Silence (тишина).
A sound of thunder (звук грома).
"Strange," murmured Eckels. "Up ahead, sixty million years, Election Day over. Keith made President. Everyone celebrating. And here we are, a million years lost, and they don't exist. The things we worried about for months, a lifetime, not even born or thought of yet."
"Safety catches off, everyone!" ordered Travis. "You, first shot, Eckels. Second, Billings, Third, Kramer."
"I've hunted tiger, wild boar, buffalo, elephant, but now, this is it," said Eckels. "I'm shaking like a kid."
"Ah," said Travis.
Everyone stopped.
Travis raised his hand. "Ahead," he whispered. "In the mist. There he is. There's His Royal Majesty now."
The jungle was wide and full of twitterings, rustlings, murmurs, and sighs.
Suddenly it all ceased, as if someone had shut a door.
Silence.
A sound of thunder.
Out of the mist, one hundred yards away (из тумана на расстоянии в сто ярдов), came Tyrannosaurus Rex.
"It," whispered Eckels. "It……
"Sh!"
It came on great oiled, resilient, striding legs (он шел на больших лоснящихся упругих длинных ногах: oil — масло, oiled — промасленный, to stride — шагать большими шагами). It towered thirty feet above half of the trees (он возвышался на тридцать футов над половиной деревьев: tower — башня, вышка, to tower — возвышаться), a great evil god (огромное злое божество), folding its delicate watchmaker's claws close to its oily reptilian chest (держа свои хрупкие лапки часовщика близко к маслянистой груди рептилии: to fold — складывать, claw — коготок, лапка). Each lower leg was a piston (каждая нижняя /задняя/ нога была поршнем), a thousand pounds of white bone (тысяча фунтов белой кости), sunk in thick ropes of muscle (утонувшей в толстых канатах мускулов), sheathed over in a gleam of pebbled skin (защищенных мерцанием шероховатой кожи: to sheathe — обшивать, вкладывать в футляр, защищать; pebble — галька) like the mail of a terrible warrior (как кольчугой ужасного воина). Each thigh was a ton of meat, ivory, and steel mesh (каждое бедро было тонной мяса, кости и стальной кольчуги: ivory — /слоновая/ кость, mesh — сеть, ячейка). And from the great breathing cage of the upper body (а из огромной дышащей грудной клетки: cage — клетка) those two delicate arms dangled out front (свисали те две нежные ручки), arms with hands which might pick up and examine men like toys (ручки с кистями, которые могли бы поднять и исследовать людей, как игрушки), while the snake neck coiled (в то время как змеиная шея извивалась). And the head itself (а сама голова), a ton of sculptured stone (тонна скульптурно обработанного камня: to sculpture — ваять, высекать, украшать скульптурной работой), lifted easily upon the sky (легко поднятая в небо). Its mouth gaped (его рот зевал, широко открывался), exposing a fence of teeth like daggers (выставляя напоказ ряд зубов, подобных кинжалам: fence — забор). Its eyes rolled (его глаза вращались), ostrich eggs (страусиные яйца), empty of all expression save hunger (не выражая ничего, кроме голода: empty — пустой, expression — выражение, save — за исключением). It closed its mouth in a death grin (он закрыл свой рот в смертельной усмешке). It ran (он побежал), its pelvic bones crushing aside trees and bushes (его тазовые кости = задние ноги разрушали по сторонам деревья и кусты), its taloned feet clawing damp earth (его когтистые ступни скребли влажную землю), leaving prints six inches deep wherever it settled its weight (оставляя отпечатки глубиной в шесть дюймов, куда бы он ни помещал свой вес: to settle — поселить(ся), усаживать(ся)).
Out of the mist, one hundred yards away, came Tyrannosaurus Rex.
"It," whispered Eckels. "It……
"Sh!"
