Nay, and even if things so fell out that he was forced to keep his faith with Dr. Livesey, even then what danger lay before us! What a moment that would be when the suspicions of his followers turned to certainty, and he and I should have to fight for dear life — he, a cripple, and I, a boy — against five strong and active seamen!
Add to this double apprehension, the mystery that still hung over the behaviour of my friends; their unexplained desertion of the stockade; their inexplicable cession of the chart; or harder still to understand, the doctor’s last warning to Silver, “Look out for squalls when you find it;” and you will readily believe how little taste I found in my breakfast, and with how uneasy a heart I set forth behind my captors on the quest for treasure.
We made a curious figure, had anyone been there to see us (мы бы представляли странное зрелище, если бы там кто-нибудь был и видел нас; figure — фигура, образ; впечатление, вид); all in soiled sailor clothes, and all but me armed to the teeth (все в испачканных матросских одеждах = куртках, и все, кроме меня, вооруженные до зубов). Silver had two guns slung about him (Сильвер тащил с собой два ружья; to sling — метать из пращи; вешать через плечо) — one before and one behind (одно впереди и одно позади = на груди и на спине) — besides the great cutlass at his waist (помимо большой абордажной сабли на поясе), and a pistol in each pocket of his square-tailed coat (и по пистолету в каждом кармане своего широкополого кафтана; tail — хвост; пола, фалда, шлейф /платья/; square — квадрат; квадратный). To complete his strange appearance, Captain Flint sat perched upon his shoulder (в довершение его странного облика, Капитан Флинт сидел на его плече) and gabbling odds and ends of purposeless sea-talk (и болтал всякие бессмысленные обрывки морских разговоров; odds and ends — остатки, обрывки, всякая всячина; purposeless — бесцельный, бессмысленный; purpose — цель). I had a line about my waist (вокруг моего пояса была /обвязана/ веревка), and followed obediently after the sea-cook (и я следовал послушно за коком), who held the loose end of the rope, now in his free hand, now between his powerful teeth (который держал свободный конец веревки то в свободной руке, то /зажав/ могучими зубами). For all the world, I was led like a dancing bear (действительно: «за весь мир», меня вели, словно пляшущего = дрессированного медведя).
The other men were variously burthened (другие матросы были различно нагружены; to burthen = to burden — грузить, отягощать); some carrying picks and shovels (одни несли кирки и лопаты) — for that had been the very first necessary they brought ashore from the Hispaniola (это было самым необходимым, что они перенесли на берег с Испаньолы) — others laden with pork, bread, and brandy for the midday meal (другие несли свинину, сухари и бренди для обеда: «полуденной еды»; to be laden with — быть нагруженным, увешанным). All the stores, I observed, came from our stock (все припасы, как я заметил, были из нашего склада; to come from — происходить, поступать от); and I could see the truth of Silver’s words the night before (и я мог видеть правдивость слов Сильвера, сказанных прошлой ночью). Had he not struck a bargain with the doctor (не заключи он сделку с доктором), he and his mutineers, deserted by the ship (он и его бунтовщики, покинутые кораблем = потеряв корабль), must have been driven to subsist on clear water and the proceeds of their hunting (им пришлось бы питаться чистой водой и добытым на охоте; to drive — доводить, принуждать; to subsist — существовать, кормиться; proceeds — доход, поступление). Water would have been little to their taste (вода была бы им вряд ли по вкусу); a sailor is not usually a good shot (матрос обычно плохой стрелок); and, besides all that, when they were so short of eatables (и, помимо всего этого, когда у них было так мало съестного; to be short of — испытывать недостаток в чем-то, остро нуждаться), it was not likely they would be very flush of powder (маловероятно, что у них было полно пороха; to be flush of — иметь большой запас чего-то).
аppearance [q`pIqrqns] obediently [q`bJdIqntlI] loose [lHs] shovels [`SAvlz] eatables [`Jtqblz] powder [`paudq]
We made a curious figure, had anyone been there to see us; all in soiled sailor clothes, and all but me armed to the teeth. Silver had two guns slung about him — one before and one behind — besides the great cutlass at his waist, and a pistol in each pocket of his square-tailed coat. To complete his strange appearance, Captain Flint sat perched upon his shoulder and gabbling odds and ends of purposeless sea-talk. I had a line about my waist, and followed obediently after the sea-cook, who held the loose end of the rope, now in his free hand, now between his powerful teeth. For all the world, I was led like a dancing bear.
The other men were variously burthened; some carrying picks and shovels — for that had been the very first necessary they brought ashore from the Hispaniola — others laden with pork, bread, and brandy for the midday meal. All the stores, I observed, came from our stock; and I could see the truth of Silver’s words the night before. Had he not struck a bargain with the doctor, he and his mutineers, deserted by the ship, must have been driven to subsist on clear water and the proceeds of their hunting. Water would have been little to their taste; a sailor is not usually a good shot; and, besides all that, when they were so short of eatables, it was not likely they would be very flush of powder.
Well, thus equipped, we all set out (итак, снаряженные таким образом, мы все выступили/отправились) — even the fellow with the broken head, who should certainly have kept in shadow (даже парень с разбитой головой, которому непременно нужно было бы держаться в тени) — and straggled, one after another, to the beach (двинулись один за другим к берегу; to straggle — бродить, идти вразброд), where the two gigs awaited us (где две гички ожидали нас). Even these bore trace of the drunken folly of the pirates (даже они несли следы пьяного безрассудства пиратов), one in a broken thwart (одна /шлюпка/ была со сломанной скамейкой), and both in their muddy and unbailed condition (и обе были в грязи и с водой на дне; to bail — вычерпывать воду /из лодки/; condition — состояние). Both were to be carried along with us, for the sake of safety (обе должны были быть взяты с нами, для безопасности); and so, with our numbers divided between them (и затем, распределившись между ними = разделившись на два отряда), we set forth upon the bosom of the anchorage (мы отправились в глубину стоянки).
As we pulled over, there was some discussion on the chart (когда мы остановились, начались споры о карте; discussion — обсуждение, дебаты). The red cross was, of course, far too large to be a guide (красный крестик был, конечно, слишком большим, чтобы быть указателем /места/); and the terms of the note on the back, as you will hear, admitted of some ambiguity (и слова примечания на обороте /карты/, как вы услышите, допускали некоторую двусмысленность; to admit — допускать; term — выражение; термин, срок). They ran, the reader may remember, thus (они звучали, как читатель может вспомнить, следующим образом): —
“Tall tree, Spy-glass shoulder (высокое дерево, склон Подзорной Трубы), bearing a point to the N. of N.N.E (направление к месту на С. от С.-С.-В; bearing — курс по компасу, азимут, направление).
“Skeleton Island E.S.E. and by E (Остров Скелета В.-Ю.-В. и на В.).
“Ten feet (десять футов).”
еquipped [I`kwIpt] thwart [TwLt] guide [gaId] ambiguity [xmbI`gjHItI]
Well, thus equipped, we all set out — even the fellow with the broken head, who should certainly have kept in shadow — and straggled, one after another, to the beach, where the two gigs awaited us. Even these bore trace of the drunken folly of the pirates, one in a broken thwart, and both in their muddy and unbailed condition. Both were to be carried along with us, for the sake of safety; and so, with our numbers divided between them, we set forth upon the bosom of the anchorage.