Редьярд Киплинг: Английский с Редьярдом Киплингом. Рикки-Тикки-Тави / Rudyard Kipling. Rikki-Tikki-Tavi

Big Toomai had come up hotfoot from the camp in the plains to search for his son and his elephant, and now that he had found them he looked at them as though he were afraid of them both. And there was a feast by the blazing campfires in front of the lines of picketed elephants, and Little Toomai was the hero of it all. And the big brown elephant catchers, the trackers and drivers and ropers, and the men who know all the secrets of breaking the wildest elephants, passed him from one to the other, and they marked his forehead with blood from the breast of a newly killed jungle-cock, to show that he was a forester, initiated and free of all the jungles.

And at last, when the flames died down(наконец, когда пламя /костров/ потухло; to die – умирать; to die down – увядать, замирать, затихать ) , and the red light of the logs made the elephants look as though they had been dipped in blood too(и красный свет /тлеющих/ бревен заставил слонов выглядеть = придал коже слонов такой оттенок , как будто их тоже окунули в кровь; to dip – макать, окунать ) , Machua Appa, the head of all the drivers of all the Keddahs(Мачуа Аппа, глава всех погонщиков во всех кеддахах) – Machua Appa, Petersen Sahib’s other self, who had never seen a made road in forty years(Мачуа Аппа, второе «я» Петерсена Сахиба, который за сорок лет ни разу не видел дороги, сделанной /руками людей/; self – собственная личность, сам ) : Machua Appa, who was so great that he had no other name than Machua Appa(Мачуа Аппа, который был настолько велик, что у него не было другого имени, кроме – Мачуа Аппа) , – leaped to his feet(вскочил на ноги; to leap – прыгать, скакать ) , with Little Toomai held high in the air above his head(держа Маленького Тумаи высоко в воздухе над своей головой; to hold – держать ) , and shouted(и закричал) : “Listen, my brothers(слушайте, мои братья) . Listen, too, you my lords in the lines there(слушайте и вы, мои господа, там, в рядах) , for I, Machua Appa, am speaking(потому что говорю я, Мачуа Аппа)!

And at last, when the flames died down, and the red light of the logs made the elephants look as though they had been dipped in blood too, Machua Appa, the head of all the drivers of all the Keddahs – Machua Appa, Petersen Sahib’s other self, who had never seen a made road in forty years: Machua Appa, who was so great that he had no other name than Machua Appa, – leaped to his feet, with Little Toomai held high in the air above his head, and shouted: “Listen, my brothers. Listen, too, you my lords in the lines there, for I, Machua Appa, am speaking!

This little one shall no more be called Little Toomai(этого малыша больше не будут называть Маленький Тумаи) , but Toomai of the Elephants(/отныне/ он – Слоновый Тумаи) , as his great-grandfather was called before him(как называли до него его прадеда) . What never man has seen he has seen through the long night(всю долгую ночь = ночь напролет он видел = созерцал то, чего никогда /не/ видел /ни/ один человек) , and the favor of the elephant-folk and of the Gods of the Jungles is with him(милость слоновьего народа и Богов Джунглей – с ним; favor – благосклонность, милость ) . He shall become a great tracker(он станет великим охотником) . He shall become greater than I, even I, Machua Appa(он станет более великим, чем я, – даже я, Мачуа Аппа) ! He shall follow the new trail, and the stale trail, and the mixed trail, with a clear eye(он будет следовать = распознавать новые следы, старые следы, смешанные следы /слонов/ своим ясным взглядом; stale – несвежий, чeрствый ) ! He shall take no harm in the Keddah when he runs under their bellies to rope the wild tuskers(ему не причинят вреда в кеддахе, когда он будет пробегать под их животами, чтобы накинуть веревку на дикого зверя; harm – вред; belly – живот, брюхо; to rope – связывать веревкой; tusker – животное с клыками, бивнями ) ; and if he slips before the feet of the charging bull elephant(и если он поскользнется перед ногами нападающего слона-буйвола; to slip – скользить; to charge – заряжать; нападать, атаковать ) , the bull elephant shall know who he is and shall not crush him(этот слон-буйвол будет знать, кто он такой, и не раздавит его; to crush – давить, жать ).

This little one shall no more be called Little Toomai, but Toomai of the Elephants, as his great-grandfather was called before him. What never man has seen he has seen through the long night, and the favor of the elephant-folk and of the Gods of the Jungles is with him. He shall become a great tracker. He shall become greater than I, even I, Machua Appa! He shall follow the new trail, and the stale trail, and the mixed trail, with a clear eye! He shall take no harm in the Keddah when he runs under their bellies to rope the wild tuskers; and if he slips before the feet of the charging bull elephant, the bull elephant shall know who he is and shall not crush him.

Aihai(ай-ай) ! my lords in the chains(мои господа в цепях) ,” – he whirled up the line of pickets(он повернулся к ряду кольев; to whirl – вертеть / ся /) – “here is the little one that has seen your dances in your hidden places(вот малыш, который видел ваши танцы в ваших тайных местах; to hide – прятать / ся / , скрывать / ся /) , – the sight that never man saw(зрелище, которое никогда /еще не/ видел /ни один/ человек; sight – зрение; вид, зрелище ) ! Give him honor, my lords(воздайте ему почести, мои господа) ! Salaam karo, my children(салаам каро, мои дети) . Make your salute to Toomai of the Elephants(салютуйте Слоновому Тумаи) ! Gunga Pershad, ahaa(Ганга Першад, ахаа) ! Hira Guj(Хира Гудж) , Birchi Guj(Бирчи Гадж) , Kuttar Guj, ahaa(Каттар Гадж, ахаа) ! Pudmini, – thou hast seen him at the dance(Падмини, ты видела его во время танца) , and thou too, Kala Nag, my pearl among elephants(и ты тоже, Кала Наг, моя жемчужина среди слонов) ! – ahaa(ахаа) ! Together(/все/ вместе) ! To Toomai of the Elephants(Слоновому Тумаи) . Barrao(баррао) !”