28 惊奇还是意外(5)
Captain Nemo had picked an odd time to philosophize.
尼摩船长选择这时候来作这种哲学思考，真是太离奇了。
All in all, this reply told me nothing.
总之，他的答复对我没有什么帮助。
May I learn, sir, I asked him, what caused this accident?
“先生，”我问，“我可以知道这件事故发生的原因吗？
An enormous block of ice, an entire mountain, has toppled over, he answered me.
“一一群一巨大的冰，整整一座冰山，翻倒下来了，”他回答我，
When an iceberg is eroded at the base by warmer waters or by repeated collisions, its center of gra一vity rises.
“当冰山下一面或受温一热的水流，或受来回的冲击耗损的时候，它们的重心就往上移。
Then it somersaults, it turns completely upside down. That's what happened here.
那时它们就大大的翻转，它门翻筋斗了。现在的情形就是这样。
When it overturned, one of these blocks hit the Nautilus as it was cruising under the waters.
其中有一大冰一群一，翻倒的时候，碰上了在水底行驶的诺第留斯号。
Sliding under our hull, this block then raised us with irresistible power, lifting us into less congested strata where we now lie on our side.
然后在船身下溜过，又拿不可抗拒的力量把船顶起来，这冰一群一把船带到浅一些的水层，靠在船身上不动了。”
But can't we float the Nautilus clear by emptying its ballast tanks, to regain our balance?
“我们把储水池的水排一出去，使船重新得到平衡，诺第留斯号不就能脱身吗？”
That, sir, is being done right now. You can hear the pumps working. Look at the needle on the pressure gauge.
“目前就是做这种工作，先生。您可以听到一抽一水机正在那里动作。
It indicates that the Nautilus is rising, but this block of ice is rising with us, and until some obstacle halts its upward movement, our position won't change.
请看压力表上的针，它指出诺第留斯号正在上升，但冰一群一跟它一齐向上，一直要到它的向上运动被一件障碍物挡住，我们的地位才可能改变。”
Indeed, the Nautilus kept the same heel to starboard. No doubt it would straighten up once the block came to a halt.
果然，诺第留斯号老是右舷同样倾斜倒在那里。当然冰一群一自己停下的时候，船就可以站起来。
But before that happened, who knew if we might not hit the underbelly of the Ice Bank and be hideously squeezed between two frozen surfaces?
但在这个时候，谁知道我们会不会碰上冰山的上部，被挤在两个冰面中间呢？
I mused on all the consequences of this situation. Captain Nemo didn't stop studying the pressure gauge.
我思考我们所处的地位可能发生的一切后果。船长不停注视压力表。
Since the toppling of this iceberg, the Nautilus had risen about 150 feet, but it still stayed at the same angle to the perpendicular.
诺第留斯号自冰一群一倒下来，只上升了一百五十英尺左右，但它跟垂直线所成的角度总是一样。
Suddenly a slight movement could be felt over the hull.
忽然船壳上感到一种轻微运动。
Obviously the Nautilus was straightening a bit.
很显然，诺第留斯号是站起一点来了。