swallowed up at least a large portion of the province of Oran.Captain Servadac knew the country well；he had at one time been engaged upon a trigonometrical survey of the district，and consequently had an accurate knowledge of its topography.His idea now was to draw up a report of his investigations：to whom that report should be delivered was a problem he had yet to solve.

During the four hours of daylight that still remained，the travelers rode about twenty-one miles from the river mouth.To their vast surprise，they did not meet a single human being.At nightfall they again encamped in a slight bend of the shore，at a point which on the previous evening had faced the mouth of the Mina，one of the left-hand affluents of the Shelif，but now absorbed into the newly revealed ocean.Ben Zoof made the sleeping accommodation as comfortable as the circumstances would allow；the horses were clogged and turned out to feed upon the rich pasture that clothed the shore，and the night passed without special incident.

At sunrise on the following morning，the 2nd of January，or what，according to the ordinary calendar，would have been the night of the 1st，the captain and his orderly remounted their horses，and during the six-hours day accomplished a distance of forty-two miles.Theright bank of the river still continued to be the margin of the land，and only in one spot had its integrity been impaired.This was about twelve miles from the Mina，and on the site of the annex or suburb of Surkelmittoo.Here a large portion of the bank had been swept away，and the hamlet，with its eight hundred inhabitants，had no doubt been swallowed up by the encroaching waters.It seemed，therefore，more than probable that a similar fate had overtaken the larger towns beyond the Shelif.

In the evening the explorers encamped，as previously，in a nook of the shore which here abruptly terminated their new domain，not far from where they might have expected to find the important village of Memounturroy；but of this，too，there was now no trace.“I had quite reckoned upon a supper and a bed at Orleansville to-night，”said Servadac，as，full of despondency，he Surveyed the waste of water.

“Quite impossible，”replied Ben Zoof，“except you had gone by a boat.But cheer up，sir，cheer up；we will soon devise some means for getting across to Mostaganem.”

“If，as I hope，”rejoined the captain，“we are on a peninsula，we are more likely to get to Tenes；there we shall hear the news.”

“Far more likely to carry the news ourselves，”answered Ben Zoof，as he threw himself down for his night's rest.

Six hours later，only waiting for sunrise，Captain Servadac set himself inmovement again to renew his investigations.At this spot the shore，that hitherto had been running in a southeasterly direction，turned abruptly to the north，being no longer formed by the natural bank of the Shelif，but consisting of an absolutely new coast-line.No land was in sight.Nothing could be seen of Orleansville，which ought to have been about six miles to the southwest；and Ben Zoof，who had mounted the highest point of view attainable，could distinguish sea，and nothing but sea，to the farthest horizon.

Quitting their encampment and riding on，the bewildered explorers kept close to the new shore.This，since it had ceased to be formed by the original river bank，had Considerably altered its aspect.Frequent landslips occurred，and in many places deep chasms rifted the ground；great gaps furrowed the fields，and trees，half uprooted，overhung the water，remarkable by the fantastic distortions of their gnarled trunks，looking as though they had been chopped by a hatchet.

The sinuosities of the coast line，alternately gully and headland，had the effect of making a devious progress for the travelers，and at sunset，although they had accomplished more than twenty miles，they had only just arrived at the foot of the Merdeyah Mountains，which，before the cataclysm，had formed the extremity of the chain of the Little Atlas.The ridge，however，had been violently ruptured，and now rose perpendicularly from the water.

On the following morning Servadac and Ben Zoof traversed one of the mountain gorges；and next，in order to make a more thorough acquaintance with the limits and condition of the section of Algerian territory of which they seemed to be left as the sole occupants，they dismounted，and proceeded on foot to the summit of one of the highest peaks.From this elevation they ascertained that from the base of the Merdeyah to the Mediterranean，a distance of about eighteen miles，a new coast line had come into existence；no land was visible in any direction；no isthmus existed to form a connecting link with the territory of Tenes，which had entirely disappeared.The result was that Captain Servadac was driven to the irresistible conclusion that the tract of land which he had been surveying was not，as he had at first imagined，a peninsula；it was actually an island.

Strictly speaking，this island was quadrilateral，but the sides were soirregular that it was much more nearly a triangle，the comparison of the sides exhibiting these proportions：The section of the right bank of the Shelif，seventytwo miles；the southern boundary from the Shelif to the chain of the Little Atlas，twentyone miles；from the Little Atlas to the Mediterranean，eighteen miles；and sixty miles of the shore of the Mediterranean itself，making in all an entire circumference of about 171 miles.

“What does it all mean？”exclaimed the captain，every hour growing more and more bewildered.

“The will of Providence，and we must submit，”replied Ben Zoof，calm and undisturbed.With this reflection，the two men silently descended the mountain and remounted their horses.Before evening they had reached the Mediterranean.On their road they failed to discern a vestige of the little town of Montenotte；like Tenes，of which not so much as a ruined cottage was visible on the horizon，it seemed to be annihilated.

On the following day，the 6th of January，the two men made a forced march along the coast of the Mediterranean，which they found less altered than the captain had at first supposed；but four villages had entirely disappeared，and the headlands，unable to resist the shock of the convulsion，had been detached from the mainland.

The circuit of the island had been now completed，and the explorers，after a period of sixty hours，found themselves once more beside the ruins of their gourbi.Five days，or what，according to the established order of things，would have been two days and a half，had been occupied in tracing the boundaries of their new domain；and they had ascertained beyond a doubt that they were the sole human inhabitants left upon the island.

“Well，sir，here you are，Governor General of Algeria！”exclaimed Ben Zoof，as they reached the gourbi.

“With not a soul to govern，”gloomily rejoined the captain.

“How so？Do you not reckon me？”

“Pshaw！Ben Zoof，what are you？”

“What am I？Why，I am the population.”

The captain deigned no reply，but，muttering some expressions of regret for the fruitless trouble he had taken about his rondo，betook himself to rest.第七章　本祖夫徒劳地等待　Chapter 7　Ben Zo of Watches in Vain导读

一会儿，他们两个就在石头屋里进入了梦乡，可一连串的问题使上尉突然醒来，他对这一切的反常现象感到困惑，他期望着有一天能解开这些谜团。

天亮后，本祖夫起来做早餐。他将水倒入锅内，拿起鸡蛋感到很轻，而水不到两分钟就开了。本祖夫感到很怪，上尉将温度表放入水中，水温只有六十度，将鸡蛋放里面煮了一刻钟，和平时煮的一样长。做好饭后上尉吃着，本祖夫问现在该怎么办？

上尉告诉他：现在需要等待，希望这次灾难只是个别地区，总督一定会派人来找他们的。上尉又要他多注意海面，有船来就打信号，没船来他们就做一条船出去，不会划船可以学。一连几天，本祖夫都拿着望远镜在海边望，什么也没发现。

上尉他们一直用旧历，到一月六日，没遇到任何情况。本祖夫说：上尉成了鲁滨逊，而自己成了黑人星期五了。上尉说他还是白人，他说那自己是白人星期五。

他们对岛上的情况做了调查，岛上种有小麦、玉米和稻谷，再有三个月就可以收获了。他们的粮食和两匹马的饲料是足够的，就是再有一些人来，粮食也够吃。

一月六日到十三日，天一直下着雨，上尉整天愁眉苦脸的。本祖夫也安慰不了他，反被训斥了一顿。于是他除了睡觉就守在山上瞭望。

一月十三日夜晚，暴风雨突然停了。上尉走出屋，去山上找本祖夫。他看到天上没一点云，北极星也降低了许多，已不是天体的运转中心了。而一颗新星停在原来北极星的位置一动也不动，北部天边的不远处，织女星也在那里一动也不动。现在地轴的倾斜度已经改变，地中海附近可能就是赤道了。

本祖夫看到天幕上挂着一个银盘，认为是月亮！可上尉看后，认为它不是月亮，因为它既不皎洁，也不柔媚，而且还有一颗小的卫星绕着它转。可它不是月亮又是什么呢？如果是月亮，它哪来的一颗卫星呢？n a few minutes the governor general and his population were asleep.The gourbi being in ruins，they were obliged to put up with Ithe best accommodation they could find in the adjacent erection.It must be owned that the captain's slumbers were by no means sound；he was agitated by the consciousness that he had hitherto been unable to account for his strange experiences by any reasonable theory.Though far from being advanced in the knowledge of natural philosophy，he had been instructed，to a certain degree，in its elementary principles；and，by an effort of memory，he managed to recall some general laws which he had almost forgotten.He could understand that an altered inclination of the earth's axis with regard to the ecliptic would introduce a change of position in the cardinal points，and bring about a displacement of the sea；but the hypothesis entirely failed to account，either for the shortening of the days，or for the diminution in the pressure of the atmosphere.He felt that his judgment was utterly baffled；his only remaining hope was that the chain of marvels was not yet complete，and that something farther might throw some light upon the mystery.

