Certainly I did not know her way (конечно, я не знал его особенностей). She turned in every direction but the one I was bound to go (челнок поворачивался во все стороны, кроме той, куда мне было нужно; to be bound — быть обязанным: «связанным»; быть готовым /особ. к отправлению/; направляющимся /for/); the most part of the time we were broadside on (большую часть времени мы шли бортом /вперед/), and I am very sure I never should have made the ship at all but for the tide (и я совершенно уверен, что никогда бы не добрался до корабля вообще, если бы не отлив). By good fortune, paddle as I pleased (по счастливой случайности, как бы я ни греб), the tide was still sweeping me down (течение все еще сносило меня; to sweep — сметать, сносить, увлекать); and there lay the Hispaniola right in the fairway (Испаньола лежала прямо по курсу; fairway — правильный курс /корабля/), hardly to be missed (/ее/ трудно было пропустить).
height [haIt] weight [weIt] buoyant [`bOIqnt] queer [kwIq] fortune [`fLtSqn]
THE coracle — as I had ample reason to know before I was done with her — was a very safe boat for a person of my height and weight, both buoyant and clever in a seaway; but she was the most cross-grained lop-sided craft to manage. Do as you please, she always made more leeway than anything else, and turning round and round was the manoeuvre she was best at. Even Ben Gunn himself has admitted that she was “queer to handle till you knew her way.”
Certainly I did not know her way. She turned in every direction but the one I was bound to go; the most part of the time we were broadside on, and I am very sure I never should have made the ship at all but for the tide. By good fortune, paddle as I pleased, the tide was still sweeping me down; and there lay the Hispaniola right in the fairway, hardly to be missed.
First she loomed before me like a blot of something yet blacker than darkness (поначалу она вырисовывалась передо мной, как пятно чего-то еще более черного, чем темнота; to loom — виднеться вдали, неясно вырисовываться), then her spars and hull began to take shape (затем ее мачты и корпус начали обретать /четкие/ очертания), and the next moment, as it seemed (и в следующий миг, как показалось) (for, the further I went, the brisker grew the current of the ebb) (так как чем дальше я заходил, тем сильнее становилось течение отлива; brisk — свежий, порывистый, бодрый), I was alongside of her hawser, and had laid hold (я был у рядом с ее якорным канатом, и схватился за него; to lay hold of — схватиться, завладеть).
The hawser was as taut as a bowstring (якорный канат был тугим, словно тетива), and the current so strong she pulled upon her anchor (и течение таким сильным, что шхуна натягивала якорь = стремилась сорваться с якоря). All round the hull, in the blackness (вокруг корпуса, в черноте), the rippling current bubbled and chattered like a little mountain stream (отлив клокотал и журчал, как маленький горный поток; rippling current — течение против ветра; to ripple — покрываться рябью, колебаться). One cut with my sea-gully (один удар моим морским ножом; gully — овраг, лощина, большой нож), and the Hispaniola would go humming down the tide (и Испаньола помчится с течением; to hum — жужжать).
So far so good (пока все хорошо); but it next occurred to my recollection (но затем я вспомнил; to occur to — прийти в голову; recollection — воспоминание, память) that a taut hawser, suddenly cut (что туго натянутый канат, вдруг перерезанный; taut — туго натянутый, упругий), is a thing as dangerous as a kicking horse (такая же опасная вещь, как и брыкающаяся лошадь = может ударить с силой лошадиного копыта). Ten to one (почти наверняка: «десять к одному»), if I were so foolhardy as to cut the Hispaniola from her anchor (если я буду таким безрассудно храбрым, чтобы отрезать Испаньолу от якоря = перерубить канат), I and the coracle would be knocked clean out of the water (я вместе с лодкой буду «начисто выбит из воды» = перевернут; to knock out — выбить, вывести из строя; clear — начисто, прямо, совершенно).
hawser [`hLzq] taut [tLt] mountain [`mauntIN] dangerous [`deInGqrqs]
First she loomed before me like a blot of something yet blacker than darkness, then her spars and hull began to take shape, and the next moment, as it seemed (for, the further I went, the brisker grew the current of the ebb), I was alongside of her hawser, and had laid hold.
The hawser was as taut as a bowstring, and the current so strong she pulled upon her anchor. All round the hull, in the blackness, the rippling current bubbled and chattered like a little mountain stream. One cut with my sea-gully, and the Hispaniola would go humming down the tide.
So far so good; but it next occurred to my recollection that a taut hawser, suddenly cut, is a thing as dangerous as a kicking horse. Ten to one, if I were so foolhardy as to cut the Hispaniola from her anchor, I and the coracle would be knocked clean out of the water.
This brought me to a full stop (это меня полностью остановило), and if fortune had not again particularly favoured me (и если бы судьба не была вновь особенно благосклонна ко мне), I should have had to abandon my design (мне бы пришлось отказаться от своей затеи; to abandon — покидать, бросать; отказываться). But the light airs which had begun blowing from the south-east and south (но легкие ветерки, начавшие дуть с юго-востока и юга) had hauled round after nightfall into the south-west (изменили направление после наступления ночи на юго-западное). Just while I was meditating (и пока я размышлял; to meditate — затевать, обдумывать), a puff came, caught the Hispaniola (шквал налетел, подхватил Испаньолу), and forced her up into the current (и заставил ее идти вверх = против течения); and to my great joy (и к моей большой радости), I felt the hawser slacken in my grasp (я почувствовал, что /натяжение/ каната ослабло в моей руке; grasp — хватка, зажим), and the hand by which I held it dip for a second under water (и рука, которой я держал его, погрузилась на мгновение под воду).
With that I made my mind up (с этим = тут я принял решение), took out my gully (достал нож), opened it with my teeth (открыл его зубами), and cut one strand after another (и /принялся/ перерезать одно волокно за другим), till the vessel swung only by two (пока судно /не осталось/ держаться только на двух; to swing — качать, висеть. поворачиваться). Then I lay quiet (затем я отпустил канат), waiting to sever these last (ожидая /момента/, чтобы перерезать эти последние /волокна/; to sever — разъединить, оторвать, отсечь) when the strain should be once more lightened by a breath of wind (когда дуновение ветра снова ослабит натяжение).
favoured [`feIvqd] hauled [hLld] slacken [`slxkqn] gully [`gAlI] lightened [`laItnd]
This brought me to a full stop, and if fortune had not again particularly favoured me, I should have had to abandon my design. But the light airs which had begun blowing from the south-east and south had hauled round after nightfall into the south-west. Just while I was meditating, a puff came, caught the Hispaniola, and forced her up into the current; and to my great joy, I felt the hawser slacken in my grasp, and the hand by which I held it dip for a second under water.
With that I made my mind up, took out my gully, opened it with my teeth, and cut one strand after another, till the vessel swung only by two. Then I lay quiet, waiting to sever these last when the strain should be once more lightened by a breath of wind.
All this time I had heard the sound of loud voices from the cabin (все это время я услышал звук голосов /доносившийся/ из каюты); but, to say truth (но, сказать по правде), my mind had been so entirely taken up with other thoughts (мой разум был полностью поглощен другими мыслями) that I had scarcely given ear (что я едва мог слушать; to give ear to — выслушать). Now, however, when I had nothing else to do (теперь, однако, когда мне нечего было делать), I began to pay more heed (я начал обращать больше внимания /на разговор/).