| He was taking it, or rather getting it-Zeb having appointed himself to the easier post of conductor. | Сам же Зеб шел впереди, избрав более легкую роль -- вожатого. |
| The idea was not altogether original. | Такой способ передвижения нельзя было назвать новым изобретением. |
| It was a rude copy from the Mexican litera, which in Southern Texas Zeb may have seen-differing from the latter only in being without screen, and instead of two mules, having for its atelage a mare and a man! | Зеб соорудил грубое подобие мексиканского паланкина, который ему, наверно, приходилось видеть на юге Техаса. Разница была лишь в том, что в данном случае отсутствовал обычный балдахин и вместо двух мулов в упряжке шли человек и кобыла. |
| In this improvised palanquin was Maurice Gerald transported to his dwelling. | В этом импровизированном паланкине Морис Джеральд был доставлен в свою хижину. |
| It was night when the grotesque-looking group arrived at the locale. | Уже спустилась ночь, когда эта странная процессия добралась до хакале мустангера. |
| In strong but tender arms the wounded man was transferred from the stretcher to the skin couch, on which he had been accustomed to repose. | Сильные, но нежные руки охотника бережно перенесли раненого на его постель из лошадиных шкур. |
| He was unconscious of where he was, and knew not the friendly faces bending over him. | Мустангер не понимал, где он находится, и не узнавал друзей, склонившихся над ним. |
| His thoughts were still astray, though no longer exciting him to violent action. | Он все еще бредил, но больше не буйствовал. |
| He was experiencing an interval of calm. | Жар немного спал. |
| He was not silent; though he made no reply to the kind questions addressed to him, or only answered them with an inconsequence that might have provoked mirth. But there were wild words upon his lips that forbade it-suggesting only serious thoughts. | Он не молчал, но и не отвечал на обращенные к нему ласковые вопросы; а если и отвечал, то до смешного нелепо; однако слова его были настолько страшны, что не только не вызывали улыбки, а наводили на грустные мысли. |
| His wounds received such rude dressing as his companions were capable of administering to them; and nothing more could be done but await the return of day. | Друзья мустангера как умели перевязали его раны, и теперь оставалось только ждать наступления утра. |
| Phelim went to sleep upon his shake-down; while the other sate up to keep watch by the bedside of the sufferer. | Фелим улегся спать, а Зеб остался у постели мустангера. |
| It was not from any unfaithfulness on the part of the foster-brother, that he seemed thus to disregard his duty; but simply because Zeb had requested him to lie down-telling him there was no occasion for both to remain awake. | Обвинять Фелима в эгоизме было бы несправедливо; его послал спать Зеб, заявив, что нет смысла сидеть около больного вдвоем. |
| The old hunter had his reasons. | У старого охотника были для этого свои соображения. |
| He did not desire that those wild words should be heard even by Phelim. | Он не хотел, чтобы бред больного слышал кто-нибудь, кроме него, -- даже Фелим. |
| Better he should listen to them alone. | И никто, кроме него, не слышал, о чем всю ночь напролет бредил мустангер. |
| And alone he sate listening to them-throughout the live-long night. | Старый охотник слышал слова, которые его удивляли, и совсем не удивлявшие его имена. |
| He heard speeches that surprised him, and names that did not. He was not surprised to hear the name "Louise" often repeated, and coupled with fervent protestations of love. | Для него не было неожиданностью, что мустангер то и дело повторял имя Луизы, сопровождая его любовными клятвами. |
| But there was another name also often pronounced-with speeches less pleasant to his ear. | Но часто с уст больного срывалось и другое имя, и тогда речь его становилась иной. |
| It was the name of Louise's brother. | Это было имя брата Луизы. |
| The speeches were disjointed-incongruous, and almost unintelligible. | И слова, сопровождавшие его, были мрачными, бессвязными, почти бессмысленными. |
| Comparing one with the other, however, and assisted by the circumstances already known to him, before the morning light had entered the jacal?, Zeb Stump had come to the conclusion: that Henry Poindexter was no longer a living man! | Зеб Стумп сопоставлял все слышанное с уже известными ему фактами, и, прежде чем дневной свет проник в хакале, он уже не сомневался, что Генри Пойндекстера нет в живых. |
