"Come in!" she begged. "We'll hold the cabin."
"No. We must make for Velitrium. The fort can't hold them back. It may have fallen already. Don't stop to dress. Get your children and come on."
"But my man's gone with the others after salt!" she wailed, wringing her hands (но мой муж ушел с остальными за солью! — она запричитала, заламывая /ее/ руки). Behind her peered three tousled youngsters, blinking and bewildered (за ней выглядывали три взъерошенных юнца, щурящиеся и смущенные). "Conan's gone after them (Конан пошел за ними). He'll fetch them through safe (он проведет их в целости и сохранности). We must hurry up the road to warn the other cabins (мы должны спешить по дороге, /чтобы/ предупредить остальные дома)."
Relief flooded her countenance (облегчение нахлынуло на ее лицо). "Mitra be thanked!" she cried (благодарение Митре: «Митра будь отблагодарен», — воскликнула она). "If the Cimmerian's gone after them, they're safe if mortal man can save them (если киммериец пошел за ними, они в безопасности, если /только/ смертный человек может спасти их)!"
tousled [ˈtauzld], countenance [ˈkauntɪnəns], mortal [mɔ: tl]
"But my man's gone with the others after salt!" she wailed, wringing her hands. Behind her peered three tousled youngsters, blinking and bewildered.
"Conan's gone after them. He'll fetch them through safe. We must hurry up the road to warn the other cabins."
Relief flooded her countenance.
"Mitra be thanked!" she cried. "If the Cimmerian's gone after them, they're safe if mortal man can save them!"
In a whirlwind of activity she snatched up the smallest child and herded the others through the door ahead of her (в вихре деятельности она схватила самого маленького ребенка и погнала остальных через дверь впереди себя). Balthus took the candle and ground it out under his heel (Балтус схватил свечу и растоптал ее /под/ пяткой). He listened an instant (он прислушался на мгновение). No sound came up the dark road (ни звука /не/ доносилось на темной дороге).
"Have you got a horse (у тебя есть лошадь)?"
"In the stable," she groaned (в конюшне, — простонала она). "Oh, hurry (о, поспеши)!"
activity [ækˈtɪvɪtɪ], candle [kændl], horse [hɔ: s]
In a whirlwind of activity she snatched up the smallest child and herded the others through the door ahead of her. Balthus took the candle and ground it out under his heel. He listened an instant. No sound came up the dark road.
"Have you got a horse?"
"In the stable," she groaned. "Oh, hurry!"
He pushed her aside as she fumbled with shaking hands at the bars (он оттолкнул ее в сторону, когда она завозилась трясущимися руками с засовом). He led the horse out and lifted the children on its back, telling them to hold to its mane and to one another (он вывел лошадь и поднял детей ей на спину, велев им держаться за /ее/ гриву и друг за друга). They stared at him seriously, making no outcry (они смотрели на него серьезно, не создавая шума / не протестуя; outcry — неистовый крик; шум; шумный протест). The woman took the horse's halter and set out up the road (женщина взяла недоуздок лошади = лошадь за недоуздок и отправилась по дороге). She still gripped her ax and Balthus knew that if cornered she would fight with the desperate courage of a she-panther (она все еще сжимала свой топор, и Балтус знал, что если ее загнать в угол: «если загнанная в угол», она будет драться с отчаянной храбростью пантеры-самки; cornered — в трудном, затруднительном положении, загнанный в угол, припертый к стене; corner — угол).
fight [faɪt], desperate [ˈdespərɪt], courage [ˈkʌrɪʤ]
He pushed her aside as she fumbled with shaking hands at the bars. He led the horse out and lifted the children on its back, telling them to hold to its mane and to one another. They stared at him seriously, making no outcry. The woman took the horse's halter and set out up the road. She still gripped her ax and Balthus knew that if cornered she would fight with the desperate courage of a she-panther.
He held behind, listening (он задержался, прислушиваясь). He was oppressed by the belief that the fort had been stormed and taken (он был подавлен верой = мыслью, что форт уже штурмовали и взяли), that the dark-skinned hordes were already streaming up the road toward Velitrium (что темнокожие орды уже стремятся по дороге к Велитриуму), drunken on slaughter and mad for blood (опьяненные бойней и безумно жаждущие крови). They would come with the speed of starving wolves (они придут = примчатся со скоростью голодных волков; to starve — умирать от голода).
He held behind, listening. He was oppressed by the belief that the fort had been stormed and taken, that the dark-skinned hordes were already streaming up the road toward Velitrium, drunken on slaughter and mad for blood. They would come with the speed of starving wolves.
Presently they saw another cabin looming ahead (теперь они увидели еще одну хижину, маячившую впереди). The woman started to shriek a warning, but Balthus stopped her (женщина начала выкрикивать предупреждение, но Балтус остановил ее). He hurried to the door and knocked (он поспешил к двери и постучал). A woman's voice answered him (женский голос ответил ему). He repeated his warning, and soon the cabin disgorged its occupants — an old woman, two young women, and four children (он повторил свое предупреждение, и вскоре хижина исторгла своих обитателей — старуху, двух молодых женщин и четырех детей). Like the other woman's husband, their men had gone to the salt licks the day before, unsuspecting of any danger (как /и/ муж другой женщины, их мужчины ушли на солончаки день назад, не подозревая об /какой-либо/ опасности). One of the young women seemed dazed, the other prone to hysteria (одна из молодых женщин казалась оцепеневшей: «ошеломленной», другая собиралась впасть в истерику: «подвержена к истерике»). But the old woman, a stern old veteran of the frontier, quieted them harshly (но старуха, суровый старый ветеран границы, решительно угомонила их; harsh — жесткий, твердый, грубый, неприятный (на ощупь); шершавый, шероховатый); she helped Balthus get out the two horses that were stabled in a pen behind the cabin and put the children on them (она помогла Балтусу вывести двух лошадей, которые были поставлены в загоне для скота и посадить детей на них). Balthus urged that she herself mount with them (Балтус настаивал, чтобы они сама забралась /на лошадь/ с ними), but she shook her head and made one of the younger women ride (но она покачала головой и заставила скакать верхом одну из младших женщин; to make smb. do smth. — заставлять кого-л. делать что-л.).