Ben Zoofs first care on the following morning was to provide a good breakfast.To use his own phrase，he was as hungry as the whole population of three million Algerians，of whom he was the representative，and he must have enough to eat.The catastrophe which had overwhelmed the country had left a dozen eggs uninjured，and upon these，with a good dish of his famous couscous，he hoped that he and his master might have a sufficiently substantial meal.The stove was ready for use，the copper skillet was as bright as hands cord make it，and the beads of condensed steam upon the surface of a large stone al-caraza gave evidence that it was supplied with water.Ben Zoof at once lighted a fire， singing all the time，according to his wont，a snatch of an old military refrain.

Ever on the lookout for fresh phenomena，Captain Servadac watched the preparations with a curious eye.It struck him that perhaps the air，in its strangely modified condition，would fail to supply sufficient oxygen，and that.the stove，in consequence，might not fulfill its function.But no；the fire was lighted just as usual，and fanned into vigor by Ben Zoof applying his mouth in lieu of bellows，and a bright flame started up from the midst of the twigs and coal.The skillet was duly set upon the stove，and Ben Zoof was prepared to wait awhile for the water to boil.Taking up the eggs，he was surprised to notice that they hardly weighed more than they would if they had been mere shells；but he was still more surprised when he saw that before the water had been two minutes over the fire it was at full boil.

“By jingo！”he exclaimed，“a precious hot fire！”

Servadac reflected.“It cannot be that the fire is hotter，”he said，“the peculiarity must be in the water.”And taking down a centigrade thermometer，which hung upon the wall，he plunged it into the skillet.Instead of 100 degrees，the instrument registered only 66 degrees.

“Take my advice，Ben Zoof，”he said；“leave your eggs in the saucepan a good quarter of an hour.”

“Boil them hard！That will never do，”objected the orderly.

“You will not find them hard，my good fellow.Trust me，we shall be able to dip our sippets into the yolks easily enough.”

The captain was quite right in his conjecture，that this new phenomenon was caused by a diminution in the pressure of the atmosphere.Water boiling at a temperature of 66 degrees was itself an evidence that the column of air above the earth's surface had become reduced by one-third of its altitude.The identical phenomenon would have occurred at the summit of a mountain 35，000 feet high；and had Servadac been in possession of a barometer，he would have immediately discovered the fact that only now for the first time，as the result of experiment，revealed itself to him-a fact，moreover，which accounted for the compression of the blood-vessels which both he and Ben Zoof had experienced，as well as for the attenuation of their voices and their accelerated breathing.“And yet，”he argued with himself，“if our encampmenthas been projected to so great an elevation，how is it that the sea remains at its proper level？”

Once again Hector Servadac，though capable of tracing consequences，felt himself totally at a loss to comprehend their cause；hence his agitation and bewilderment！

After their prolonged immersion in the boiling water，the eggs were found to be only just sufficiently cooked；the couscous was very much in the same condition；and Ben Zoof came to the conclusion that in future he must be careful to commence his culinary operations an hour earlier.He was rejoiced at last to help his master，who，in spite of his perplexed preoccupation，seemed to have a very fair appetite for breakfast.

“Well，captain？”said Ben Zoof presently，such being his ordinary way of opening conver sation.

“Well，Ben Zoof？”was the captain's invariable response to his servant's formula.

“What are we to do now，sir？”

“We can only for the present wait patiently where we are.We are encamped upon an island，and therefore we can only be rescued by sea.”

“But do you suppose that any of our friends are still alive？”asked Ben Zoof.

“Oh，I think we must indulge the hope that this catastrophe has not extended far.We must trust that it has limited its mischief to some small portion of the Algerian coast，and that our friends are all alive and well.No doubt the governor general will be anxious to investigate the full extent of the damage，and will send a vessel from Algiers to explore.It is not likely that we shall be forgotten.What，then，you have to do，Ben Zoof，is to keep a sharp lookout，and to be ready，in case a vessel should appear，to make signals at once.”“But if no vessel should appear！”sighed theorderly.

“Then we must build a boat，and go in search of those who do not come in search of us.”

“Very good.But what sort of a sailor are you？”

“Everyone can be a sailor when he must，”said Servadac calmly.

Ben Zoof said no more.For several succeeding days he scanned thehorizon unintermittently with his telescope.His watching was in vain.No ship appeared upon the desert sea.“By the name of a Kabyle！”he broke out impatiently，“his Excellency is grossly negligent！”

Although the days and nights had become reduced from twenty-four hours to twelve，Captain Servadac would not accept the new condition of things，but resolved to adhere to the computations of the old calendar.Notwithstanding，therefore，that the sun had risen and set twelve times since the commencement of the new year，he persisted in calling the following day the 6th of January.His watch enabled him to keep an accurate account of the passing hours.

In the course of his life，Ben Zoof had read a few books.After pondering one day，he said：“It seems to me，captain，that you have turned into Robinson Crusoe，and that I am your man Friday.I hope I have not become a negro.”

“No，”replied the captain.“Your complexion isn't the fairest in the world，but you are not black yet.”

“Well，I had much sooner be a white Friday than a black one，”rejoined Ben Zoof.

Still no ship appeared；and Captain Servadac，after the example of all previous Crusoes，began to consider it advisable to investigate the resources of his domain.The new territory of which he had become the monarch he named Gourbi Island.It had a superficial area of about nine hundred square miles.Bullocks，cows，goats，and sheep existed in considerable numbers；and as there seemed already to be an abundance of game，it was hardly likely that a future supply would fail them.The condition of the cereals was such as to promise a fine ingathering of Wheat，maize，and rice；So that for the governor and his population，with their two horses，not only was there ample provision，but even if other human inhabitants besides themselves should yet be discovered，there was not the remotest prospect of any of them pershing by starvation.

From the 6th to the 13th of January the rain came down in torrents；and，what was quite an unusual occurrence at this season of the year，several heavy storms broke over the island.In spite，however，of the continual downfall，the heavens still remained veiled in cloud.Servadac，moreover，did not fail to observe that for the season the temperature was unusually high；and，as a matter still more surprising，that it kept steadily increasing，as though the earth weregradually and continuously approximating to the sun.In proportion to the rise of temperature，the light also assumed greater intensity；and if it had not been for the screen of vapor interposed between the sky and the island，the irradiation which would have illumined all terrestrial objects would have been vivid beyond all precedent.

