Another time the brown wanderer succeeded in traversing half the length of California, all of Oregon, and most of Washington, before he was picked up and returned "Collect." A remarkable thing was the speed with which he travelled. Fed up and rested, as soon as he was loosed he devoted all his energy to getting over the ground. On the first day's run he was known to cover as high as a hundred and fifty miles, and after that he would average a hundred miles a day until caught. He always arrived back lean and hungry and savage, and always departed fresh and vigorous, cleaving his way northward in response to some prompting of his being that no one could understand.

But at last, after a futile year of flight (но наконец, после года тщетных побегов), he accepted the inevitable and elected to remain at the cottage (он принял неизбежное и предпочел остаться у коттеджа) where first he had killed the rabbit and slept by the spring (где он поначалу убил кролика и заснул у источника). Even after that, a long time elapsed (даже после этого прошло долгое время) before the man and woman succeeded in patting him (прежде чем мужчине и женщине удалось похлопать его; to succeed — преуспевать; иметь успех). It was a great victory (это была великая победа), for they alone were allowed to put hands on him (ибо только им разрешалось возлагать на него руки). He was fastidiously exclusive (он был надменно недоступен), and no guest at the cottage ever succeeded in making up to him (и ни один гость коттеджа никогда не преуспел в том, чтобы приблизиться к нему; to make up to smb. — подходить, приближаться). A low growl greeted such approach (низкое рычание встречало такое приближение); if any one had the hardihood to come nearer (если у кого-то доставало отваги подойти ближе), the lips lifted (поднимались губы), the naked fangs appeared (появлялись обнаженные клыки), and the growl became a snarl (и рычание становилось рыком) — a snarl so terrible and malignant (рыком таким страшным и злобным) that it awed the stoutest of them (что он ужасал самых храбрых из них), as it likewise awed the farmers' dogs (как он ужасал и фермерских собак) that knew ordinary dog-snarling (которые знали = которые были знакомы с обычным собачьим рычанием), but had never seen wolf-snarling before (но которые никогда прежде не встречались с волчьим рыком; to see — видеться, видаться, встречаться).

But at last, after a futile year of flight, he accepted the inevitable and elected to remain at the cottage where first he had killed the rabbit and slept by the spring. Even after that, a long time elapsed before the man and woman succeeded in patting him. It was a great victory, for they alone were allowed to put hands on him. He was fastidiously exclusive, and no guest at the cottage ever succeeded in making up to him. A low growl greeted such approach; if any one had the hardihood to come nearer, the lips lifted, the naked fangs appeared, and the growl became a snarl — a snarl so terrible and malignant that it awed the stoutest of them, as it likewise awed the farmers' dogs that knew ordinary dog-snarling, but had never seen wolf-snarling before.

He was without antecedents (у него не было прошлого; antecedents — прошлое /происхождение/). His history began with Walt and Madge (его история началась с Уолта и Мэдж). He had come up from the south (он появился с юга), but never a clew did they get of the owner (но никогда у них не было ключа /к разгадке того кто был его/ владельцем) from whom he had evidently fled (от которого он, очевидно, сбежал; to flee). Mrs. Johnson, their nearest neighbor and the one who supplied them with milk (миссис Джонсон, их ближайшая соседка и человек, который снабжал их молоком), proclaimed him a Klondike dog (заявила, что он пес с Клондайка). Her brother was burrowing for frozen pay-streaks in that far country (ее брат копался в поисках перспективных жил в том далеком краю), and so she constituted herself an authority on the subject (и поэтому она сделалась авторитетом в этой области; to constitute — сделать/произвести официальное назначение, назначить; subject — тема, предмет разговора; дело, занятие, сфера профессиональных интересов).

He was without antecedents. His history began with Walt and Madge. He had come up from the south, but never a clew did they get of the owner from whom he had evidently fled. Mrs. Johnson, their nearest neighbor and the one who supplied them with milk, proclaimed him a Klondike dog. Her brother was burrowing for frozen pay-streaks in that far country, and so she constituted herself an authority on the subject.

