Threat against Don Corleone himself. Genius had its rewards.

 

 

1 Jack Woltz always slept alone. He had a bed big enough for ten people and a

bedroom large enough for a movie ballroom scene, but he had slept alone since the

death of his first wife ten years before. This did not mean he no longer used women. He

was physically a vigorous man (крепкий; vigorous – сильный, энергичный ['vıg∂r∂s])

despite his age (несмотря на свой возраст), but he could be aroused (возбужден)

now only by very young girls and had learned that a few hours in the evening were all

the youth of his body and his patience could tolerate (это все, что молодость /то, что

 

Мультиязыковой проект Ильи Франка www.franklang.ru

 

 

от нее осталось/ его тела и его терпение могли вынести; to tolerate – терпеть,

сносить).

2 On this Thursday morning, for some reason, he awoke early. The light of dawn

(рассвета) made his huge bedroom as misty as a foggy meadowland (в дымке и в

тумане: «дымчатой и туманной», как низинные луга; meadow [‘med∂u] – луг, низина,

пойменная земля). Far down at the foot of his bed was a familiar shape and Woltz

struggled up on his elbows (с трудом приподнялся на локтях) to get a clearer look. It

had the shape of a horse's head. Still groggy (еще не придя в себя; groggy –

любящий пропустить рюмочку, хмельной; шаткий, непрочный), Woltz reached

(протянул руку) and flicked on the night table lamp (включил; to flick – слегка ударить

/быстрым, легким движением; щелкнуть/).

3 The shock of what he saw made him physically ill. It seemed as if a great

sledgehammer (кувалда: sledge – сани; кувалда + hammer – молот) had struck him

on the chest (ударила его в грудь), his heartbeat jumped erratically (неравномерно;

erratic [ı'rжtık] – переменчивый, непостоянный: «блуждающий») and he became

nauseous (его начало тошнить; nauseous ['no:sj∂s] – тошнотворный; nausea ['no:sj∂]

– тошнота). His vomit (рвота ['vomıt]) spluttered on the thick flair rug (расплескалась,

разбрызгалась по его толстому, стильному, шикарному ковру; flair – чутье; вкус;

стиль).

4 Severed from its body (отделенная, отрезанная: to sever [‘sev∂]), the black silky

head of the great horse Khartoum was stuck fast (крепко сидела, торчала, увязла; to

stick – втыкать, насаживать) in a thick cake of blood. White, reedy tendons showed

(виднелись белые, жесткие сухожилия; reed – камыш, тростник). Froth covered the

muzzle (пена покрывала морду) and those apple-sized eyes that had glinted like gold,

were mottled (были покрыты крапинками, испещрены; mottle – крапинка, пятнышко)

the color of rotting fruit (цвета гниющих плодов) with dead, hemorrhaged blood. Woltz

was struck by a purely animal terror (поражен чисто животным ужасом, страхом) and

out of that terror he screamed for his servants and out of that terror he called Hagen to

make his uncontrolled threats. His maniacal raving (бред, несвязная речь; to rave –

говорить несвязно, слишком возбужденно) alarmed the butler (встревожила

дворецкого), who called Woltz's personal physician (врача) and his second in

command at the studio (и его заместителя). But Woltz regained his senses (пришел в

себя: «обрел снова, вернул чувства») before they arrived.

5 He had been profoundly (глубоко) shocked. What kind of man could destroy an

animal (погубить: «разрушить») worth six hundred thousand dollars? Without a word

 

Мультиязыковой проект Ильи Франка www.franklang.ru

of warning (предупреждения; to warn – предупреждать). Without any negotiation to

have the act, its order, countermanded (не дав возможности, после переговоров,

отменить, приостановить приказ). The ruthlessness (беспощадность; ruthless –

безжалостный), the sheer disregard for any values (совершенное неуважение,

непринятие во внимание каких-либо ценностей; sheer – абсолютный, полнейший),

implied a man (предполагало, подразумевало; to imply) who considered himself

completely his own law, even his own God. And a man who backed up (подкреплял,

обеспечивал выполнение; to back up – поддерживать: «подпирать») this kind of will

with the power and cunning (хитростью, коварством) that held his own stable security

force of no account («считали за ничто его охрану» = перед которыми охрана его

конюшен была просто ничто). For by this time Woltz had learned that the horse's body

had obviously been heavily drugged (напичкано снотворным) before someone

leisurely hacked the huge triangular head off with an ax (спокойно, не спеша оттяпал

треугольную голову топором; leisure [‘leG∂] – досуг; triangle [‘traıжŋgl] –

треугольник). The men on night duty (которые были на ночном дежурстве) claimed

(заявляли, утверждали) that they had heard nothing. To Woltz this seemed impossible.

They could be made to talk (их можно заставить говорить). They had been bought off

(были подкуплены, от них откупились; to buy off – откупаться) and they could be

made to tell who had done the buying.