国家地理:加里曼丹岛的地底洞天(11)
But no wall appeared. So they tried a different tactic, veering sharply, figuring they'd bump into a side wall. They heard swiftlets calling overhead, the river roaring somewhere beneath their feet. Still no wall. Their headlamp beams simply dissolved into the darkness.
但是他们没有看到墙壁。因此，他们改变策略，突然转向，以为会撞上侧壁。他们听见金丝燕在头顶发出叫声，河流在脚下咆哮，但还是没有看到墙。他们头上的照明灯发出的光束消失在黑暗中。
After 17 hours of exploring, the men tumbled out of Good Luck Cave, soaked and confused. Either they'd just spent hours walking in circles, or they'd made an astounding find.
17个小时的探索后，队员们跌跌撞撞地离开了幸运洞，浑身湿透，满脸困惑。他们要么就是花了几小时在洞里转圈，要么就是有了惊人的发现。
Later teams proved that Sarawak Chamber is the largest known enclosed space on Earth, at 2,000 feet long, 1,400 feet wide, and almost 500 feet tall. It's more than twice as big as the United Kingdom's most celebrated sports arena, Wembley Stadium.
后来的探险队证明，砂拉越洞穴是已知的世界上最大的封闭空间，足有2000英尺长、1400英尺宽、近500英尺高。面积是英国最有名的体育场温布利球场的两倍多。
As we trekked toward Good Luck through thick rainforest, I asked a caver named Philip Rowsell, known as "Mad Phil," why an ambitious explorer would return to this storied terrain if so many records had been set here. He told me that caves never reveal everything during a first visit.
当我们穿越茂密的热带雨林，向幸运洞艰苦跋涉时，我问了一个名叫菲利普·劳斯尔的探险者（人们称他为“疯狂菲尔”）：如果这里已经创下了许多记录，那为什么这样一个有抱负的探险者还要回到这个非常有名的地方？他告诉我，人们第一次来洞穴时，不可能了解这里的一切。
"You often find things earlier guys missed. Especially if it's so frickin' massive that they're sort of stunned."
“你往往能发现前人所遗漏的东西，尤其是一个大到让人目瞪口呆的洞穴。”
