delicate ['delIkIt], malevolent [mq'levqlqnt], mortification ["mLtIfI'keISn]
Once, like another Crusoe, by the edge of the river he came upon a track, — the faint tracery of a snowshoe rabbit on the delicate snow-crust. It was a revelation. There was life in the Northland. He would follow it, look upon it, gloat over it. He forgot his swollen muscles, plunging through the deep snow in an ecstasy of anticipation. The forest swallowed him up, and the brief midday twilight vanished; but he pursued his quest till exhausted nature asserted itself and laid him helpless in the snow. There he groaned and cursed his folly, and knew the track to be the fancy of his brain; and late that night he dragged himself into the cabin on hands and knees, his cheeks frozen and a strange numbness about his feet. Weatherbee grinned malevolently, but made no offer to help him. He thrust needles into his toes and thawed them out by the stove. A week later mortification set in.
But the clerk had his own troubles (а у клерка были свои проблемы). The dead men came out of their graves more frequently now (теперь мертвецы чаще выходили из могил), and rarely left him (и редко покидали его), waking or sleeping (бодрствовал /он/ или спал). He grew to wait and dread their coming (он стал ждать и бояться их прихода), never passing the twin cairns without a shudder (никогда не проходя без содрогания мимо двух каменных пирамид; cairn — пирамида из камней /как условный знак/). One night they came to him in his sleep and led him forth to an appointed task (однажды ночью они пришли к нему во сне и повели его наружу на порученное задание; forth — вперед; наружу; to appoint — назначать; поручать; to appoint smb. а task — поручить кому-либо задание). Frightened into inarticulate horror (перепуганный до бессловесного ужаса = до потери речи; inarticulate — невнятный; немой, онемевший), he awoke between the heaps of stones and fled wildly to the cabin (он проснулся между каменных куч и дико убежал в хижину). But he had lain there for some time (но он пролежал там некоторое время; to lie — лежать), for his feet and cheeks were also frozen (ибо его ступни и щеки тоже были отморожены).
frequent ['frJkwqnt], cairn [keqn], horror ['hOrq]
But the clerk had his own troubles. The dead men came out of their graves more frequently now, and rarely left him, waking or sleeping. He grew to wait and dread their coming, never passing the twin cairns without a shudder. One night they came to him in his sleep and led him forth to an appointed task. Frightened into inarticulate horror, he awoke between the heaps of stones and fled wildly to the cabin. But he had lain there for some time, for his feet and cheeks were also frozen.
Sometimes he became frantic at their insistent presence (временами он становился безумным от их настойчивого присутствия), and danced about the cabin (и скакал по хижине), cutting the empty air with an axe (разрубая пустой воздух топором), and smashing everything within reach (и сокрушая все в пределах досягаемости). During these ghostly encounters (во время этих схваток с привидениями), Cuthfert huddled into his blankets (Катферт сжимался в одеялах; to huddle — толпиться, жаться; съёживаться) and followed the madman about with a cocked revolver (и следил за безумцем со взведенным револьвером), ready to shoot him if he came too near (готовый выстрелить в него, если он подойдет слишком близко). But, recovering from one of these spells (но, придя в себя от одного из этих приступов), the clerk noticed the weapon trained upon him (конторщик заметил оружие, наведенное на него). His suspicions were aroused (его подозрения пробудились), and thenceforth he, too, lived in fear of his life (и с этого времени он тоже жил в страхе за свою жизнь). They watched each other closely after that (они внимательно наблюдали друг за другом после этого), and faced about in startled fright (и поворачивались кругом, вздрагивая от страха; to face about — поворачиваться кругом; to startle — испугать; поразить; вздрагивать) whenever either passed behind the other's back (всякий раз, когда один из них проходил за спиной другого). This apprehensiveness became a mania which controlled them even in their sleep (этот страх стал манией, которая господствовала над ними даже во сне; apprehensive — испытывающий тревогу, полный страха). Through mutual fear they tacitly let the slush-lamp burn all night (из-за взаимной боязни они молчаливо оставляли лампу на жиру гореть всю ночь; to let — позволять, разрешать /кому-либо что-либо/), and saw to a plentiful supply of bacon-grease before retiring (и заботились об обильном запасе свиного жира, прежде чем отойти ко сну; to see to — присматривать за чем-либо, кем-либо, заботиться о чем-либо, ком-либо; to retire — ложиться спать). The slightest movement on the part of one was sufficient to arouse the other (малейшего движения со стороны одного было достаточно, чтобы разбудить другого), and many a still watch their gazes countered (и много раз их пристальные взгляды натыкались на молчаливое пристальное наблюдение /со стороны другого/; to counter — противостоять; нанести встречный удар) as they shook beneath their blankets with fingers on the trigger-guards (когда они тряслись под одеялами с пальцами на спусковых курках; guard — предохранитель).
