Читать интересную книгу Английский с А. Конан Дойлем. Пиратские истории / A. Conan Doyle. Tales of Pirates - Артур Дойл

 But they in turn were replaced by more savage and desperate men, who frankly recognised that they would get no quarter in their war with the human race, and who swore that they would give as little as they got. Of their histories we know little that is trustworthy. They wrote no memoirs and left no trace, save an occasional blackened and blood-stained derelict adrift upon the face of the Atlantic. Their deeds could only be surmised from the long roll of ships which never made their port.

Searching the records of history, it is only here and there in an old-world trial (изучая исторические документы, иногда в каком-нибудь старинном судебном отчете /можно наткнуться на запись/; to search – искать, вести поиски; изучать, исследовать; here and there – кое-где; old-world – старинный, древний; trial – попытка; судебный процесс) that the veil that shrouds them seems for an instant to be lifted (которая, как кажется, на мгновение приподнимает скрывающий их покров; to shroud – покрывать саваном; прятать, скрывать), and we catch a glimpse of some amazing and grotesque brutality behind (и пред нашим взором предстают /примеры/ ошеломляющей и необъяснимой: «нелепой» жестокости; to catch a glimpse of – увидеть мельком). Such was the breed of Ned Low, of Gow the Scotchman, and of the infamous Sharkey (то было время Нэда Лоу, Шотландца Гоу и пресловутого Шарки; breed – род, порода; поколение; infamous – имеющий дурную репутацию), whose coal-black barque, the Happy Delivery (черно-угольный барк которого, /называвшийся/ «Счастливое избавление»), was known from the Newfoundland Banks to the mouths of the Orinoco (был известен от берегов Ньюфаундленда до устья Ориноко) as the dark forerunner of misery and of death (как мрачный предвестник несчастий и смерти).

 Searching the records of history, it is only here and there in an old-world trial that the veil that shrouds them seems for an instant to be lifted, and we catch a glimpse of some amazing and grotesque brutality behind. Such was the breed of Ned Low, of Gow the Scotchman, and of the infamous Sharkey, whose coal-black barque, the Happy Delivery, was known from the Newfoundland Banks to the mouths of the Orinoco as the dark forerunner of misery and of death.

There were many men, both among the islands and on the main (было немало людей, как на островах, так и на материке; main /зд./ = mainland – материк), who had a blood feud with Sharkey (кто испытывал кровную вражду к Шарки), but not one who had suffered more bitterly than Copley Banks, of Kingston (но никто /из них/ не пострадал так сильно, как Копли Бэнкс из Кингстона; bitterly – горько; сильно). Banks had been one of the leading sugar merchants of the West Indies (Бэнкс был одним из крупнейших торговцев сахаром в Вест-Индии; leading – ведущий, главный). He was a man of position (он имел /высокое/ положение), a member of the Council, the husband of a Percival (был членом совета, мужем /представительницы рода/ Персивалей), and the cousin of the Governor of Virginia (и двоюродным братом губернатора Вирджинии). His two sons had been sent to London to be educated (двое его сыновей учились в Лондоне: «были посланы в Лондон получать образование»; to send), and their mother had gone over to bring them back (а их мать отправилась за ними, чтобы привезти их назад). On their return voyage the ship, the Duchess of Cornwall, fell into the hands of Sharkey (на обратном пути корабль «Герцогиня Корнуэльская» попал в руки Шарки; voyage – плавание, морское путешествие; to fall into – попасться в /ловушку/), and the whole family met with an infamous death (и всю семью постигла бесславная смерть; to meet – встречать; подвергнуться).

 There were many men, both among the islands and on the main, who had a blood feud with Sharkey, but not one who had suffered more bitterly than Copley Banks, of Kingston. Banks had been one of the leading sugar merchants of the West Indies. He was a man of position, a member of the Council, the husband of a Percival, and the cousin of the Governor of Virginia. His two sons had been sent to London to be educated, and their mother had gone over to bring them back. On their return voyage the ship, the Duchess of Cornwall, fell into the hands of Sharkey, and the whole family met with an infamous death.

Copley Banks said little when he heard the news (Копли Бэнкс ничего не сказал, когда услышал эту новость), but he sank into a morose and enduring melancholy (но погрузился в мрачную и продолжительную меланхолию; to sink; enduring – выносливый, терпеливый; длительный, долгий). He neglected his business, avoided his friends (он запустил торговлю: «свое дело», /стал/ избегать друзей), and spent much of his time in the low taverns of the fishermen and seamen (и проводил много времени в дешевых тавернах для рыбаков и матросов; to spend – тратить; проводить /время/; low – низкий, невысокий; низший /в определенной иерархии/). There, amidst riot and devilry (там, среди пьяного разгула и разврата; riot – бунт, мятеж; дебош; devilry – злоба; порочность), he sat silently puffing at his pipe (он молча сидел, попыхивая трубкой), with a set face and a smouldering eye (с неподвижным лицом и поблекшими глазами). It was generally supposed that his misfortunes had shaken his wits (многие считали, что из-за горя он повредился в рассудке: «горе потрясло его разум»; generally – обычно, как правило; повсеместно; to shake), and his old friends looked at him askance (а старые друзья смотрели на него искоса; askance – наклонно, косо; неодобрительно), for the company which he kept was enough to bar him from honest men (поскольку той компании, с которой он водился, было достаточно, чтобы отгородить его от порядочных людей; to keep company – водить компанию, дружбу).

