Английский с А. Конан Дойлем. Пиратские истории / A. Conan Doyle. Tales of Pirates - Андреевский Сергей Аркадьевич. Страница 51

 Copley Banks and Sharkey were left face to face, the one because he had drunk the least, the other because no amount of liquor would ever shake his iron nerve or warm his sluggish blood. Behind him stood the watchful steward, for ever filling up his waning glass. From without came the low lapping of the tide, and from over the water a sailor’s chanty from the barque.

In the windless tropical night the words came clearly to their ears (в безветрии тропической ночи слова /песни/ до слуха доносились отчетливо):

“A trader sailed from Stepney Town (торговец плыл из Степни-Тауна), Wake her up (эй, ребята, просыпайтесь: «разбудите ее»; her – косвенный падеж от she /в английском языке слова «корабль» и «судно» женского рода/)! Shake her up (встряхнитесь)! Try her with the mainsail (ставьте грот; to try – пытаться; испытывать)! A trader sailed from Stepney Town (торговец плыл из Степни-Тауна) With a keg full of gold and a velvet gown (с полным бочонком золота и в бархатных одеждах). Ho, the bully Rover Jack (эгей, пират Задира Джек), Waiting with his yard aback (ложись в дрейф и жди /его/; yard /зд./ – рей /мор./; aback /зд./ – положение парусов, когда ветер дует в их переднюю сторону, прижимая к мачте, тем самым заставляя судно двигаться назад /мор./) Out upon the Lowland Sea (в море с низкими берегами; lowland – низкий берег).”

 In the windless tropical night the words came clearly to their ears:

“A trader sailed from Stepney Town, Wake her up! Shake her up! Try her with the mainsail! A trader sailed from Stepney Town With a keg full of gold and a velvet gown. Ho, the bully Rover Jack, Waiting with his yard aback Out upon the Lowland Sea.”

The two boon companions sat listening in silence (двое собутыльников сидели молча и слушали). Then Copley Banks glanced at the steward (затем Копли Бэнкс взглянул на стюарда), and the man took a coil of rope from the shot-rack behind him (и тот взял кольцо веревки с подставки для ядер).

“Captain Sharkey,” said Copley Banks (капитан Шарки, – сказал Копли Бэнкс), “do you remember the Duchess of Cornwall, hailing from London (помнишь ли ты /судно/ «Герцогиня Корнуэльская» из Лондона; to hail – приветствовать; происходить, быть родом), which you took and sank three years ago off the Statira Shoal (которое ты захватил и потопил три года назад у отмели Статира)?”

“Curse me if I can bear their names in mind (будь я проклят, если держу их названия в памяти),” said Sharkey. “We did as many as ten ships a week about that time (в те времена мы грабили по десятку кораблей за неделю).”

 The two boon companions sat listening in silence. Then Copley Banks glanced at the steward, and the man took a coil of rope from the shot-rack behind him.

“Captain Sharkey,” said Copley Banks, “do you remember the Duchess of Cornwall, hailing from London, which you took and sank three years ago off the Statira Shoal?”

“Curse me if I can bear their names in mind,” said Sharkey. “We did as many as ten ships a week about that time.”

“There were a mother and two sons among the passengers (среди пассажиров была мать с двумя сыновьями). Maybe that will bring it back to your mind (может это освежит твою память; to bring back – воскрешать в памяти, напоминать).”

Captain Sharkey leant back in thought (капитан Шарки в задумчивости откинулся назад; to lean), with his huge thin beak of a nose jutting upwards (задрав вверх свой огромный тонкий, похожий на клюв, нос; to jut – выпирать, выступать; выставить вперед /например, нос, подбородок/). Then he burst suddenly into a high treble, neighing laugh (потом вдруг разразился высоким, дребезжащим смехом, напоминающим ржание; treble – тройной, утроенный; дискантовый /муз./). He remembered it, he said, and he added details to prove it (он вспомнил, он сказал, и добавил некоторые подробности в доказательство: «чтобы доказать это»).

“But burn me if it had not slipped from my mind!” he cried (но сгореть мне /в аду/, если это не вылетело у меня из головы: «не выскользнуло из моего ума»). “How came you to think of it (а ты с чего это вдруг вспомнил: «как ты дошел до того, чтобы думать об этом»)?”

“It was of interest to me (мне это интересно),” said Copley Banks, “for the woman was my wife and the lads were my only sons (потому как та женщина была моей женой, а мальчики – моими единственными сыновьями).”

 “There were a mother and two sons among the passengers. Maybe that will bring it back to your mind.”

Captain Sharkey leant back in thought, with his huge thin beak of a nose jutting upwards. Then he burst suddenly into a high treble, neighing laugh. He remembered it, he said, and he added details to prove it.

“But burn me if it had not slipped from my mind!” he cried. “How came you to think of it?”

“It was of interest to me,” said Copley Banks, “for the woman was my wife and the lads were my only sons.”

Sharkey stared across at his companion (Шарки уставился через /стол/ на своего товарища), and saw that the smouldering fire which lurked always in his eyes (и увидел, что огонь, всегда скрывавшийся в /глубине/ его глаз, /ранее/ только тлевший; to lurk – скрываться, оставаться незамеченным) had burned up into a lurid flame (/теперь/ разгорелся в смертоносное пламя; lurid – мертвенно-бледный; зловещий, угрожающий). He read their menace (он прочитал в них угрозу; to read), and he clapped his hands to his empty belt (и хлопнул руками по пустому поясу). Then he turned to seize a weapon (потом повернулся, чтобы схватить оружие), but the bight of a rope was cast round him (но наброшенная веревка кольцом обхватила его; bight – излучина /реки/; бухта /троса/), and in an instant his arms were bound to his side (и через мгновение его руки оказались прикрученными к бокам; bound – связанный). He fought like a wild cat and screamed for help (он дрался, как дикая кошка, и кричал о помощи; to fight).

“Ned!” he yelled (Нэд! – вопил он). “Ned! Wake up (Нэд, проснись)! Here’s damned villainy (здесь подлая измена; damned – чертовски, дьявольски; villainy – злодейство; подлость)! Help, Ned, help (на помощь, Нэд)!”

But the three men were far too deeply sunk in their swinish sleep (но /остальные/ трое были слишком погружены в свой свинский сон; to sink) for any voice to wake them (чтобы проснуться от его криков: «чтобы какой-нибудь голос разбудил их»).

 Sharkey stared across at his companion, and saw that the smouldering fire which lurked always in his eyes had burned up into a lurid flame. He read their menace, and he clapped his hands to his empty belt. Then he turned to seize a weapon, but the bight of a rope was cast round him, and in an instant his arms were bound to his side. He fought like a wild cat and screamed for help.

“Ned!” he yelled. “Ned! Wake up! Here’s damned villainy! Help, Ned, help!”

But the three men were far too deeply sunk in their swinish sleep for any voice to wake them.