Эдгар Берроуз - Английский язык с Э. Р. Берроузом. Принцесса Марса

apprehension ["xprI'henSn], anxiety [xN'zaIqtI], entranceway ['entrqnsweI]

I reached the appointed meeting place safely, but as Dejah Thoris and Sola were not there I led my animals into the entrance hall of one of the large buildings. Presuming that one of the other women of the same household may have come in to speak to Sola, and so delayed their departure, I did not feel any undue apprehension until nearly an hour had passed without a sign of them, and by the time another half hour had crawled away I was becoming filled with grave anxiety. Then there broke upon the stillness of the night the sound of an approaching party, which, from the noise, I knew could be no fugitives creeping stealthily toward liberty. Soon the party was near me, and from the black shadows of my entranceway I perceived a score of mounted warriors, who, in passing, dropped a dozen words that fetched my heart clean into the top of my head.

"He would likely have arranged to meet them just without the city, and so (вероятнее всего, он условился встретиться с ними за пределами города, и поэтому) — " I heard no more, they had passed on; but it was enough (больше я ничего не слышал, они проехали дальше, но этого было достаточно). Our plan had been discovered (наш план был раскрыт), and the chances for escape from now on to the fearful end would be small indeed (и шансы на спасение отныне и до ужасного конца будут ничтожно малы). My one hope now was to return undetected to the quarters of Dejah Thoris (моей единственной надеждой теперь было вернуться незамеченным к жилью Дежи Торис) and learn what fate had overtaken her (и узнать, какая участь постигла ее; to overtake — догонять; овладевать ), but how to do it with these great monstrous thoats upon my hands (но как сделать это с этими огромными тотами на моем попечении: «на моих руках»), now that the city probably was aroused by the knowledge of my escape (теперь, когда город, вероятно, был поднят на ноги известием: «знанием» о моем побеге; knowledge — осведомленность, сведения ) was a problem of no mean proportions (было значительной проблемой; mean — ничтожный; no mean — большой, значительный: «не ничтожный»; proportion — размер ).

without [wI'DaVt], probably ['prObqblI], proportion [prq'pO: S(q)n]

"He would likely have arranged to meet them just without the city, and so — " I heard no more, they had passed on; but it was enough. Our plan had been discovered, and the chances for escape from now on to the fearful end would be small indeed. My one hope now was to return undetected to the quarters of Dejah Thoris and learn what fate had overtaken her, but how to do it with these great monstrous thoats upon my hands, now that the city probably was aroused by the knowledge of my escape was a problem of no mean proportions.

Suddenly an idea occurred to me (внезапно мне в голову пришла идея), and acting on my knowledge of the construction of the buildings of these ancient Martian cities (и, действуя на основе моего знания устройства зданий этих древних марсианских городов) with a hollow court within the center of each square (где в центре каждого квартала находился пустой двор), I groped my way blindly through the dark chambers (я вслепую нащупывал дорогу через темные комнаты), calling the great thoats after me (призывая огромных тотов /следовать/ за мной). They had difficulty in negotiating some of the doorways (им было трудно пробираться через некоторые двери; to negotiate — вести переговоры, договариваться; обсуждать условия; устраивать, улаживать; преодолевать /что-либо при помощи переговоров/; преодолеть препятствие; перепрыгнуть, пересечь /и т. д./ ), but as the buildings fronting the city's principal exposures (но так как все здания, находившиеся у главных границ: «основных незащищенных мест» города; exposure — подвергание какому-либо воздействию; выставление, оставление/на солнце, под дождем и т. п./; вид, местоположение /особенно по отношению к солнечному свету/ ) were all designed upon a magnificent scale (были спроектированы с поразительным размахом; scale — размер; размах ), they were able to wriggle through without sticking fast (им удавалось протискиваться так, чтобы не застрять безнадежно; fast — прочно; накрепко; to stick — наклеивать; застревать; to stick fast — безнадежно застрять ) and thus we finally made the inner court (и таким образом мы добрались до внутреннего двора) where I found, as I had expected (где я нашел, как и ожидал), the usual carpet of moss-like vegetation (обычный ковер из похожей на мох растительности) which would prove their food and drink (которая послужит им едой и питьем; to prove — доказывать; оказываться ) until I could return them to their own enclosure (пока я не смогу вернуть их в их собственный загон). That they would be as quiet and contented here as elsewhere I was confident (в том, что они будут так же спокойны и довольны здесь, как и в любом другом месте, я был уверен), nor was there but the remotest possibility that they would be discovered (кроме того, маловероятно было то: «была лишь отдаленнейшая возможность», что их обнаружат; remote — отдаленный; маловероятный ), as the green men had no great desire to enter these outlying buildings (так как у зеленых людей не было большого желания заходить в эти отдаленные здания; outlying — удаленный; отдаленный ), which were frequented by the only thing, I believe (которые часто посещали единственные создания, я полагаю; thing — существо, создание ), which caused them the sensation of fear — the great white apes of Barsoom (которые вызывали у них чувство страха — большие белые обезьяны Барсума).

negotiate [nI'gouSIeIt], exposure [Ik'spouZq], remote [rI'mout], elsewhere ["els'weq]

Suddenly an idea occurred to me, and acting on my knowledge of the construction of the buildings of these ancient Martian cities with a hollow court within the center of each square, I groped my way blindly through the dark chambers, calling the great thoats after me. They had difficulty in negotiating some of the doorways, but as the buildings fronting the city's principal exposures were all designed upon a magnificent scale, they were able to wriggle through without sticking fast; and thus we finally made the inner court where I found, as I had expected, the usual carpet of moss-like vegetation which would prove their food and drink until I could return them to their own enclosure. That they would be as quiet and contented here as elsewhere I was confident, nor was there but the remotest possibility that they would be discovered, as the green men had no great desire to enter these outlying buildings, which were frequented by the only thing, I believe, which caused them the sensation of fear — the great white apes of Barsoom.