But neither sun，moon，nor star ever appeared；and Servadac's irritation and annoyance at being unable to identify any one point of the firmament may be more readily imagined than described.On one occasion Ben Zoof endeavored to mitigate his master's impatience by exhorting him to assume the resignation，even if he did not feel the indifference，which he himself experienced；but his advice was received with so angry a rebuff that he retired in all haste，abashed，to resume his watchman's duty，which he performed with exemplary perseverance.Day and night，with the shortest possible intervals of rest，despite wind，rain，and storm，he mounted guard upon the cliffbut all in vain.Not a speck appeared upon the desolate horizon.To say the truth，no vessel could have stood against the weather.The hurricane raged with tremendous fury，and the waves rose to a height that seemed to defy calculation.Never，even in the second era of creation，when，under the influence of internal heat，the waters rose in vapor to descend in deluge back upon the world，could meteorological phenomena have been developed with more impressive intensity.

But by the night of the 13th the tempest appeared to have spent its fury；the wind dropped；the rain ceased as if by a spell；and Servadac，who for the last six days had confined himself to the shelter of his roof，hastened to join Ben Zoof at his post upon the cliff.Now，he thought，there might be a chance of solving his perplexity；perhaps now the huge disc，of which he had had an imperfect glimpse on the night of the 31st of December，might again reveal itself；at any rate，he hoped for an opportunity of observing the constellations in a clear firmament above.

The night was magnificent.Not a cloud dimmed the luster of the stars，which spangled the heavens in surpassing brilliancy，and several nebulae which hitherto no astronomer had been able to discern without the aid of a telescope were clearly visible to the naked eye.

By a natural impulse，Servadac's first thought was to observe the position of the pole-star.It was in sight，but so near to the horizon as to suggest the utter impossibility of its being any longer the central pivot of the sidereal system；it occupied a position through which it was out of the question that the axis of the earth indefinitely prolonged could ever pass.In his impression he was more thoroughly confirmed when，an hour later，he noticed that the star had approached still nearer the horizon，as though it had belonged to one of the zodiacal constellations.

The pole-star being manifestly thus displaced，it remained to be discovered whether any other of the celestial bodies had become a fixed center around which the constellations made their apparent daily revolutions.To the solution of this problem Servadac applied himself with the most thoughtful diligence.After patient observation，he satisfied himself that the required conditions were answered by a certain star that was stationary not far from the horizon.This was Vega，in the constellation Lyre，a star which，according to the precession of the equinoxes，will take the place of our pole-star 12，000 years hence.The most daring imagination could not suppose that a period of 12，000 years had been crowded into the space of a fortnight；and therefore the captain came，as to an easier conclusion，to the opinion that the earth's axis had been suddenly and immensely shifted；and from the fact that the axis，if produced，would pass through a point so little removed above the horizon，he deduced the inference that the Mediterranean must have been transported to the equator.

Lost in bewildering maze of thought，he gazed long and intently upon the heavens.His eyes wandered from where the tail of the Great Bear，now a zodiacal constellation，was scarcely visible above the waters，to where the stars of the southern hemisphere were just breaking on his view.A cry from Ben Zoof recalled him to himself.

“The moon！”shouted the orderly，as though overjoyed at once again beholding what the poet has called：“The kind companion of terrestrial night；”and he pointed to a disc that was rising at a spot precisely opposite the place where they would have expected to see the Sun.“The moon！”again he cried.

But Captain Servadac could not altogether enter into his servant's enthusiasm.If this were actually the moon，her distance from the earth musthave been increased by some millions of miles.He was rather disposed to suspect that it was not the earth's satellite at all，but some planet with its apparent magnitude greatly enlarged by its approximation to the earth.Taking up the powerful field-glass which he was accustomed to use in his surveying operations，he proceeded to investigate more carefully the luminous orb.But he failed to trace any of the lineaments，supposed to resemble a human face，that mark the lunar surface；he failed to decipher any indications of hill and plain；nor could he make out the aureole of light which emanates from what astronomers have designated Mount Tycho，“It is not the moon，”he said slowly.

“Not the moon？”cried Ben Zoof.“Why not？”

“It is not the moon，”again affirmed the captain.

“Why not？”repeated Ben Zoof，unwilling to renounce his first impression.

“Because there is a small satellite in attendance.”And the captain drew hisservant's attention to a bright speck，apparently about the size of one of Jupiter's satellites seen through a moderate telescope，that was clearly visible just within the focus of his glass.

Here，then，was a fresh mystery.The orbit of this planet was assuredly interior to the orbit of the earth，because it accompanied the sun in its apparent motion；yet it was neither Mercury nor Venus，because neither one nor the other of these has any satellite at all.

The captain stamped and stamped again with mingled vexation，agitation，and bewilderment.“Confound it！”he cried，“if this is neither Venus nor Mercury，it must be the moon；but if it is the moon，whence，in the name of all the gods，has she picked up another moon for herself？”

The captain was in dire perplexity.第八章　金星危险靠近　Chapter 8　Venusin Perilous Proximity导读

太阳一出，群星都消失了。现在白天和黑夜都是六小时，看来他们所处的古尔比岛在赤道上。

气温不断升高。一月十五日，房间的气温已达到五十度了。上尉和本祖夫在石屋中的一间大房子里住下，本祖夫不管太阳多毒，照样在烈日下观察着海面。

由于温度升高，果树也发芽、开花了，庄稼长得飞快，很快就可以收割了。上尉和本祖夫要干这么多农活显然是干不过来的。现在本祖夫在观察海面的位置上安了一把伞，要不早就坚持不下去了。这一区域的运输很发达，可最近一艘船也看不到。

地球正在接近太阳，气温逐渐升高，现在看到的太阳比以前大一倍。通过观察，上尉认为：现在地球接受太阳的光和热与金星一样。金星也叫启明星，它有很多美丽的名字，现在看它已经像个小月亮了。上尉计算出地球和金星相距只有六百万公里，他告诉本祖夫，这个距离对两个星球来说已经很近了，它们很可能要相撞，其结果是一个星球毁灭，或者两个星球都毁灭。说不准，本祖夫的蒙马特小山包也不存在了。

本祖夫听后，差点为“小山包”这个词发脾气，但又知道对相撞这件事，他们是无能为力的。

现在，地球离金星和水星越来越近，目前的危险主要是金星，它们相距只有二三百万公里。到一月二十日，两个星球的距离更近了。上尉担心，再有两天，两个星球就要撞成碎片了。

可事情发生了变化，地球和金星的距离又越来越远了。到一月二十五日，距离已经相当远了。上尉把这个好消息告诉了本祖夫，他终于松了一口气。

通过观察，上尉证实金星没有卫星，而一些天文学家认为的金星有一颗卫星是错误的。一月二十七日上午九点，本祖夫平静地告诉上尉，来了一条船。he light of the returning sun soon extinguished the glory of the stars，and rendered it necessary for the captain to postpone his Tobservations.He had sought in vain for further trace of the huge disc that had so excited his wonder on the 1st，and it seemed most probable that，in its irregular orbit，it had been carried beyond the range of vision.

The weather was still superb.The wind，after veering to the west，had sunk to a perfect calm.Pursuing its inverted course，the sun rose and set with undeviating regularity；and the days and nights were still divided into periods of precisely six hours each-a sure proof that the sun remained close to the new equator which manifestly passed through Gourbi Island.

Meanwhile the temperature was steadily increasing.The captain kept his thermometer close at hand where he could repeatedly consult it，and on the 15th he found that it registered 50 degrees centigrade in the shade.

No attempt had been made to rebuild the gourbi，but the captain and Ben Zoof managed to make up quarters sufficiently comfortable in the principal apartment of the adjoining structure，where the stone walls，that at first afforded a refuge from the torrents of rain，now formed an equally acceptable shelter from the burning sun.The heat was becoming insufferable，surpassing the heat of Senegal and other equatorial regions；not a cloud ever tempered the intensity of the solar rays；and unless some modification ensued，it seemed inevitable that all vegetation should become scorched and burnt off from the face of the island.

