In the afternoon the man came upon a trail. It was of another man, who did not walk, but who dragged himself on all fours. The man thought it might be Bill, but he thought in a dull, uninterested way. He had no curiosity. In fact, sensation and emotion had left him. He was no longer susceptible to pain. Stomach and nerves had gone to sleep. Yet the life that was in him drove him on. He was very weary, but it refused to die. It was because it refused to die that he still ate muskeg berries and minnows, drank his hot water, and kept a wary eye on the sick wolf.

He followed the trail of the other man who dragged himself along (он пошел по следу другого человека, который тащился вперед), and soon came to the end of it (и вскоре пришел к его концу) — a few fresh-picked bones (несколько недавно обглоданных костей /там/) where the soggy moss was marked by the foot-pads of many wolves (где сырой мох был отмечен следами лап многих волков). He saw a squat moose-hide sack (он увидел короткий и толстый мешочек из лосиной кожи), mate to his own (товарищ его собственному), which had been torn by sharp teeth (который был разорван острыми зубами). He picked it up (он поднял его), though its weight was almost too much for his feeble fingers (хотя его вес был слишком велик для его немощных пальцев). Bill had carried it to the last (Билл нес его до последнего). Ha! ha (ха-ха)! He would have the laugh on Bill (он посмеется над Биллом; to have the laugh on smb. — посмеяться над кем-либо). He would survive and carry it to the ship in the shining sea (он выживет и донесет его до корабля в сверкающем море). His mirth was hoarse and ghastly (его веселье = ликование было сиплым и неприятным), like a raven's croak (как карканье ворона), and the sick wolf joined him (и больной волк присоединился к нему), howling lugubriously (скорбно завывая; lugubrious — скорбный, печальный, мрачный; траурный). The man ceased suddenly (человек вдруг перестал). How could he have the laugh on Bill if that were Bill (как он мог посмеяться над Биллом, если это был Билл); if those bones, so pinky-white and clean, were Bill (если эти кости, такие розово-белые и чистые, были Биллом)?

He followed the trail of the other man who dragged himself along, and soon came to the end of it — a few fresh-picked bones where the soggy moss was marked by the foot-pads of many wolves. He saw a squat moose-hide sack, mate to his own, which had been torn by sharp teeth. He picked it up, though its weight was almost too much for his feeble fingers. Bill had carried it to the last. Ha! ha! He would have the laugh on Bill. He would survive and carry it to the ship in the shining sea. His mirth was hoarse and ghastly, like a raven's croak, and the sick wolf joined him, howling lugubriously. The man ceased suddenly. How could he have the laugh on Bill if that were Bill; if those bones, so pinky-white and clean, were Bill?

He turned away (он отвернулся). Well, Bill had deserted him (ну, Билл бросил его); but he would not take the gold (но он не возьмет ни золото), nor would he suck Bill's bones (и не будет обсасывать кости Билла). Bill would have, though (хотя Билл и поступил бы так), had it been the other way around (если бы это было наоборот; the other way around — наоборот), he mused as he staggered on (размышлял он, идя, шатаясь, вперед; to stagger — шататься; идти шатаясь). He came to a pool of water (он подошел к луже воды). Stooping over in quest of minnows (наклонившись над ней в поисках гольянов), he jerked his head back as though he had been stung (он отдернул голову назад, словно его ужалили; to sting — жалить). He had caught sight of his reflected face (он увидел свое отраженное лицо = отражение своего лица; to catch sight of — заметить). So horrible was it (оно было так ужасно) that sensibility awoke long enough to be shocked (что чувствительность проснулась до достаточной степени: «достаточно далеко», чтобы оказаться потрясенной; to shock — производить сильное впечатление, поражать, потрясать; to awake). There were three minnows in the pool (было три гольяна в луже), which was too large to drain (которая была слишком велика, чтобы ее осушить = вычерпать; to drain — осушать, отводить воду); and after several ineffectual attempts to catch them in the tin bucket he forbore (и после нескольких безрезультатных попыток поймать их в оловянное ведро, он воздержался = прекратил; to forbear — сдерживаться, воздерживаться). He was afraid (он боялся), because of his great weakness (из-за своей большой слабости), that he might fall in and drown (что он может упасть в воду и утонуть). It was for this reason that he did not trust himself to the river astride one of the many drift-logs (именно по этой причине он не доверил себя реке, /чтобы плыть/ верхом на одном из многих плавучих бревен) which lined its sand-spits (которые выстроились вдоль ее длинных песчаных отмелей; to line — выстраиваться, тянуться вдоль; spit — длинная отмель; намывная коса).

He turned away. Well, Bill had deserted him; but he would not take the gold, nor would he suck Bill's bones. Bill would have, though, had it been the other way around, he mused as he staggered on. He came to a pool of water. Stooping over in quest of minnows, he jerked his head back as though he had been stung. He had caught sight of his reflected face. So horrible was it that sensibility awoke long enough to be shocked. There were three minnows in the pool, which was too large to drain; and after several ineffectual attempts to catch them in the tin bucket he forbore. He was afraid, because of his great weakness, that he might fall in and drown. It was for this reason that he did not trust himself to the river astride one of the many drift-logs which lined its sand-spits.

That day he decreased the distance between him and the ship by three miles (в тот день он уменьшил расстояние между ним и кораблем на три мили); the next day by two (в следующий день на две) — for he was crawling now as Bill had crawled (ибо теперь он полз, как полз Билл); and the end of the fifth day found the ship still seven miles away and him unable to make even a mile a day (а конец пятого дня застал корабль все еще в семи милях от него, а он был не в состоянии проходить даже милю в день). Still the Indian Summer held on (все еще стояло бабье лето; to hold on — продолжать делать что-либо, упорствовать в чем-либо), and he continued to crawl and faint (а он продолжал ползти и терять сознание), turn and turn about (попеременно /то полз, то терял сознание/; turn and turn about — попеременно); and ever the sick wolf coughed and wheezed at his heels (и постоянно больной волк кашлял и хрипел следом за ним; at smb.'s heels — по пятам, следом за кем-либо). His knees had become raw meat like his feet (его колени стали сырым мясом, как его ступни), and though he padded them with the shirt from his back (и хотя он обмотал их рубахой со спины; to pad — подбивать/набивать волосом или ватой; подкладывать что-либо мягкое) it was a red track he left behind him on the moss and stones (на мху и камнях за собой он оставлял окровавленный след; red — красный; окровавленный, запачканный кровью). Once, glancing back (однажды, оглянувшись), he saw the wolf licking hungrily his bleeding trail (он увидел, как волк жадно лижет его кровавый след), and he saw sharply what his own end might be (и он внезапно понял, каким может стать его собственный конец) — unless — unless he could get the wolf (если — если он не сможет достать = убить волка). Then began as grim a tragedy of existence as was ever played (тогда началась та беспощадная трагедия жизни = трагическая борьба за жизнь, какая только когда-нибудь разыгрывалась; ever — всегда; когда-либо; хотя бы, только) — a sick man that crawled (больной человек, который полз = ползущий больной человек), a sick wolf that limped (больной волк, который хромал = хромающий больной волк), two creatures dragging their dying carcasses across the desolation and hunting each other's lives (два существа, волочащие свои умирающие оболочки через пустошь и охотящиеся за жизнью друг друга; carcass — туша; оболочка; каркас, остов).