guard [gRd], bow [bau], straight [streIt]
"And to hearten the others, I did the first deed. I kept guard upon the Yukon till the first canoe came down. In it were two white men, and when I stood upright upon the bank and raised my hand they changed their course and drove in to me. And as the man in the bow lifted his head, so, that he might know wherefore I wanted him, my arrow sang through the air straight to his throat, and he knew. The second man, who held paddle in the stern, had his rifle half to his shoulder when the first of my three spear-casts smote him.
"`These be the first, I said, when the old men had gathered to me. `Later we will bind together all the old men of all the tribes, and after that the young men who remain strong, and the work will become easy.
"And then the two dead white men we cast into the river (а потом двух мертвых белых людей мы швырнули в реку; to cast — бросать, кидать, швырять). And of the canoe (а из каноэ), which was a very good canoe (которое было очень хорошим каноэ), we made a fire (мы устроили костер), and a fire, also, of the things within the canoe (а также костер из вещей в каноэ). But first we looked at the things (но сначала мы посмотрели на эти вещи), and they were pouches of leather which we cut open with our knives (и это были кожаные сумки, которые мы разрезали нашими ножами; to cut — резать, разрезать; open — открытый). And inside these pouches were many papers (а внутри этих сумок было много бумаг), like that from which thou has read, O Howkan (как та, с которой ты читал, о Хаукан), with markings on them (с пометками на них) which we marvelled at and could not understand (которым мы удивились и не могли понять). Now, I am become wise (теперь я поумнел; wise — мудрый, умудренный; знающий, компетентный, осведомленный, сведущий), and I know them for the speech of men as thou hast told me (и знаю, что они для разговора людей, как ты рассказал мне)."
canoe [kq'nH], leather ['leDq], pouch [pauC]
"And then the two dead white men we cast into the river. And of the canoe, which was a very good canoe, we made a fire, and a fire, also, of the things within the canoe. But first we looked at the things, and they were pouches of leather which we cut open with our knives. And inside these pouches were many papers, like that from which thou has read, O Howkan, with markings on them which we marvelled at and could not understand. Now, I am become wise, and I know them for the speech of men as thou hast told me."
A whisper and buzz went around the courtroom (шепот и гудение пронеслись по залу суда) when Howkan finished interpreting the affair of the canoe (когда Хаукан закончил переводить дело с каноэ), and one man's voice spoke up (и громко и отчетливо проговорил голос одного мужчины; to speak up — говорить громко и отчетливо): "That was the lost 91 mail (это была пропавшая почта 91 года), Peter James and Delaney bringing it in and last spoken at Le Barge by Matthews going out (ее доставляли Питер Джеймс и Дилени, и в последний раз с ними говорил, отплывая, Мэттьюс в Ле-Барж; to bring in — вводить, вносить, приносить)." The clerk scratched steadily away (секретарь монотонно проскрипел пером дальше; to scratch — чиркать, черкать; нацарапать, набрасывать /письмо, рисунок/; скрипеть /о пере/), and another paragraph was added to the history of the North (и еще один параграф добавился к истории Севера).
affair [q'feq], steadily ['stedIlI], paragraph ['pxrqgrRf]
A whisper and buzz went around the courtroom when Howkan finished interpreting the affair of the canoe, and one man's voice spoke up: "That was the lost 91 mail, Peter James and Delaney bringing it in and last spoken at Le Barge by Matthews going out." The clerk scratched steadily away, and another paragraph was added to the history of the North.
"There be little more (есть еще мало = осталось уже мало)," Imber went on slowly (неспешно продолжал Имбер). "It be there on the paper, the things we did (это там на бумаге, то, что мы совершили). We were old men (мы были стариками), and we did not understand (и мы не понимали). Even I, Imber, do not now understand (даже я, Имбер, не понимаю сейчас). Secretly we slew (тайно мы убивали), and continued to slay (и продолжали убивать), for with our years we were crafty (ибо благодаря нашим годам мы были хитроумны) and we had learned the swiftness of going without haste (и мы научились стремительности уходить без спешки = уходить стремительно, но без спешки). When white men came among us with black looks and rough words (когда белые люди пришли к нам со злыми взглядами и грубыми словами; black — злой, сердитый), and took away six of the young men with irons binding them helpless (и увели шестерых молодых мужчин в кандалах, сковавших их /и сделавших их/ беспомощными; to bind — лишать свободы, заковывать в кандалы, сажать в тюрьму, брать в плен), we knew we must slay wider and farther (мы поняли, что мы должны убивать в большем отдалении: «шире и дальше /от поселка/»). And one by one we old men departed up river and down to the unknown lands (и один за другим мы, старики, отправились вверх по реке и вниз по реке в неизвестные земли). It was a brave thing (это был смелый поступок). Old we were, and unafraid (хоть мы и были стары и бесстрашны), but the fear of far places is a terrible fear to men who are old (но боязнь перед далекими местами — это ужасная боязнь для людей = тех, кто стар).
secretly ['sJkrItlI], rough [rAf], fear [fIq]
"There be little more," Imber went on slowly. "It be there on the paper, the things we did. We were old men, and we did not understand. Even I, Imber, do not now understand. Secretly we slew, and continued to slay, for with our years we were crafty and we had learned the swiftness of going without haste. When white men came among us with black looks and rough words, and took away six of the young men with irons binding them helpless, we knew we must slay wider and farther. And one by one we old men departed up river and down to the unknown lands. It was a brave thing. Old we were, and unafraid, but the fear of far places is a terrible fear to men who are old.
"So we slew, without haste and craftily (так мы и убивали, без спешки и коварно; craft — ремесло; ловкость; хитрость). On the Chilcoot and in the Delta we slew, from the passes to the sea (мы убивали на Чилкуте и в Дельте, от перевалов до моря), wherever the white men camped or broke their trails (где бы ни становились лагерем или ни прокладывали свои тропы белые люди; to break a trail — проложить тропу). It be true, they died (правда, они умирали), but it was without worth (но это было без толку; worth — цена, стоимость, ценность). Ever did they come over the mountains (все время они шли через горы), ever did they grow and grow (все время они росли и множились; to grow — расти, увеличиваться), while we, being old, became less and less (тогда как нас, которые были старыми = стариков, становилось меньше и меньше). I remember, by the Caribou Crossing, the camp of a white man (я помню у переправы Карибу лагерь одного белого человека). He was a very little white man (он был очень маленький белый человек), and three of the old men came upon him in his sleep (и трое стариков напали на него во сне). And the next day I came upon the four of them (а на следующий день я наткнулся на них четверых). The white man alone still breathed (лишь белый человек еще дышал), and there was breath in him to curse me once and well before he died (и в нем хватило дыхания, чтобы проклясть/обругать меня один раз и хорошенько, прежде чем он умер; well — хорошо, со знанием дела).