In spite，however，of the profuse perspirations from which he suffered，Ben Zoof，constant to his principles，expressed no surprise at the unwonted heat.No remonstrances from his master could induce him to abandon his watch from the cliff.To withstand the vertical beams of that noontide sun would seem to require askin of brass and a brain of adamant；but yet，hour after hour，he would remain conscientiously scanning the surface of the Mediterranean，which，calm and deserted，lay outstretched before him.On one occasion，Servadac，in reference to his orderly's indomitable perseverance，happened to remark that he thought he must have been born in the heart of equatorial Africa；to which Ben Zoof replied，with the utmost dignity，that he was born at Montmartre，which was all the same.The worthy fellow was unwilling to own that，even in the matter of heat，the tropics could in any way surpass his own much-loved home.

This unprecedented temperature very soon began to take effect upon the products of the soil.The sap rose rapidly in the trees，so that in the course of a few days buds，leaves，flowers，and fruit had come to full maturity.It was the same with the cereals；wheat and maize sprouted and ripened as if by magic，and for a while a rank and luxuriant pasturage clothed the meadows.Summer and autumn seemed blended into one.If Captain Servadac had been more deeply versed in astronomy，he would perhaps have been able to bring to bear his knowledge that if the axis of the earth，as everything seemed to indicate，now formed a right angle with the plane of the ecliptic，her various seasons，like those of the planet Jupiter，would become limited to certain zones，in which they would remain invariable.But even if he had understood the rationale of the change，the convulsion that had brought it about would have been as much a mystery as ever.

The precocity of vegetation caused some embarrassment.The time for the corn and fruit harvest had fallen simultaneously with that of the haymaking；and as the extreme heat precluded any prolonged exertions，it was evident“the population”of the island would find it difficult to provide the necessary amount of labor.Not that the prospect gave them much concerm：the provisions of the gourbi were still far from exhausted，and now that the roughness of the weather had so happily subsided，they had every encouragement to hope that a ship of some sort would soon appear.Not only was that part of the Mediterranean systematically frequented by the government steamers that watched the coast，but vessels of all nations were constantly cruising off the shore.

In spite，however，of all their sanguine speculations，no ship appeared.BenZoof admitted the necessity of extemporizing a kind of parasol for himself，otherwise he must literally have been roasted to death upon the exposed summit of the cliff.

Meanwhile，Servadac was doing his utmostit must be ackonwledged，with indifferent success-to recall the lessons of his school-days.He would plunge into the wildest speculations in his endeavors to unravel the difficulties of the new situation，and struggled into a kind of conviction that if there had been a change of manner in the earth's rotation on her axis，there would be a corresponding change in her revolution round the sun，which would involve the consequence of the length of the year being either diminished or increased.

Independently of the increased and increasing heat，there was another very conclusive demonstration that the earth had thus suddenly approximated towards the sun.The diameter of the solar disc was now exactly twice what it ordinarily looks to the naked eye；in fact，it was precisely such as it would appear to an observer on the surface of the planet Venus.The most obvious inference would therefore be that the arth's distance from the sun had been diminished from 91，000，000 to 66，000，000 miles.If the just equilibrium of the earth had thus been destroyed，and should this diminution of distance still continue，would there not be reason to fear that the terrestrial world would be carried onwards to actual contact with the sun，which must result in its total annihilation？

The continuance of the splendid weather afforded Servadac every facility for observing the heavens.Night after night，constellations in their beauty lay stretched before his eyes-an alphabet which，to his mortification，not to say his rage，he was unable to decipher.In the apparent dimensions of the fixed stars，in their distance，in their relative position with regard to each other，he could observe no change.Although it is established that our sun is approaching the constellation of Hercules at the rate of more than 126，000，000 miles a year，and although Arcturus is traveling through space at the rate of fifty-four miles a secundthree times faster than the earth goes round the sun，-yet such is the remoteness of those stars that no appreciable change is evident to the senses.The fixed stars taught him nothing.

Far otherwise was it with the planets.The orbits of Venus and Mercury arewithin the orbit of the earth，Venus rotating at an average distance of 66，130，000 miles from the sun，and Mercury at that of 35，393，000.After pondering long，and as profoundly as he could，upon these figures，Captain Servadac came to the conclusion that，as the earth was now receiving about double the amount of light and heat that it had been receiving before the catastrophe，it was receiving about the same as the plunetVenus；he was driven，therefore，to the esti mate of the measure in which the earth must have approximated to the sun，a deduction in which he was confirmed when the opportunity came for him to observe Venus herself in the splendid proportions that she now assumed.

That magnificent planet which-as Phosphorus or Lucifer，Hesperus or Vesper，the evening star，the morning star，or the shepherd's star-has never failed to attract the rapturous admiration of the most indifferent observers，here revealed herself with unprecedented glory，exhibiting all the phases of a lustrous moon in miniature.Various indentations in the outline of its crescent showed that the solar beams were refracted into regions of its surface where the sun had already set，and proved，beyond a doubt，that the planet had an atmosphere of her own；and certain luminous points projecting from the crescent as plainly marked the existence of mountains.As the result of Servadac's computations，he formed the opinion that Venus could hardly be at a greater distance than 6，000，000 miles from the earth.

“And a very safe distance，too，”said Ben Zoof，when his master told him the conclusion at which he had arrived.

“All very well for two armies，but for a couple of planets not quite so safe，perhaps，as you may imagine.It is my impression that it is more than likely we may run foul of Venus，”said the captain.

“Plenty of air and water there，sir？”inquired the orderly.

“Yes；as far as I can tell，plenty，”replied Servadac.

“Then why shouldn't we go and visit Veaus？”

Servadac did his best to explain that as the two planets were of about equal volume，and were traveling with great velocity in opposite directions，any collision between them must be attended with the most disastrous consequences to one or both of them.But Ben Zoof failed to see that，even at the worst，the catastrophe could be much more serious than the collision of tworailway trains.

The captain became exasperated.“You idiot！”he angrily exclaimed；“cannot you understand that the planets are traveling a thousand times faster than the fastest express，and that if they meet，either one or the other must be destroyed？What would become of your darling Monmmrtre then？”

The captain had touched a tender chord.For a moment Ben Zoof stood with clenched teeth and contracted muscles；then，in a voice of real concern，he inquired whether anything could be done to avert the calamity.

“Nothing whatever；so you may go about your own business，”was the captain's brusque rejoinder.

All discomfited and bewildered，Ben Zoof retired without a word.

During the ensuing days the distance between the two planets continued to decrease，and it became more and more obvious that the earth，on her new orbit，was about to cross the orbit of Venus.Throughout this time the earth had been making a perceptible approach towards Mercury，and that planet-which is rarely visible to the naked eye，and then only at what are termed the periods of its greatest eastern and western elongations-now appeared in all its splendor.It amply justified the epithet of“sparkling”which the ancients were accustomed to confer upon it，and could scarcely fail to awaken a new interest.The periodic recurfence of its phases；its reflection of the sun's rays，shedding upon it a light and a heat seven times greater than that received by the earth；its glacial and its torrid zones，which，on account of the great inclination of the axis，are scarcely separable；its equatorial bands；its mountains eleven miles high；-were all subjects of observation worthy of the most studious regard.

But no danger was to be apprehended from Mercury；with Venus only did collision appear imminent.By the 18th of January the distance between that planet and the earth had become reduced to between two and three millions of miles，and the intensity of its light cast heavy shadows from all terrestrial objects.It might be observed to turn upon its own axis in twentythree hours twenty-one minutes-an evidence，from the unaltered duration of its days，that the planet had not shared in the disturbance.On its disc the clouds formed from its atmospheric vapor were plainly perceptible，as also were the seven spots，which，according to Bianchini，are a chain of seas.It was now visible in broaddaylight.Buonaparte，when under the Directory，once had his attention called to Venus at noon，and immediately hailed it joyfully，recognizing it as his own peculiar star in the ascendant.Captain Servadac，it may well be imagined，did not experience the same gratifying emotion.

