He had displaced no agent; for the man that previously ran the post had made away with himself; "because of the rigours of the place," said the assistant, who still remained; though the Toyaats, by their fires, had another version. The assistant was a shrunken-shouldered, hollow-chested man, with a cadaverous face and cavernous cheeks that his sparse black beard could not hide. He coughed much, as though consumption gripped his lungs, while his eyes had that mad, fevered light common to consumptives in the last stage. Pentley was his name — Amos Pentley — and Bonner did not like him, though he felt a pity for the forlorn and hopeless devil. They did not get along together, these two men who, of all men, should have been on good terms in the face of the cold and silence and darkness of the long winter.

In the end, Bonner concluded that Amos was partly demented (в конечном счете Боннер сделал вывод, что Амос был в некоторой степени сумасшедшим), and left him alone (и оставил его в покое), doing all the work himself except the cooking (выполняя всю работу сам, за исключением приготовления пищи). Even then, Amos had nothing but bitter looks and an undisguised hatred for him (даже тогда Амос только имел = бросал ожесточенные взгляды и имел = излучал неприкрытую ненависть к нему; nothing but — только, ничего кроме; to have a look — посмотреть). This was a great loss to Bonner (это была огромная потеря для Боннера); for the smiling face of one of his own kind, the cheery word, the sympathy of comradeship shared with misfortune (ибо улыбающееся лицо одного = человека из его собственного рода, веселое словцо, сочувствие товарищества с общими бедами) — these things meant much (это много значило); and the winter was yet young (а зима была еще молода = в самом начале) when he began to realize the added reasons (когда он начал осознавать добавившиеся причины), with such an assistant (при таком помощнике), that the previous agent had found to impel his own hand against his life (которые нашел предыдущий агент, чтобы побудить свою собственную руку против своей жизни = собственной рукой лишить себя жизни; to impel — побуждать, принуждать, подталкивать).

In the end, Bonner concluded that Amos was partly demented, and left him alone, doing all the work himself except the cooking. Even then, Amos had nothing but bitter looks and an undisguised hatred for him. This was a great loss to Bonner; for the smiling face of one of his own kind, the cheery word, the sympathy of comradeship shared with misfortune — these things meant much; and the winter was yet young when he began to realize the added reasons, with such an assistant, that the previous agent had found to impel his own hand against his life.

It was very lonely at Twenty Mile (на Двадцатой Миле было очень одиноко). The bleak vastness stretched away on every side to the horizon (унылая безбрежность простиралась во все стороны до горизонта; bleak — унылый, гнетущий, безрадостный). The snow, which was really frost, flung its mantle over the land and buried everything in the silence of death (снег, который, вообще говоря, был изморозью, раскинул свою мантию над землей и похоронил все в безмолвии смерти; frost — иней, изморозь; to fling — бросать, метать, кидать). For days it was clear and cold (много дней было ясно и холодно), the thermometer steadily recording forty to fifty degrees below zero (/при этом/ термометр неизменно показывал 40-50 градусов ниже нуля; to record — показывать, отмечать /на шкале и т. д./). Then a change came over the face of things (потом перемена охватила поверхность предметов; to come over — охватить, овладеть /об эмоции, физическом состоянии/). What little moisture had oozed into the atmosphere gathered into dull grey, formless clouds (та немногая влага, которая просочилась в атмосферу, собралась в мрачные, серые, бесформенные тучи); it became quite warm, the thermometer rising to twenty below (стало довольно тепло, /при этом/ термометр поднялся до 20 /градусов/ ниже нуля); and the moisture fell out of the sky in hard frost-granules that hissed like dry sugar or driving sand when kicked underfoot (а влага выпала с неба в твердых гранулах инея, которые шуршали, как сухой сахар или движущийся песок, когда на него наступают = под ногами; to hiss — шипеть; свистеть; underfoot — под ногами; to kick — ударять ногой, пинать). After that it became clear and cold again (после этого снова стало ясно и холодно), until enough moisture had gathered to blanket the earth from the cold of outer space (пока достаточно влаги не собралось, чтобы укрыть землю от холода внешнего/открытого пространства = космоса). That was all (/и/ это было все). Nothing happened (ничего не случилось). No storms, no churning waters and threshing forests (ни бурь, ни пенящихся вод и хлещущих лесов; to thresh — бить, хлестать), nothing but the machine-like precipitation of accumulated moisture (ничего, кроме выпадения в виде осадков скопившейся влаги, как в машине = как конденсата в паровой машине). Possibly the most notable thing that occurred through the weary weeks (пожалуй, самым примечательным, что произошло на протяжении этих скучных недель; weary — усталый; скучный) was the gliding of the temperature up to the unprecedented height of fifteen below (было плавное скольжение = изменение температуры до беспрецедентного максимума в пятнадцать градусов ниже нуля; height — высшая точка, максимум). To atone for this (чтобы компенсировать это; to atone for — компенсировать, возмещать), outer space smote the earth with its cold till the mercury froze (космос наказал землю своим холодом до замерзания ртути; to smite — наказать, покарать) and the spirit thermometer remained more than seventy below for a fortnight, when it burst (а спиртовой термометр оставался в течение двух недель /на отметке/ более 70 /градусов/ ниже /нуля/, когда = пока он не лопнул; to burst — взорваться, лопнуть). There was no telling how much colder it was after that (после этого невозможно было определить, насколько холоднее стало; to tell — осознавать, понимать, постигать). Another occurrence, monotonous in its regularity (еще одним событием, однообразным по своей регулярности), was the lengthening of the nights (было удлинение ночей), till day became a mere blink of light between the darkness (пока день не стал лишь мгновением света во тьме; blink — мерцание, мигание; мгновение, миг, момент).

It was very lonely at Twenty Mile. The bleak vastness stretched away on every side to the horizon. The snow, which was really frost, flung its mantle over the land and buried everything in the silence of death. For days it was clear and cold, the thermometer steadily recording forty to fifty degrees below zero. Then a change came over the face of things. What little moisture had oozed into the atmosphere gathered into dull grey, formless clouds; it became quite warm, the thermometer rising to twenty below; and the moisture fell out of the sky in hard frost-granules that hissed like dry sugar or driving sand when kicked underfoot. After that it became clear and cold again, until enough moisture had gathered to blanket the earth from the cold of outer space. That was all. Nothing happened. No storms, no churning waters and threshing forests, nothing but the machine-like precipitation of accumulated moisture. Possibly the most notable thing that occurred through the weary weeks was the gliding of the temperature up to the unprecedented height of fifteen below. To atone for this, outer space smote the earth with its cold till the mercury froze and the spirit thermometer remained more than seventy below for a fortnight, when it burst. There was no telling how much colder it was after that. Another occurrence, monotonous in its regularity, was the lengthening of the nights, till day became a mere blink of light between the darkness.