| Chapter Fifty Five. Un Dia de Novedades. | Глава LV. ДЕНЬ НОВОСТЕЙ |
| Don Silvio Martinez was one of the few Mexican ricos, who had chosen to remain in Texas, after the conquest of that country by the stalwart colonisers from the North. | Дон Сильвио Мартинес был одним из немногих мексиканских богачей, не покинувших Техас после захвати страны американцами. |
| A man of more than mature age, of peaceful habits, and taking no part in politics, he accepted the new situation without any great regret. | Он мало интересовался политикой, был человеком миролюбивым, уже пожилым и довольно легко примирился с новым положением вещей. |
| He was the more easily reconciled to it, from a knowledge, that his loss of nationality was better than counterbalanced by his gain of security against Comanche incursions; which, previous to the coming of the new colonists, had threatened the complete depopulation of the country. | Переход в новое подданство, по ero мнению, более чем окупался безопасностью от набегов команчей, опустошавших страну до прихода новых поселенцев. |
| The savage was not yet entirely subdued; but his maraud was now intermittent, and occurred only at long intervals. | Дикари, правда, не были еще окончательно усмирены, но нападения их стали гораздо реже. |
| Even this was an improvement on the old r?gime. | Это было уже значительным достижением по сравнению с прошлым. |
| Don Silvio was a ganadero,-a grazier, on a grand scale. | Дон Сильвио был "ганадеро" -- крупным скотоводом. |
| So grand that his ganadería was leagues in length and breadth, and contained within its limits many thousands of horses and horned cattle. | Его пастбища простирались на много миль в длину и ширину, а его табуны и стада исчислялись тысячами голов. |
| He lived in a large rectangular one-storied house-more resembling a jail than a dwelling-surrounded by extensive enclosures-corrales. It was usually a quiet place; except during the time of the herradero, or cattle-branding; when for days it became the scene of a festivity almost Homeric. These occasions were only of annual occurrence. | Он жил в длинном, прямоугольном одноэтажном доме, скорее напоминавшем тюрьму, чем жилое здание. Со всех сторон асиенда была окружена загонами для скота -- коралями. |
| At all other times the old haciendado-who was a bachelor to boot-led a tranquil and somewhat solitary life; a sister older than himself being his only companion. | Старый владелец асиенды, убежденный холостяк, вел спокойную и уединенную жизнь. С ним жила его старшая сестра. |
| There were occasional exceptions to this rule: when his charming sobrina rode across from the Rio Grande to pay him and his sister a visit. Then the domicile of Don Silvio became a little more lively. | Только когда к ним в гости с берегов Рио-Гранде приезжала их хорошенькая племянница, тихая асиенда оживала. |
| Isidora was welcome whenever she came; welcome to come and go when she pleased; and do as she pleased, while under her uncle's roof. | Исидоре здесь всегда были рады; она приезжала и уезжала, когда ей заблагорассудится, и в доме дяди ей позволяли делать все, что вздумается. |
| The sprightliness of her character was anything but displeasing to the old haciendado; who was himself far from being of a sombre disposition. | Старику нравилась жизнерадостность Исидоры, потому что он сам был далеко не мрачным человеком. |
| Those traits, that might have appeared masculine in many other lands, were not so remarkable in one, where life is held by such precarious tenure; where the country house is oft transformed into a fortress, and the domestic hearth occasionally bedewed with the blood of its inmates! Is it surprising that in such a land women should be found, endowed with those qualities that have been ascribed to Isidora? If so, it is not the less true that they exist. As a general thing the Mexican woman is a creature of the most amiable disposition; douce-if we may be allowed to borrow from a language that deals more frequently with feminine traits-to such an extent, as to have become a national characteristic. It is to the denizens of the great cities, secure from Indian incursion, that this character more especially applies. On the frontiers, harried for the last half century by the aboriginal freebooter, the case is somewhat different. The amiability still exists; but often combined with a bravourie and hardihood masculine in seeming, but in reality heroic. Since Malinch?, more than one fair heroine has figured in the history of Anahuac. |