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

On the second morning Craddock went ashore in search of some proof whether Sharkey and his men were still upon the island. What he found reassured him greatly. Close to the shore was a boucan of green wood, such as was used for preserving the meat, and a great store of barbecued strips of ox-flesh was hung upon lines all round it.

The pirate ship had not taken off her provisions(пиратский корабль еще не забрал свою провизию) , and therefore the hunters were still upon the island(и следовательно, охотники до сих пор находились на острове).

Why had they not shown themselves(почему же они не показывались; to show ) ? Was it that they had detected that this was not their own ship(не обнаружили ли они, что это не их корабль) ? Or was it that they were hunting in the interior of the island(а может, они охотились в глубине острова; interior – внутренняя часть ) , and were not on the lookout for a ship yet(и еще не ждали /прихода/ корабля; lookout – наблюдение; to be on the lookout for – ожидать, искать /кого-л., что-л./ ) ? Craddock was still hesitating between the two alternatives(Крэддок все еще не знал, какой из двух вариантов верный: «все еще колебался между двумя альтернативами») , when a Carib Indian came down with information(когда индеец-караиб принес /нужные ему/ сведения; to come down – приходить, приезжать ) . The pirates were in the island, he said(пираты находятся на острове, сказал он) , and their camp was a day’s march from the sea(и до их лагеря один день пути; march – движение вперед, марш ).

The pirate ship had not taken off her provisions, and therefore the hunters were still upon the island.

Why had they not shown themselves? Was it that they had detected that this was not their own ship? Or was it that they were hunting in the interior of the island, and were not on the lookout for a ship yet? Craddock was still hesitating between the two alternatives, when a Carib Indian came down with information. The pirates were in the island, he said, and their camp was a day’s march from the sea.

They had stolen his wife(они отобрали у него жену; to steal – воровать, красть; увести ) , and the marks of their stripes were still pink upon his brown back(а отметины, сделанные их палками, все еще розовели на его коричневой спине; stripe – след удара от хлыста, прута и т. п. ) . Their enemies were his friends(их враги – его друзья) , and he would lead them to where they lay(и он отведет их к пиратскому лагерю: «туда, где они расположились»; to lie – лежать; находиться, быть расположенным ).

Craddock could not have asked for anything better(ничего лучшего Крэддок не мог бы и пожелать; to ask for – просить, требовать ) ; so early next morning, with a small party armed to the teeth(и вот ранним утром следующего дня, с небольшим вооруженным до зубов отрядом) , he set off under the guidance of the Carib(он выступил в поход, ведомый проводником-караибом; to set off – отправляться /в путь/; under the guidance – под руководством; to guide – вести, указывать путь ) . All day they struggled through brushwood and clambered over rocks(весь день они продирались сквозь заросли и карабкались по скалам) , pushing their way further and further into the desolate heart of the island(продвигаясь все дальше и дальше в безлюдную глубь острова; to push – толкать, пихать; проталкиваться, протискиваться; desolate – одинокий, оставленный всеми, заброшенный; heart – сердце; сердцевина, центр ).

They had stolen his wife, and the marks of their stripes were still pink upon his brown back. Their enemies were his friends, and he would lead them to where they lay.

Craddock could not have asked for anything better; so early next morning, with a small party armed to the teeth, he set off under the guidance of the Carib. All day they struggled through brushwood and clambered over rocks, pushing their way further and further into the desolate heart of the island.

Here and there they found traces of the hunters(то тут, то там они находили следы охотников) , the bones of a slain ox, or the marks of feet in a morass(кости убитого быка или отпечатки ног на болоте; to slay ) , and once, towards evening, it seemed to some of them(а однажды, ближе к вечеру, некоторым из них показалось) that they heard the distant rattle of guns(что они слышат отдаленный треск ружей).

That night they spent under the trees(ту ночь они провели под деревьями; to spend – тратить; проводить /время/ ) , and pushed on again with the earliest light(и вновь продолжили путь, чуть забрезжил рассвет: «с самым ранним светом»; to push on – толкать вперед, проталкивать; спешить; to push – толкать ) . About noon they came to the huts of bark(около девяти они подошли к хижинам из древесной коры) , which, the Carib told them, were the camp of the hunters(которые и были, как сказал караиб, лагерем охотников) , but they were silent and deserted(но они были безмолвны и пусты).

Here and there they found traces of the hunters, the bones of a slain ox, or the marks of feet in a morass, and once, towards evening, it seemed to some of them that they heard the distant rattle of guns.

That night they spent under the trees, and pushed on again with the earliest light. About noon they came to the huts of bark, which, the Carib told them, were the camp of the hunters, but they were silent and deserted.

No doubt their occupants were away at the hunt and would return in the evening(нет сомнений, их обитатели ушли на охоту и вернутся вечером) , so Craddock and his men lay in ambush in the brushwood around them(так что Крэддок и его люди устроили засаду в кустарнике вокруг лагеря; to lie – лежать; находиться ) . But no one came, and another night was spent in the forest(но никто не появился: «не пришел», и еще одна ночь прошла в лесу в пустых ожиданиях; to spend – тратить, расходовать; расточать, тратить впустую /силы, время/ ) . Nothing more could be done, and it seemed to Craddock(делать больше было нечего, и Крэддок подумал; to seem – казаться, представляться ) that after the two days’ absence it was time that he returned to his ship once more(что после двухдневного отсутствия пришло время снова вернуться на корабль).

The return journey was less difficult(обратное путешествие было менее трудным) , as they had already blazed a path for themselves(поскольку они предварительно отмечали свой путь зарубками на деревьях; to blaze – делать отметки на деревьях ).

No doubt their occupants were away at the hunt and would return in the evening, so Craddock and his men lay in ambush in the brushwood around them. But no one came, and another night was spent in the forest. Nothing more could be done, and it seemed to Craddock that after the two days’ absence it was time that he returned to his ship once more.

The return journey was less difficult, as they had already blazed a path for themselves.

Before evening they found themselves once more at the Bay of Palms(прежде чем /наступил/ вечер, они снова оказались в Пальмовой бухте) , and saw their ship riding at anchor where they had left her(и увидели свой корабль, стоящий на якоре там же, где они его оставили) . Their boat and oars had been hauled up among the bushes(/перед началом похода/ они выволокли свою лодку с веслами /на берег и оставили/ в кустах) , so they launched it and pulled out to the barque(так что они спустили ее на воду и направились к барку; to launch – бросать с силой, метать; спускать судно на воду; to pull out – отправляться, отходить /о поезде, пароходе/ ).

“No luck, then!” cried Joshua Hird, the mate(выходит, не судьба! – крикнул помощник капитана Джошуа Хирд; luck – везенье, удача ) , looking down with a pale face from the poop(/стоя/ на полуюте с бледным лицом и глядя вниз /на них/).