"Time (время = приготовились)!"
Sixty pairs of hands unmitted (шестьдесят пар рукавиц сдернуто с рук; mitt — рукавица, варежка); as many pairs of moccasins gripped hard upon the snow (столько же пар мокасин уперлось крепко в снег).
"Go (давай/пошли)!"
hurry ['hArI], boundary ['baund(q)rI], superfluous [sju(:)'pWfluqs]
A bearskin-coated policeman stepped prominently to the fore, watch in hand. Men hurried among the dogs, rousing them to their feet, untangling their traces, straightening them out. The entries came to the mark, firmly gripping stakes and notices. They had gone over the boundaries of the claim so often that they could now have done it blindfolded. The policeman raised his hand. Casting off their superfluous furs and blankets, and with a final cinching of belts, they came to attention.
"Time!"
Sixty pairs of hands unmitted; as many pairs of moccasins gripped hard upon the snow.
"Go!"
They shot across the wide expanse, round the four sides (они бросились по широкому пустому пространству, /обходя его/ с четырех сторон), sticking notices at every corner, and down the middle (вбивая колышки по всем углам и посередине) where the two centre stakes were to be planted (где два центральных колышка должны были быть вбиты). Then they sprang for the sleds on the frozen bed of the creek (затем они прыгнули на сани на замерзшей глади ручья). An anarchy of sound and motion broke out (анархия звука и движения вспыхнула/разразилась; to break out). Sled collided with sled (нарты сталкивались с нартами), and dog-team fastened upon dog-team with bristling manes and screaming fangs (и собачья упряжка устремлялась на собачью упряжку с ощетинившимися загривками и скрежещущими клыками). The narrow creek was glutted with the struggling mass (узкий ручей был завален борющейся массой; to glut — насыщать; заваливать, наполнять до отказа). Lashes and butts of dog-whips were distributed impartially among men and brutes (удары хлыстов и рукояток собачьих хлыстов распределялись беспристрастно среди людей и животных). And to make it of greater moment (и в довершение всего: «чтобы сделать это еще большим моментом»), each participant had a bunch of comrades intent on breaking him out of jam (каждый участник имел группу товарищей, полных решимости вытащить его из давки; bunch — связка, пучок, пачка; /разг./ группа, компания). But one by one (но один за одним), and by sheer strength (и с помощью одной только силы/единственно силой), the sleds crept out and shot from sight in the darkness of the overhanging banks (нарты выползали и мчались из поля зрения в темноту нависающих берегов /реки/; to creep — ползти; to shoot — стрелять; пронестись, промелькнуть, промчаться).
narrow ['nxrqu], impartially [Im'pRS(q)lI], sheer [SIq]
They shot across the wide expanse, round the four sides, sticking notices at every corner, and down the middle where the two centre stakes were to be planted. Then they sprang for the sleds on the frozen bed of the creek. An anarchy of sound and motion broke out. Sled collided with sled, and dog-team fastened upon dog-team with bristling manes and screaming fangs. The narrow creek was glutted with the struggling mass. Lashes and butts of dog-whips were distributed impartially among men and brutes. And to make it of greater moment, each participant had a bunch of comrades intent on breaking him out of jam. But one by one, and by sheer strength, the sleds crept out and shot from sight in the darkness of the overhanging banks.
Jack Harrington had anticipated this crush and waited by his sled until it untangled (Джек Харрингтон предвидел эту давку и ждал у своих нарт, пока она распутается). Louis Savoy, aware of his rival's greater wisdom in the matter of dog-driving (Луи Савой, осведомленный о большей мудрости своего соперника в деле езды на собаках = управления собаками), had followed his lead and also waited (последовал его примеру и тоже ждал). The rout had passed beyond ear-shot when they took the trail (скопление прекратилось/закончилось вне слышимости, когда они пустились в путь; to pass — идти, проходить, происходить, прекращаться; beyond — позже, после, вне, сверх, за пределами; ear — ухо; shot — дальность, выстрел, пуля), and it was not till they had travelled the ten miles or so down to Bonanza (и они не прошли еще и десять миль или около того вниз до /реки/ Бонанцы) that they came upon it (как они натолкнулись на него /скопление упряжек/), speeding along in single file, but well bunched (проносящееся вперед гуськом, но основательно скученное). There was little noise (там было немного шума), and less chance of one passing another at that stage (и ничтожный шанс /чтобы/ один обошел/миновал другого на этом этапе; chance — возможность, шанс; less — низший, меньший; меньше).
beyond [bI'jOnd], anticipate [xn'tIsIpeIt], rout [raut]
Jack Harrington had anticipated this crush and waited by his sled until it untangled. Louis Savoy, aware of his rival's greater wisdom in the matter of dog-driving, had followed his lead and also waited. The rout had passed beyond ear-shot when they took the trail, and it was not till they had travelled the ten miles or so down to Bonanza that they came upon it, speeding along in single file, but well bunched. There was little noise, and less chance of one passing another at that stage.
The sleds, from runner to runner, measured sixteen inches (нарты, от полоза до полоза, имели размер шестнадцать дюймов), the trail eighteen (тропа — восемнадцать); but the trail, packed down fully a foot by the traffic (но эта тропа, утрамбованная основательно на фут движением/транспортом), was like a gutter (была подобна желобу). On either side spread the blanket of soft snow crystals (по обеим сторонам расстилался покров мягких снежных кристаллов). If a man turned into this in an endeavor to pass (если бы /какой-то/ человек повернул на него в попытке обогнать), his dogs would wallow perforce to their bellies and slow down to a snail's pace (его собаки стали бы барахтаться неминуемо по брюхо и поплелись бы со скоростью улитки: «снизили бы скорость до хода улитки»). So the men lay close to their leaping sleds and waited (поэтому люди легли на свои подскакивающие сани и ждали; to lie — лежать, быть расположенным; close — близко, рядом, около; плотно). No alteration in position occurred down the fifteen miles of Bonanza and Klondike to Dawson (никаких изменений в ситуации не произошло на /протяжении/ пятнадцати миль вниз по /реке/ Бонанце и Клондайку до Доусона), where the Yukon was encountered (где сталкивался /с ними/ Юкон; to encounter — неожиданно встретиться, столкнуться). Here the first relays waited (здесь ждали первые смены /упряжки/). But here, intent to kill their first teams (но здесь, склонные загнать свои первые упряжки насмерть; to kill — убивать, губить), if necessary (если необходимо), Harrington and Savoy had had their fresh teams placed a couple of miles beyond those of the others (Харрингтон и Савой расположили свои свежие упряжки парой миль дальше упряжек остальных /людей/). In the confusion of changing sleds they passed full half the bunch (в неразберихе меняющихся саней они миновали добрую половину группы).
endeavor [In'devq], wallow ['wOlqu], necessary ['nesqs(q)rI]
The sleds, from runner to runner, measured sixteen inches, the trail eighteen; but the trail, packed down fully a foot by the traffic, was like a gutter. On either side spread the blanket of soft snow crystals. If a man turned into this in an endeavor to pass, his dogs would wallow perforce to their bellies and slow down to a snail's pace. So the men lay close to their leaping sleds and waited. No alteration in position occurred down the fifteen miles of Bonanza and Klondike to Dawson, where the Yukon was encountered. Here the first relays waited. But here, intent to kill their first teams, if necessary, Harrington and Savoy had had their fresh teams placed a couple of miles beyond those of the others. In the confusion of changing sleds they passed full half the bunch.