It came on great oiled, resilient, striding legs. It towered thirty feet above half of the trees, a great evil god, folding its delicate watchmaker's claws close to its oily reptilian chest. Each lower leg was a piston, a thousand pounds of white bone, sunk in thick ropes of muscle, sheathed over in a gleam of pebbled skin like the mail of a terrible warrior. Each thigh was a ton of meat, ivory, and steel mesh. And from the great breathing cage of the upper body those two delicate arms dangled out front, arms with hands which might pick up and examine men like toys, while the snake neck coiled. And the head itself, a ton of sculptured stone, lifted easily upon the sky. Its mouth gaped, exposing a fence of teeth like daggers. Its eyes rolled, ostrich eggs, empty of all expression save hunger. It closed its mouth in a death grin. It ran, its pelvic bones crushing aside trees and bushes, its taloned feet clawing damp earth, leaving prints six inches deep wherever it settled its weight.
It ran with a gliding ballet step (он бежал скользящим балетным шагом), far too poised and balanced for its ten tons (слишком уравновешенным и сбалансированным для его десяти тонн: far — слишком, too — слишком). It moved into a sunlit area warily (он осторожно переместился в освещенную солнцем область), its beautifully reptilian hands feeling the air (его красивые ручки рептилии прощупали воздух).
"Why, why," Eckels twitched his mouth (подергивал ртом = губы дрожали). "It could reach up and grab the moon (он мог бы вытянуться вверх и схватить луну)."
"Sh!" Travis jerked angrily (бросил сердито: to jerk — говорить отрывисто). "He hasn't seen us yet (он нас еще не видел)."
"It can't be killed (его нельзя убивать)," Eckels pronounced this verdict quietly (произнес свой вердикт тихо), as if there could be no argument (как будто бы не могло возникнуть доводов). He had weighed the evidence and this was his considered opinion (он взвесил факты и это было его обоснованное мнение: evidence — очевидность, доказательство, факты). The rifle in his hands seemed a cap gun (ружье в его руках казалось игрушечным: cap gun — пугач). "We were fools to come (мы были дураками, что приехали). This is impossible (это невозможно)."
"Shut up (замолчите)!" hissed (прошипел) Travis.
"Nightmare (кошмар)."
"Turn around (повернитесь кругом)," commanded Travis (скомандовал Тревис). "Walk quietly to the Machine (идите спокойно к Машине). We'll remit half your fee (мы вернем половину платы: to remit — освобождать, уменьшать)."
"I didn't realize it would be this big (я не осознавал, что он будет таким большим)," said Eckels. "I miscalculated, that's all (я просчитался, вот и все). And now I want out (а сейчас я хочу уйти: out — наружу)."
"It sees us (он нас видит)!"
"There's the red paint on its chest (вон красная краска на его груди)!"
It ran with a gliding ballet step, far too poised and balanced for its ten tons. It moved into a sunlit area warily, its beautifully reptilian hands feeling the air.
"Why, why," Eckels twitched his mouth. "It could reach up and grab the moon."
"Sh!" Travis jerked angrily. "He hasn't seen us yet."
"It can't be killed," Eckels pronounced this verdict quietly, as if there could be no argument. He had weighed the evidence and this was his considered opinion. The rifle in his hands seemed a cap gun. "We were fools to come. This is impossible."
"Shut up!" hissed Travis.
"Nightmare."
"Turn around," commanded Travis. "Walk quietly to the Machine. We'll remit half your fee."
"I didn't realize it would be this big," said Eckels. "I miscalculated, that's all. And now I want out."
"It sees us!"
"There's the red paint on its chest!"
The Tyrant Lizard raised itself (ящер-тиран выпрямился). Its armored flesh glittered like a thousand green coins (его бронированная плоть блестела как тысяча зеленых монет). The coins, crusted with slime, steamed (монеты, покрытые слизью, испускали пар, crust — корка, to crust — покрываться коркой). In the slime, tiny insects wriggled (в слизи извивались крошечные насекомые), so that the entire body seemed to twitch and undulate (так что казалось, что все тело подергивается и колеблется), even while the monster itself did not move (даже когда само чудовище не двигалось). It exhaled (оно выдохнуло). The stink of raw flesh blew down the wilderness (зловоние сырого мяса повисло над зарослями).
