Читать интересную книгу Английский язык с Конан Дойлем. Этюд в багровых тонах - Arthur Conan Doyle

unwieldy [ʌnˈwi:ldɪ], haunch [hɔ:nʧ], gorge [ɡɔ:ʤ], weigh [weɪ]

The creature was too unwieldy to lift, so the hunter contented himself with cutting away one haunch and part of the flank. With this trophy over his shoulder, he hastened to retrace his steps, for the evening was already drawing in. He had hardly started, however, before he realized the difficulty which faced him. In his eagerness he had wandered far past the ravines which were known to him, and it was no easy matter to pick out the path which he had taken. The valley in which he found himself divided and sub-divided into many gorges, which were so like each other that it was impossible to distinguish one from the other. He followed one for a mile or more until he came to a mountain torrent which he was sure that he had never seen before. Convinced that he had taken the wrong turn, he tried another, but with the same result. Night was coming on rapidly, and it was almost dark before he at last found himself in a defile which was familiar to him. Even then it was no easy matter to keep to the right track, for the moon had not yet risen, and the high cliffs on either side made the obscurity more profound. Weighed down with his burden, and weary from his exertions, he stumbled along, keeping up his heart by the reflection that every step brought him nearer to Lucy, and that he carried with him enough to ensure them food for the remainder of their journey.

He had now come to the mouth of the very defile in which he had left them (он теперь добрался до входа: «пришел ко входу» в то самое ущелье, где он их оставил). Even in the darkness he could recognize the outline of the cliffs which bounded it (даже в темноте он смог узнать очертания утесов, которые окружали его; to bound — ограничивать). They must, he reflected, be awaiting him anxiously (наверняка они, думал он, с беспокойством его ожидают; to reflect — раздумывать, размышлять), for he had been absent nearly five hours (так как его не было почти пять часов; to be absent — отсутствовать). In the gladness of his heart he put his hands to his mouth (на радостях: «на радости своего сердца» он приложил руки ко рту) and made the glen re-echo to a loud halloo as a signal that he was coming (и заставил гулять эхо по всей долине своим громким «эй», чтобы дать знать: «как сигнал», что он приближается; to re-echo — отдаваться эхом, откликаться; glen — узкая горная долина). He paused and listened for an answer (он остановился и подождал ответа; to pause — делать паузу, временно останавливаться). None came save his own cry (не послышалось ничего: «никакой не пришел», кроме отзвука его собственного крика: «кроме его собственного крика»), which clattered up the dreary silent ravines (гуляющего по мрачным молчаливым ущельям; to clatter — сильно греметь, грохотать), and was borne back to his ears in countless repetitions (и долетевшего: «и было принесено назад» до его ушей хором бесчисленных повторений; to bear). Again he shouted, even louder than before (он снова крикнул, даже громче, чем до этого), and again no whisper came back from the friends whom he had left such a short time ago (и снова ни звука: «ни шепота не пришло назад» от друзей, которых он недавно: «такое короткое время назад» здесь оставил). A vague, nameless dread came over him (смутный безымянный ужас обуял его: «нашел на него»), and he hurried onwards frantically, dropping the precious food in his agitation (и он лихорадочно рванулся вперед, в своем волнении бросив драгоценную пищу; to hurry — торопиться, спешить).

When he turned the corner, he came full in sight of the spot where the fire had been lit (миновав поворот, он увидел целиком то место: «пришел полностью в поле зрения того места», где был разожжен костер; to turn — поворачивать; огибать; to light). There was still a glowing pile of wood ashes there (там по-прежнему тлела груда золы; wood — древесный; ash — зола, пепел), but it had evidently not been tended since his departure (но костер явно не поддерживали с тех пор, как он ушел: «с его ухода»; to tend — ухаживать; присматривать). The same dead silence still reigned all round (вокруг все еще царило все то же мертвое молчание). With his fears all changed to convictions, he hurried on (все его страхи превратились в уверенность; он заспешил вперед; conviction — убежденность, твердая вера). There was no living creature near the remains of the fire (возле остатков костра не было ни единого живого существа): animals, man, maiden, all were gone (животные, старик: «мужчина», девушка — исчезли все). It was only too clear that some sudden and terrible disaster had occurred during his absence (было совершенно: «только слишком» очевидно, что какая-то внезапная и страшная беда случилась за время его отсутствия)— a disaster which had embraced them all (беда, которая настигла их всех; to embrace — охватывать), and yet had left no traces behind it (и, тем не менее, не оставила после себя никаких следов).

halloo [hǝˈlu:], dread [dred], disaster [dɪˈzɑ:stǝ]

He had now come to the mouth of the very defile in which he had left them. Even in the darkness he could recognize the outline of the cliffs which bounded it. They must, he reflected, be awaiting him anxiously, for he had been absent nearly five hours. In the gladness of his heart he put his hands to his mouth and made the glen re-echo to a loud halloo as a signal that he was coming. He paused and listened for an answer. None came save his own cry, which clattered up the dreary silent ravines, and was borne back to his ears in countless repetitions. Again he shouted, even louder than before, and again no whisper came back from the friends whom he had left such a short time ago. A vague, nameless dread came over him, and he hurried onwards frantically, dropping the precious food in his agitation.

When he turned the corner, he came full in sight of the spot where the fire had been lit. There was still a glowing pile of wood ashes there, but it had evidently not been tended since his departure. The same dead silence still reigned all round. With his fears all changed to convictions, he hurried on. There was no living creature near the remains of the fire: animals, man, maiden, all were gone. It was only too clear that some sudden and terrible disaster had occurred during his absence — a disaster which had embraced them all, and yet had left no traces behind it.

