Английский язык с Э. Р. Берроузом. Принцесса Марса
Шрифт:
"But how came you upon the roof, man? No one has landed or come up from the building for the past hour. Quick, explain yourself, or I call the guard."
"Look you here, sentry, and you shall see how I came and how close a shave I had to not coming at all," I answered, turning toward the edge of the roof, where, twenty feet below, at the end of my strap, hung all my weapons.
The fellow, acting on impulse of curiosity (парень, поддавшись порыву любопытства; impulse — порыв, побуждение; to act on impulse — поддаваться порыву), stepped to my side and to his undoing (шагнул ко мне и к своей гибели; undoing — гибель, причина гибели), for as he leaned to peer over the eaves (так как, когда он наклонился, чтобы заглянуть за карниз) I grasped him by his throat and his pistol arm (я схватил его за горло и за руку с пистолетом) and threw him heavily to the roof (и с силой бросил его на крышу). The weapon dropped from his grasp (оружие
impulse ['ImpAls], undoing [An'du: IN], assistance [q'sIst(q)ns]
The fellow, acting on impulse of curiosity, stepped to my side and to his undoing, for as he leaned to peer over the eaves I grasped him by his throat and his pistol arm and threw him heavily to the roof. The weapon dropped from his grasp, and my fingers choked off his attempted cry for assistance. I gagged and bound him and then hung him over the edge of the roof as I myself had hung a few moments before. I knew it would be morning before he would be discovered, and I needed all the time that I could gain.
Donning my trappings and weapons I hastened to the sheds (надев свою амуницию и оружие, я поспешил к ангарам; to don — надевать), and soon had out both my machine and Kantos Kan 's (и вскоре вывел наружу обе машины — мою и Кантоса Кана). Making his fast behind mine I started my engine (прикрепив его машину сзади своей, я запустил двигатель; fast — крепкий, прочный; to make fast — закреплять, привязывать; to start the engine — запускать двигатель), and skimming over the edge of the roof (и, легко скользнув за край крыши; to skim — легко и плавно скользить) I dove down into the streets of the city (я нырнул вниз к улицам города; to dive — прыгать в воду, нырять) far below the plane usually occupied by the air patrol (намного ниже уровня, на котором обычно находился воздушный патруль; plane — плоскость, уровень). In less than a minute I was settling safely upon the roof of our apartment beside the astonished Kantos Kan (менее чем через минуту я благополучно опустился на крышу наших апартаментов рядом с изумленным Кантосом Канном; to settle — устраиваться; поселяться; опускаться, садиться).
engine ['endZIn], occupy ['OkjupaI]
Donning my trappings and weapons I hastened to the sheds, and soon had out both my machine and Kantos Kan 's. Making his fast behind mine I started my engine, and skimming over the edge of the roof I dove down into the streets of the city far below the plane usually occupied by the air patrol. In less than a minute I was settling safely upon the roof of our apartment beside the astonished Kantos Kan.
I lost no time in explanation (я не стал терять времени на объяснения), but plunged immediately into a discussion of our plans for the immediate future (но немедленно приступил к обсуждению наших планов на ближайшее будущее; to plunge into — пускаться, начинать: «нырять в»). It was decided that I was to try to make Helium (было решено, что я попытаюсь добраться до Гелиума) while Kantos Kan was to enter the palace and dispatch Sab Than (в то время, как Кантос Кан должен был пробраться во дворец и расправиться с Сабом Таном; to dispatch — разделываться, расправляться). If successful he was then to follow me (в случае удачи он должен будет последовать за мной). He set my compass for me (он настроил мой компас для меня), a clever little device (хитроумное маленькое устройство) which will remain steadfastly fixed upon any given point on the surface of Barsoom (которое будет оставаться постоянно нацеленным на любую заданную точку на поверхности Барсума; steadfast — постоянный, устойчивый), and bidding each other farewell (и, попрощавшись друг с другом) we rose together and sped in the direction of the palace (мы взмыли вверх вместе и поспешили в направлении дворца; to speed) which lay in the route which I must take to reach Helium (который лежал по маршруту, по которому я должен следовать, чтобы добраться до Гелиума).
plunge [plAndZ], steadfast ['stedfQ: st], farewell [feq'wel]
I lost no time in explanation, but plunged immediately into a discussion of our plans for the immediate future. It was decided that I was to try to make Helium while Kantos Kan was to enter the palace and dispatch Sab Than. If successful he was then to follow me. He set my compass for me, a clever little device which will remain steadfastly fixed upon any given point on the surface of Barsoom, and bidding each other farewell we rose together and sped in the direction of the palace which lay in the route which I must take to reach Helium.
As we neared the high tower a patrol shot down from above (когда
searchlight ['sWtSlaIt], cruiser ['kru: zq], elude [I'lu: d]
As we neared the high tower a patrol shot down from above, throwing its piercing searchlight full upon my craft, and a voice roared out a command to halt, following with a shot as I paid no attention to his hail. Kantos Kan dropped quickly into the darkness, while I rose steadily and at terrific speed raced through the Martian sky followed by a dozen of the air-scout craft which had joined the pursuit, and later by a swift cruiser carrying a hundred men and a battery of rapid-fire guns. By twisting and turning my little machine, now rising and now falling, I managed to elude their search-lights most of the time, but I was also losing ground by these tactics, and so I decided to hazard everything on a straight-away course and leave the result to fate and the speed of my machine.
Kantos Kan had shown me a trick of gearing (Кантос Кан показал мне одну хитрость управления; to gear — включать, приводить в движение /механизм/; gear — шестерня; передаточный механизм, привод), which is known only to the navy of Helium (которая известна только морякам Гелиума), that greatly increased the speed of our machines (которая значительно увеличила скорость наших машин), so that I felt sure I could distance my pursuers (поэтому я был уверен, что смогу оставить далеко позади своих преследователей; to distance — оставлять далеко позади) if I could dodge their projectiles for a few moments (если я смогу уворачиваться от их снарядов несколько мгновений; to dodge — увертываться, уклоняться).
As I sped through the air the screeching of the bullets around me convinced me (пока я мчался в воздухе, свист пуль вокруг меня убеждал меня; to screech — скрипеть, визжать) that only by a miracle could I escape (что только чудом я могу спастись), but the die was cast (но жребий был брошен), and throwing on full speed I raced a straight course toward Helium (и, включив полную скорость, я мчался по прямому курсу к Гелиуму). Gradually I left my pursuers further and further behind (постепенно я оставлял своих преследователей все дальше и дальше сзади), and I was just congratulating myself on my lucky escape (и я уже поздравлял себя со счастливым избавлением), when a well-directed shot from the cruiser exploded at the prow of my little craft (когда меткий снаряд с крейсера взорвался у носа моего маленького суденышка; well-directed — меткий, точный; shot — выстрел; снаряд). The concussion nearly capsized her (сотрясение почти опрокинуло его; concussion — сотрясение, удар; to capsize — опрокидывать), and with a sickening plunge she hurtled downward through the dark night (и с вызывающим дурноту броском оно ринулось вниз сквозь мрак ночи).