In twenty-six years Cunard ships have made 2,000 Atlantic crossings without so much as a voyage canceled, 二十六年来，苟纳尔公司的船在大西洋上航行了两千次，没有一次航行不达目的地，
a delay recorded, a man, a craft, or even a letter lost.
没有一次发生迟误，从没有遗失过一封信，损失过一个人或一只船。
Accordingly, despite strong competition from France, passengers still choose the Cunard line in preference to all others,
因此,尽管法国竭力要抢它的生意，但是乘客们都一致愿意搭苟纳尔公司的船，
as can be seen in a recent survey of official documents.
这点从近年来官方的统计文献中就可以看出来。
Given this, no one will be astonished at the uproar provoked by this accident involving one of its finest steamers.
了解这情形以后，便没有人奇怪这家公司的一只汽船遭遇到意外事件会引起那么巨大的反响。
On April 13, 1867, with a smooth sea and a moderate breeze, the Scotia lay in longitude15 degrees 12' and latitude 45 degrees 37'.
1867年4月13日，海很平静，风又是顺风，斯备脱亚号在西经15度12分、北纬45度37分的海面上行驶着。
It was traveling at a speed of 13.43 knots under the thrust of its 1,000-horsepower engines.
它在一千匹马力的发动机推动下，速度为每小时十三海里半。
Its paddle wheels were churning the sea with perfect steadiness. It was then drawing 6.7 meters of water and displacing 6,624 cubic meters.
它的机轮在海中转动，完全正常。它当时的吃水深度是6米70厘米，排水量是6，685方米。
At 4:17 in the afternoon, during a high tea for passengers gathered in the main lounge, a collision occurred, scarcely noticeable on the whole,
下午四点十六分，乘客们正在大厅中吃点心的时候，在斯各脱亚号船尾、
affecting the Scotia's hull in that quarter a little astern of its port paddle wheel.
左舷机轮后面一点，似乎发生了轻微的撞击。
The Scotia hadn't run afoul of something, it had been fouled, and by a cutting or perforating instrument rather than a blunt one.
斯各脱亚号不是撞上了什么，而是被什么撞上了。憧它的不是敲击的器械而是钻凿的器械。
This encounter seemed so minor that nobody on board would have been disturbed by it, had it not been for the shouts of crewmen in the hold, who climbed on deck yelling:
这次冲撞是十分轻微的，要不是管船舱的人员跑到甲板上来喊：
"We're sinking! We're sinking!"
“船要沉了：船要沉了!”也许船上的人谁也不会在意。
At first the passengers were quite frightened, but Captain Anderson hastened toreassure them.
旅客们起初十分惊慌，但船长安德生很快就使他们安稳下来。
In fact, there could be no immediate danger. Divided into seven compartments by watertight bulkheads, the Scotia could brave any leak with impunity.
危险并不会立刻就发生。斯各脱亚号由防水板分为七大间，一点也不在乎个把漏洞。
Captain Anderson immediately made his way into the hold. He discovered that the fifthcompartment had been invaded by the sea,
安德生船长立即跑到舱底下去。他查出第五间被海水浸人了，海水浸入十分快，
and the speed of this invasion proved that the leak was considerable.
证明漏洞相当大。
Fortunately this compartment didn't contain the boilers, because their furnaces would have been abruptly extinguished.
好在这间里没有蒸汽炉，不然的话，炉火就要熄灭了。
Captain Anderson called an immediate halt, and one of his sailors dived down to assess the damage.
安德生船长吩咐马上停船，并且命令一个潜水员下水检查船身的损坏情形。
Within moments they had located a hole two meters in width on the steamer's underside.
一会儿，他知道船底有一个长两米的大洞。
Such a leak could not be patched, and with its paddle wheels half swamped, the Scotia had no choice but to continue its voyage.
这样一个裂口是没法堵住的，斯各脱亚号尽管机轮有一半浸在水里，但也必须继续行驶。
By then it lay 300 miles from Cape Clear, and after three days of delay that filled Liverpool with acute anxiety, it entered the company docks.
当时船离克利亚峡还有三百海里，等船驶进公司的码头，已经误了三天期，在这三天里，利物浦的人都为它惶惶不安。
The engineers then proceeded to inspect the Scotia, which had been put in dry dock. 斯各脱亚号被架了起来，工程师们开始检查。
They couldn't believe their eyes.
他们眼睛所看见的情形连自己也不能相信。
Two and a half meters below its waterline, there gaped a symmetrical gash in the shape of an isosceles triangle.
在船身吃水线下两米半的地方，露出一个很规则的等边三角形的缺口。
This breach in the sheet iron was so perfectly formed, no punch could have done a cleaner job of it.
铁皮上的伤痕十分整齐，、就是钻孔机也不能凿得这么准确，
Consequently, it must have been produced by a perforating tool of uncommontoughness,
弄成这个裂口的锐利器械一定不是用普通的钢铁制的，
plus, after being launched with prodigious power and then piercing four centimeters of sheet iron,
因为，这家伙在以惊人的力量向前猛撞，凿穿了四厘米厚的铁皮以后、
this tool had needed to withdraw itself by a backward motion truly inexplicable.
还能用一种很难做到的后退动作，使自己脱身逃走。
This was the last straw, and it resulted in arousing public passions all over again.
最近这次事件的经过大致就是这样。
Indeed, from this moment on, any maritime casualty without an established cause was charged to the monster's account.
结果这又一次使舆论哄动起来。从这时候起，所有从前原因不明的航海遇难事件，现在都算在这个怪物的账上了。
This outrageous animal had to shoulder responsibility for all derelict vessels,
这只离奇古怪的动物于是负起了所有船只沉没的责任。
whose numbers are unfortunately considerable, since out of those 3,000 ships whose losses are recorded annually at the marine insurance bureau,
不幸的是船沉的数目相当大，按照统计年鉴的记载，包括帆船和汽船在内，每年的损失约有三千艘左右，
the figure for steam or sailing ships supposedly lost with all hands, in the absence of any news, amounts to at least 200!
至于因下落不明而断定失踪：的，每年的数目也不下两百艘!
Now then, justly or unjustly, it was the "monster" who stood accused of theirdisappearance;
不管有没有冤枉这怪物，人们都把船只失踪的原因算在它身上。
and since, thanks to it, travel between the various continents had become more and more dangerous,
由于它的存在，五大洲间的海上交通越来越危险了，
the public spoke up and demanded straight out that, at all cost, the seas bepurged of this fearsome cetacean.
大家都坚决要求不惜任何代价清除海上这条可怕盼鲸鱼怪。
