clutched feebly, the other hand crept across to a grip. Five minutes later the whole weight of the man's body was on top of the wolf. The hands had not sufficient strength to choke the wolf, but the face of the man was pressed close to the throat of the wolf and the mouth of the man was full of hair. At the end of half an hour the man was aware of a warm trickle in his throat. It was not pleasant. It was like molten lead being forced into his stomach, and it was forced by his will alone. Later the man rolled over on his back and slept.
* * *
There were some members of a scientific expedition on the whale-ship Bedford (на китобойном судне «Бедфорд» было несколько членов научной экспедиции). From the deck they remarked a strange object on the shore (с палубы они заметили странный предмет на берегу). It was moving down the beach toward the water (он двигался вниз по берегу к воде). They were unable to classify it (они не смогли классифицировать его), and, being scientific men (и будучи учеными), they climbed into the whale-boat alongside and went ashore to see (они забрались в вельбот у борта и отправились на берег выяснить). And they saw something that was alive (и они увидели нечто, которое было живым = нечто живое) but which could hardly be called a man (но что едва ли можно было назвать человеком). It was blind, unconscious (оно было незрячим, без сознания). It squirmed along the ground like some monstrous worm (оно двигалось, извиваясь по земле, как какой-то гигантский червь). Most of its efforts were ineffectual (большинство его усилий были бесплодны), but it was persistent (но оно было настойчивым; to persist — настаивать), and it writhed and twisted and went ahead perhaps a score of feet an hour (и оно корчилось, и изгибалось, и двигалось вперед, возможно, /со скоростью/ двадцати футов в час).
There were some members of a scientific expedition on the whale-ship Bedford. From the deck they remarked a strange object on the shore. It was moving down the beach toward the water. They were unable to classify it, and, being scientific men, they climbed into the whale-boat alongside and went ashore to see. And they saw something that was alive but which could hardly be called a man. It was blind, unconscious. It squirmed along the ground like some monstrous worm. Most of its efforts were ineffectual, but it was persistent, and it writhed and twisted and went ahead perhaps a score of feet an hour.
* * *
Three weeks afterward the man lay in a bunk on the whale-ship Bedford (три недели спустя человек лежал в койке на китобойном судне «Бедфорд»), and with tears streaming down his wasted cheeks told (и со слезами, стекающими по его исхудавшим щекам, рассказал) who he was and what he had undergone (кто он, и что он испытал; to undergo — испытывать, переносить). He also babbled incoherently of his mother (он также бессвязно бормотал о своей матери), of sunny Southern California (о солнечной Южной Калифорнии), and a home among the orange groves and flowers (и доме среди апельсиновых рощ и цветов).
The days were not many after that when he sat at table with the scientific men and ship's officers (было = прошло немного = несколько дней после этого, когда он /уже/ сидел за столом с учеными и офицерами корабля). He gloated over the spectacle of so much food (он пожирал глазами зрелище такого большого количества пищи; to gloat over — пожирать глазами), watching it anxiously as it went into the mouths of others (наблюдая за ней тревожно/с беспокойством, когда она отправлялась во рты других). With the disappearance of each mouthful an expression of deep regret came into his eyes (с исчезновением каждого куска в его глазах появлялось выражение глубокого сожаления). He was quite sane (он был совершенно в здравом уме; sane — нормальный, в своем уме, в здравом уме), yet he hated those men at meal-time (тем не менее, он ненавидел этих людей во время еды). He was haunted by a fear that the food would not last (его мучил страх, что еды не хватит; to haunt — мучить; не давать покоя; to last — продолжаться, длиться; хватать, быть достаточным). He inquired of the cook, the cabin-boy, the captain, concerning the food stores (он расспрашивал кока, юнгу, капитана о запасах еды). They reassured him countless times (бессчетное число раз они успокаивали его); but he could not believe them (но он не мог им поверить), and pried cunningly about the lazarette to see with his own eyes (и хитро с любопытством разглядывал кладовую, чтобы убедиться собственными глазами; to pry about — высматривать; с любопытством разглядывать; lazaretto — складское помещение /между палубами на судне/, кладовая).
Three weeks afterward the man lay in a bunk on the whale-ship Bedford, and with tears streaming down his wasted cheeks told who he was and what he had undergone. He also babbled incoherently of his mother, of sunny Southern California, and a home among the orange groves and flowers.
The days were not many after that when he sat at table with the scientific men and ship's officers. He gloated over the spectacle of so much food, watching it anxiously as it went into the mouths of others. With the disappearance of each mouthful an expression of deep regret came into his eyes. He was quite sane, yet he hated those men at meal-time. He was haunted by a fear that the food would not last. He inquired of the cook, the cabin-boy, the captain, concerning the food stores. They reassured him countless times; but he could not believe them, and pried cunningly about the lazarette to see with his own eyes.
It was noticed that the man was getting fat (было замечено, что человек толстеет). He grew stouter with each day (он становился тучнее с каждым днем). The scientific men shook their heads and theorized (ученые качали головами и теоретизировали). They limited the man at his meals (они ограничивали человека в еде), but still his girth increased and he swelled prodigiously under his shirt (но все равно объем его талии увеличивался, и он чрезмерно разбухал под рубахой; girth — подпруга; обхват; объем /талии, грудной клетки/).
The sailors grinned (матросы ухмылялись). They knew (они знали). And when the scientific men set a watch on the man (а когда ученые установили наблюдение за человеком), they knew too (они узнали тоже). They saw him slouch for'ard after breakfast (они увидели, как он побрел /своей неуклюжей походкой/ после завтрака; to slouch — сутулиться, горбиться; неуклюже держаться; to slouch about/around — слоняться, болтаться без дела; for'ard = forward — вперед), and, like a mendicant, with outstretched palm, accost a sailor (и, как попрошайка, с протянутой рукой пристал к матросу). The sailor grinned and passed him a fragment of sea biscuit (матрос ухмыльнулся и передал ему кусок галеты). He clutched it avariciously (он жадно схватил его), looked at it as a miser looks at gold (посмотрел на него, как скряга смотрит на золото), and thrust it into his shirt bosom (и запихнул его за пазуху /рубахи/). Similar were the donations from other grinning sailors (подобными были подаяния и от других ухмыляющихся матросов). The scientific men were discreet (ученые были тактичны; discreet — осмотрительный; тактичный). They let him alone (они оставили его в покое; to let alone — оставить в покое). But they privily examined his bunk (но они тайно осмотрели его койку). It was lined with hardtack (она была набита сухарями); the mattress was stuffed with hardtack (матрас был напичкан сухарями); every nook and cranny was filled with hardtack (каждый уголок и щель были заполнены сухарями). Yet he was sane (тем не менее, он был нормален). He was taking precautions against another possible famine (он принимал предосторожности от еще одного возможного голода) — that was all (и это все). He would recover from it (он оправится от этого), the scientific men said (сказали ученые); and he did
