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1. But though I was so terrified by the idea of the seafaring man with one leg,

I was far less afraid of the captain himself than anybody else who knew him.

There were nights when he took a deal more rum and water than his head

would carry; and then he would sometimes sit and sing his wicked, old, wild

sea-songs, minding nobody; but sometimes he would call for glasses round,

and force all the trembling company to listen to his stories or bear a chorus to

his singing. Often I have heard the house shaking with 'Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle

of rum;' all the neighbours joining in for dear life, with the fear of death upon

them, and each singing louder than the other, to avoid remark. For in these

fits he was the most overriding companion ever known; he would slap his

hand on the table for silence all round; he would fly up in a passion of anger

at a question, or sometimes because none was put, and so he judged the

company was not following his story. Nor would he allow anyone to leave the

inn till he had drunk himself sleepy and reeled off to bed.

1. His stories were what frightened people worst of all (его истории были /тем/,

что пугало людей больше всего). Dreadful stories they were (ужасными

историями они были); about hanging (о повешении), and walking the plank (и

хождении по доске /в открытое море/ — вид казни: пираты часто

заставляли несчастных людей на захваченном корабле идти с завязанными

глазами по доске в море), and storms at sea (/о/ штормах на море), and the Dry

Tortugas (об /островах/ Драй Тортугас /группа мелких коралловых островов в

Мексиканском заливе, на юго-западе Флориды/), and wild deeds and places on

the Spanish Main (диких деяниях и местах у испанского материка /в районе

Карибского моря/).

2. By his own account (по его собственному рассказу) he must have lived his life

among some of the wickedest men (он, должно быть, прожил жизнь среди

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/неких/ самых отъявленных людей = злодеев) that God ever allowed upon the

sea (которым Господь когда-либо позволял /плавать/ по морю); and the

language in which he told these stories (язык, которым он рассказывал эти

истории) shocked our plain country people (шокировал наших простых

деревенских людей) almost as much as the crimes that he described (почти так

же, как и преступления, которые он описывал).

frightened [`fraItnd] dreadful [dredful] hanging [`hxNIN] language

[`lxNgwIG]

1. His stories were what frightened people worst of all. Dreadful stories they

were; about hanging, and walking the plank, and storms at sea, and the Dry

Tortugas, and wild deeds and places on the Spanish Main.

2. By his own account he must have lived his life among some of the wickedest

men that God ever allowed upon the sea; and the language in which he told

these stories shocked our plain country people almost as much as the crimes

that he described.

1. My father was always saying the inn would be ruined (мой отец всегда

говорил, /что/ трактир разорится), for people would soon cease coming there

(так как люди скоро перестанут приходить туда) to be tyrannized over and put

down (чтобы быть = из-за опасности быть деспотически подавленными и

униженными), and sent shivering to their beds (идти, дрожа, спать = домой: «и

быть отправленными, дрожащими, в свои постели»; to send — посылать,

отправлять); but I really believe his presence did us good (но я действительно

думал, /что/ его присутствие помогало нам). People were frightened at the time

Мультиязыковой проект Ильи Франка www.franklang.ru

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(люди были напуганы в то время), but on looking back they rather liked it (но,

обернувшись = вспомнив, им скорее нравилось это); it was a fine excitement in

a quiet country life (это было прекрасное волнение в тихой деревенской

жизни); and there was even a party of the younger me (была даже группа

/людей/ моложе меня) who pretended to admire him (которые делали вид, что

восхищаются им), calling him a 'true sea-dog,' (называя его «настоящим

морским волком») and a 'real old salt,' (настоящим бывалым /просоленным/

моряком: «настоящей старой солью») and suchlike names (и /другими/

подобными именами), and saying there was the sort of man that made England

terrible at sea (говоря, /что/ там был тип человека, который сделал Англию