Английский с Джеком Лондоном. Золотой каньон. Рассказы / Jack London. All Gold Canyon. Stories

 Still feigning interest in the chunk of gold in his hand, he listened intently and he heard the breathing of the thing behind him. His eyes searched the ground in front of him for a weapon, but they saw only the uprooted gold, worthless to him now in his extremity. There was his pick, a handy weapon on occasion; but this was not such an occasion. The man realized his predicament. He was in a narrow hole that was seven feet deep. His head did not come to the surface of the ground. He was in a trap.

He remained squatting on his heels (он оставался сидеть на корточках). He was quite cool and collected (он был совершенно спокоен и хладнокровен: «/внутренне/ собран»); but his mind (но его сознание), considering every factor (взвешивая каждый фактор), showed him only his helplessness (показывало ему лишь его беспомощность). He continued rubbing the dirt from the quartz fragments (он продолжал стирать грязь с кусков кварца) and throwing the gold into the pan (и кидать золото в лоток). There was nothing else for him to do (больше ему ничего не оставалось). Yet he knew that he would have to rise up (тем не менее, он знал, что ему придется встать), sooner or later (раньше или позже), and face the danger that breathed at his back (и встретиться лицом к лицу с опасностью, которая дышала ему в спину). The minutes passed (минуты шли), and with the passage of each minute he knew (и с прошествием каждой минуты он знал) that by so much he was nearer the time when he must stand up (что настолько близко = тем ближе он был к минуте, когда он должен будет подняться), or else (или же) – and his wet shirt went cold against his flesh again at the thought (и его мокрая рубашка холодно прилипла к его телу при /этой/ мысли) – or else he might receive death as he stooped there over his treasure (или же он может принять смерть, согнувшись над своим сокровищем; to stoop – нагибаться, склоняться).

 He remained squatting on his heels. He was quite cool and collected; but his mind, considering every factor, showed him only his helplessness. He continued rubbing the dirt from the quartz fragments and throwing the gold into the pan. There was nothing else for him to do. Yet he knew that he would have to rise up, sooner or later, and face the danger that breathed at his back. The minutes passed, and with the passage of each minute he knew that by so much he was nearer the time when he must stand up, or else – and his wet shirt went cold against his flesh again at the thought – or else he might receive death as he stooped there over his treasure.

Still he squatted on his heels (он все еще сидел на корточках), rubbing dirt from gold and debating in just what manner he should rise up (стирая грязь с золота и обдумывая, каким же образом ему следует подняться; to debate – обсуждать, дискутировать; обдумывать, размышлять). He might rise up with a rush (он мог резко вскочить; rush – стремительное движение) and claw his way out of the hole to meet whatever threatened on the even footing above ground (и вырваться/прорваться из ямы, чтобы встретить какую бы то ни было угрозу на равных на поверхности: «над землей»; to claw – рвать; footing – опора для ноги; on an equal/even footing – на равных основаниях; even – ровный; равный; расположенный на одном уровне). Or he might rise up slowly and carelessly (либо он мог подняться медленно и беззаботно), and feign casually to discover the thing that breathed at his back (и притвориться, что случайно обнаружил нечто, которое дышит за его спиной). His instinct and every fighting fibre of his body favored the mad (его инстинкт и каждый бойцовский фибр его тела отдавал предпочтение неистовому), clawing rush to the surface (карабкающемуся рывку на поверхность; claw – коготь; to claw – хватать, рвать, тянуть, рыть когтями или пальцами). His intellect (его разум), and the craft thereof (и его /разума/ хитрость), favored the slow and cautious meeting with the thing that menaced (предпочитали медленную и осторожную встречу с угрожавшим объектом) and which he could not see (и который он не мог видеть). And while he debated (и пока он размышлял), a loud (громкий), crashing noise burst on his ear (грохочущий/хлопнувший шум донесся до его ушей; to burst – лопаться; разрываться; взрываться). At the same instant he received a stunning blow on the left side of the back (в тот же момент он получил страшный удар в левую сторону спины; stunning – оглушающий, ошеломляющий; to stun – оглушать ударом), and from the point of impact felt a rush of flame through his flesh (и от этой точки удара почувствовал поток огня /хлынувший/ через все тело; to rush – бросаться, мчаться, нестись, устремляться). He sprang up in the air (он подскочил: «подпрыгнул в воздух»), but halfway to his feet collapsed (но, не успев встать на ноги: «на полпути на ноги», рухнул; halfway – наполовину). His body crumpled in like a leaf withered in sudden heat (его тело съежилось, как листок, увядший от внезапного жара), and he came down (и он упал), his chest across his pan of gold (грудью на свой лоток с золотом), his face in the dirt and rock (лицом в землю и камни), his legs tangled and twisted because of the restricted space at the bottom of the hole (с запутавшимися и переплетенными ногами из-за ограниченного пространства на дне ямы; to restrict – ограничивать /в пределах чего-либо/). His legs twitched convulsively several times (его ноги судорожно дернулись несколько раз). His body was shaken as with a mighty ague (его тело встряхнуло, как в сильной лихорадке; mighty – мощный). There was a slow expansion of the lungs (медленное расширение легких), accompanied by a deep sigh (сопровождалось глубоким вздохом). Then the air was slowly (затем воздух медленно), very slowly (очень медленно), exhaled (вышел; to exhale – выдыхать), and his body as slowly flattened itself down into inertness (и его тело так же медленно распласталось /на земле/ в неподвижность = пока не стало недвижным/не затихло).

