that genuine family holiday where Protestants are such zealots. 因为圣诞节是基督教徒所热爱的家庭团聚节。

　　I hadn't seen Captain Nemo for over a week, when, on the morning of the 27th,  我有七八天没有看到尼摩船长了，27日早晨，

　　he entered the main lounge, as usual acting as if he'd been gone for just five minutes.  他进客厅来，脸上的神气总是像跟你分手不过五分钟时间的样子。

　　I was busy tracing the Nautilus's course on the world map.  我正在看那平面图上的诺第留斯号所走的航路。

　　The captain approached, placed a finger over a position on the chart, and pronounced just one word: 船长走向前来，手指着地图上的一点，单单说出了这个名字：

　　Vanikoro. 万尼科罗群岛。

　　This name was magic! It was the name of those islets where vessels under the Count de La Perouse had miscarried.  万尼科罗这名字是有迷惑力的；它是拉?白鲁斯的探险船只在那里失踪的群岛的名字。

　　I straightened suddenly. 我立即站起来。

　　The Nautilus is bringing us to Vanikoro? I asked. 诺第留斯号带我们到万尼科罗群岛吗？我问。

　　Yes, professor, the captain replied. 是的， 教授。船长回答。

　　And I'll be able to visit those famous islands where the Compass and the Astrolabe came to grief? 我可以去访问罗盘号和浑天仪号毁坏沉没的有名的岛屿吗?

　　If you like, professor. 如果您高兴，教授，我们可以去访问。

　　When will we reach Vanikoro? 我们什么时候到万尼科罗群岛呢?

　　We already have, professor. 我们就到了，教授。

　　Followed by Captain Nemo, I climbed onto the platform, and from there my eyes eagerly scanned the horizon. 我跟着尼摩船长，走上平台，从平台上，我眼光急急地向天际了望。

　　In the northeast there emerged two volcanic islands of unequal size,  在东北方，现出两座大小不等的由火山形成的岛屿，

　　surrounded by a coral reef whose circuit measured forty miles.  有四十海里长的环形珊瑚礁围绕。

　　We were facing the island of Vanikoro proper, to which Captain Dumont d'Urville had given the name Island of the Search;  我们现在就在万尼科罗岛面前了，杜蒙?屠维尔一定要叫它搜索岛，

　　we lay right in front of the little harbor of Vana, located in latitude 16 degrees 4' south and longitude 164 degrees 32' east.  它是在万奴岛的天然小港前面，位于南纬16度4分和东经164度32分之间。

　　Its shores seemed covered with greenery from its beaches to its summits inland, crowned by Mt.Kapogo,  岛上土地从岸边的海滩，一直到内部的高峰，都好像有青纱帐蒙起来，

　　which is 476 fathoms high. 岛上有高九百米左右的加波哥山矗立，俯视全岛。