world. It would have made many knives.'
'Nay, it was not mine (нет, оно было не мое).'
'It was a find, and a find be lawful (это была находка, а находка законна = а находка по закону твоя).'
'Not so; the white men had placed it there (не так =
'Nam-Bok, that is very much iron (Нам-Бок, это очень много железа),' Opee-Kwan cautioned (предостерег Опи-Кван).
'Ay, it was hard to believe with my own eyes upon it (да, этому было трудно поверить, хотя мои собственные глаза /смотрели/ на это); but I could not gainsay my eyes (но я не мог противоречить =
'Nay, it was not mine.'
'It was a find, and a find be lawful.'
'Not so; the white men had placed it there. And further, these bars were so long that no man could carry them away — so long that as far as I could see there was no end to them.'
'Nam-Bok, that is very much iron,' Opee-Kwan cautioned.
'Ay, it was hard to believe with my own eyes upon it; but I could not gainsay my eyes. And as I looked I heard ...' He turned abruptly upon the head man. 'Opee-Kwan, thou hast heard the sea-lion bellow in his anger. Make it plain in thy mind of as many sea-lions as there be waves to the sea, and make it plain that all these sea-lions be made into one sea-lion, and as that one sea-lion would bellow so bellowed the thing I heard.'
The fisherfolk cried aloud in astonishment (рыбачий народ завопил во все горло в изумлении), and Opee-Kwan's jaw lowered and remained lowered (а /нижняя/ челюсть Опи-Квана отвисла и осталась отвисшей = висеть;
'And in the distance I saw a monster like unto a thousand whales (и вдали я увидел чудище, словно тысяча китов). It was one-eyed (оно было одноглазым), and vomited smoke (и изрыгало дым), and it snorted with exceeding loudness (и оно храпело со страшным шумом;
The fisherfolk cried aloud in astonishment, and Opee-Kwan's jaw lowered and remained lowered.
'And in the distance I saw a monster like unto a thousand whales. It was one-eyed, and vomited smoke, and it snorted with exceeding loudness. I was afraid and ran with shaking legs along the path between the bars. But it came with the speed of the wind, this monster, and I leaped the iron bars with its breath hot on my face ...'
Opee-Kwan gained control of his jaw again (Опи-Кван снова приобрел власть над своей челюстью;
'Then it came by on the bars, and harmed me not (потом оно пронеслось мимо по полосам и не причинило мне вреда); and when my legs could hold me up again (а когда мои ноги снова могли держать меня в стоячем положении: «держать меня вверху») it was gone from sight (оно уже пропало из виду). And it is a very common thing in that country (и это очень обычное явление в той стране). Even the women and children are not afraid (даже женщины и дети не боятся). Men make them to do work, these monsters (люди заставляют их работать, этих монстров).'
'As we make our dogs do work (как мы заставляем работать наших собак)?' Koogah asked, with sceptic twinkle in his eye (спросил Куга со скептическим блеском во взгляде;
'Ay, as we make our dogs do work (да, как мы заставляем работать наших собак).'
Opee-Kwan gained control of his jaw again. 'And — and then, O Nam-Bok?'
'Then it came by on the bars, and harmed me not; and when my legs could hold me up again it was gone from sight. And it is a very common thing in that country. Even the women and children are not afraid. Men make them to do work, these monsters.'
'As we make our dogs do work?' Koogah asked, with sceptic twinkle in his eye.
'Ay, as we make our dogs do work.'
'And how do they breed these — these things (а как они разводят этих — этих тварей)?' Opee- Kwan questioned (вопросил Опи-Кван).
'They breed not at all (они их вовсе не разводят). Men fashion them cunningly of iron (люди искусно создают их из железа), and feed them with stone (и кормят их камнями), and give them water to drink (и дают им пить воду). The stone becomes fire (камни становятся огнем), and the water becomes steam (а вода превращается в пар), and the steam of the water is the breath of their nostrils, and (а водяной пар — это дыхание его ноздрей, и) — '
'There, there, O Nam-Bok (ну-ну, о Нам-Бок),' Opee-Kwan interrupted (перебил Опи-Кван). 'Tell us of other wonders (расскажи нам о других чудесах). We grow tired of this which we may not understand (нам надоело это, которое =
'You do not understand (вы не понимаете)?' Nam-Bok asked despairingly (в отчаянии спросил Нам-Бок;
'And how do they breed these — these things?' Opee-Kwan questioned.
'They breed not at all. Men fashion them cunningly of iron, and feed them with stone, and give them water to drink. The stone becomes fire, and the water becomes steam, and the steam of the water is the breath of their nostrils, and — '
'There, there, O Nam-Bok,' Opee-Kwan interrupted. 'Tell us of other wonders. We grow tired of this which we may not understand.'
