Эдгар Берроуз - Английский язык с Э. Р. Берроузом. Принцесса Марса

quadruple ['kwOdrupl], pinnacle ['pInqkl], peer [pIq]

"How?" I asked. "You are strongly guarded and a quadruple force patrols the sky."

He bent his head in thought a moment, then raised it with an air of confidence.

"I only need to pass these guards and I can do it," he said at last. "I know a secret entrance to the palace through the pinnacle of the highest tower. I fell upon it by chance one day as I was passing above the palace on patrol duty. In this work it is required that we investigate any unusual occurrence we may witness, and a face peering from the pinnacle of the high tower of the palace was, to me, most unusual. I therefore drew near and discovered that the possessor of the peering face was none other than Sab Than. He was slightly put out at being detected and commanded me to keep the matter to myself, explaining that the passage from the tower led directly to his apartments, and was known only to him. If I can reach the roof of the barracks and get my machine I can be in Sab Than's quarters in five minutes; but how am I to escape from this building, guarded as you say it is?"

"How well are the machine sheds at the barracks guarded (насколько хорошо охраняются ангары для машин при казармах; shed — навес, сарай; ангар )?" I asked.

"There is usually but one man on duty there at night upon the roof (обычно на дежурстве только один человек ночью на крыше)."

"Go to the roof of this building, Kantos Kan, and wait me there (отправляйся на крышу этого здания, Кантос Кан, и жди меня там)."

Without stopping to explain my plans (не останавливаясь, чтобы объяснить мои планы) I retraced my way to the street (я вернулся прежним путем на улицу; to retrace — возвращаться по пройденному пути ) and hastened to the barracks (и поспешил к казармам). I did not dare to enter the building (я не решался войти в здание), filled as it was with members of the air-scout squadron (заполненное членами эскадрильи воздушных разведчиков), who, in common with all Zodanga, were on the lookout for me (которые вместе со всей Зодангой разыскивали меня; in common — совместно, заодно ).

barrack ['bxrqk], retrace [rI'treIs], air-scout ['eq" skaut]

"How well are the machine sheds at the barracks guarded?" I asked.

"There is usually but one man on duty there at night upon the roof."

"Go to the roof of this building, Kantos Kan, and wait me there."

Without stopping to explain my plans I retraced my way to the street and hastened to the barracks. I did not dare to enter the building, filled as it was with members of the air-scout squadron, who, in common with all Zodanga, were on the lookout for me.

The building was an enormous one (здание было огромным), rearing its lofty head fully a thousand feet into the air (и гордо возносилось вверх: «поднимающим величественный верх» на целых тысячу футов; to rear — поднимать, возносить ). But few buildings in Zodanga were higher than these barracks (только немногие здания в Зоданге были выше этих казарм), though several topped it by a few hundred feet (хотя несколько и превышали их на несколько сотен футов); the docks of the great battleships of the line standing some fifteen hundred feet from the ground (доки огромных боевых линейных кораблей поднимались на высоту около тысячи пятисот футов от земли), while the freight and passenger stations of the merchant squadrons rose nearly as high (в то время как грузовые и пассажирские терминалы торговых кораблей поднимались почти на такую же высоту; freight — грузовой, товарный; squadrons — соединение кораблей ).

rear [rIq], battleship ['bxtl" SIp], freight [freIt], merchant ['mWtS(q)nt]

The building was an enormous one, rearing its lofty head fully a thousand feet into the air. But few buildings in Zodanga were higher than these barracks, though several topped it by a few hundred feet; the docks of the great battleships of the line standing some fifteen hundred feet from the ground, while the freight and passenger stations of the merchant squadrons rose nearly as high.

