Английский с А. Конан Дойлем. Пиратские истории / A. Conan Doyle. Tales of Pirates

Дойл Артур Конан

On the fifth day they were at anchor in the Bay of Tortoises at the Island of La Vache (на пятый день они уже бросили якорь в Бухте черепах на острове Ла-Ваш), where Sharkey and his four men had been hunting (где охотились Шарки и его четверо матросов). It was a well-wooded place, with the palms and underwood (местность густо покрывала растительность с пальмовыми деревьями и подлеском; well-wooded – лесистый; place – место, занятое пространство) growing down to the thin crescent of silver sand which skirted the shore (спускавшимися к тонкой = узкой /полосе/ серебряного песка, полумесяцем окаймлявшей берег; to grow – произрастать, расти; down – вниз; skirt – юбка; полоса, кромка; to skirt – окружать, окаймлять). They had hoisted the black flag and the red pennant (они подняли

черный флаг и красный вымпел; pennant – флажок /часто с узким длинным полотнищем/; вымпел /мор./), but no answer came from the shore (но с берега никакого ответа не было). Craddock strained his eyes (Крэддок напрягал зрение; eye – глаз), hoping every instant to see a boat shoot out to them (надеясь каждое мгновение увидеть отчаливающую им навстречу шлюпку; to shoot out – выскочить, вылететь) with Sharkey seated in the sheets (с Шарки, сидящим у шкотов; sheet – простыня; шкот /трос для управления парусами/).

 On the fifth day they were at anchor in the Bay of Tortoises at the Island of La Vache, where Sharkey and his four men had been hunting. It was a well-wooded place, with the palms and underwood growing down to the thin crescent of silver sand which skirted the shore. They had hoisted the black flag and the red pennant, but no answer came from the shore. Craddock strained his eyes, hoping every instant to see a boat shoot out to them with Sharkey seated in the sheets.

But the night passed away, and a day and yet another night (но прошла ночь, за ней – день и еще другая ночь), without any sign of the men whom they were endeavouring to trap (без каких-либо признаков людей, которых они пытались заманить в ловушку). It looked as if they were already gone (/все/ выглядело так, будто они = пираты уже покинули /остров/; to be gone – исчезнуть, пропасть).

On the second morning Craddock went ashore in search of some proof (на утро второго дня Крэддок высадился на берег чтобы убедиться: «поискать доказательства») whether Sharkey and his men were still upon the island (находится ли еще Шарки со своими людьми на острове). What he found reassured him greatly (то, что он обнаружил, не оставило /ему в этом/ никаких сомнений; to reassure – уверять, убеждать; greatly – очень, весьма). Close to the shore was a boucan of green wood (недалеко от берега стояла коптильня из свежесрубленных бревен; boucan /фр./ – коптильня), such as was used for preserving the meat (какую используют при заготовке мяса), and a great store of barbecued strips of ox-flesh was hung upon lines all round it (а повсюду вокруг нее на линях были развешены полоски зажаренного бизоньего мяса; to hang; line – линия, полоса; веревка, линь /мор./).

 But the night passed away, and a day and yet another night, without any sign of the men whom they were endeavouring to trap. It looked as if they were already gone.

On the second morning Craddock went ashore in search of some proof whether Sharkey and his men were still upon the island. What he found reassured him greatly. Close to the shore was a boucan of green wood, such as was used for preserving the meat, and a great store of barbecued strips of ox-flesh was hung upon lines all round it.

The pirate ship had not taken off her provisions (пиратский корабль еще не забрал свою провизию), and therefore the hunters were still upon the island (и следовательно, охотники до сих пор находились на острове).

Why had they not shown themselves (почему же они не показывались; to show)? Was it that they had detected that this was not their own ship (не обнаружили ли они, что это не их корабль)? Or was it that they were hunting in the interior of the island (а

может, они охотились в глубине острова; interior – внутренняя часть), and were not on the lookout for a ship yet (и еще не ждали /прихода/ корабля; lookout – наблюдение; to be on the lookout for – ожидать, искать /кого-л., что-л./)? Craddock was still hesitating between the two alternatives (Крэддок все еще не знал, какой из двух вариантов верный: «все еще колебался между двумя альтернативами»), when a Carib Indian came down with information (когда индеец-караиб принес /нужные ему/ сведения; to come down – приходить, приезжать). The pirates were in the island, he said (пираты находятся на острове, сказал он), and their camp was a day’s march from the sea (и до их лагеря один день пути; march – движение вперед, марш).

 The pirate ship had not taken off her provisions, and therefore the hunters were still upon the island.

Why had they not shown themselves? Was it that they had detected that this was not their own ship? Or was it that they were hunting in the interior of the island, and were not on the lookout for a ship yet? Craddock was still hesitating between the two alternatives, when a Carib Indian came down with information. The pirates were in the island, he said, and their camp was a day’s march from the sea.

They had stolen his wife (они отобрали у него жену; to steal – воровать, красть; увести), and the marks of their stripes were still pink upon his brown back (а отметины, сделанные их палками, все еще розовели на его коричневой спине; stripe – след удара от хлыста, прута и т. п.). Their enemies were his friends (их враги – его друзья), and he would lead them to where they lay (и он отведет их к пиратскому лагерю: «туда, где они расположились»; to lie – лежать; находиться, быть расположенным).

Craddock could not have asked for anything better (ничего лучшего Крэддок не мог бы и пожелать; to ask for – просить, требовать); so early next morning, with a small party armed to the teeth (и вот ранним утром следующего дня, с небольшим вооруженным до зубов отрядом), he set off under the guidance of the Carib (он выступил в поход, ведомый проводником-караибом; to set off – отправляться /в путь/; under the guidance – под руководством; to guide – вести, указывать путь). All day they struggled through brushwood and clambered over rocks (весь день они продирались сквозь заросли и карабкались по скалам), pushing their way further and further into the desolate heart of the island (продвигаясь все дальше и дальше в безлюдную глубь острова; to push – толкать, пихать; проталкиваться, протискиваться; desolate – одинокий, оставленный всеми, заброшенный; heart – сердце; сердцевина, центр).

 They had stolen his wife, and the marks of their stripes were still pink upon his brown back. Their enemies were his friends, and he would lead them to where they lay.

Craddock could not have asked for anything better; so early next morning, with a small party armed to the teeth, he set off under the guidance of the Carib. All day they struggled through brushwood and clambered over rocks, pushing their way further and further into the desolate heart of the island.

Here and there they found traces of the hunters (то тут, то там они находили следы охотников), the bones of a slain ox, or the marks of feet in a morass (кости убитого быка или отпечатки ног на болоте; to slay), and once, towards evening, it seemed to some of them (а однажды, ближе к вечеру, некоторым из них показалось) that they heard the distant rattle of guns (что они слышат отдаленный треск ружей).