I didn't expect to find this electric cable in mint condition, as it looked on leaving its place of manufacture. The long snake was covered with seashell rubble and bristling with foraminifera; a crust of caked gravel protected it from any mollusks that might bore into it. It rested serenely, sheltered from the sea's motions, under a pressure favorable to the transmission of that electric spark that goes from America to Europe in 32/100 of a second. This cable will no doubt last indefinitely because, as observers note, its gutta-percha casing is improved by a stay in salt water.

现在我并不指望还能看到那条电缆原来刚被拿出制造车间时的样子。这条长蛇覆盖着介壳碎片，孔虫动物丛生，外层被包上一层石质粘糊，这层粘糊保护着它，不让软体动物在上面凿洞。它静静地躺着，不受海水运动的搔扰，处在一种很适合于以32％秒从美洲向欧洲传送信息的电压下。电缆的寿命可能是无限期的，因为人们发现，马来树胶皮在海水中随着泡浸时间增长而变得越来越坚韧。

Besides, on this well-chosen plateau, the cable never lies at depths that could cause a break. The Nautilus followed it to its lowest reaches, located 4,431 meters down, and even there it rested without any stress or strain. Then we returned to the locality where the 1863 accident had taken place.

此外，在这片选择得很得当的高原上，电缆绝对不会沉入更深的水层里，以致拉断。“鹦鹉螺号”船只沿着电缆到了海洋最底层，即位于4431米的深海。在那里，电缆还是没出现任何收缩现象。然后，我们向1863年发生事故的地点接近。

There the ocean floor formed a valley 120 kilometers wide, into which you could fit Mt. Blanc without its summit poking above the surface of the waves.

此时，海底出现了一座宽120公里的山谷。如果把勃朗峰放在这里，它的峰顶也不会露出水面。