 Still he squatted on his heels, rubbing dirt from gold and debating in just what manner he should rise up. He might rise up with a rush and claw his way out of the hole to meet whatever threatened on the even footing above ground. Or he might rise up slowly and carelessly, and feign casually to discover the thing that breathed at his back. His instinct and every fighting fibre of his body favored the mad, clawing rush to the surface. His intellect, and the craft thereof, favored the slow and cautious meeting with the thing that menaced and which he could not see. And while he debated, a loud, crashing noise burst on his ear. At the same instant he received a stunning blow on the left side of the back, and from the point of impact felt a rush of flame through his flesh. He sprang up in the air, but halfway to his feet collapsed. His body crumpled in like a leaf withered in sudden heat, and he came down, his chest across his pan of gold, his face in the dirt and rock, his legs tangled and twisted because of the restricted space at the bottom of the hole. His legs twitched convulsively several times. His body was shaken as with a mighty ague. There was a slow expansion of the lungs, accompanied by a deep sigh. Then the air was slowly, very slowly, exhaled, and his body as slowly flattened itself down into inertness.

Above (наверху), revolver in hand (с револьвером в руке), a man was peering down over the edge of the hole (человек пристально смотрел вниз через край ямы; to peer – вглядываться; заглянуть). He peered for a long time at the prone and motionless body beneath him (он смотрел долгое время на распростертое и недвижное тело; prone – лежащий ничком, распростертый). After a while the stranger sat down on the edge of the hole so that he could see into it (через некоторое время незнакомец/чужак присел на краю ямы так, что он мог заглянуть туда), and rested the revolver on his knee (и положил револьвер на колени; to rest – класть, прислонять). Reaching his hand into a pocket (сунув руке в карман), he drew out a wisp of brown paper (он вынул клочок коричневой бумаги). Into this he dropped a few crumbs of tobacco (в нее он насыпал немного табака; crumb – крошка, кусочек /чего-либо печеного, чаще всего хлеба/). The combination became a cigarette (комбинация стала сигаретой), brown and squat (коричневой, толстой и короткой; squat – короткий и толстый), with the ends turned in (с заправленными /внутрь/ концами; to turn in – поворачивать вовнутрь; свертываться, складываться вовнутрь). Not once did he take his eyes from the body at the bottom of the hole (ни разу не оторвал он взгляд от тела на дне ямы). He lighted the cigarette (он зажег сигарету) and drew its smoke into his lungs with a caressing intake of the breath (и втянул дым в легкие наслаждающимся вдохом; to caress – ласкать; to draw – тащить, волочить; тянуть; вбирать, вдыхать, втягивать). He smoked slowly (он курил медленно). Once the cigarette went out and he relighted it (один раз/как-то сигарета потухла, и он зажег ее снова; to go out – догореть, погаснуть). And all the while he studied the body beneath him (и все это время он рассматривал тело внизу).

 Above, revolver in hand, a man was peering down over the edge of the hole. He peered for a long time at the prone and motionless body beneath him. After a while the stranger sat down on the edge of the hole so that he could see into it, and rested the revolver on his knee. Reaching his hand into a pocket, he drew out a wisp of brown paper. Into this he dropped a few crumbs of tobacco. The combination became a cigarette, brown and squat, with the ends turned in. Not once did he take his eyes from the body at the bottom of the hole. He lighted the cigarette and drew its smoke into his lungs with a caressing intake of the breath. He smoked slowly. Once the cigarette went out and he relighted it. And all the while he studied the body beneath him.

