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

chatter ['tSxtq], presently ['prezntlI], jibber ['dZIbq], reasoning ['ri: znIN]

Laughing and chattering like the idiot I was fast becoming, I fell upon his prostrate form, my fingers feeling for his dead throat. Presently they came in contact with a small chain at the end of which dangled a number of keys. The touch of my fingers on these keys brought back my reason with the suddenness of thought. No longer was I a jibbering idiot, but a sane, reasoning man with the means of escape within my very hands.

As I was groping to remove the chain from about my victim's neck (когда я наощупь /пытался/ снять цепочку с шеи моей жертвы) I glanced up into the darkness to see six pairs of gleaming eyes (я взглянул в темноту и увидел шесть пар мерцающих глаз) fixed, unwinking, upon me (которые уставились на меня, не мигая). Slowly they approached and slowly I shrank back (медленно они приближались, и медленно я пятился назад; to shrink back — отпрянуть) from the awful horror of them (в неописуемом ужасе перед ними). Back into my corner (/отступив/ назад в свой угол) I crouched holding my hands palms out, before me (я сжался и протянул руки ладонями вперед перед собой), and stealthily on came the awful eyes (и осторожно приближались эти ужасные глаза) until they reached the dead body at my feet (пока они не приблизились к мертвому телу у моих ног). Then slowly they retreated (затем медленно они отступили) but this time with a strange grating sound (но на этот раз со странным скрипучим звуком) and finally they disappeared in some black and distant recess of my dungeon (и, наконец, они исчезли в каких-то темных и отдаленных уголках моей темницы).

unwinking ["An'wINkIN], recess [rI'ses], dungeon ['dAndZ(q)n]

As I was groping to remove the chain from about my victim's neck I glanced up into the darkness to see six pairs of gleaming eyes fixed, unwinking, upon me. Slowly they approached and slowly I shrank back from the awful horror of them. Back into my corner I crouched holding my hands palms out, before me, and stealthily on came the awful eyes until they reached the dead body at my feet. Then slowly they retreated but this time with a strange grating sound and finally they disappeared in some black and distant recess of my dungeon.

CHAPTER XIX

Slowly I regained my composure (медленно ко мне вернулось самообладание; composure — спокойствие, самообладание; to regain — обретать снова; возвращать себе; восстанавливать) and finally essayed again to attempt to remove the keys from the dead body of my former jailer (и наконец, /я/ вновь попытался снять ключи с мертвого тела моего бывшего тюремщика; to essay — пробовать, пытаться). But as I reached out into the darkness to locate it (но когда я протянул руку в темноте, чтобы найти их) I found to my horror that it was gone (то, к своему ужасу обнаружил, что оно исчезло). Then the truth flashed on me (тогда /свет/ истины озарил меня; to flash on — осенять, озарять); the owners of those gleaming eyes had dragged my prize away from me (обладатели этих мерцающих глаз утащили мой трофей у меня) to be devoured in their neighboring lair (чтобы сожрать его рядом в своем логове); as they had been waiting for days, for weeks, for months (так, как они ожидали дни, недели, месяцы), through all this awful eternity of my imprisonment (в течение всей этой ужасной вечности моего заключения) to drag my dead carcass to their feast (чтобы утащить мое мертвое тело на свой пир).

For two days no food was brought me (два дня мне не приносили никакой пищи), but then a new messenger appeared (но затем появился новый посыльный) and my incarceration went on as before (и мое заточение продолжилось, как и раньше; to go on — продолжить, продолжать), but not again did I allow my reason to be submerged by the horror of my position (но больше я не позволял своему разуму помутиться от ужасов моего положения; to submerge — погружаться в воду; исчезать).

composure [kqm'pouZq], essay ['eseI], neighboring ['neIb(q)rIN], imprisonment [Im'prIz(q)nmqnt], incarceration [In" kQ: sq'reIS(q)n], submerge [sqb'mWdZ]

Slowly I regained my composure and finally essayed again to attempt to remove the keys from the dead body of my former jailer. But as I reached out into the darkness to locate it I found to my horror that it was gone. Then the truth flashed on me; the owners of those gleaming eyes had dragged my prize away from me to be devoured in their neighboring lair; as they had been waiting for days, for weeks, for months, through all this awful eternity of my imprisonment to drag my dead carcass to their feast.

For two days no food was brought me, but then a new messenger appeared and my incarceration went on as before, but not again did I allow my reason to be submerged by the horror of my position.

Shortly after this episode another prisoner was brought in and chained near me (вскоре после этого события другого пленника привели /в темницу/ и приковали цепью возле меня; episode — эпизод; случай). By the dim torch light I saw that he was a red Martian (в тусклом свете факела я увидел, что он был красным марсианином) and I could scarcely await the departure of his guards to address him (и я едва мог дождаться ухода его стражников, чтобы обратиться к нему). As their retreating footsteps died away in the distance (когда их удаляющиеся шаги затихли в отдалении; to die away — замирать, затихать), I called out softly the Martian word of greeting (я тихо произнес марсианское слово приветствия; softly — мягко; тихо), kaor.

"Who are you who speaks out of the darkness?" he answered (кто ты, тот, кто говорит из темноты? — отозвался он).

"John Carter, a friend of the red men of Helium (друг красных людей Гелиума)."

