Артур Дойл: Английский с А. Конан Дойлем. Пиратские истории / A. Conan Doyle. Tales of Pirates

Such a man was Captain John Scarrow, of the ship Morning Star, and yet he breathed a long sigh of relief when he heard the splash of the falling anchor and swung at his moorings within a hundred yards of the guns of the citadel of Basseterre. St. Kitt’s was his final port of call, and early next morning his bowsprit would be pointed for Old England. He had had enough of those robber-haunted seas. Ever since he had left Maracaibo upon the Main, with his full lading of sugar and red pepper, he had winced at every topsail which glimmered over the violet edge of the tropical sea. He had coasted up the Windward Islands, touching here and there, and assailed continually by stories of villainy and outrage.

Captain Sharkey, of the 20-gun pirate barque, Happy Delivery(капитан двадцатипушечного пиратского барка «Счастливое избавление»; delivery – освобождение, избавление ) , had passed down the coast(прошел вдоль побережья) , and had littered it with gutted vessels and with murdered men(усеяв его /останками/ разграбленных судов и трупами убитых людей; to litter – разбрасывать в беспорядке; to gut – потрошить; опустошать, грабить ) . Dreadful anecdotes were current of his grim pleasantries(ходили ужасные рассказы о его гнусных шутках; to be current – бытовать, ходить /о слухах/; current – данный, текущий; находящийся в обращении, имеющий хождение; grim – жестокий, беспощадный; pleasantry – любезность; шутка ) and of his inflexible ferocity(и непреклонной жестокости; to flex – гнуть, изгибать, сгибать ) . From the Bahamas to the Main his coal-black barque(от Багамских островов до материка его черный, как уголь барк; barque – барк /большое парусное судно/ ) , with the ambiguous name(с двусмысленным названием) , had been freighted with death and many things which are worse than death(нес в себе смерть и многое такое, что еще похуже смерти; to freight – фрахтовать; грузить ) . So nervous was Captain Scarrow, with his new full-rigged ship and her full and valuable lading(капитан Скарроу так беспокоился за свой новый, прекрасно: «полностью» оснащенный корабль и его ценный груз; nervous – нервный; нервничающий, взволнованный; her – косвенный падеж от she /в английском языке слова «корабль» и «судно» женского рода/ ) , that he struck out to the west as far as Bird’s Island(что отвернул к западу до самого острова Берда; to strike out – направляться; as far as – так далеко ) to be out of the usual track of commerce(чтобы оказаться подальше от обычных = привычных торговых путей; to be out – быть в стороне ) . And yet even in those solitary waters(и даже в этих пустынных водах) he had been unable to shake off sinister traces of Captain Sharkey(он не мог: «был неспособен» отделаться от зловещих следов капитана Шарки; to shake off smth. – стряхивать что-либо, избавляться от чего-либо; to shake – трясти, встряхивать ).

Captain Sharkey, of the 20-gun pirate barque, Happy Delivery, had passed down the coast, and had littered it with gutted vessels and with murdered men. Dreadful anecdotes were current of his grim pleasantries and of his inflexible ferocity. From the Bahamas to the Main his coal-black barque, with the ambiguous name, had been freighted with death and many things which are worse than death. So nervous was Captain Scarrow, with his new full-rigged ship and her full and valuable lading, that he struck out to the west as far as Bird’s Island to be out of the usual track of commerce. And yet even in those solitary waters he had been unable to shake off sinister traces of Captain Sharkey.

One morning they had raised a single skiff(однажды утром они подобрали: «подняли» одинокий ялик) adrift upon the face of the ocean(плывший по воле волн: «дрейфовавший по поверхности океана»; adrift – по течению; по воле волн; to go adrift – дрейфовать; drift – дрейф; face – лицо; поверхность ) . Its only occupant was a delirious seaman(единственным его пассажиром: «обитателем» был находящийся в бреду моряк; delirious – находящийся в бреду; delirium – делирий, бред, расстройство сознания /сопровождаемое галлюцинациями/ ) , who yelled hoarsely as they hoisted him aboard(который хрипло кричал, когда его поднимали на борт) , and showed a dried-up tongue like a black and wrinkled fungus at the back of his mouth(демонстрируя: «показывая» в глубине рта высохший язык, похожий на черный сморщенный гриб; back – задняя часть ) . Water and nursing soon transformed him into the strongest and smartest sailor on the ship(вода и хорошее питание вскоре превратили: «преобразовали» его в самого сильного и проворного матроса на корабле; smart – умный, сообразительный; проворный, расторопный ) . He was from Marblehead, in New England, it seemed(он, кажется, был из Марблхеда в Новой Англии; to seem – казаться, представляться ) , and was the sole survivor of a schooner(и оказался единственным, кто выжил из /всей команды/ шхуны; to survive – выжить ) which had been scuttled by the dreadful Sharkey(затопленной ужасным Шарки; to scuttle – затопить судно /открыв кингстоны или пробив отверстия в обшивке/ ).

One morning they had raised a single skiff adrift upon the face of the ocean. Its only occupant was a delirious seaman, who yelled hoarsely as they hoisted him aboard, and showed a dried-up tongue like a black and wrinkled fungus at the back of his mouth. Water and nursing soon transformed him into the strongest and smartest sailor on the ship. He was from Marblehead, in New England, it seemed, and was the sole survivor of a schooner which had been scuttled by the dreadful Sharkey.