But they did not dispute her (но они не оспаривали ее). There were the tips of Wolf's ears (у Волка были кончики ушей), obviously so severely frozen at some time (очевидно так сильно обмороженные когда-то) that they would never quite heal again (что они никогда полностью не заживут больше). Besides, he looked like the photographs of the Alaskan dogs (кроме того, он был похож на фотографии аляскинских собак) they saw published in magazines and newspapers (которые они видели /опубликованными/ в журналах и газетах). They often speculated over his past, and tried to conjure up (они часто размышляли о его прошлом и пытались представить; to conjure up — вызывать в воображении; to conjure — вызывать, заклинать /духов/) (from what they had read and heard (исходя из того, что они читали и слышали)) what his northland life had been (какова была его жизнь на севере). That the northland still drew him, they knew (они знали, что север все еще притягивает его; to draw — тянуть; притягивать); for at night they sometimes heard him crying softly (ибо ночью они иногда слышали, как он тихо скулит; to cry — кричать, вопить; плакать; выть, лаять; издавать характерный звук /о животном/); and when the north wind blew and the bite of frost was in the air (а когда дул северный ветер, и в воздухе пощипывал мороз; bite — укус; to bite — кусать; щипать /о морозе/), a great restlessness would come upon him (его охватывало сильное беспокойство; to come upon — охватывать кого-либо, случаться с кем-либо) and he would lift a mournful lament which they knew to be the long wolf-howl (и он поднимал = выводил унылое завывание, которое, они знали, и есть протяжный волчий вой; to lift — поднимать, повышать, возвышать /голос/). Yet he never barked (однако он никогда не лаял). No provocation was great enough to draw from him that canine cry (никакая провокация не была достаточно велика = ничем нельзя было исторгнуть из него этот собачий звук; provocation — подстрекательство, провокация; стимул; раздражение, причина недовольства, источник раздражения; to draw — выдергивать, вырывать).

But they did not dispute her. There were the tips of Wolf's ears, obviously so severely frozen at some time that they would never quite heal again. Besides, he looked like the photographs of the Alaskan dogs they saw published in magazines and newspapers. They often speculated over his past, and tried to conjure up (from what they had read and heard) what his northland life had been. That the northland still drew him, they knew; for at night they sometimes heard him crying softly; and when the north wind blew and the bite of frost was in the air, a great restlessness would come upon him and he would lift a mournful lament which they knew to be the long wolf-howl. Yet he never barked. No provocation was great enough to draw from him that canine cry.

Long discussion they had (у них была долгая дискуссия), during the time of winning him (во время завоевания его /доверия/), as to whose dog he was (по поводу того, чей пес это был). Each claimed him (каждый /из них/ заявлял свои права на него), and each proclaimed loudly any expression of affection made by him (и каждый шумно указывал на любое выражение = проявление любви, сделанное им = с его стороны). But the man had the better of it at first (но мужчина сначала выигрывал; to have the better of smth. — выигрывать, брать верх в чем-либо), chiefly because he was a man (главным образом, потому что он был мужчина). It was patent that Wolf had had no experience with women (явно было, что у Волка не было опыта /общения/ с женщинами; patent — очевидный, явный). He did not understand women (он не понимал женщин). Madge's skirts were something he never quite accepted (юбки Мэдж были чем-то, с чем он полностью так и не примирился; to accept — принимать, мириться). The swish of them was enough to set him a-bristle with suspicion (их шуршания было достаточно, чтобы он ощетинился от подозрения; to set — приводить /в какое-либо состояние/, помещать /в какое-либо положение/; в этом значении употребляется с прилагательными в роли комплемента; to bristle — ощетиниться), and on a windy day she could not approach him at all (а в ветреный день она не могла вообще приблизиться к нему).