"I am of Helium," he said, "but I do not recall your name (я из Гелиума, но я не припоминаю твоего имени)."

episode ['epIsoud], retreat [rI'tri: t]

Shortly after this episode another prisoner was brought in and chained near me. By the dim torch light I saw that he was a red Martian and I could scarcely await the departure of his guards to address him. As their retreating footsteps died away in the distance, I called out softly the Martian word of greeting, kaor.

"Who are you who speaks out of the darkness?" he answered.

"John Carter, a friend of the red men of Helium."

"I am of Helium," he said, "but I do not recall your name."

And then I told him my story as I have written it here (и затем я рассказал ему мою историю так, как я описал ее здесь), omitting only any reference to my love for Dejah Thoris (опустив только любые упоминания о моей любви к Деже Торис). He was much excited by the news of Helium's princess (он был очень взволнован известиями о принцессе Гелиума) and seemed quite positive (и казался совершенно уверенным; positive — уверенный, убежденный) that she and Sola could easily have reached a point of safety from where they left me (что она и Сола могли добраться до безопасного места оттуда, где они меня оставили). He said that he knew the place well (он сказал, что знает это место хорошо) because the defile through which the Warhoon warriors had passed when they discovered us (потому что узкий проход, через который прошли ворхунские воины, когда они обнаружили нас) was the only one ever used by them when marching to the south (был единственным, который они вообще использовали, когда продвигались на юг).

"Dejah Thoris and Sola entered the hills not five miles from a great waterway (углубились в холмы не далее, чем в пяти милях от великого канала) and are now probably quite safe," he assured me (и теперь, вероятно, в полной безопасности, — уверил он меня).

omit [q'mIt], march [mQ: tS], assure [q'Suq]

And then I told him my story as I have written it here, omitting only any reference to my love for Dejah Thoris. He was much excited by the news of Helium's princess and seemed quite positive that she and Sola could easily have reached a point of safety from where they left me. He said that he knew the place well because the defile through which the Warhoon warriors had passed when they discovered us was the only one ever used by them when marching to the south.

"Dejah Thoris and Sola entered the hills not five miles from a great waterway and are now probably quite safe," he assured me.

My fellow prisoner was Kantos Kan, a padwar (lieutenant) in the navy of Helium (моим товарищем по тюрьме был Кантос Кан, лейтенант флота Гелиума). He had been a member of the ill-fated expedition (он был участником злополучной экспедиции) which had fallen into the hands of the Tharks (которая попала в лапы тарков) at the time of Dejah Thoris' capture (во время захвата Дежи Торис), and he briefly related the events (и он коротко пересказал те события) which followed the defeat of the battleships (которые последовали за поражением боевых кораблей).

Badly injured and only partially manned (сильно поврежденные и только частично укомплектованные командой; to man — укомплектовывать личным составом) they had limped slowly toward Helium (они медленно и с трудом продвигались к Гелиуму; to limp — хромать; двигаться медленно или с трудом), but while passing near the city of Zodanga (но когда они проходили возле города Зоданги), the capital of Helium's hereditary enemies among the red men of Barsoom (столицы потомственных врагов Гелиума среди красных людей Барсума; hereditary — наследственный, потомственный), they had been attacked by a great body of war vessels (они были атакованы большой группой военных судов) and all but the craft to which Kantos Kan belonged (и все /суда/, за исключением судна, к которому был приписан Кантос Кан; to belong — принадлежать; быть частью группы) were either destroyed or captured (были либо уничтожены, либо захвачены). His vessel was chased for days by three of the Zodangan war ships (его судно несколько дней преследовали три зодангианских военных корабля) but finally escaped during the darkness of a moonless night (но наконец /ему/ удалось ускользнуть во тьме безлунной ночи).

battleship ['bxtlSIp], injure ['IndZq], vessel [vesl], escape [Is'keIp]

My fellow prisoner was Kantos Kan, a padwar (lieutenant) in the navy of Helium. He had been a member of the ill-fated expedition which had fallen into the hands of the Tharks at the time of Dejah Thoris' capture, and he briefly related the events which followed the defeat of the battleships.

Badly injured and only partially manned they had limped slowly toward Helium, but while passing near the city of Zodanga, the capital of Helium's hereditary enemies among the red men of Barsoom, they had been attacked by a great body of war vessels and all but the craft to which Kantos Kan belonged were either destroyed or captured. His vessel was chased for days by three of the Zodangan war ships but finally escaped during the darkness of a moonless night.

Thirty days after the capture of Dejah Thoris (через тридцать дней после пленения Дежи Торис), or about the time of our coming to Thark (или примерно ко времени нашего прибытия в Тарк), his vessel had reached Helium with about ten survivors (его судно достигло Гелиума с примерно десятью выжившими /на борту/) of the original crew of seven hundred officers and men (из первоначальной команды из семисот офицеров и рядовых; man — военнослужащий рядового состава). Immediately seven great fleets (немедленно семь больших флотилий), each of one hundred mighty war ships (каждая из которых /состояла/ из сотни мощных военных кораблей) had been dispatched to search for Dejah Thoris (были отправлены на поиски Дежи Торис), and from these vessels two thousand smaller craft (и, кроме этих судов, две тысячи более мелких кораблей) had been kept out continuously in futile search for the missing princess (постоянно находились: «их держали вне /порта/» в тщетных поисках исчезнувшей принцессы; futile — бесполезный, тщетный).