The Call of the Wild / Зов предков. Книга для чтения на английском языке. Джек Лондон

The huskies had chewed through the sled lashings and canvas coverings. In fact, nothing, no matter how remotely eatable, had escaped them. They had eaten a pair of Perrault’s moose-hide moccasins, chunks out of the leather traces, and even two feet of lash from the end of François’s whip. He broke from a mournful contemplation of it to look over his wounded dogs.

      “Ah, my frien’s,” he said softly, “mebbe it mek you mad dog, dose many bites[37]. Mebbe all mad dog, sacredam! Wot you t’ink, eh, Perrault?”

      The courier shook his head dubiously. With four hundred miles of trail still between him and Dawson, he could ill afford to have madness break out among his dogs. Two hours of cursing and exertion got the harnesses into shape, and the wound-stiffened team was under way, struggling painfully over the hardest part of the trail they had yet encountered, and for that matter, the hardest between them and Dawson.

      The Thirty Mile River was wide open. Its wild water defied the frost, and it was in the eddies only and in the quiet places that the ice held at all. Six days of exhausting toil were required to cover those thirty terrible miles. And terrible they were, for every foot of them was accomplished at the risk of life to dog and man. A dozen times, Perrault, nosing the way broke through the ice bridges, being saved by the long pole he carried, which he so held that it fell each time across the hole made by his body. But a cold snap was on, the thermometer registering fifty below zero[38], and each time he broke through he was compelled for very life to build a fire and dry his garments.

      Примечания

      1

      trouble was brewing – (разг.) надвигалась беда

      2

      were booming the find – раструбили об этой находке

      3

      the Klondike strike – «золотая лихорадка» в Клондайке (северо-запад Канады) – в 1896 г. были открыты богатейшие месторождения золота, туда хлынул поток золотоискателей

      4

      cold cash – (р

Примечания

1

trouble was brewing – (разг.) надвигалась беда

2

were booming the find – раструбили об этой находке

3

the Klondike strike – «золотая лихорадка» в Клондайке (северо-запад Канады) – в 1896 г. были открыты богатейшие месторождения золота, туда хлынул поток золотоискателей

4

cold cash – (разг.) наличными

5

or I’m a squarehead – (разг.) или я ничего в этом не смыслю

6

If I don’t get the hydrophoby – (зд.) Только бы он не оказался бешеный

7

his anger waxed and waxed – (уст.) его гнев все возрастал

8

was metamorphosed into a raging fiend – (разг.) превратился в настоящего дьявола

9

He’s no slouch at dog-breakin’ – (сленг) Он усмирит любого пса

10

we’ve had our little ruction – (разг.) мы с тобой немного погорячились

11

all ’ll go well and the goose hang high – (разг.) и все пойдет как по маслу

12

I’ll whale the stufin’ outa you – (сленг) Я из тебя дух вышибу

13

Sacredam! – (искаж. фр.) Проклятье!

14

and a present at that – (разг.) просто даром отдаю

15

you ain’t got no kick coming – (сленг) ты ведь не станешь артачиться

16

the Barrens – (зд.) безлесная североканадская тундра в районе Гудзонова залива

17

meditated some underhand trick – (разг.) замышлял какую-нибудь пакость

18

Queen Charlotte Sound – (геогр.) залив королевы Шарлотты

19

every moment life and limb were in peril – (разг.) каждую минуту грозила опасность для жизни или увечье

20

they were licking their chops – (разг.) жадно облизывались

21

So that was the way – (зд.) Ах вот как; вот такая здесь жизнь

22

being made a draught animal – (разг.) его заставили ходить в упряжке, стать ездовой собакой

37

mebbe it mek you mad dog, dose many bites – (искаж.) вы так искусаны, что, может, теперь взбеситесь?

38

fifty below zero – (зд. и далее) температура воздуха дается по Фаренгейту (~ –40 °С)