'Truth falls from thy lips (с твоих губ слетает правда;
But Nam-Bok's face was dark (но лицо Нам-Бока было темным = потемнело), and he said rapid words which they had never heard before (и он сказал быстрые слова, которых они не слышали никогда прежде). Bone-scratching and skin-scraping were resumed (резьба по кости и скребка шкур возобновились), but he shut his lips tightly on the tongue that could not be believed (но он плотно сомкнул уста вокруг языка, которому невозможно было поверить = плотно сомкнул уста, чтобы удержать речь, которой невозможно поверить;
'This sch — sch — schooner (эта ш-ш-шхуна),' Koogah imperturbably asked (невозмутимо спросил Куга;
'It was made of many trees (она была сделана из множества деревьев),' Nam-Bok snapped shortly (резко ответил Нам-Бок;
'Thou art a fool!'
'Truth falls from thy lips,' Koogah answered meekly. 'I was overlong in understanding, and the thing was simple.'
But Nam-Bok's face was dark, and he said rapid words which they had never heard before. Bone- scratching and skin-scraping were resumed, but he shut his lips tightly on the tongue that could not be believed.
'This sch — sch — schooner,' Koogah imperturbably asked; `'it was made of a big tree ?'
'It was made of many trees,' Nam-Bok snapped shortly. 'It was very big.'
He lapsed into sullen silence again (он снова погрузился в угрюмое молчание;
Nam-Bok took the bait (Нам-Бок клюнул;
He lapsed into sullen silence again, and Opee-Kwan nudged Koogah, who shook his head with slow amazement and murmured, 'It is very strange.'
Nam-Bok took the bait. 'That is nothing,' he said airily; 'you should see the steamer. As the grain of sand is to the bidarka, as the bidarka is to the schooner, so the schooner is to the steamer. Further, the steamer is made of iron. It is all iron.'
'Nay, nay, Nam-Bok (нет, нет, Нам-Бок),' cried the head man (воскликнул старейшина); 'how can that be (как это может быть)? Always iron goes to the bottom (железо всегда идет на дно = тонет). For behold (вот смотри), I received an iron knife in trade from the head man of the next village (я получил железный нож при обмене от старейшины соседнего поселка), and yesterday the iron knife slipped from my fingers and went down, down, into the sea (а вчера этот железный нож выскользнул из моих пальцев и опустился вниз, вниз в море = на дно моря). To all things there be law (всему должен быть закон). Never was there one thing outside the law (никогда не было чего-то вне закона = что не подчинялось бы закону). This we know (это мы знаем). And, moreover, we know that things of a kind have the one law (и более того, мы знаем, что однородные вещи имеют одинаковый закон = что на все однородные вещи распространяется одинаковый закон; one — единственный, уникальный; одинаковый, такой же), and that all iron has the one law (и что все железо имеет =
'Nay, nay, Nam-Bok,' cried the head man; 'how can that be? Always iron goes to the bottom. For behold, I received an iron knife in trade from the head man of the next village, and yesterday the iron knife slipped from my fingers and went down, down, into the sea. To all things there be law. Never was there one thing outside the law. This we know. And, moreover, we know that things of a kind have the one law, and that all iron has the one law. So unsay thy words, Nam-Bok, that we may yet honor thee.'
'It is so (это так),' Nam-Bok persisted (упорствовал Нам-Бок). 'The steamer is all iron and does not sink (пароход — сплошное железо и не тонет).'
'Nay, nay; this cannot be (нет, нет, этого не может быть).'
'With my own eyes I saw it (я видел его своими собственными глазами).'
'It is not in the nature of things (это противоестественно: «не в природе вещей»).'
'But tell me, Nam-Bok (а скажи мне, Нам-Бок),' Koogah interrupted (перебил Куга;
'It is so,' Nam-Bok persisted. 'The steamer is all iron and does not sink.'
'Nay, nay; this cannot be.'
'With my own eyes I saw it.'
'It is not in the nature of things.'
'But tell me, Nam-Bok,' Koogah interrupted, for fear the tale would go no farther, 'tell me the manner of these men in finding their way across the sea when there is no land by which to steer.'
'The sun points out the path (солнце показывает дорогу;
'But how (но как)?'
'At midday the head man of the schooner takes a thing through which his eye looks at the sun (в полдень старейшина шхуны берет штуковину, через которую его глаз смотрит на солнце), and then he makes the sun climb down out of the sky to the edge of the earth (а потом он заставляет солнце опуститься =
'Now this be evil medicine (ну, это злое колдовство;
