Английский язык с Р.Л.Стивенсоном. Остров сокровищ
Шрифт:
It was fine open walking here, upon the summit; our way lay a little downhill, for, as I have said, the plateau tilted towards the west. The pines, great and small, grew wide apart; and even between the clumps of nutmeg and azalea, wide open spaces baked in the hot sunshine. Striking, as we did, pretty near north-west across the island, we drew, on the one hand ever nearer under the shoulders of the Spy-glass, and on the other, looked ever wider over that western bay where I had once tossed and trembled in the coracle.
The first of the tall trees was reached, and by the bearing, proved the wrong one (первое из высоких деревьев было достигнуто = к которому мы подошли, по положению оказалось неправильным). So with the second (то же было со вторым). The third rose nearly two hundred feet into the air above a clump of underwood (третье поднималось почти на две сотни футов в воздух над группой подлеска = над зарослями); a giant of a vegetable, with a red column as big as a cottage (/это был/ великан растительного /мира/,
But it was not its size that now impressed my companions (но не размер его впечатлил моих спутников); it was the knowledge that seven hundred thousand pounds in gold lay somewhere buried below its spreading shadow (а знание, что семьсот тысяч фунтов золотом лежат где-то зарытые под ее раскидистой тенью). The thought of the money, as they drew nearer, swallowed up their previous terrors (мысль о деньгах, когда они подошли ближе, поглотила их прежние страхи). Their eyes burned in their heads (их глаза горели); their feet grew speedier and lighter (их шаги становились поспешнее и легче); their whole soul was bound up in that fortune (вся душа их была поглощена: «связана» этим богатством), that whole lifetime of extravagance and pleasure, that lay waiting there for each of them (той целой жизнью расточительности и удовольствий, что ожидала: «лежала, ожидая» там каждого из них).
vegetable [`veʤɪtəbl] conspicuous [kən`spɪkjuəs] extravagance [ɪk`strævəgəns]
The first of the tall trees was reached, and by the bearing, proved the wrong one. So with the second. The third rose nearly two hundred feet into the air above a clump of underwood; a giant of a vegetable, with a red column as big as a cottage, and a wide shadow around in which a company could have manoeuvred. It was conspicuous far to sea both on the east and west, and might have been entered as a sailing mark upon the chart.
But it was not its size that now impressed my companions; it was the knowledge that seven hundred thousand pounds in gold lay somewhere buried below its spreading shadow. The thought of the money, as they drew nearer, swallowed up their previous terrors. Their eyes burned in their heads; their feet grew speedier and lighter; their whole soul was bound up in that fortune, that whole lifetime of extravagance and pleasure, that lay waiting there for each of them.
Silver hobbled, grunting, on his crutch (Сильвер ковылял, ворча, на костыле); his nostrils stood out and quivered (его ноздри раздувались и дрожали; to stand out — отходить, выступать); he cursed like a madman when the flies settled on his hot and shiny countenance (он ругался как сумасшедший, когда мухи садились на его горячее и блестящее /от пота/ лицо); he plucked furiously at the line that held me to him (он дергал яростно за веревку, которая привязывала меня к нему), and, from time to time, turned his eyes upon me with a deadly look (и время от времени смотрел на меня убийственным взглядом). Certainly he took no pains to hide his thoughts (конечно, он не прилагал никаких усилий, чтобы скрыть свои мысли); and certainly I read them like print (и, конечно, я мог читать их, как в книге; print — оттиск, шрифт, печатное издание). In the immediate nearness of the gold, all else had been forgotten (в непосредственной близости золота все другое было позабыто); his promise and the doctor’s warning were both things of the past (и его обещания, и предостережение доктора были позабыты: «вещами прошлого»); and I could not doubt that he hoped to seize upon the treasure (и я мог не сомневаться, что он надеется захватить сокровища), find and board the Hispaniola under cover of night (найти и сесть на Испаньолу под покровом ночи), cut every honest throat about that island (перерезать все честные глотки на острове = всех нас), and sail away as he had at first intended, laden with crimes and riches (и отплыть, как он вначале намеревался, нагруженный преступлениями и богатством).
Shaken as I was with these alarms (как ни был я потрясен этими тревогами), it was hard for me to keep up with the rapid pace of the treasure-hunters (было трудно поспевать за стремительной поступью охотников за сокровищами). Now and again I stumbled (я то и дело: «сейчас и снова» спотыкался); and it was then that Silver plucked so roughly at the rope and launched at me his murderous glances (и тогда Сильвер дергал за веревку так
quivered [`kwɪvəd] countenance [`kauntənəns] seize [si:z] launched [lɔ:ntʃt] murderous [`mə:dərəs] haunted [`hɔ:ntɪd] accomplices [ə`kɔmplɪsɪz]
Silver hobbled, grunting, on his crutch; his nostrils stood out and quivered; he cursed like a madman when the flies settled on his hot and shiny countenance; he plucked furiously at the line that held me to him, and, from time to time, turned his eyes upon me with a deadly look. Certainly he took no pains to hide his thoughts; and certainly I read them like print. In the immediate nearness of the gold, all else had been forgotten; his promise and the doctor’s warning were both things of the past; and I could not doubt that he hoped to seize upon the treasure, find and board the Hispaniola under cover of night, cut every honest throat about that island, and sail away as he had at first intended, laden with crimes and riches.
Shaken as I was with these alarms, it was hard for me to keep up with the rapid pace of the treasure-hunters. Now and again I stumbled; and it was then that Silver plucked so roughly at the rope and launched at me his murderous glances. Dick, who had dropped behind us, and now brought up the rear, was babbling to himself both prayers and curses, as his fever kept rising. This also added to my wretchedness, and, to crown all, I was haunted by the thought of the tragedy that had once been acted on that plateau, when that ungodly buccaneer with the blue face — he who died at Savannah, singing and shouting for drink — had there, with his own hand, cut down his six accomplices. This grove, that was now so peaceful, must then have rung with cries, I thought; and even with the thought I could believe I heard it ringing still.
We were now at the margin of the thicket (мы были теперь на краю зарослей = вышли из чащи).
“Huzza, mates, altogether (ура, ребята, /давайте/ вместе = вперед)!” shouted Merry (закричал Мерри); and the foremost broke into a run (и /шедшие/ впереди кинулись бежать).
And suddenly, not ten yards further, we beheld them stop (внезапно, не пробежав и десяти ярдов, мы увидели, что они остановились). A low cry arose (поднялся тихий крик = громкий ропот). Silver doubled his pace, digging away with the foot of his crutch like one possessed (Сильвер удвоил скорость, роя землю основанием костыля = скача на деревяшке, как одержимый); and next moment he and I had come also to a dead halt (через миг мы с ним также встали как вкопанные; dead halt — внезапная, резкая остановка).
Before us was a great excavation, not very recent (перед нами была огромная вырытая яма, не самая недавняя), for the sides had fallen in and grass had sprouted on the bottom (потому что края обвалились и трава выросла на дне; to sprout — пускать ростки, вырастать, давать побеги). In this were the shaft of a pick broken in two (в ней была сломанная пополам рукоятка кирки) and the boards of several packing-cases strewn around (и доски нескольких ящиков валялись кругом; to strew — посыпать, разбрасывать, расстилать). On one of these boards I saw, branded with a hot iron, the name Walrus (на одной из этих досок я увидел выжженное каленым железом название Морж) — the name of Flint’s ship (название корабля Флинта).