On the 20th，the distance between the two bodies had again sensibly diminished.The captain had ceased to be surprised that no vessel had been sent to rescue himself and his companion from their strange imprisonment；the governor general and the minister of war were doubtless far differently occupied，and their interests far otherwise engrossed.What sensational articles，he thought，must now be teeming to the newspapers！What crowds must be flocking to the churches！The end'of the world approaching！the great climax close at hand！Two days more，and the earth，shivered into a myriad atoms，would be lost in boundless space！

These dire forebodings，however，were not destined to be realized.Gradually the distance between the two planets began to increase；the planes of their orbits did not coincide，and accordingly the dreaded catastrophe did not ensue.By the 25th，Venus was sufficiently remote to preclude any further fear of collision.Ben Zoof gave a sigh of relief when the captain communicated the glad intelligence.

Their proximity to Venus had been close enough to demonstrate that beyond a doubt that planet has no moon or satellite such as Cassini，Short，Montaigne of Limoges，Montbarron，and some other astronomers have imagined to exist.“Had there been such a satellite，”said Servadac，“we might have captured it in passing.But what can be the meaning，”he added seriously，“of all this displacement of the heavenly bodies？”

“What is that great building at Paris，captain，with a top like a cap？”asked Ben Zoof.

“Do you mean the Observatory？”

“Yes，the Observatory.Are there not people living in the Observatory who could explain all this？”

“Very likely；but what of that？”

“Let us be philosophers，and wait patiently until we can hear their explanation.”

Servadac smiled.“Do you know what it is to be a philosopher，Ben Zoof？”he asked.

“I am a soldier，sir，”was the servant's prompt rejoinder，“and I have learnt to know that‘what can't be cured must be endured.'”

The captain made no reply，but for a time，at least，he desisted from puzzling himself over matters which he felt he was utterly incompetent to explain.But an event soon afterwards occurred which awakened his keenest interest.

About nine o'clock on the morning of the 27th，Ben Zoof walked deliberately into his master's apartment，and，in reply to a question as to what he wanted，announced with the utmost composure that a ship was in sight.

“A ship！”exclaimed Servadac，starting to his feet.“A ship！Ben Zoof，you donkey！you speak as unconcernedly as though you were telling me that my dinner was ready.”

“Are we not philosophers，captain？”said the orderly.

But the captain was out of hearing.第九章　不令人满意的调查　Chapter 9　Inquiries Unsatisfied导读

上尉迅速奔上小山顶，看到六公里外的海面上有一条船，两小时后，他用望远镜看出那是“多布里纳号”。虽说是情敌的船，但他还是想见到伯爵，问一下这些天究竟发生了什么事。

上尉想到，铁马什夫伯爵一定会奇怪这个地方怎么会出现一个小岛呢？上尉看到多布里纳号向原谢利夫河口驶去，于是骑马和本祖夫一起向小岛西部奔去。他们赶到那里，发现在最西端有一个小港湾，多布里纳号可以停靠在这里。后来又发现岩石上有一条潮水退去的痕迹，上边还有些干枯的海藻。他想难道地中海也有潮汐了？这潮汐是十二月三十一日夜间发生的，现在已恢复正常了。

这时，帆船发现了他们的信号，向小港驶来。几分钟后，铁马什夫伯爵登上小艇向上尉站着的地方驶来，上尉迎了上去。

见面后上尉问伯爵发生了什么事，而伯爵首先对未能赴约而表示抱歉。上尉再次问他发生了什么事，并让他说一说地中海北部海岸的情况。

伯爵问他能确定这是地中海吗？并说自己一块陆地也没发现。他也感受到了这一切奇怪的现象，但并不比上尉知道更多的事情。

伯爵去年十二月三十一日夜间乘船赴约，忽然海上起了波涛，船被抛到高空，船上的引擎也出了故障。接连几天狂风暴雨，但多布里纳号挺过来了。

上尉提议到海上探察一下，伯爵表示同意。他们决定：先到非洲沿岸去看一下，再到阿尔及利亚了解一下世界各地的情况，如果地中海不存在了，再到北岸欧洲各国看看情况。

多布里纳号损坏得不严重，只是管子裂了，直往炉膛内漏水，第三天就修好了，船上存的煤够两个月用，可以做一次远行。

上尉又向伯爵介绍了岛上的情况。他们俩骑马在岛上视察了一圈，决定在一月的最后一天起航。本祖夫不愿离开两匹马，岛上也需要有人看管，所以本祖夫留下管理岛上的牛羊等事物，多布里纳号于一月三十一日正式起航了。ast as his legs could carry him，Servadac had made his way to thetop of the cliff.It was quite true that a vessel was in sight，Fhardly more than six miles from the shore；but owing to the increase in the earth's convexity，and the consequent limitation of the range of vision，the rigging of the topmasts alone was visible above the water.This was enough，however，to indicate that the ship was a schooner-an impression that was confirmed when，two hours later，she came entirely in sight.

“The Dobryna！”exclaimed Servadac，keeping his eye unmoved at his telescope.

“Impossible，sir！”rejoined Ben Zoof；“there are no signs of smoke.”

“The Dobryna！”repeated the captain，positively.“She is under sail；but she is Count Timascheff's yacht.”

He was fight.If the count were on board，a strange fatality was bringing him to the presence of his rival.But no longer now could Servadac regard him in the light of an adversary；circumstances had changed，and all animosity was absorbed in the eagerness with which he hailed the pzospect of obtaining some information about the recent startling and inexplicable events.During the twenty-seven days that she had been absent，the Dobryna，he conjectured，would have explored the Mediterranean，would very probably have visited Spain，France，or Italy，and accordingly would convey to Gonrbi Island some intelligence from one or other of those countries.He reckoned，therefore，not only upon ascertaining the extent of the late catastrophe，but upon learning its cause.Count Timascheff was，no doubt，magnanimously coming to the rescue of himself and his orderly.

The wind being adverse，the Dobryna did not make very rapid progress；but as the weather，in spite of a few clouds，remained calm，and the sea was quite smooth，she was enabled to hold a steady course.It seemed unaccountable that she should not use her engine，as whoever was on board，would be naturally impatient to reconnoiter the new island，which must just have come within their view.The probability that suggested itself was that the schooner's fuel was exhausted.

Servadac took it for granted that the Dobryna was endeavoring to put in.It occurred to him，however，that the count，on discovering an island where he had expected to find the mainland of Africa，would not unlikely be at a loss for a place of anchorage.The yacht was evidently making her way in the direction of the former mouth of the Shelif，and the captain was struck with the idea that he would do well to investigate whether there was any suitable mooring towards which he might signal her.Zephyr and Galette were soon saddled，and in twenty minutes had carded their riders to the western extremity of the island，where they both dismounted and began to explore the coast.

They were not long in ascertaining that on the farther side of the point there was a small wellsheltered creek of sufficient depth to accommodate a vessel of moderate tonnage.A narrow channel formed a passage through the ridge of rocks that protected it from the open sea，and which，even in the roughest weather，would ensure the calmness of its waters.

Whilst examining the rocky shore，the captain observed，to his great surprise，long and welldefined rows of seaweed，which undoubtedly betokened that there had been a very considerable ebb and flow of the waters-a thing unknown in the Mediterranean，where there is scarcely any perceptible tide.What，however，seemed most remarkable，was the manifest evidence that ever since the highest flood（which was caused，in all probability，by the proximity of the body of which the huge disc had been so conspicuous on the night of the 31st of December）the phenomenon had been gradually lessening，and in fact was now reduced to the normal limits which had characterized it before the convulsion.

