Английский язык с Р. Л. Стивенсоном. Остров сокровищ

One I recognised for the coxswain’s, Israel Hands, that had been Flint’s gunner in former days. The other was, of course, my friend of the red night-cap. Both men were plainly the worse of drink, and they were still drinking; for, even while I was listening, one of them, with a drunken cry, opened the stern window and threw out something, which I divined to be an empty bottle. But they were not only tipsy; it was plain that they were furiously angry. Oaths flew like hailstones, and every now and then there came forth such an explosion as I thought was sure to end in blows. But each time the quarrel passed off, and the voices grumbled lower for a while, until the next crisis came, and, in its turn, passed away without result.

On shore, I could see the glow of the great camp fire (на берегу я видел зарево большого бивачного костра) burning warmly through the shore-side trees (горячо пылавшего между прибрежными деревьями). Someone was singing, a dull, old, droning sailor’s song (кто-то пел скучную старую монотонную матросскую песню; drone — трутень; to drone — гудеть, жужжать; бубнить, монотонно говорить; говорить скучным, занудным голосом)

, with a droop and a quaver at the end of every verse (с падением и дрожанием /голоса/ в конце каждой строфы), and seemingly no end to it at all but the patience of the singer (по-видимому, у нее не было конца вообще, кроме терпения /самого/ певца = она заканчивалась тогда, когда ее надоедало петь певцу). I had heard it on the voyage more than once (я слышал ее во время плавания неоднократно: «больше, чем однажды»), and remembered these words (и запомнил эти слова): —

“But one man of her crew alive (лишь один человек из ее /шхуны/ экипажа остался в живых), What put to sea with seventy-five

(что вышла в море с семьюдесятью пятью).”

And I thought it was a ditty rather too dolefully appropriate for a company (и я подумал, что это песенка, весьма слишком печально уместная для компании; dole — /разг.; поэт./ горе, скорбь) that had met such cruel losses in the morning (которая понесла такие жестокие = большие потери утром). But, indeed, from what I saw (но в действительности, из того что я видел /затем/ = как я потом убедился), all these buccaneers were as callous as the sea they sailed on (все эти пираты такими же бесчувственными, как и море, по которому они плавали;

callous — загрубелый, затвердевший; мозолистый; черствый, бездушный).

quaver [`kweɪvə] patience [`peɪʃəns] dolefully [`dəulfulɪ] callous [`kæləs]

On shore, I could see the glow of the great camp fire burning warmly through the shore-side trees. Someone was singing, a dull, old, droning sailor’s song, with a droop and a quaver at the end of every verse, and seemingly no end to it at all but the patience of the singer. I had heard it on the voyage more than once, and remembered these words: —

“But one man of her crew alive, What put to sea with seventy-five.”

And I thought it was a ditty rather too dolefully appropriate for a company that had met such cruel losses in the morning. But, indeed, from what I saw, all these buccaneers were as callous as the sea they sailed on.

At last the breeze came (наконец подул бриз); the schooner sidled and drew nearer in the dark (шхуна пошла боком и приблизилась /ко мне/ в темноте); I felt the hawser slacken once more (я почувствовал, как якорный канат слабеет снова), and with a good, tough effort, cut the last fibres through (и /с одной/ хорошей сильной попытки = одним мощным ударом перерезал последние волокна).