To make matters worse, most of the Toyaats were in the back country on the flanks of a caribou herd, and Jees Uck was with them. Removing to a distance seemed to bring her closer than ever, and Neil Bonner found himself picturing her, day by day, in camp and on trail. It is not good to be alone. Often he went out of the quiet store, bare-headed and frantic, and shook his fist at the blink of day that came over the southern sky-line. And on still, cold nights he left his bed and stumbled into the frost, where he assaulted the silence at the top of his lungs, as though it were some tangible, sentiment thing that he might arouse; or he shouted at the sleeping dogs till they howled and howled again. One shaggy brute he brought into the post, playing that it was the new man sent by Prentiss. He strove to make it sleep decently under blankets at nights and to sit at table and eat as a man should; but the beast, mere domesticated wolf that it was, rebelled, and sought out dark corners and snarled and bit him in the leg, and was finally beaten and driven forth.

Then the trick of personification seized upon Neil Bonner and mastered him (затем уловка с воплощением ухватилась за Нила Боннера и овладела им). All the forces of his environment metamorphosed into living (все силы его окружения превратились в живое = живые существа), breathing entities and came to live with him (дышащие жизнью сущности и стали жить с ним; breathing — /словно/ живой, дышащий жизнью /о статуе и т. п./). He recreated the primitive pantheon (он воскресил первобытный пантеон); reared an altar to the sun and burned candle fat and bacon grease thereon (соорудил алтарь солнцу и зажигал на нем свечи из жира и топленого сала от бекона); and in the unfenced yard (а во дворе без забора), by the long-legged cache (у длинноногого лабаза), made a frost devil (сделал демона мороза), which he was wont to make faces at and mock (которому он имел обыкновение строить рожи и насмехаться над ним) when the mercury oozed down into the bulb (когда ртуть стекалась вниз в шарик термометра; wont — имеющий обыкновение /чаще с инф./; bulb — луковицеобразное расширение стеклянной трубки: шарик /термометра/, колба /электрической лампы/). All this in play, of course (все это в шутку, конечно; in play — в шутку). He said it to himself that it was in play (он говорил /это/ себе, что это в шутку), and repeated it over and over to make sure (и повторял это снова и снова на всякий случай; to make sure — удостовериться; на всякий случай), unaware that madness is ever prone to express itself in make-believe and play (не сознавая, что безумие всегда склонно выражаться в фантазии и в шутке; make-believe — притворство: «заставить поверить»; игра, в которой дети воображают себя кем-либо; воображение, фантазия).

Then the trick of personification seized upon Neil Bonner and mastered him. All the forces of his environment metamorphosed into living, breathing entities and came to live with him. He recreated the primitive pantheon; reared an altar to the sun and burned candle fat and bacon grease thereon; and in the unfenced yard, by the long-legged cache, made a frost devil, which he was wont to make faces at and mock when the mercury oozed down into the bulb. All this in play, of course. He said it to himself that it was in play, and repeated it over and over to make sure, unaware that madness is ever prone to express itself in make-believe and play.

One midwinter day (однажды в середине зимы), Father Champreau, a Jesuit missionary, pulled into Twenty Mile (на Двадцатую Милю прибыл отец Шампро, иезуитский миссионер; to pull into — прибывать; to pull — тянуть, тащить). Bonner fell upon him and dragged him into the post (Боннер набросился на него и затащил его на пост), and clung to him and wept (и цеплялся к нему и плакал; to cling — цепляться; прилипать; крепко держаться; прильнуть), until the priest wept with him from sheer compassion (пока священник не заплакал с ним из чистейшего сострадания; sheer — абсолютный, полнейший, сущий, явный). Then Bonner became madly hilarious and made lavish entertainment (потом Боннер стал безумно веселым и устроил обильное угощение; lavish — щедрый; неумеренный, расточительный; обильный; богатый, чрезмерный; entertainment — вечер, вечеринка; гостеприимство; угощение; to entertain — принимать, угощать /гостей/), swearing valiantly that his guest should not depart (отважно клянясь, что его гость не уедет). But Father Champreau was pressing to Salt Water on urgent business for his order (но отец Шампро торопился в Соленую Воду по срочному делу по своим церковным делам: «по делам своего /монашеского/ ордена»; salt water — соленая вода, морская вода, рассол; order — приказ; духовный сан; for — для; обозначает годность, пригодность для чего-либо), and pulled out next morning (и удалился следующим утром), with Bonner's blood threatened on his head (несмотря на угрозу ответственности за гибель Боннера; with — несмотря, вопреки; to have smb.’s blood on one’s head — быть ответственным за гибель кого-либо; threatened — такой, которым угрожают; to threaten — угрожать).

One midwinter day, Father Champreau, a Jesuit missionary, pulled into Twenty Mile. Bonner fell upon him and dragged him into the post, and clung to him and wept, until the priest wept with him from sheer compassion. Then Bonner became madly hilarious and made lavish entertainment, swearing valiantly that his guest should not depart. But Father Champreau was pressing to Salt Water on urgent business for his order, and pulled out next morning, with Bonner's blood threatened on his head.

And the threat was in a fair way toward realization (а угроза была /уже/ на верном пути к исполнению; in a fair way — на верном пути, на пороге), when the Toyaats returned from their long hunt to the winter camp (когда тояаты вернулись со своей долгой охоты в зимний лагерь). They had many furs (у них было много мехов), and there was much trading and stir at Twenty Mile (и на Двадцатой Миле было много торговли и суматохи; stir — шевеление; суета, суматоха; to stir — шевелить/ся/; двигать/ся/). Also, Jees Uck came to buy beads and scarlet cloths and things (кроме того, Джиз Ак пришла купить бусы, и алую материю, и прочее; also — также; кроме того; and things — и прочее, и тому подобное), and Bonner began to find himself again (и Боннер стал снова приходить себя; to find oneself — найти свое призвание, «обрести себя»; прийти в себя). He fought for a week against her (он неделю боролся с ней). Then the end came one night when she rose to leave (потом однажды вечером наступила развязка, когда она встала, чтобы уйти; end — конец; развязка; to rise — вставать, подниматься). She had not forgotten her repulse (она не забыла отказ; to forget — забыть), and the pride that drove Spike O'Brien on to complete the North-West Passage by land was her pride (и самолюбие, которое подталкивало Спайка О'Брайена вперед на осуществление Северо-Западного Прохода по суше, было ее самолюбием = и ее самолюбие не уступало тому самолюбию, которое…; pride — гордость; чувство гордости; гордыня; чувство собственного достоинства, самолюбие).

And the threat was in a fair way toward realization, when the Toyaats returned from their long hunt to the winter camp. They had many furs, and there was much trading and stir at Twenty Mile. Also, Jees Uck came to buy beads and scarlet cloths and things, and Bonner began to find himself again. He fought for a week against her. Then the end came one night when she rose to leave. She had not forgotten her repulse, and the pride that drove Spike O'Brien on to complete the North-West Passage by land was her pride.