Caicos Bank, he saw no reason to refuse.
A well-found passenger ship had been rifled the week before (неделю назад они захватили пассажирский корабль, имевший на борту все необходимое; to rifle – обыскивать с целью грабежа), so their fare was of the best (так что пища у них была лучше не пожелаешь; fare – плата за проезд; пища), and after supper five of them drank deeply together (и после ужина они впятером изрядно выпили; to drink). There were the two captains, Birthmark Sweetlocks, Ned Galloway (там были оба капитана, Суитлокс Меченый), and Israel Martin, the old buccaneersman (и Израэль Мартин, старый буканьер). To wait upon them was the dumb steward (за столом им прислуживал немой стюард; to wait – ждать; прислуживать), whose head Sharkey split with his glass (чью голову Шарки разбил своим стаканом; to split – раскалывать), because he had been too slow in the filling of it (потому что тот слишком медленно его наполнял).
A well-found passenger ship had been rifled the week before, so their fare was of the best, and after supper five of them drank deeply together. There were the two captains, Birthmark Sweetlocks, Ned Galloway, and Israel Martin, the old buccaneersman. To wait upon them was the dumb steward, whose head Sharkey split with his glass, because he had been too slow in the filling of it.
The quartermaster had slipped Sharkey’s pistols away from him (интендант потихоньку убрал пистолеты Шарки от него подальше; to slip – скользить; перемещать тихонько, незаметно), for it was an old joke with him (ибо у того была давняя шутка) to fire them cross-handed under the table (стрелять из них под столом, перекрестив руки), and see who was the luckiest man (чтобы посмотреть, кто самый счастливый). It was a pleasantry which had cost his boatswain his leg (эта невинная шалость стоила его боцману ноги; pleasantry – любезность; шутка, комическая выходка), so now, when the table was cleared (так что теперь, когда со стола убрали остатки ужина: «когда стол был чист»), they would coax Sharkey’s weapons away from him on the excuse of the heat (Шарки убедили /снять/ с себя оружие, сославшись на жару; to coax – убеждать, упрашивать; добиваться /чего-л./ с помощью уговоров; excuse – извинение; отговорка, предлог), and lay them out of his reach (и положить их /пистолеты/ вне его досягаемости = подальше; reach – протягивание /руки/; предел досягаемости).
The Captain’s cabin of the Ruffling Harry was in a deck-house upon the poop (каюта капитана «Задиры Гарри» примыкала к рубке на корме; deck-house – рубка), and a sternchaser gun was mounted at the back of it (а позади нее была установлена кормовая пушка; chaser – преследователь; судовое орудие; stern – корма; to mount – монтировать, устанавливать).
The quartermaster had slipped Sharkey’s pistols away from him, for it was an old joke with him to fire them cross-handed under the table, and see who was the luckiest man. It was a pleasantry which had cost his boatswain his leg, so now, when the table was cleared, they would coax Sharkey’s weapons away from him on the excuse of the heat, and lay them out of his reach.
The Captain’s cabin of the Ruffling Harry was in a deck-house upon the poop, and a sternchaser gun was mounted at the back of it.
Round shot were racked round the wall (ядра были сложены у стены; to rack – помещать на полку, подставку; round – вокруг; повсюду, на всем протяжении), and three great hogsheads of powder made a stand for dishes and for bottles (а три больших бочонка с порохом служили подставками для блюд и бутылок). In this grim room the five pirates sang and roared and drank (в этой мрачной каюте пятеро пиратов пели, орали и пили; to sing; to drink), while the silent steward still filled up their glasses (а безмолвный стюард продолжал наполнять их стаканы; still – до сих пор, по-прежнему), and passed the box and the candle round for their tobacco-pipes (и подносить коробку с табаком и свечу, /чтобы они раскуривали/ свои трубки; to pass round – передавать по кругу).
Hour after hour the talk became fouler, the voices hoarser (час за часом /темы для/ разговоров становились все непристойнее, голоса все грубее), the curses and shoutings more incoherent (ругань и выкрики все бессвязнее), until three of the five had closed their blood-shot eyes (пока трое из пяти не закрыли свои налившиеся кровью глаза), and dropped their swimming heads upon the table (и не уронили свои мотающиеся /из стороны в сторону/ головы на стол; to swim – плавать; кружиться /о голове/).
