Джон Бакен - Английский детектив. Джон Бакен. Тридцать девять ступеней / John Buchan. The Thirty-Nine Steps

He seemed to brace himself for a great effort, and then started on the queerest rigmarole. I didn’t get hold of it at first, and I had to stop and ask him questions. But here is the gist of it:

He was an American, from Kentucky, and after college, being pretty well off, he had started out to see the world. He wrote a bit, and acted as war correspondent for a Chicago paper, and spent a year or two in South-Eastern Europe. I gathered that he was a fine linguist, and had got to know pretty well the society in those parts. He spoke familiarly of many names that I remembered to have seen in the newspapers.

He had played about with politics, he told me, at first for the interest of them(он занимался политической игрой, сказал он мне, поначалу из интереса к ней; politics – политика; политические махинации, интриги ) , and then because he couldn’t help himself(а затем – потому что уже не мог остановиться; cannot help oneself – быть не в состоянии /удержаться от чего-л./). I read him as a sharp, restless fellow(я определил его как умного, беспокойного малого; to read – читать; толковать, интерпретировать; sharp – острый, отточенный; умный, сообразительный ) , who always wanted to get down to the roots of things(которому всегда хотелось добраться до сути вещей; root – корень; база, основа ) . He got a little further down than he wanted(он зашел немного дальше, чем он сам того хотел).

I am giving you what he told me as well as I could make it out(я сообщаю: «даю» вам то, что он рассказал мне, так, как я /сам/ смог разобрать) . Away behind all the Governments and the armies there was a big subterranean movement going on(далеко позади всех правительств и армий разворачивалось большое тайное движение; subterranean – подземный; секретный, тайный, скрытый; to go on – продолжать путь; продолжаться, развиваться / о действии, процессе, состоянии /) , engineered by very dangerous people(организованное очень опасными людьми; to engineer – создавать, сооружать; подстраивать, организовывать / путем происков, махинаций /).

He had played about with politics, he told me, at first for the interest of them, and then because he couldn’t help himself. I read him as a sharp, restless fellow, who always wanted to get down to the roots of things. He got a little further down than he wanted.

I am giving you what he told me as well as I could make it out. Away behind all the Governments and the armies there was a big subterranean movement going on, engineered by very dangerous people.

He had come on it by accident(он вышел на него случайно: «по случаю»; accident – несчастный случай, катастрофа; случай, случайность ) ; it fascinated him(оно увлекло его) ; he went further, and then he got caught(он пошел дальше, а затем попался; to catch ) . I gathered that most of the people in it were the sort of educated anarchists that make revolutions(я пришел к выводу, что большинство людей в нем = в этом движении были кем-то вроде тех образованных анархистов, которые устраивают: «делают» революции) , but that beside them there were financiers who were playing for money(но что кроме них были и финансисты, которые играли ради денег) . A clever man can make big profits on a falling market(умный делец: «человек» может сделать большие барыши: «крупные прибыли» на падающем рынке) , and it suited the book of both classes to set Europe by the ears(и это совпадало с планами обоих классов – поссорить Европу; to suit smb.’s books – совпадать с чьими-л. планами, подходить кому-л.; by the ears – в ссоре: «за уши» ).

He had come on it by accident; it fascinated him; he went further, and then he got caught. I gathered that most of the people in it were the sort of educated anarchists that make revolutions, but that beside them there were financiers who were playing for money. A clever man can make big profits on a falling market, and it suited the book of both classes to set Europe by the ears.

He told me some queer things that explained a lot that had puzzled me(он рассказал мне о некоторых странных событиях, которые объясняли многое из того, что озадачивало меня) – things that happened in the Balkan War(о событиях, которые произошли во время Балканской войны) , how one state suddenly came out on top(о том, как одно государство неожиданно победило: «вышло на вершину»; to come out on top – победить / в состязании, и т. п. /) , why alliances were made and broken(почему союзы заключались и разрывались; to break ) , why certain men disappeared(почему исчезли определенные люди) , and where the sinews of war came from(и откуда взялись материальные средства, необходимые для ведения войны; sinew – сухожилие, жила; деньги, финансы ) . The aim of the whole conspiracy was to get Russia and Germany at loggerheads(целью всего заговора было довести до ссоры Россию и Германию; loggerhead – олух, болван; to get to loggerheads – / уст./ дойти до драки ).

He told me some queer things that explained a lot that had puzzled me – things that happened in the Balkan War, how one state suddenly came out on top, why alliances were made and broken, why certain men disappeared, and where the sinews of war came from. The aim of the whole conspiracy was to get Russia and Germany at loggerheads.