Then I skirted among the woods until I had regained the rear, or shoreward side, of the stockade, and was soon warmly welcomed by the faithful party.

I had soon told my story, and began to look about me. The log-house was made of unsquared trunks of pine — roof, walls, and floor. The latter stood in several places as much as a foot or a foot and a half above the surface of the sand. There was a porch at the door, and under this porch the little spring welled up into an artificial basin of a rather odd kind — no other than a great ship's kettle of iron, with the bottom knocked out, and sunk 'to her bearings,' as the captain said, among the sand.

Little had been left beside the framework of the house; but in one corner there was a stone slab laid down by way of hearth, and an old rusty iron basket to contain the fire.

 

1. The slopes of the knoll and all the inside of the stockade had been cleared of timber to build the house (склоны холма и все /пространство/ в пределах частокола было расчищено от деревьев, чтобы построить дом), and we could see by the stumps what a fine and lofty grove had beer destroyed (и мы могли видеть по пням, какая прекрасная и величавая роща была уничтожена). Most of the soil had been washed away (большая часть почвы была смыта) or buried in drift after the removal of the trees (или смыта /дождями/ после вырубки деревьев; drift — поток, течение, нанос; removal — перемещение, вывоз, снятие; to remove — передвигать, перемещать; удалять, устранять); only where the streamlet ran down from the kettle (только /там/, где ручеек вытекал из котла) a thick bed of moss and some ferns and little creeping bushes were still green among the sand (толстый слой мха, папоротники и маленькие = низкорослые ползучие кусты все еще зеленели посреди песка). Very close around the stockade (очень близко к частоколу; to close around — охватывать по окружности) — too close for defence, they said (слишком близко для обороны = это мешало обороне, как говорили) — the wood still flourished high and dense (разросся высокий густой лес; to flourish — пышно расти, процветать; still — все еще), all of fir on the land side (весь /состоявший/ из елей со стороны суши), but towards the sea with a large admixture of live-oaks (но ближе к морю — с большой примесью виргинских дубов).

2. The cold evening breeze, of which I have spoken (холодный вечерний бриз, о котором я говорил), whistled through every chink of the rude building (свистел в каждой трещине грубой постройки), and sprinkled the floor with a continual rain of fine sand (и посыпал пол непрерывным дождем мелкого песка; to sprinkle — брызгать, посыпать, орошать). There was sand in our eyes, sand in our teeth, sand in our suppers (песок был у нас в глазах, песок /хрустел/ у нас на зубах, песок /попадал/ в наш ужин), sand dancing in the spring at the bottom of the kettle (песок плясал в роднике на дне котла), for all the world like porridge beginning to boil (похожий на закипающую крупу; for all the world like — похожий во всех отношениях; porridge — овсяная крупа, каша). Our chimney was a square hole in the roof (нашей дымовой трубой было квадратное отверстие в крыше); it was but a little part of the smoke that found its way out (только небольшая часть дыма находила выход /через это отверстие/), and the rest eddied about the house (а остальной клубился по всему дому; about — кругом, повсюду), and kept us coughing and piping the eye (и заставлял нас кашлять и глаза — слезиться).

 

removal [rI`mHvl] streamlet [`strJmlIt] chimney [`tSImnI] coughing [`kOfIN]

 

The slopes of the knoll and all the inside of the stockade had been cleared of timber to build the house, and we could see by the stumps what a fine and lofty grove had beer destroyed. Most of the soil had been washed away or buried in drift after the removal of the trees; only where the streamlet ran down from the kettle a thick bed of moss and some ferns and little creeping bushes were still green among the sand. Very close around the stockade — too close for defence, they said — the wood still flourished high and dense, all of fir on the land side, but towards the sea with a large admixture of live-oaks.

The cold evening breeze, of which I have spoken, whistled through every chink of the rude building, and sprinkled the floor with a continual rain of fine sand. There was sand in our eyes, sand in our teeth, sand in our suppers, sand dancing in the spring at the bottom of the kettle, for all the world like porridge beginning to boil. Our chimney was a square hole in the roof; it was but a little part of the smoke that found its way out, and the rest eddied about the house, and kept us coughing and piping the eye.

 

1. Add to this that Gray, the new man (вдобавок к тому, Грей, новый /наш/ человек = товарищ), had his face tied up in a bandage (/сидел/ с перевязанным бинтом лицом) for a cut he had got in breaking away from the mutineers (потому что он получил порез, вырываясь от разбойников; to break away — убегать, отделяться, вырываться); and that poor old Tom Redruth, still unburied (и бедный старый Том Редрут, все еще не похороненный), lay along the wall, stiff and stark, under the Union Jack (лежал у стены, окоченевший, под британским флагом; stiff — негибкий, окостеневший; stark — окоченевший, застывший).

2. If we had been allowed to sit idle (если бы нам позволили сидеть сложа руки; idle — незанятый, неработающий, праздный), we should all have fallen in the blues (мы бы впали в уныние; blue — хандра, подавленность) but Captain Smollett was never the man for that (но капитан Смоллетт не был таким человеком /чтобы допустить это/). All hands were called up before him (вся команда была созвана перед ним = он построил нас перед собой), and he divided us into watches (и разделил нас на вахты). The doctor, and Gray, and I, for one (доктор, Грей и я /вошли/ в одну); the squire, Hunter, and Joyce, upon the other (сквайр, Хантер и Джойс — в другую). Tired though we all were (и хотя мы все устали), two were sent out for firewood (двое были посланы за дровами); two more were set to dig a grave for Redruth (еще двое принялись копать могилу для Редрута); the doctor was named cook (доктор был назначен поваром); I was put sentry at the door (меня поставили в караул у двери); and the captain himself went from one to another (а сам капитан переходил от одного к другому), keeping up our spirits and lending a hand wherever it was wanted (подбадривая нас и оказывая помощь: «давая руку /помощи/», где было необходимо; to lend — одолжить, дать, предоставить).

3. From time to time the doctor came to the door for a little air and to rest his eyes (время от времени доктор подходил к двери, чтобы немного подышать /свежим/ воздухом и дать отдохнуть своим глазам), which were almost smoked out of his head (которые были почти выкурены из его головы = сильно покраснели от дыма); and whenever he did so, he had a word for me (и всякий раз, когда он это делал, у него было слово для меня = он перекидывался со мной парой слов).

 

bandage [`bxndIG] divided [di`vaIdId] almost [`Llmqust]

 

Add to this that Gray, the new man, had his face tied up in a bandage for a cut he had got in breaking away from the mutineers; and that poor old Tom Redruth, still unburied, lay along the wall, stiff and stark, under the Union Jack.

If we had been allowed to sit idle, we should all have fallen in the blues but Captain Smollett was never the man for that. All hands were called up before him, and he divided us into watches. The doctor, and Gray, and I, for one; the squire, Hunter, and Joyce, upon the other. Tired though we all were, two were sent out for firewood; two more were set to dig a grave for Redruth; the doctor was named cook; I was put sentry at the door; and the captain himself went from one to another, keeping up our spirits and lending a hand wherever it was wanted.