Just when we had given up all hope (и когда мы потеряли всякую надежду; to give up) — yes, I know that is always the time that things do happen in novels and tales (да, знаю, это всегда то время, когда вещи = перемены случаются в романах и сказках); but I can't help it (но ничего не могу поделать). I resolved, when I began to write this book, that I would be strictly truthful in all things (я решил, когда начал писать эту книгу, что буду строго правдивым во всем); and so I will be, even if I have to employ hackneyed phrases for the purpose (и я буду таким, даже если мне придется употреблять избитые фразы для этой цели; to employ — нанимать; употреблять, использовать).
wrong [rON] hackneyed ['h&knId]
We despairingly tried what seemed in the darkness to be the fourth island, but met with no better success. The rain was coming down fast now, and evidently meant to last. We were wet to the skin, and cold and miserable. We began to wonder whether there were only four islands or more, or whether we were near the islands at all, or whether we were anywhere within a mile of where we ought to be, or in the wrong part of the river altogether; everything looked so strange and different in the darkness. We began to understand the sufferings of the Babes in the Wood.
Just when we had given up all hope — yes, I know that is always the time that things do happen in novels and tales; but I can't help it. I resolved, when I began to write this book, that I would be strictly truthful in all things; and so I will be, even if I have to employ hackneyed phrases for the purpose.
It was just when we had given up all hope, and I must therefore say so (это было как раз тогда, когда мы потеряли всякую надежду, и я должен поэтому сказать так). Just when we had given up all hope, then, I suddenly caught sight, a little way below us (я внезапно заметил немного ниже нас; to catch sight of), of a strange, weird sort of glimmer flickering among the trees on the opposite bank (странный, таинственный огонек, мерцавший среди деревьев на противоположном берегу; glimmer — мерцание; тусклый свет; слабый проблеск). For an instant I thought of ghosts (на мгновение я подумал о привидениях; ghost — привидение, призрак; дух): it was such a shadowy, mysterious light (это был такой призрачный, загадочный огонек). The next moment it flashed across me that it was our boat (в следующий момент у меня промелькнула мысль, что наша лодка), and I sent up such a yell across the water that made the night seem to shake in its bed (я издал такой крик, /разнесшийся/ над водой, который, наверное, заставил ночь вздрогнуть в своей постели).
We waited breathless for a minute (мы ждали, затаив дыхание, мгновение), and then — oh! divinest music of the darkness (и затем — о божественнейшая музыка темноты)! — we heard the answering bark of Montmorency (мы услышали ответный лай Монморенси). We shouted back loud enough to wake the Seven Sleepers (мы снова крикнули громко в ответ, /достаточно/ чтобы разбудить семь спящих /из легенды: семь христиан спрятались в пещере от преследования, заснули и проснулись через 200 лет/) — I never could understand myself why it should take more noise to wake seven sleepers than one (никогда не понимал, почему требуется больше шума, чтобы разбудить семь спящих, чем одного) — and, after what seemed an hour, but what was really, I suppose, about five minutes (и через /некоторое время/, что показалось часом, но на самом деле было, думаю, где-то пять минут), we saw the lighted boat creeping slowly over the blackness (мы увидели, что освещенная лодка ползет медленно во мраке), and heard Harris's sleepy voice asking where we were (и услышали сонный голос Гарриса, спрашивающего, где мы).
mysterious [mI'stI(@)[email protected]] minute ['mInIt]
It was just when we had given up all hope, and I must therefore say so. Just when we had given up all hope, then, I suddenly caught sight, a little way below us, of a strange, weird sort of glimmer flickering among the trees on the opposite bank. For an instant I thought of ghosts: it was such a shadowy, mysterious light. The next moment it flashed across me that it was our boat, and I sent up such a yell across the water that made the night seem to shake in its bed.
We waited breathless for a minute, and then — oh! divinest music of the darkness! — we heard the answering bark of Montmorency. We shouted back loud enough to wake the Seven Sleepers — I never could understand myself why it should take more noise to wake seven sleepers than one — and, after what seemed an hour, but what was really, I suppose, about five minutes, we saw the lighted boat creeping slowly over the blackness, and heard Harris's sleepy voice asking where we were.
There was an unaccountable strangeness about Harris (необъяснимая странность была с Гаррисом = с ним творилось что-то странное). It was something more than mere ordinary tiredness (нечто большее, чем обычная усталость). He pulled the boat against a part of the bank from which it was quite impossible for us to get into it, and immediately went to sleep (он подвел лодку к части берега, с которой нам было невозможно сесть в нее, и тотчас заснул). It took us an immense amount of screaming and roaring to wake him up again and put some sense into him (нам потребовалось много: «огромное количество» крика и шума, чтобы снова разбудить его и несколько привести в чувство); but we succeeded at last, and got safely on board (но нам наконец удалось /это сделать/, и /мы/ благополучно влезли на борт).
