himself to the river astride one of the many drift-logs (именно по этой причине он не доверил себя реке, /чтобы плыть/ верхом на одном из многих плавучих бревен) which lined its sand-spits (которые выстроились вдоль ее длинных песчаных отмелей;
He turned away. Well, Bill had deserted him; but he would not take the gold, nor would he suck Bill's bones. Bill would have, though, had it been the other way around, he mused as he staggered on. He came to a pool of water. Stooping over in quest of minnows, he jerked his head back as though he had been stung. He had caught sight of his reflected face. So horrible was it that sensibility awoke long enough to be shocked. There were three minnows in the pool, which was too large to drain; and after several ineffectual attempts to catch them in the tin bucket he forbore. He was afraid, because of his great weakness, that he might fall in and drown. It was for this reason that he did not trust himself to the river astride one of the many drift-logs which lined its sand-spits.
That day he decreased the distance between him and the ship by three miles (в тот день он уменьшил расстояние между ним и кораблем на три мили); the next day by two (в следующий день на две) — for he was crawling now as Bill had crawled (ибо теперь он полз, как полз Билл); and the end of the fifth day found the ship still seven miles away and him unable to make even a mile a day (а конец пятого дня застал корабль все еще в семи милях от него, а он был не в состоянии проходить даже милю в день). Still the Indian Summer held on (все еще стояло бабье лето;
That day he decreased the distance between him and the ship by three miles; the next day by two — for he was crawling now as Bill had crawled; and the end of the fifth day found the ship still seven miles away and him unable to make even a mile a day. Still the Indian Summer held on, and he continued to crawl and faint, turn and turn about; and ever the sick wolf coughed and wheezed at his heels. His knees had become raw meat like his feet, and though he padded them with the shirt from his back it was a red track he left behind him on the moss and stones. Once, glancing back, he saw the wolf licking hungrily his bleeding trail, and he saw sharply what his own end might be — unless — unless he could get the wolf. Then began as grim a tragedy of existence as was ever played — a sick man that crawled, a sick wolf that limped, two creatures dragging their dying carcasses across the desolation and hunting each other's lives.
Had it been a well wolf (если бы это был здоровый волк), it would not have mattered so much to the man (это не имело бы такого значения для человека); but the thought of going to feed the maw of that loathsome and all but dead thing was repugnant to him (но мысль о том, чтобы накормить брюхо этого омерзительной и почти мертвой твари, была невыносима для него;
Had it been a well wolf, it would not have mattered so much to the man; but the thought of going to feed the maw of that loathsome and all but dead thing was repugnant to him. He was finicky. His mind had begun to wander again, and to be perplexed by hallucinations, while his lucid intervals grew rarer and shorter.
He was awakened once from a faint by a wheeze close in his ear (однажды его от обморока пробудила одышка возле самого уха). The wolf leaped lamely back (волк, спотыкаясь, отскочил назад), losing its footing and falling in its weakness (теряя опору для ног и падая от слабости). It was ludicrous (это было смешно), but he was not amused (но его это не позабавило). Nor was he even afraid (он даже не боялся). He was too far gone for that (он слишком далеко зашел для этого). But his mind was for the moment clear (но его разум на минуту прояснился), and he lay and considered (и он лег и подумал). The ship was no more than four miles away (корабль был не более, чем в четырех милях прочь = от него). He could see it quite distinctly (он видел его совершенно отчетливо) when he rubbed the mists out of his eyes (когда вытирал туман из глаз), and he could see the white sail of a small boat cutting the water of the shining sea (и он видел белый парус маленькой лодки, разрезающей воду сверкающего моря). But he could never crawl those four miles (но он никогда бы не смог проползти эти четыре мили). He knew that, and was very calm in the knowledge (он знал это и был очень спокоен в этом знании = сознавая это). He knew that he could not crawl half a mile (он знал, что не может проползти полмили). And yet he wanted to live (и, тем не менее, он хотел жить). It was unreasonable that he should die after all he had undergone (было неразумно, чтобы он умер после всего, что он перенес;
He was awakened once from a faint by a wheeze close in his ear. The wolf leaped lamely back, losing its footing and falling in its weakness. It was ludicrous, but he was not amused. Nor was he even afraid. He was too far gone for that. But his mind was for the moment clear, and he lay and considered. The ship was no more than four miles away. He could see it quite distinctly when he rubbed the mists out of his eyes, and he could see the white sail of a small boat cutting the water of the shining sea. But he could never crawl those four miles. He knew that, and was very calm in the knowledge. He knew that he could not crawl half a mile. And yet he wanted to live. It was