Without doing more than note the circumstance，Servadac turned his entire attention to the Dobryna，which，now little more than a mile from shore，couldnot fail to see and understand his signals.Slightly changing her course，she first struck her mainsail，and，in order to facilitate the movements of her helmsman，soon carried nothing but her two topsails，brigantine and jib.After rounding the peak，she steered direct for the channel to which Servadac by his gestures was pointing her，and was not long in entering the creek.As soon as the anchor，imbedded in the sandy bottom，had made good its hold，a boat was lowered.In a few minutes more Count Timaseheff had landed on the island.Captain Servadac hastened towards him.

“First of all，count，”he exclaimed impetuously，“before we speak one other word，tell me what has happened.”

The count，whose imperturbable composure presented a singular contrast to the French officer's enthusiastic vivacity，made a stiff bow，and in his Russian accent replied：“First of all，permit me to express my surprise at seeing you here.I left you on a continent，and here I have the honor of finding you on an island.”

“I assure you，count，I have never left the place.”

“I am quite aware of it.Captain Servadae，and I now beg to offer you my sincere apologies for failing to keep my appointment with you.”

“Never mind，now，”interposed the captain；“we will talk of that by-and-by.First，tell me what has happened.”

“The very question I was about to put to you，Captain Servadac.”

“Do you mean to say you know nothing of the cause，and can tell me nothing of the extent，of the catastrophe which has transformed this part of Africa into an island？”

“Nothing more than you know yourself.”

“But surely，Count Timascheff，you can inform me whether upon the northern shore of the Mediterranean-”

“Are you certain that this is the Mediterranean？”asked the count significantly，and added，“I have discovered no sign of land.”

The captain stared in silent bewilderment.For some moments he seemed perfectly stupefied；then，recovering himself，he began to overwhelm the count with a torrent of questions.Had he noticed，ever since the 1st of January，that the sun had risen in the west？Had he noticed that the days had been only sixhours long，and that the weight of the atmosphere was so much diminished？Had he observed that the moon had quite disappeared，and that the earth had been in imminent hazard of running foul of the planet Venus？Was he aware，in short，that the entire motions of the terrestrial sphere had undergone a complete modification？To all these inquiries，the count respouded in the affirmative.He was acquainted with everything that had transpired；but，to Servadac's increasing astonishment，he could throw no light upon the cause of any of the phenomena.

“On the nigh of the 31st of December，”he said，“I was proceeding by sea to our appointed place of meeting，when my yacht was suddenly caught on the crest of an enormous wave，and carded to a height which it is beyond my power to estimate.Some mysterious force seemed to have brought about a convulsion of the elements.Our engine was damaged，nay disabled，and we drifted entirely at the mercy of the terrible hurricane that raged during the succeeding days.That the Dobryna escaped at all is little less than a miracle，and I can only attribute her safety to the fact that she occupied the center of the vast cyclone，and consequently did not experience much change of position.”

He paused，and added：“Your island is the first land we have seen.”

“Then let us put out to sea at once and ascertain the extent of the disaster，”cried the captain，eagerly.“You will take me on board，count，will you not？”

“My yacht is at your service，sir，even should you require to make a tour round the world.”

“A tour round the Mediterranean will suffice for the present，I think，”said the captain，smiling.

The count shook his head.“I am not sure，”said he，“but what the tour of the Mediter-ranean will prove to be the tour of the world.”

Servadac made no reply，but for a time remained silent and absorbed in thought.

After the silence was broken，they consulted as to what course was best to pursue；and the plan they proposed was，in the first place，to discover how much of the African coast still remained，and to carry on the tidings of their own experiences to Algiers；or，in the event of the southern shore hating actually disappeared，they would make their way northwards and putthemselves in commtmication with the population on the river banks of Europe.

Before starting，it was indispensable that the engine of the Dobryna should be repaired：to sail under canvas only would in contrary winds and rough seas be both tedious and difficult.The stock of coal on board was adequate for two months'consumption；but as it would at the expiration of that time be exhausted，it was obviously the part of prudence to employ it in reaching a port where fuel could be replenished.

The damage sustained by the engine proved to be not very serious；and in three days after her arrival the Dobryna was again ready to put to sea.

Servadac employed the interval in making the count acquainted with all he knew about his small domain.They made an entire circuit of the island，and both agreed that it must be beyond the limits of that circumscribed territory that they must seek an explanation of what had so strangely，transpired.

It was on the last day of January that the repairs of the schooner were completed.A slight diminution in the excessively high temperature which had prevailed for the last few weeks，was the only apparent change in the general order of things；but whether this was to be attributed to any alteration in the earth's orbit was a question which would still require several days to decide.The weather remained fine，and although a few clouds had accumulated，and might have caused a trifling fall of the barometer，they were not sufficiently threatening to delay the departure of the Dobryna.

Doubts now arose，and some discussion followed，whether or not it was desirable for Ben Zoof to accompany his master.There were various reasons why he should be left behind，not the least important being that the schooner had no aceommodation for horses，and the orderly would have found it hard to part with Zephyr，and much more with his own favorite Galette；besides，it was advisable that there should be some one left to receive any strangers that might possibly arrive，as well as to keep an eye upon the herds of cattle which，in the dubious prospect before them，might prove to be the sole resource of the survivors of the catastrophe.Altogether，taking into consideration that the brave fellow would incur no personal risk by remaining upon the island，the captain was induced with much reluctance to forego the attendance of his servant，hoping very shortly to return and to restore him to his country，when he hadascetlmined the reason of the mysteries in which they were enveloped.

On the 31st，then，Ben Zoof was“invested with governor's powers，”and took an affecting leave of his master，begging him，if chance should carry him near Montmartre，to ascertain whether the beloved“mountain”had been left unmoved.

Farewells over，the Dobryna was carefully steered through the creek，and was soon upon the open sea.第十章　搜寻阿尔及利亚遗迹　Chapter 10　A Search for Algeria导读

载重二百吨的多布里纳号是在著名的怀特岛船厂建造的，它美观的外形和可靠的质量完全可以做环球旅行，普罗科普中尉指挥着该船。

今年三十岁的普罗科普中尉的父亲原是伯爵的奴隶，后来伯爵给了他自由，中尉对此十分感激。他有十分丰富的航海知识，是一个优秀的航海家，并得到了中尉证书。船上还有机械师梯格勒夫和四名水手：尼高奇、托斯托伊、文特凯夫和帕诺夫卡，厨师叫莫歇尔，他们的父母都是伯爵的佃农，所以像一家人一样。

多布里纳号本可以每小时行驶十一海里，但由于地心引力减小使海浪增高，所以不能按正常速度行驶。

他们朝阿尔及利亚方向行驶，可到离陆地三公里处的位置还没有看到它的影子。

现在一切都被打乱了，但对指南针没有造成影响。航行的第一天普罗科普用法语向上尉将情况做了说明，并认为地球并不是向太阳靠近，而是沿着一个新的轨道运行。如果地球被太阳吸引，只需六十四天半，可现在六十四天过去了，只是向太阳靠近了三分之一的距离，而现在明显在远离，因为气温在下降。

在离开古尔比岛的二十四小时中，本应该看到沿岸的一些大城市，但都没看到。二月二日，他们所处的位置应该是阿尔及利亚的首府阿尔及尔，可什么也没有了。

瑟尔瓦德克上尉思念着多年的朋友和同事，他想到水下找一下城市的痕迹，铁马什夫伯爵让人用探测器在水下检查，发现海底很平坦而水深只有四至五，在两个小时的探查中，他们没发现任何遗迹，也没有淤泥、岩石和沙子，只有一些金属粉末。

中尉想，阿尔及利亚海岸水深应该有二三百吧！以后又进行了三十六小时的探查，海底还是十分平坦，挖掘机也没挖出建造房屋的石块。他们一直南下到北纬三十六度的地方，原来的高山峻岭也不在了，他们又返回到原来的海域，准备继续前进。he Dobryna，a strong craft of 200 tons burden，had been built in thefamous shipbuilding yards in the Isle of Wight.Her sea going Tqualities were excellent，and would have amply sufficed for a circumnavigation of the globe.Count Timascheff was himself no sailor，but had the greatest confidence in leaving the command of his yacht in the hands of Lieutenant Procope，a man of about thirty years of age，and an excellent seaman.Born on the count's estates，the son of a serf who had been emancipated long before the famous edict of the Emperor Alexander，Procope was Sincerely attached，by a tie of gratitude as well as of duty and affection，to his patron's service.After an apprenticeship on a merchant ship he had entered the imperial navy，and had already reached the rank of lieutenant when the connt appointed him to the charge of his own private yacht，in which he was accustomed to spend by far the greater part of his time，throughout the winter generally cruising in the Mediterranean，whilst in the summer he visited more northern waters.

