In fact, at a distance of a quarter of a mile, leaning against the trunk of a gigantic kauri, stood a human being, the Proteus of those subterranean regions, a new son of Neptune, watching this countless herd of mastodons.

事实上，在四分之一英里的地方，靠着一棵巨大的贝壳杉的树干，站着一个人类， 这些地下区域的普罗透斯，海王星的新儿子， 正在注视着这无数的乳齿象群。