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 uncommon toughness,

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 their disappearance;

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 be purged 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。