knock [nɔk], husband [ˈhʌzbənd], women [ˈwɪmɪn]
Presently they saw another cabin looming ahead. The woman started to shriek a warning, but Balthus stopped her. He hurried to the door and knocked. A woman's voice answered him. He repeated his warning, and soon the cabin disgorged its occupants — an old woman, two young women, and four children. Like the other woman's husband, their men had gone to the salt licks the day before, unsuspecting of any danger. One of the young women seemed dazed, the other prone to hysteria. But the old woman, a stern old veteran of the frontier, quieted them harshly; she helped Balthus get out the two horses that were stabled in a pen behind the cabin and put the children on them. Balthus urged that she herself mount with them, but she shook her head and made one of the younger women ride.
"She's with child," grunted the old woman (она с ребенком = она ждет ребенка, — проворчала старуха). "I can walk — and fight, too, if it comes to that (я могу идти — и сражаться тоже, если это = дело дойдет до этого)."
As they set out, one of the young women said (когда они отправились, одна из молодых женщин сказала): "A young couple passed along the road about dusk (молодая пара проехала по дороге перед сумерками); we advised them to spend the night at our cabin, but they were anxious to make the fort tonight (мы советовали им провести ночь в нашей избе, но они хотели добраться до форта сегодня вечером; to be anxious to do smth. — хотеть, сильно желать сделать что-л.). Did — did — (делали = они…; did — служебный глагол прошедшего времени, который сообщает, что сейчас будет задан вопрос)"
"They met the Picts," answered Balthus briefly, and the woman sobbed in horror (они встретили пиктов, — ответил Балтус коротко, и женщина всхлипнула в ужасе).
anxious [ˈæŋkʃəs], briefly [ˈbri: flɪ], horror [ˈhɔrə]
"She's with child," grunted the old woman. "I can walk — and fight, too, if it comes to that."
As they set out, one of the young women said: "A young couple passed along the road about dusk; we advised them to spend the night at our cabin, but they were anxious to make the fort tonight. Did — did —»
"They met the Picts," answered Balthus briefly, and the woman sobbed in horror.
They were scarcely out of sight of the cabin when some distance behind them quavered a long high-pitched yell (они едва оказались вне видимости от дома = едва дом пропал из виду, когда = как на некотором расстоянии позади них завибрировал долгий пронзительный вопль).
"A wolf!" exclaimed one of the women (волк! — воскликнула одна из женщин).
"A painted wolf with an ax in his hand," muttered Balthus (раскрашенный волк с топором в /его/ руке, — пробормотал Балтус). "Go (идите / вперед)! Rouse the other settlers along the road and take them with you (поднимайте других поселенцев по дороге и уводите их с собой). I'll scout along behind (я разведаю сзади / прикрою)."
scarcely [ˈskɑ:slɪ], quaver [ˈkweɪvə], scout [skaut]
They were scarcely out of sight of the cabin when some distance behind them quavered a long high-pitched yell.
"A wolf!" exclaimed one of the women.
"A painted wolf with an ax in his hand," muttered Balthus. "Go! Rouse the other settlers along the road and take them with you. I'll scout along behind."
Without a word the old woman herded her charges ahead of her (без слов старуха погнала своих подопечных впереди себя). As they faded into the darkness, Balthus could see the pale-ovals that were the faces of the children twisted back over their shoulders to stare toward him (когда они растаяли во тьме, Балтус мог видеть бледные овалы, которые были лицами детей, обернувшихся через плечо, /чтобы/ посмотреть в его сторону: «к нему»). He remembered his own people on the Tauran and a moment's giddy sickness swam over him (он вспомнил своих родных: «его собственных людей» в Тауране, и секундная головокружительная тошнота нахлынула на него). With momentary weakness he groaned and sank down in the road (от кратковременной слабости он охнул и опустился на дорогу), his muscular arm fell over Slasher's massive neck and he felt the dog's warm moist tongue touch his face (его мускулистая рука упала через = охватила массивную шею Задиры, и он почувствовал, /как/ теплый влажный язык пса коснулся его лица).
remember [rɪˈmembə], giddy [ˈɡɪdɪ], muscular [ˈmʌskjulə]
Without a word the old woman herded her charges ahead of her. As they faded into the darkness, Balthus could see the pale-ovals that were the faces of the children twisted back over their shoulders to stare toward him. He remembered his own people on the Tauran and a moment's giddy sickness swam over him. With momentary weakness he groaned and sank down in the road, his muscular arm fell over Slasher's massive neck and he felt the dog's warm moist tongue touch his face.
He lifted his head and grinned with a painful effort (он поднял /свою/ голову и улыбнулся с болезненным усилием = выдавил улыбку).