It was a long climb up the face of the building (это был длинный подъем по фасаду здания; face — лицо; фасад ), and one fraught with much danger (и такой, который был сопряжен с большой опасностью; fraught — полный, чреватый ), but there was no other way (но другого пути не было), and so I essayed the task (и поэтому я взялся за эту задачу; to essay — пытаться; to essay a task — взять на себя трудную задачу ). The fact that Barsoomian architecture is extremely ornate (тот факт, что архитектура Барсума чрезвычайно декоративна; ornate — изысканно украшенный ) made the feat much simpler than I had anticipated (сделал это предприятие гораздо более простым, чем я предполагал; feat — подвиг; проявление большой ловкости; to anticipate — ожидать, предполагать ), since I found ornamental ledges and projections (так как я находил уступы и выступы украшений) which fairly formed a perfect ladder for me (которые образовывали практически идеальную лестницу для меня) all the way to the eaves of the building (на всем пути к карнизу здания; eaves — карниз ). Here I met my first real obstacle (здесь я наткнулся на первое настоящее препятствие). The eaves projected nearly twenty feet from the wall to which I clung (карниз выдавался вперед примерно на двадцать футов от стены, к которой я прижимался), and though I encircled the great building (и хотя я прополз вокруг огромного здания; to encircle — окружать; делать круг ) I could find no opening through them (я не мог найти проход через него).

The top floor was alight (верхний этаж был освещен), and filled with soldiers engaged in the pastimes of their kind (и заполнен солдатами, занятыми своими делами; pastime — занятие, времяпрепровождение ); I could not, therefore, reach the roof through the building (и я не мог, таким образом, попасть на крышу через здание; therefore — поэтому, следовательно ).

fraught [frO: t], essay [e'seI], anticipate [xn'tIsIpeIt], obstacle ['Obstqkl], pastime ['pQ: staIm]

It was a long climb up the face of the building, and one fraught with much danger, but there was no other way, and so I essayed the task. The fact that Barsoomian architecture is extremely ornate made the feat much simpler than I had anticipated, since I found ornamental ledges and projections which fairly formed a perfect ladder for me all the way to the eaves of the building. Here I met my first real obstacle. The eaves projected nearly twenty feet from the wall to which I clung, and though I encircled the great building I could find no opening through them.

The top floor was alight, and filled with soldiers engaged in the pastimes of their kind; I could not, therefore, reach the roof through the building.

There was one slight, desperate chance (был только один незначительный, отчаянный шанс), and that I decided I must take (и я решил, /что/ должен им воспользоваться) — it was for Dejah Thoris (это было ради Дежи Торис), and no man has lived (и не было еще такого мужчины) who would not risk a thousand deaths for such as she (который не подвергся бы риску тысячи смертей ради такой, как она).

Clinging to the wall with my feet and one hand (цепляясь за стену ногами и одной рукой), I unloosened one of the long leather straps of my trappings (я расстегнул один из длинных кожаных ремней моей амуниции) at the end of which dangled a great hook (на конце которого висел большой крюк) by which air sailors are hung to the sides and bottoms of their craft (с помощью которого воздушные моряки подвешиваются к бортам и днищам своих судов) for various purposes of repair (с целью различного ремонта), and by means of which landing parties (и с помощью которых сходящие на сушу/приземляющиеся группы) are lowered to the ground from the battleships (спускаются на землю с военных кораблей).

desperate ['desprIt], unloosen [An'lu: sn], sailor ['seIlq]

There was one slight, desperate chance, and that I decided I must take — it was for Dejah Thoris, and no man has lived who would not risk a thousand deaths for such as she.

Clinging to the wall with my feet and one hand, I unloosened one of the long leather straps of my trappings at the end of which dangled a great hook by which air sailors are hung to the sides and bottoms of their craft for various purposes of repair, and by means of which landing parties are lowered to the ground from the battleships.

I swung this hook cautiously to the roof several times (я несколько раз осторожно забрасывал этот крюк на крышу) before it finally found lodgment (пока он, наконец, не нашел опору; lodgment — приют; закрепление на позиции; to lodge — засесть, застрять/о предмете/; lodge — ложа; домик; вигвам; нора ); gently I pulled on it to strengthen its hold (я мягко потянул за него, чтобы усилить захват), but whether it would bear the weight of my body I did not know (но выдержит ли он вес моего тела, я не знал). It might be barely caught upon the very outer verge of the roof (он мог лишь едва зацепиться за самую кромку крыши; verge — край; кромка; outer — наружный ), so that as my body swung out at the end of the strap (так, что когда мое тело качнется на конце ремня) it would slip off and launch me to the pavement a thousand feet below (он может соскользнуть и сбросить меня на мостовую в тысяче футов внизу; to launch — бросать с силой ).