In the end he tossed the cigarette stub away and rose to his feet (наконец он отбросил окурок и поднялся на ноги; stub – пень; обломок; огрызок; остаток; окурок). He moved to the edge of the hole (он подошел к краю ямы; to move – двигаться). Spanning it (нависнув над ней; span – пядь = 9 дюймам – расстояние, примерно равное расстоянию от кончика большого пальца до кончика мизинца; to span – обхватывать, охватывать; перекрывать /об арке, крыше и т. п./; соединять берега /о мосте/), a hand resting on each edge (руками опираясь о каждый край; to rest on – опираться на), and with the revolver still in the right hand (и все еще с револьвером в правой руке), he muscled his body down into the hole (он спустил свое тело в яму; muscle – мускул, мышца; сила). While his feet were yet a yard from the bottom he released his hands and dropped down (в то время как его ноги были только в ярде от дна, он отпустил руки и спрыгнул вниз).

 In the end he tossed the cigarette stub away and rose to his feet. He moved to the edge of the hole. Spanning it, a hand resting on each edge, and with the revolver still in the right hand, he muscled his body down into the hole. While his feet were yet a yard from the bottom he released his hands and dropped down.

At the instant his feet struck bottom he saw the pocket-miner’s arm leap out (в тот момент, когда его ноги коснулись дна, он увидел, как рванулась рука золотоискателя; to leap out – выскакивать), and his own legs knew a swift, jerking grip that overthrew him (и его ноги испытали стремительный, резкий захват, который опрокинул его; to know – знать; испытать, пережить; to overthrow – опрокидывать, низвергать). In the nature of the jump his revolver-hand was above his head (из-за прыжка его рука с револьвером была над его головой; in the nature of – из-за /чего-либо/). Swiftly as the grip had flashed about his legs (мгновенно, как захват охватил его ноги: «мелькнул вокруг его ног»), just as swiftly he brought the revolver down (столь же мгновенно направил он револьвер вниз). He was still in the air (он был все еще в воздухе), his fall in process of completion (его падение в процессе завершения), when he pulled the trigger (когда он спустил курок). The explosion was deafening in the confined space (выстрел был оглушительным в замкнутом пространстве; to deafen – оглушать; deaf – глухой). The smoke filled the hole so that he could see nothing (дым заполнил яму так, что он не мог ничего видеть). He struck the bottom on his back (он ударился о дно спиной: «ударился о дно на своей спине»; to strike), and like a cat’s the pocket-miner’s body was on top of him (и, подобно кошке, тело золотоискателя было на нем). Even as the miner’s body passed on top (в тот момент как тело золотоискателя оказалось сверху), the stranger crooked in his right arm to fire (незнакомец/чужак согнул правую руку, чтобы выстрелить; to crook – сгибать; crook – крюк); and even in that instant the miner (и как раз в этот момент золотоискатель), with a quick thrust of elbow (быстрым ударом: «выбросом» локтя), struck his wrist (ударил его по запястью; to strike). The muzzle was thrown up (дуло было подброшено вверх; to throw – бросать) and the bullet thudded into the dirt of the side of the hole (и пуля прошла в землю стенки ямы; to thud – ударяться с глухим стуком).

 At the instant his feet struck bottom he saw the pocket-miner’s arm leap out, and his own legs knew a swift, jerking grip that overthrew him. In the nature of the jump his revolver-hand was above his head. Swiftly as the grip had flashed about his legs, just as swiftly he brought the revolver down. He was still in the air, his fall in process of completion, when he pulled the trigger. The explosion was deafening in the confined space. The smoke filled the hole so that he could see nothing. He struck the bottom on his back, and like a cat’s the pocket-miner’s body was on top of him. Even as the miner’s body passed on top, the stranger crooked in his right arm to fire; and even in that instant the miner, with a quick thrust of elbow, struck his wrist. The muzzle was thrown up and the bullet thudded into the dirt of the side of the hole.

The next instant the stranger felt the miner’s hand grip his wrist (в следующее мгновение незнакомец почувствовал, как рука золотоискателя обхватила его запястье). The struggle was now for the revolver (борьба была теперь за револьвер). Each man strove to turn it against the other’s body (каждый мужчина старался направить его на тело другого). The smoke in the hole was clearing (дым в яме рассеивался). The stranger, lying on his back (незнакомец, лежа на спине), was beginning to see dimly (начал смутно видеть; dim – тусклый, слабый). But suddenly he was blinded by a handful of dirt (но внезапно он был ослеплен горстью земли) deliberately flung into his eyes by his antagonist (умышленно брошенной ему в глаза противником; deliberate – намеренный, предумышленный). In that moment of shock his grip on the revolver was broken (в момент потрясения его хватка на револьвере ослабла: «была сломлена»). In the next moment he felt a smashing darkness descend upon his brain (в следующий момент он почувствовал, как сокрушительная темнота опустилась на его мозг; to smash – разбить, сокрушить), and in the midst of the darkness even the darkness ceased (и среди темноты даже темнота прекратилась).