axe [xks], weapon ['wepqn], sufficient [sq'fISqnt]
Sometimes he became frantic at their insistent presence, and danced about the cabin, cutting the empty air with an axe, and smashing everything within reach. During these ghostly encounters, Cuthfert huddled into his blankets and followed the madman about with a cocked revolver, ready to shoot him if he came too near. But, recovering from one of these spells, the clerk noticed the weapon trained upon him. His suspicions were aroused, and thenceforth he, too, lived in fear of his life. They watched each other closely after that, and faced about in startled fright whenever either passed behind the other's back. This apprehensiveness became a mania which controlled them even in their sleep. Through mutual fear they tacitly let the slush-lamp burn all night, and saw to a plentiful supply of bacon-grease before retiring. The slightest movement on the part of one was sufficient to arouse the other, and many a still watch their gazes countered as they shook beneath their blankets with fingers on the trigger-guards.
What with the Fear of the North, the mental strain, and the ravages of the disease (от Страха перед Севером, душевного напряжения и разрушительного действия болезни; ravage — опустошение; разрушительное действие), they lost all semblance of humanity (они потеряли всякое человеческое подобие), taking on the appearance of wild beasts, hunted and desperate (приобретя внешность диких зверей, затравленных и отчаявшихся; to take on — приобретать /форму, качество и т. п./). Their cheeks and noses (их щеки и носы), as an aftermath of the freezing (как следствие = вследствие обморожения), had turned black (почернели). Their frozen toes had begun to drop away at the first and second joints (их отмороженные пальцы ног начали отваливаться у первого и второго суставов). Every movement brought pain (каждое движение причиняло боль), but the fire box was insatiable (но печка была ненасытна), wringing a ransom of torture from their miserable bodies (вымогая выкуп в виде пытки от их несчастных тел; to wring — вымогать). Day in, day out (изо дня в день), it demanded its food (она требовала пищи), — a veritable pound of flesh (настоящий фунт мяса), — and they dragged themselves into the forest to chop wood on their knees (и они тащились в лес нарубить дров на коленях). Once, crawling thus in search of dry sticks (однажды, ползая таким образом в поисках сухих палок), unknown to each other they entered a thicket from opposite sides (неведомо друг от друга они вошли в заросли с противоположных сторон). Suddenly, without warning (вдруг, без предупреждения = неожиданно), two peering death's-heads confronted each other (два вглядывающихся черепа столкнулись лицом к лицу друг с другом; to confront — сталкиваться лицом к лицу). Suffering had so transformed them that recognition was impossible (страдания так преобразили их, что узнавание = что узнать друг друга было невозможно). They sprang to their feet (они вскочили на ноги; to spring to one's feet — вскочить на ноги), shrieking with terror (вопя от ужаса), and dashed away on their mangled stumps (и бросились прочь на покалеченных культях); and falling at the cabin door (и упав у двери в хижину), they clawed and scratched like demons (они рвали ногтями и царапали /друг друга/, как демоны) till they discovered their mistake (пока не обнаружили свою ошибку).
