NOW this is the next tale, and it tells how the Camel got his big hump.

In the beginning of years, when the world was so new and all, and the Animals were just beginning to work for Man, there was a Camel, and he lived in the middle of a Howling Desert because he did not want to work; and besides, he was a Howler himself. So he ate sticks and thorns and tamarisks and milkweed and prickles, most ‘scruciating idle; and when anybody spoke to him he said ‘Humph!’ Just ‘Humph!’ and no more.

 

Presently the Horse came to him on Monday morning (некоторое время спустя в понедельник утром к нему пришел Конь; to come — приходить, приезжать), with a saddle on his back and a bit in his mouth (с седлом на спине и удилами во /его/ рту), and said, ‘Camel, O Camel (и сказал: Верблюд, О Верблюд), come out and trot like the rest of us (выходи и побегай, как остальные мы; to trot — идти рысью /о лошади/).’

‘Humph!’ said the Camel (Грп! — сказал Верблюд); and the Horse went away and told the Man (а Конь ушел и рассказал Человеку; to tell — рассказать; to go away — уходить).

Presently the Dog came to him (некоторое время спустя к нему пришел Пес), with a stick in his mouth (с палкой в /его/ пасти), and said, ‘Camel, O Camel (и сказал: Верблюд, О Верблюд), come and fetch and carry like the rest of us (иди и /принеси/ /и/ поноси, как мы остальные; to fetch — принести, сходить за; to carry — носить).’

‘Humph!’ said the Camel (Грп! — сказал Верблюд); and the Dog went away and told the Man (а Пес ушел и рассказал Человеку).

 

presently ['prezntlI], mouth [mauT], carry ['kxrI]

 

Presently the Horse came to him on Monday morning, with a saddle on his back and a bit in his mouth, and said, ‘Camel, O Camel, come out and trot like the rest of us.’

‘Humph!’ said the Camel; and the Horse went away and told the Man.

Presently the Dog came to him, with a stick in his mouth, and said, ‘Camel, O Camel, come and fetch and carry like the rest of us.’

‘Humph!’ said the Camel; and the Dog went away and told the Man.

 

Presently the Ox came to him (некоторое время спустя к нему пришел Бык), with the yoke on his neck and said (с ярмом на /его/ шее и сказал), ‘Camel, O Camel, come and plough like the rest of us (Верблюд, О Верблюд, иди и попаши, как все остальные мы).’

‘Humph!’ said the Camel (Грп! — сказал Верблюд); and the Ox went away and told the Man (а Бык ушел и рассказал Человеку).

At the end of the day (в конце дня) the Man called the Horse and the Dog and the Ox together (Человек созвал Коня, и Пса, и Быка; to call together — созывать), and said, ‘Three, O Three (и сказал: Трое, О Трое), I’m very sorry for you (мне очень жаль вас) (with the world so new-and-all (со всем миром таким новеньким)); but that Humph-thing in the Desert can’t work (но это Грпающее существо в Пустыне не может работать), or he would have been here by now (иначе он был бы уже сейчас здесь),’ so I am going to leave him alone (поэтому я оставлю его в покое; to leave alone — оставить в покое, не трогать), and you must work double-time to make up for it (а вам придется работать в два раза больше /времени/, чтобы возместить это; to make up for — возместить, компенсировать).’

 

plough [plau], together [tq'geDq], double [dAbl]

 

Presently the Ox came to him, with the yoke on his neck and said, ‘Camel, O Camel, come and plough like the rest of us.’

‘Humph!’ said the Camel; and the Ox went away and told the Man.

At the end of the day the Man called the Horse and the Dog and the Ox together, and said, ‘Three, O Three, I’m very sorry for you (with the world so new-and-all); but that Humph-thing in the Desert can’t work, or he would have been here by now,’ so I am going to leave him alone, and you must work double-time to make up for it.’

 

That made the Three very angry (это очень рассердило Троих: «сделало Троих очень сердитыми») (with the world so new-and-all (со всем таким новеньким миром)), and they held a palaver, and an indaba, and a punchayet, and a pow-wow on the edge of the Desert (и они устроили говорильню, и индабу, и панчает, и совет на краю Пустыни[18]); and the Camel came chewing milkweed most ‘scruciating idle (а Верблюд пришел, жуя молочай, премучительно праздный), and laughed at them (и засмеялся над ними). Then he said ‘Humph!’ (потом он сказал Грп!) and went away again (и снова ушел).

Presently there came along the Djinn in charge of All Deserts (некоторое время спустя появился Джинн, ответственный за Все Пустыни[19]), rolling in a cloud of dust (катясь в облаке пыли) (Djinns always travel that way because it is Magic (Джинны всегда путешествуют так, потому что это Волшебство)), and he stopped to palaver and pow-wow with the Three (и он остановился поучаствовать в говорильне и в совете с Тремя).

 

palaver [pq'lRvq], pow-wow ['pauwau], laugh [lRf]

 

That made the Three very angry (with the world so new-and-all), and they held a palaver, and an indaba, and a punchayet, and a pow-wow on the edge of the Desert; and the Camel came chewing milkweed most ‘scruciating idle, and laughed at them. Then he said ‘Humph!’ and went away again.