Harris had a sad expression on him, so we noticed, when we got into the boat (у Гарриса было печальное выражение лица, как мы заметили, когда сели в лодку). He gave you the idea of a man who had been through trouble (он походил: «давал мысль» на человека, который попал в беду; to be through — закончить). We asked him if anything had happened, and he said (мы спросили его, не случилось ли чего, и он сказал) —
"Swans (лебеди)!"
immense [I'mens] swan [swOn]
There was an unaccountable strangeness about Harris. It was something more than mere ordinary tiredness. He pulled the boat against a part of the bank from which it was quite impossible for us to get into it, and immediately went to sleep. It took us an immense amount of screaming and roaring to wake him up again and put some sense into him; but we succeeded at last, and got safely on board.
Harris had a sad expression on him, so we noticed, when we got into the boat. He gave you the idea of a man who had been through trouble. We asked him if anything had happened, and he said —
"Swans!"
It seemed we had moored close to a swan's nest (оказалось, мы причалили возле лебединого гнезда), and, soon after George and I had gone, the female swan came back, and kicked up a row about it (и, вскоре после того, как мы с Джорджем ушли, самка-/лебедь/ вернулась и устроила скандал из-за этого). Harris had chivied her off, and she had gone away, and fetched up her old man (Гаррис прогнал ее, она ушла прочь и привела своего старика; to chivy — охотиться, гнаться, преследовать; убегать). Harris said he had had quite a fight with these two swans (Гаррис сказал, у него был тяжелый бой с этими двумя лебедями); but courage and skill had prevailed in the end, and he had defeated them (но храбрость и мастерство восторжествовали в конце концов, и он одолел их; to defeat — одерживать победу, наносить поражение).
Half-an-hour afterwards they returned with eighteen other swans (полчаса спустя они вернулись с восемнадцатью /другими/ лебедями)! It must have been a fearful battle, so far as we could understand Harris's account of it (это была, должно быть, ужасная битва, насколько мы могли судить по рассказу Гарриса; account — счет; отчет; сообщение; доклад). The swans had tried to drag him and Montmorency out of the boat and drown them (лебеди пытались вытащить его и Монморенси из лодки и утопить); and he had defended himself like a hero for four hours, and had killed the lot (он оборонялся как герой четыре часа и поразил всех; to kill — убивать; поражать; нейтрализовать; lot — группа, компания), and they had all paddled away to die (и они уплыли прочь, чтобы умереть; to paddle — плыть на байдарке; шлепать /по воде или грязи/, плескаться; ковылять).
courage ['kVrIdZ] drown [draun] hour ['[email protected]]
It seemed we had moored close to a swan's nest, and, soon after George and I had gone, the female swan came back, and kicked up a row about it. Harris had chivied her off, and she had gone away, and fetched up her old man. Harris said he had had quite a fight with these two swans; but courage and skill had prevailed in the end, and he had defeated them.
Half-an-hour afterwards they returned with eighteen other swans! It must have been a fearful battle, so far as we could understand Harris's account of it. The swans had tried to drag him and Montmorency out of the boat and drown them; and he had defended himself like a hero for four hours, and had killed the lot, and they had all paddled away to die.
"How many swans did you say there were (сколько лебедей, говоришь, там было)?" asked George.
"Thirty-two (тридцать два)," replied Harris, sleepily (сонно ответил Гаррис).
"You said eighteen just now (ты только что сказал восемнадцать)," said George.
"No, I didn't (нет, не говорил)," grunted Harris (проворчал Гаррис); "I said twelve (я сказал двенадцать). Think I can't count (думаешь, я не умею считать)?"
What were the real facts about these swans we never found out (какими были настоящие обстоятельства = правду об этих лебедях мы /так/ никогда и не узнали; to find out — выяснить). We questioned Harris on the subject in the morning, and he said, "What swans?" (мы спросили Гарриса об этом утром, и он сказал: «Какие лебеди?») and seemed to think that George and I had been dreaming (и, видимо, думал, что нам с Джорджем это приснилось).
"How many swans did you say there were?" asked George.
"Thirty-two," replied Harris, sleepily.
"You said eighteen just now," said George.
"No, I didn't," grunted Harris; "I said twelve. Think I can't count?"
What were the real facts about these swans we never found out. We questioned Harris on the subject in the morning, and he said, "What swans?" and seemed to think that George and I had been dreaming.
Oh, how delightful it was to be safe in the boat, after our trials and fears (о, как восхитительно было находиться в безопасности в лодке после наших испытаний и страхов)! We ate a hearty supper, George and I, and we should have had some toddy after it (мы съели обильный ужин, Джордж и я = мы с Джорджем, и выпили бы пуншу после этого), if we could have found the whisky, but we could not (если бы смогли найти виски, но мы не нашли). We examined Harris as to what he had done with it (мы спросили Гарриса, что он с ним сделал; as to — относительно, по поводу); but he did not seem to know what we meant by "whisky," or what we were talking about at all (но он, казалось, не понимал, что мы имеем в виду под /словом/ «виски» и о чем мы вообще говорим). Montmorency looked as if he knew something, but said nothing (Монморенси глядел так, будто знает что-то, но ничего не сказал).