The ship could not have been in better hands.The lieutenant was well informed in many matters outside the pale of his profession，and his attainments were alike creditable to himself and to the liberal friend who had given him his education.He had an excellent crew，consisting of Tiglew the engineer，four sailors named Niegoch，Tolstoy，Etkef，and Panofka，and Mochel the cook.These men，without exception，were all sons of the count's tenants，and so tenaciously，even out at sea，did they cling to their old traditions，that it mattered little to them what physical disorganization ensued，so long as they felt they were sharing the experiences of their lord and master.The late astounding events，however，had rendered Procope manifestly uneasy，and not the less so from his consciousness that the count secretly partook of his own anxiety.

Steam up and canvas spread，the schooner started eastwards.With a favorable wind she would certainly have made eleven knots an hour had not the high waves somewhat impeded her progress.Although only a moderate breeze was blowing，the sea was rough，a circumstance to be accounted for only by the diminution in the force of the earth's attraction rendering the liquid particles so buoyant，that by the mere effect of oscillation they were carried to a height that was quite unprecedented.M.Arago has fixed twenty-five or twenty-six feet as the max imum elevation ever attained by the highest waves，and his astonishment would have been very great to see them rising fifty or even sixty feet.Nor did these waves in the usual way partially unfurl themselves and rebound against the sides of the vessel；they might rather be described as long undulations carrying the schooner（its weight diminished from the same cause as that of the water）alternately to such heights and depths，that if Captain Servadac had been subject to seasickness he must have found himself in sorry plight.As the pitching，however，was the result of a long uniform swell，the yacht did not labor much harder than she would against the ordinary short strong waves of the Mediterranean；the main inconvenience that was experienced was the diminution in her proper rate of speed.

For a few miles she followed the line hitherto presumably occupied by the coast of Algeria；but no land appeared to the south.The changed positions of the planets rendered them of no avail for purposes of nautical observation，nor could Lieutenant Procope calculate his latitude and longitude by the altitude of the sun，as his reckonings would be useless when applied to charts that had been constructed for the old order of things；but nevertheless，by means of the log，which gave him the rate of progress，and by the compass which indicated the direction in which they were sailing，he was able to form an estimate of his position that was sufficiently free from error for his immediate need.

Happily the recent phenomena had no effect upon the compass；the magnetic needle，which in these regions had pointed about 22 degrees from the north pole，had never deviated in the least-a proof that，although east and west had apparently changed places，north and south continued to retain their normalposition as cardinal points.The log and the compass，therefore，were able to be called upon to do the work of the sextant，which had become utterly useless.

On the first morning of the cruise Lieutenant Procope，who，like most Russians，spoke French fluently，was explaining these peculiarities to Captain Servadae；the count was present，and the conversation perpetually recurred，as naturally it would，to the phenomena which remained so inexplicable to them all.

“It is very evident，”said the lieutenant，“that ever since the 1st of January the earth has been moving in a new orbit，and from some unknown cause has drawn nearer to the sun.”

“No doubt about that，”said Servadac；“and I suppose that，having crossed the orbit of Venus，we have a good chance of running into the orbit of Mercury.”

“And finish up by a collision with the sun！”added the count.

“There is no fear of that，sir.The earth has undoubtedly entered upon a new orbit，but she is not incurring any probable risk of being precipitated onto the sun.”

“Can you satisfy us of that？”asked the count.“I can，sir.I can give you a proof which I think you will own is conclusive.If，as you suppose，the earth is being drawn on so as to be precipitated against the sun，the great center of attraction of our system，it could only be because the centrifugal and centripetal forces that cause the planets to rotate in their several orbits had been entirely suspended：in that case，indeed，the earth would rush onwards towards the sun，and in sixty-four days and a half the catastrophe you dread would inevitably happen.”

“And what demonstration do you offer，”asked Servadae eagerly，“that it will not happen？”

“Simply this，captain：that since the earth entered her new orbit half the sixty-four days has already elapsed，and yet it is only just recently that she has crossed the orbit of Venus，hardly one-third of the distance to be traversed to reach the sun.”

The lieutenant paused to allow time for reflection，and added：“Moreover，I have every reason to believe that we are not so near the sun as we have been.The temperature has been gradually diminishing；the heat upon Gourbi Island is not greater now than we might ordinarily expect to find in Algeria.At the same time，we have the problem still unsolved that the Mediterranean has evidently been transported to the equatorial zone.”

Both the count and the captain expressed themselves reassured by his representations，and observed that they must now do all in their power to discover what had become of the vast continent of Africa，of which，they were hitherto failing so completely to find a vestige.

Twenty-four hours after leaving the island，the Dobryna had passed over the sites where Tenes，Cherchil，Koleah，and Sidi-Feruch once had been，but of these towns not one appeared within range of the telescope.Ocean reigned supreme.Lieutenant Procope was absolutely certain that he had not mistaken his direction；the compass showed that the wind had never shifted from the west，and this，with the rate of speed as estimated by the log，combined to assure him that at this date，the 2nd of February，the schooner was in lat.36 degrees 49 rain N.and long.3 degrees 25 rain E.，the very spot which ought to have been occupied by the Algerian capital.But Algiers，like all the other coast-towns，had apparently been absorbed into the bowels of the earth.

Captain Servadac，with clenched teeth and knitted brow，stood sternly，almost fiercely，regarding the boundless waste of water.His pulse beat fast as he recalled the friends and comrades with whom he had spent the last few years in that vanished city.All the images of his past life floated upon his memory；his thoughts sped away to his native France，only to return again to wonder whether the depths of ocean would reveal any traces of the Algerian metropolis.

“Is it not impossible，”he murmured aloud，“that any city should disappear so completely？Would not the loftiest eminences of the city at least be visible？Surely some portion of the Casbah must still rise above the waves？The imperial fort，too，was built upon an elevation of 750 feet；it is incredible that it should be so totally submerged.Unless some vestiges of these are found，I shall begin to suspect that the whole of Africa has been swallowed in some vast abyss.”

Another circumstance was most remarkable.Not a material object of anykind was to be noticed floating on the surface of the water；not one branch of a tree had been seen drifting by，nor one spar belonging to one of the numerous vessels that a month previously had been moored in the magnificent bay which stretched twelve miles across from Cape Matafuz to Point Pexade.Perhaps the depths might disclose what the surface failed to reveal，and Count Timascheff，anxious that Servadac should have every facility afforded him for solving his doubts，called for the sounding-line.Forthwith，the lead was greased and lowered.To the surprise of all，and especially of Lieutenant Procope，the line indicated a bottom at a nearly uniform depth of from four to five fathoms；and although the sounding was persevered with continuously for more than two hours over a considerable area，the differences of level were insignificant，not corresponding in any degree to what would be expected over the site of a city that had been terraced like the seats of an amphitheater.Astohnding as it seemed，what alternative was left but to suppose that the Algerian capital had been completely leveled by the flood？

The sea-bottom was composed of neither rock，mud，sand，nor shells；the sounding-lead brought up nothing but a kind of metallic dust，which glittered with a strange iridescence，and the nature of which it was impossible to determine，as it was totally unlike what had ever been known to be raised from the bed of the Mediterranean.