Bewildered and stunned by this blow (сбитый с толку и потрясенный этим ударом), Jefferson Hope felt his head spin round (Джефферсон Хоуп почувствовал, что его голова пошла кругом; to spin — прясть, сучить /шерсть/; плести /о пауке/; крутиться, вертеться, выписывать круги), and had to lean upon his rifle to save himself from falling (и ему пришлось опереться на винтовку, чтобы устоять на ногах: «спасти себя от падения»). He was essentially a man of action, however (однако он был прежде всего человеком действия; essentially — по существу; главным образом), and speedily recovered from his temporary impotence (и он быстро оправился от временной утраты сил; impotence — бессилие, слабость; беспомощность). Seizing a half-consumed piece of wood from the smouldering fire (выхватив из тлеющего костра полусгоревшую ветвь: «наполовину поглощенный кусок дерева»; to consume — поглощать; уничтожать; to smoulder — медленно, без огня гореть, тлеть), he blew it into a flame (он раздул ее, пока она не запылала ярким пламенем: «раздул в пламя»; to blow — дуть), and proceeded with its help to examine the little camp (и с ее помощью осмотрел: «и принялся с ее помощью осматривать» маленькую стоянку; to proceed — приступать; приняться за; camp — лагерь; место привала). The ground was all stamped down by the feet of horses (земля была вся истоптана копытами лошадей), showing that a large party of mounted men had overtaken the fugitives (что говорило о том, что беглецов настигла большая группа конных; to mount — садиться на лошадь; to overtake — догнать; обрушиваться, застигать врасплох), and the direction of their tracks proved that they had afterwards turned back to Salt Lake City (а направление следов показывало, что они затем отправились: «повернули назад» в сторону Солт-Лейк-Сити). Had they carried back both of his companions with them (увезли ли они с собой обоих его товарищей)? Jefferson Hope had almost persuaded himself that they must have done so (Джефферсон Хоуп почти убедил себя, что они наверняка так и сделали), when his eye fell upon an object which made every nerve of his body tingle within him (когда его глаз упал на то, что заставило затрепетать каждый нерв его тела; object — объект, предмет). A little way on one side of the camp was a low-lying heap of reddish soil (немного поодаль от стоянки он заметил: «недалеко по одной стороне лагеря был» невысокий: «низкорасположенный» холмик красноватой земли; to lie — лежать; быть расположенным), which had assuredly not been there before (которого точно не было здесь раньше; assuredly — конечно, несомненно). There was no mistaking it for anything but a newly-dug grave (его ни с чем невозможно было спутать — это было недавно вырытая могила; to mistake — принять за что-либо другое; to dig — копать, рыть). As the young hunter approached it, he perceived that a stick had been planted on it (когда молодой охотник подошел к ней, он заметил воткнутую палку: «что палка была воткнута в нее»; to perceive — воспринимать, ощущать, различать), with a sheet of paper stuck in the cleft fork of it (с листком бумаги, воткнутым в ее расщепленный конец; to stick — втыкать; to cleave — раскалывать; fork — вилка; разветвление). The inscription upon the paper was brief, but to the point (надпись на бумажке была краткой, но исчерпывающей; to the point — по существу; point — точка; острие):

JOHN FERRIER, FORMERLY OF SALT LAKE CITY, Died August 4th, 1860 (Джон Феррьер из Солт-Лейк-Сити, умер 4-го августа 1860 г.; formerly — когда-то, прежде).

impotence [ˈɪmpǝtǝns], fugitive [ˈfju:ʤɪtɪv], persuade [pǝˈsweɪd]

Bewildered and stunned by this blow, Jefferson Hope felt his head spin round, and had to lean upon his rifle to save himself from falling. He was essentially a man of action, however, and speedily recovered from his temporary impotence. Seizing a half-consumed piece of wood from the smouldering fire, he blew it into a flame, and proceeded with its help to examine the little camp. The ground was all stamped down by the feet of horses, showing that a large party of mounted men had overtaken the fugitives, and the direction of their tracks proved that they had afterwards turned back to Salt Lake City. Had they carried back both of his companions with them? Jefferson Hope had almost persuaded himself that they must have done so, when his eye fell upon an object which made every nerve of his body tingle within him. A little way on one side of the camp was a low-lying heap of reddish soil, which had assuredly not been there before. There was no mistaking it for anything but a newly-dug grave. As the young hunter approached it, he perceived that a stick had been planted on it, with a sheet of paper stuck in the cleft fork of it. The inscription upon the paper was brief, but to the point:

JOHN FERRIER, FORMERLY OF SALT LAKE CITY, Died August 4th, 1860.

The sturdy old man, whom he had left so short a time before, was gone, then (значит, крепкий еще старик, с которым он расстался: «которого он покинул» так недавно, умер; sturdy — крепкий, здоровый), and this was all his epitaph (и это была вся его эпитафия). Jefferson Hope looked wildly round to see if there was a second grave (Джефферсон Хоуп судорожно огляделся в поисках второй могилы; wildly — дико), but there was no sign of one (но ее не было заметно: «там не было ее следов»). Lucy had been carried back by their terrible pursuers to fulfil her original destiny (Люси увезли назад ее ужасные преследователи, чтобы сбылась предначертанная ей судьба; to fulfil — выполнять; исполнять, осуществлять; original — первоначальный, исходный), by becoming one of the harem of the Elder's son (чтобы она стала одной из гарема сына старейшины). As the young fellow realized the certainty of her fate (когда молодой парень осознал неотвратимость ее судьбы; certainty — определенность; уверенность), and his own powerlessness to prevent it (и свое бессилие помешать этому; to prevent — предотвращать; мешать, препятствовать), he wished that he, too, was lying with the old farmer in his last silent resting-place (он пожелал, чтобы и он тоже лежал со старым фермером на своем последнем тихом месте отдыха).