Round shot were racked round the wall, and three great hogsheads of powder made a stand for dishes and for bottles. In this grim room the five pirates sang and roared and drank, while the silent steward still filled up their glasses, and passed the box and the candle round for their tobacco-pipes.
Hour after hour the talk became fouler, the voices hoarser, the curses and shoutings more incoherent, until three of the five had closed their blood-shot eyes, and dropped their swimming heads upon the table.
Copley Banks and Sharkey were left face to face (Копли Бэнкс и Шарки остались лицом к лицу; to leave), the one because he had drunk the least (один /держался на ногах,/ потому что выпил меньше всех), the other because no amount of liquor would ever shake his iron nerve (другой – потому что никакое количество выпивки никогда не расшатало бы его железные нервы; to shake – трясти; ослаблять, расшатывать) or warm his sluggish blood (и не согрело его медленно текущую кровь; sluggish – пассивный, вялый; медленный, неторопливый; /мед./ вялый /о пульсе, печени и т. п./). Behind him stood the watchful steward (позади него стоял внимательный стюард; to stand), for ever filling up his waning glass (постоянно наполнявший его пустеющий стакан; to wane – убывать, идти на убыль; уменьшаться). From without came the low lapping of the tide (снаружи доносился негромкий плеск волн; low – низкий, невысокий; тихий; tide – прилив/отлив; море, океан /поэт./), and from over the water a sailor’s chanty from the barque (а с барка над водой /летела/ матросская песня; chanty – хоровая матросская песня /которую поют во время работ/).
Copley Banks and Sharkey were left face to face, the one because he had drunk the least, the other because no amount of liquor would ever shake his iron nerve or warm his sluggish blood. Behind him stood the watchful steward, for ever filling up his waning glass. From without came the low lapping of the tide, and from over the water a sailor’s chanty from the barque.
In the windless tropical night the words came clearly to their ears (в безветрии тропической ночи слова /песни/ до слуха доносились отчетливо):
“A trader sailed from Stepney Town (торговец плыл из Степни-Тауна), Wake her up (эй, ребята, просыпайтесь: «разбудите ее»; her – косвенный падеж от she /в английском языке слова «корабль» и «судно» женского рода/)! Shake her up (встряхнитесь)! Try her with the mainsail (ставьте грот; to try – пытаться; испытывать)! A trader sailed from Stepney Town (торговец плыл из Степни-Тауна) With a keg full of gold and a velvet gown (с полным бочонком золота и в бархатных одеждах). Ho, the bully Rover Jack (эгей, пират Задира Джек), Waiting with his yard aback (ложись в дрейф и жди /его/; yard /зд./ – рей /мор./; aback /зд./ – положение парусов, когда ветер дует в их переднюю сторону, прижимая к мачте, тем самым заставляя судно двигаться назад /мор./) Out upon the Lowland Sea (в море с низкими берегами; lowland – низкий берег).”
In the windless tropical night the words came clearly to their ears:
“A trader sailed from Stepney Town, Wake her up! Shake her up! Try her with the mainsail! A trader sailed from Stepney Town With a keg full of gold and a velvet gown. Ho, the bully Rover Jack, Waiting with his yard aback Out upon the Lowland Sea.”
The two boon companions sat listening in silence (двое собутыльников сидели молча и слушали). Then Copley Banks glanced at the steward (затем Копли Бэнкс взглянул на стюарда), and the man took a coil of rope from the shot-rack behind him (и тот взял кольцо веревки с подставки для ядер).
“Captain Sharkey,” said Copley Banks (капитан Шарки, – сказал Копли Бэнкс), “do you remember the Duchess of Cornwall, hailing from London (помнишь ли ты /судно/ «Герцогиня Корнуэльская» из Лондона; to hail – приветствовать; происходить, быть родом), which you took and sank three years ago off the Statira Shoal (которое ты захватил и потопил три года назад у отмели Статира)?”
“Curse me if I can bear their names in mind (будь я проклят, если держу их названия в памяти),” said Sharkey. “We did as many as ten ships a week about that time (в те времена мы грабили по десятку кораблей за неделю).”
The two boon companions sat listening in silence. Then Copley Banks glanced at the steward, and the man took a coil of rope from the shot-rack behind him.
“Captain Sharkey,” said Copley Banks, “do you remember the Duchess of Cornwall, hailing from London, which you took and sank three years ago off the Statira Shoal?”
“Curse me if I can bear their names in mind,” said Sharkey. “We did as many as ten ships a week about that time.”