“You must see，lieutenant，I should think，that we are not so near the coast of Algeria as you imagined.”

The lieutenant shook his head.After pondering awhile，he said：“If we werefarther away I should expect to find a depth of two or three hundred fathoms instead of five fathoms.Five fathoms！I confess I am puzzled.”

For the next thirty-six hours，until the 4th of February，the sea was examined and explored with the most unflagging perseverance.Its depth remained invariable，still four，or at most five，fathoms；and although its bottom was assiduously dredged，it was only to prove it barren of marine production of any type.

The yacht made its way to lat.36 degrees，and by reference to the charts it was tolerably certain that she was cruising over the site of the Sahel，the ridge that had separated the rich plain of the Mitidja from the sea，and of which thehighest peak，Mount Boujereah，had reached an altitude of 1，200 feet；but even this peak，which might have been expected to emerge like an islet above the surface of the sea，was nowhere to be traced.Nothing was to be done but to put about，and return in disappointment towards the north.

Thus the Dobryna regained the waters of the Mediterranean without discovering a trace of the missing province of Algeria.第十一章　岛上陵墓　Chapter 11　An Island Tomb导读

现在看来，阿尔及利亚的这一地区陷入到了地层深处，然后，裂缝合拢了。伯爵决定沿着突尼斯海岸到非洲最北端的布兰角，他考虑着新的撒哈拉湖挖成了，会不会对这次大变动有影响，但一路上也没见到内格罗角和塞拉角。

二月七日，他们越过布朗角进入突尼斯湾，岸上的建筑以及山峰都消失了。他们又对地中海一带原来呈坡形的海底进行探察，原来水深十一和一百的地方现在都是五的平坦海底。

他们在海上始终没见到一只船。二月九日，他们到达边东城的位置，现在它也不存在了。傍晚，上尉突然发现南边有一束光，他考虑那边是陆地，伯爵想会不会是船上的桅灯发出的？上尉建议去看一下，中尉想如果是陆地，夜间航行不太安全，于是上尉站在甲板上盯着那亮光，生怕它消失了。

第二天，太阳升起后，大家用望远镜看到那是一个小岛，他们将船驶过去。小岛高出地面四十英尺，上面还有房屋，中尉告诉他们这很像是一座隐士墓。

上尉、伯爵和普罗科普乘小艇上到岛上，惊动了几只野鸟向南飞去。他们走过两道路门来到墓内，里面挂着一盏银灯，晚上看到的光就是它发出的。

古墓上放着一本打开的法文经文，记载着八月二十五日周年纪念的盛典。上尉想起这是圣路易的陵墓，便深深地鞠了一躬。他们登上小艇离开这里，多布里纳号向南继续驶去。o longer，then，could there be any doubt as to the annihilation of aconsiderable portion of the colony.Not merely had there been Na submersion of the land，but the impression was more and more confirmed that the very bowels of the earth must have yawned and closed again upon a large territory.Of the rocky substratum of the province it became more evident than ever that not a trace remained，and a new soil of unknown formation had certainly taken the place of the old sandy sea-bottom.As it altogether transcended the powers of those on board to elucidate the origin of this catastrophe，it was felt to be incumbent on them at least to ascertain its extent.

After a long and somewhat wavering discussion，it was at length decided that the schooner should take advantage of the favorable wind and weather，and proceed at first towards the east，thus following the outline of what had formerly represented the coast of Africa，until that coast had been lost in boundless sea.

Not a vestige of it all remained；from Cape Matafuz to Tunis it had all gone，as though it had never been.The maritime town of Dellis，built like Algiers，amphitheater-wise，had totally disappeared；the highest points were quite invisible；not a trace on the horizon was left of the Jurjura chain，the topmost point of which was known to have an altitude of more than 7，000 feet.

Unsparing of her fuel，the Dobryna made her way at full steam towards Cape Blanc.Neither Cape Negro nor Cape Serrat was to be seen.The town of Bizerta，once charming in its oriental beauty，had vanished utterly；its marabouts，or temple-tombs，shaded by mag-nificent palms that fringed the gulf，which by reason of its narrow mouth had the semblance of a lake，all had disappeared，giving place to a vast waste of sea，the wansparent waves of which，as still demonstrated by the soundingline，had ever the same uniform and arid bottom.

In the course of the day the schooner rounded the point where，five weeks previously，Cape Blanc had been so conspicuous an object，and she was now stemming the waters of what once had been the Bay of Tunis.But bay there was none，and the town from which it had derived its name，with the Arsenal， the Goletta，and the two peaks of Bou-Koumein，had all vanished from the view.Cape Bon，too，the most northern promontory of Africa and the point of the continent nearest to the island of Sicily，had been included in the general devastation.

Before the occurrence of the recent prodigy，the bottom of the Mediterranean just at this point had formed a sudden ridge across the Straits of Libya.The sides of the ridge had shelved to so great an extent that，while the depth of water on the summit had been little more than eleven fathoms，that on either hand of the elevation was little short of a hundred fathoms.A formation such as this plainly indicated that at some remote epoch Cape Bon had been connected with Cape Furina，the extremity of Sicily，in the same manner as Ceuta has doubtless been connected with Gibraltar.

Lieutenant Procope was too well acquainted with the Mediterranean to be unaware of this peculiarity，and would not lose the opportunity of ascertaining whether the submarine ridge still existed，or whether the sea-bottom between Sicily and Africa had undergone any modification.

Both Timascheff and Servadac were much interested in watching the operations.At a sign from the lieutenant，a sailor who was stationed at the foot of the fore-shrouds dropped the sounding-lead into the water，and in reply to Procope's inquiries，reported-“Five fathoms and a flat bottom.”

The next aim was to determine the amount of depression on either side of the ridge，and for this purpose the Dobryna was shifted for a distance of half a mile both to the right and left，and the soundings taken at each station.“Five fathoms and a flat bottom，”was the unvaried announcement after each operation.Not only，therefore，was it evident that the submerged chain between Cape Bon and Cape Furina no longer existed，but it was equally clear that the convulsion had caused a general leveling of the sea-bottom，and that the soil，degenerated，as it has been said，into a metallic dust of unrecognized composition，bore no trace of the sponges，sea-anemones，star-fish，sea-nettles，hydrophytes，and shells with which the submarine rocks of the Mediterranean had hitherto been prodigally clothed.

The Dobryna now put about and resumed her explorations in a southerly direction.It remained，however，as remarkable as ever how completely throughout the voyage the sea continued to be deserted；all expectations of hailing a vessel bearing news from Europe were entirely falsified，so that more and more each member of the crew began to be conscious of his isolation，and to believe that the schooner，like a second Noah's ark，carried the sole survivors of a calamity that had overwhelmed the earth.

On the 9th of February the Dobryna passed over the site of the city of Dido，the ancient Byrsa-a Carthage，however，which was now more completely destroyed than ever Punic Carthage had been destroyed by Scipio Africanus or Roman Carthage by Hassan the Saracen.

In the evening，as the sun was sinking below the eastern horizon，Captain Servadae was lounging moodily against the taffrail.From the heaven above，where stars kept peeping fitfully from behind the moving clouds，his eye wandered mechanically to the waters below，where the long waves were rising and falling with the evening breeze.

All at once，his attention was arrested by a luminous speck

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