Arthur Conan Doyle - Английский язык с Конан Дойлем. Этюд в багровых тонах (ASCII-IPA)

vague [veIg], adult ['&dVlt], [@'dVlt], stealthy ['stelTI]

At first this vague and terrible power was exercised only upon the recalcitrants who, having embraced the Mormon faith, wished afterwards to pervert or to abandon it. Soon, however, it took a wider range. The supply of adult women was running short, and polygamy without a female population on which to draw was a barren doctrine indeed. Strange rumours began to be bandied about — rumours of murdered immigrants and rifled camps in regions where Indians had never been seen. Fresh women appeared in the harems of the Elders — women who pined and wept, and bore upon their faces the traces of an unextinguishable horror. Belated wanderers upon the mountains spoke of gangs of armed men, masked, stealthy, and noiseless, who flitted by them in the darkness. These tales and rumours took substance and shape, and were corroborated and re-corroborated, until they resolved themselves into a definite name. To this day, in the lonely ranches of the West, the name of the Danite Band, or the Avenging Angels, is a sinister and an ill-omened one.

Fuller knowledge of the organization which produced such terrible results (то, что больше стало известно об этой ужасной организации: «более полное знание об этой организации, которая приносила такие ужасные результаты») served to increase rather than to lessen the horror which it inspired in the minds of men (привело к тому, что бояться ее стали больше, а не меньше: «послужило, чтобы увеличить, скорее чем уменьшить, ужас, который она вселяла в умы людей»; to inspire — вдохновлять; внушать, вселять) . None knew who belonged to this ruthless society (никто не знал, кто являлся членом этого безжалостного общества; to belong — принадлежать; быть членом) . The names of the participators in the deeds of blood and violence (имена участников кровавых злодеяний: «деяний крови и насилия») done under the name of religion were kept profoundly secret (совершенных от имени веры, держались в глубоком секрете) . The very friend to whom you communicated your misgivings as to the Prophet and his mission (тот самый друг, с которым вы поделились своими сомнениями относительно Пророка и его миссии; to communicate — говорить, сообщать; misgiving — опасение; предчувствие дурного) , might be one of those who would come forth at night with fire and sword to exact a terrible reparation (мог оказаться одним из тех, кто явится среди ночи с огнем и мечом за ужасным воздаянием; to exact — взыскивать; reparation — возмещение; искупление) . Hence every man feared his neighbour (поэтому каждый боялся своего соседа) , and none spoke of the things which were nearest his heart (и никто не говорил о том, что было ему всего дороже: «ближе всего к его сердцу») .

One fine morning, John Ferrier was about to set out to his wheatfields (одним прекрасным утром Джон Феррьер собирался было отправиться на поля пшеницы) , when he heard the click of the latch, and, looking through the window (когда он услышал стук щеколды и, выглянув в окно) , saw a stout, sandy-haired, middle-aged man coming up the pathway (увидел полного рыжеватого мужчину средних лет, идущего по тропинке к дому) . His heart leapt to his mouth (у него душа ушла в пятки: «его сердце прыгнуло к нему в рот»; to leap — прыгать, скакать) , for this was none other than the great Brigham Young himself (так как это был не кто иной, как сам великий Бригем Янг) . Full of trepidation — for he knew that such a visit boded him little good (весь дрожа: «полный трепета», так как он знал, что такой визит сулил ему мало хорошего) — Ferrier ran to the door to greet the Mormon chief (Феррьер подбежал к двери, чтобы встретить вождя мормонов) . The latter, however, received his salutations coldly (тот, однако, принял его приветствия холодно) , and followed him with a stern face into the sitting-room (и с каменным лицом последовал за ним в гостиную; stern — строгий, суровый) .

mind [maInd], society [s@'saI@tI], sword [sO:d]

Fuller knowledge of the organization which produced such terrible results served to increase rather than to lessen the horror which it inspired in the minds of men. None knew who belonged to this ruthless society. The names of the participators in the deeds of blood and violence done under the name of religion were kept profoundly secret. The very friend to whom you communicated your misgivings as to the Prophet and his mission, might be one of those who would come forth at night with fire and sword to exact a terrible reparation. Hence every man feared his neighbour, and none spoke of the things which were nearest his heart.

One fine morning, John Ferrier was about to set out to his wheatfields, when he heard the click of the latch, and, looking through the window, saw a stout, sandy-haired, middle-aged man coming up the pathway. His heart leapt to his mouth, for this was none other than the great Brigham Young himself. Full of trepidation — for he knew that such a visit boded him little good — Ferrier ran to the door to greet the Mormon chief. The latter, however, received his salutations coldly, and followed him with a stern face into the sitting-room.

"Brother Ferrier," he said, taking a seat (брат Феррьер, — сказал он, усаживаясь) , and eyeing the farmer keenly from under his light-coloured eyelashes (и окидывая фермера взглядом проницательных глаз из-под светлых ресниц; to eye — смотреть, пристально разглядывать) , "the true believers have been good friends to you (приверженцы истинной веры были тебе хорошими друзьями) . We picked you up when you were starving in the desert (мы подобрали тебя, когда ты умирал с голоду в пустыне) , we shared our food with you (мы разделили с тобой свою пищу) , led you safe to the Chosen Valley (в безопасности привели тебя в Долину избранных) , gave you a goodly share of land (выделили тебе добрую долю земли) , and allowed you to wax rich under our protection (и позволили тебе стать богатым под нашим покровительством; to wax — становиться, приходить в некоторое состояние) . Is not this so (разве это не так) ?"