The absolute calm of the waves facilitated this operation. The Nautilus lay motionless, neither rolling nor pitching.

海上风平浪静，十分有利于他进行观察。“鹦鹉螺号”一动不动地，不摇晃，也不颠簸。

I was on the platform just then. After determining our position, the captain pronounced only these words: "It's right here!" He went down the hatch. Had he seen that vessel change course and seemingly head toward us? I'm unable to say. I returned to the lounge. The hatch closed, and I heard water hissing in the ballast tanks. The Nautilus began to sink on a vertical line, because its propeller was in check and no longer furnished any forward motion.

这时，我也在平台上。当观测完成时，尼摩船长只吐出这几个字：“就是这里！” 他走下嵌板。难道他看到那艘海轮改变了方向，好像正朝我们开过来吗？这我说不准。我回到客厅。嵌板关上了，我听到储水器里海水发出的咝咝声。“鹦鹉螺号”船只开始垂直潜进水中，这时成了绊脚绳的推进器并不能为它提供任何动力。

Some minutes later it stopped at a depth of 833 meters and came to rest on the seafloor. The ceiling lights in the lounge then went out, the panels opened, and through the windows I saw, for a half-mile radius, the sea brightly lit by the beacon's rays.

几分钟后，“鹦鹉螺号”在830米深的地方停在地面上。这时，客厅天花板上的灯都熄灭了，嵌板打开着。透过玻璃窗，我看见了方圆半海里内的海水都被探照灯的灯光照得通明。

I looked to port and saw nothing but the immenseness of these tranquil waters. To starboard, a prominent bulge on the sea bottom caught my attention. You would have thought it was some ruin enshrouded in a crust of whitened seashells, as if under a mantle of snow.

我看了左舷一眼，除了宁静的海水，什么也没有。右舷呢，海底上有一大堆东西引起了我的注意。这似乎是一堆裹在灰白色介壳糊下的废墟，像裹在雪白外衣下一样。