Presently there came along the Djinn in charge of All Deserts, rolling in a cloud of dust (Djinns always travel that way because it is Magic), and he stopped to palaver and pow-wow with the Three.

 

‘Djinn of All Deserts (Джинн Всех Пустынь),’ said the Horse (сказал Конь), ‘is itright for any one to be idle, with the world so new-and-all (годится ли кому бы то ни было быть праздным, когда весь мир такой новенький)?’

‘Certainly not,’ said the Djinn (конечно, нет, — сказал Джинн).

‘Well,’ said the Horse (ну, — сказал Конь), ‘there’s a thing in the middle of your Howling Desert (посреди твоей Унылой Пустыни есть существо) (and he’s a Howler himself (а оно и само Нытик)) with a long neck and long legs (с длинной шеей и длинными ногами), and he hasn’t done a stroke of work since Monday morning (и оно не ударило копытом о копыто с утра в понедельник; not to do a stroke of work — не ударить палец о палец). He won’t trot (оно не хочет бегать).’

 

right [raIt], idle [aIdl], certainly ['sWtqnlI]

 

‘Djinn of All Deserts,’ said the Horse, ‘is it right for any one to be idle, with the world so new-and-all?’

‘Certainly not,’ said the Djinn.

‘Well,’ said the Horse, ‘there’s a thing in the middle of your Howling Desert (and he’s a Howler himself) with a long neck and long legs, and he hasn’t done a stroke of work since Monday morning. He won’t trot.’

 

‘Whew!’ said the Djinn (фью! — сказал Джинн), whistling (со свистом), ‘that’s my Camel (это /же/ мой Верблюд), for all the gold in Arabia (клянусь всем золотом Аравии[20])! What does he say about it (что он говорит по этому поводу)?’

‘He says “Humph (он говорит Грп)!” said the Dog (сказал Пес); ‘and he won’t fetch and carry (и он не хочет приносить и (у)носить).’

‘Does he say anything else (говорит он еще что-нибудь)?’

‘Only “Humph!” (только Грп); and he won’t plough (и он не хочет пахать),’ said the Ox (сказал Бык).

 

whistle [wIsl], gold [gquld], Arabia [q'reIbjq]

 

‘Whew!’ said the Djinn, whistling, ‘that’s my Camel, for all the gold in Arabia! What does he say about it?’

‘He says “Humph!” said the Dog; ‘and he won’t fetch and carry.’

‘Does he say anything else?’

‘Only “Humph!”; and he won’t plough,’ said the Ox.

 

‘Very good,’ said the Djinn (очень хорошо, — сказал Джинн). ‘I’ll humph him if you will kindly wait a minute (я его гропну, если вы будете любезны подождать минутку).’

The Djinn rolled himself up in his dust-cloak (Джинн завернулся в свой пыльный плащ; to roll up — завертывать, свертывать), and took a bearing across the desert (и взял направление через пустыню; to take a bearing — засекать направление, определять пеленг), and found the Camel most ‘scruciatingly idle (и нашел Верблюда премучительно праздного; to find — найти), looking at his own reflection in a pool of water (глядящего на свое отражение в луже воды).

‘My long and bubbling friend (мой длинный и пускающий пузыри друг; to bubble — кипеть; пузыриться; подниматься пузырьками),’ said the Djinn (сказал Джинн), ‘what’s this I hear of your doing no work (что это = как так, я слышу о тебе, что ты не работаешь), with the world so new-and-all (со всем миром = когда весь мир такой новенький)?’

‘Humph!’ said the Camel (Грп! — сказал Верблюд).

 

humph [mm, hAmf], kindly ['kaIndlI], hear [hIq]

 

‘Very good,’ said the Djinn. ‘I’ll humph him if you will kindly wait a minute.’

The Djinn rolled himself up in his dust-cloak, and took a bearing across the desert, and found the Camel most ‘scruciatingly idle, looking at his own reflection in a pool of water.

‘My long and bubbling friend,’ said the Djinn, ‘what’s this I hear of your doing no work, with the world so new-and-all?’

‘Humph!’ said the Camel.

 

The Djinn sat down (Джинн сел; to sit down — садиться), with his chin in his hand (подперев подбородок рукой: «с его подбородком в его кисти руки»), and began to think a Great Magic (и начал обдумывать Великое Волшебство), while the Camel looked at his own reflection in the pool of water (в то время как Верблюд смотрел на свое собственное отражение в луже воды).

‘You’ve given the Three extra work ever since Monday morning (ты всегда давал Трем дополнительную работу с утра в понедельник), all on account of your ‘scruciating idleness (исключительно из-за твоей мучительной праздности; on account of — из-за, вследствие, на основании),’ said the Djinn (сказал Джинн); and he went on thinking Magics (и он продолжал обдумывать Волшебство), with his chin in his hand (подперев подбородок рукой).

‘Humph!’ said the Camel (Грп! — сказал Верблюд).

 

great [greIt], magic ['mxGIk], account [q'kaunt]