 Copley Banks said little when he heard the news, but he sank into a morose and enduring melancholy. He neglected his business, avoided his friends, and spent much of his time in the low taverns of the fishermen and seamen. There, amidst riot and devilry, he sat silently puffing at his pipe, with a set face and a smouldering eye. It was generally supposed that his misfortunes had shaken his wits, and his old friends looked at him askance, for the company which he kept was enough to bar him from honest men.

From time to time there came rumours of Sharkey over the sea (время от времени доходили слухи о /новых проделках/ Шарки на море). Sometimes it was from some schooner (иногда их приносила какая-нибудь шхуна) which had seen a great flame upon the horizon (которая, увидев огромное пламя на горизонте), and approaching to offer help to the burning ship (и приблизившись, чтобы предложить помощь горящему судну), had fled away at the sight of the sleek, black barque (/тут же/ бросалась наутек при виде черного барка с лоснящимися /бортами/; to flee), lurking like a wolf near a mangled sheep (затаившегося, словно волк рядом с зарезанной им овцой; to mangle – калечить, рубить, кромсать). Sometimes it was a frightened trader (порой это был перепуганный торговец), which had come tearing in with her canvas curved like a lady’s bodice (влетавший /в порт / с парусами, выгнутыми, словно дамский корсаж; canvas – холст, парусина; паруса /мор./; to tear – рвать, разрывать; нестись сломя голову, мчаться), because she had seen a patched fore-topsail (потому что с его /борта/ заметили залатанный фор-марсель) rising slowly above the violet water-line (медленно поднимавшийся над лиловой поверхностью: «линией» воды). Sometimes it was from a Coaster (а бывало, что каботажное судно), which had found a waterless Bahama Cay littered with sun-dried bodies (натыкалось на коралловый риф, усеянный высохшими на солнце трупами; to find – находить, обнаруживать; waterless – безводный; to litter – разбрасывать в беспорядке; быть в большом количестве, изобиловать).

 From time to time there came rumours of Sharkey over the sea. Sometimes it was from some schooner which had seen a great flame upon the horizon, and approaching to offer help to the burning ship, had fled away at the sight of the sleek, black barque, lurking like a wolf near a mangled sheep. Sometimes it was a frightened trader, which had come tearing in with her canvas curved like a lady’s bodice, because she had seen a patched fore-topsail rising slowly above the violet water-line. Sometimes it was from a Coaster, which had found a waterless Bahama Cay littered with sun-dried bodies.

Once there came a man who had been mate of a Guineaman (однажды пришел человек, бывший прежде помощником капитана на гвинейском судне), and who had escaped from the pirate’s hands (и которому /посчастливилось/ вырваться из рук пирата). He could not speak – for reasons which Sharkey could best supply (говорить он не мог – из-за недостатка, который лучше всех мог бы восполнить Шарки; for reason – по причине; to supply – снабжать; восполнять, возмещать /недостаток/) – but he could write, and he did write (но он мог писать, и он писал; to do /зд./ – употребляется для усиления значения действия), to the very great interest of Copley Banks (к огромнейшему интересу Копли Бэнкса). For hours they sat together over the map (часами они сидели вдвоем над картой), and the dumb man pointed here and there (и немой тыкал пальцем то в одно место, то в другое: «то здесь, то там») to outlying reefs and tortuous inlets (/указывая/ на удаленные рифы и извилистые заливы), while his companion sat smoking in silence (в то время как его собеседник сидел, молча покуривая /трубку/; companion – товарищ; собеседник), with his unvarying face and his fiery eyes (с неподвижным: «неизменяемым» лицом и горящими глазами).

 Once there came a man who had been mate of a Guineaman, and who had escaped from the pirate’s hands. He could not speak – for reasons which Sharkey could best supply – but he could write, and he did write, to the very great interest of Copley Banks. For hours they sat together over the map, and the dumb man pointed here and there to outlying reefs and tortuous inlets, while his companion sat smoking in silence, with his unvarying face and his fiery eyes.

One morning, some two years after his misfortune (однажды утром, года через два после /случившегося/ несчастья /с родными/), Mr. Copley Banks strode into his own office (мистер Копли Бэнкс твердым шагом вошел в свою контору; to stride – шагать /большими шагами/) with his old air of energy and alertness (с прежним энергичным и бодрым видом; alertness – бдительность; живость, проворство). The manager stared at him in surprise (управляющий удивленно уставился на него), for it was months since he had shown any interest in business (поскольку прошли /многие/ месяцы с тех пор, как он /последний раз/ проявлял хоть какой-то интерес к делам).