Arthur Conan Doyle - Английский язык с Шерлоком Холмсом. Знак четырех (ASCII-IPA)
chapel ['tS&p(@)l]
"You forget that we know nothing of all this," said Holmes, quietly. "We have not heard your story, and we cannot tell how far justice may originally have been on your side."
"Well, sir, you have been very fair-spoken to me, though I can see that I have you to thank that I have these bracelets upon my wrists. Still, I bear no grudge for that. It is all fair and above-board. If you want to hear my story I have no wish to hold it back. What I say to you is God's truth, every word of it. Thank you; you can put the glass beside me here, and I'll put my lips to it if I am dry.
"I am a Worcestershire man myself, — born near Pershore. I dare say you would find a heap of Smalls living there now if you were to look. I have often thought of taking a look round there, but the truth is that I was never much of a credit to the family, and I doubt if they would be so very glad to see me. They were all steady, chapel-going folk, small farmers, well known and respected over the country-side, while I was always a bit of a rover. At last, however, when I was about eighteen, I gave them no more trouble, for I got into a mess over a girl, and could only get out of it again by taking the queen's shilling and joining the 3d Buffs, which was just starting for India.
"I wasn't destined to do much soldiering, however (тем не менее, судьбой мне не было уготовано долго пробыть в солдатах; destiny — судьба; to destine — предопределять, предрешать; soldier — солдат). I had just got past the goose-step (я только освоил строевой шаг; to get — получать; достигать; goose — гусь; goose-step — строевой шаг, при котором нога не сгибается в колене; goose — гусь), and learned to handle my musket (и научился владеть мушкетом; to handle — трогать, брать; управлять, справляться), when I was fool enough to go swimming in the Ganges (как у меня хватило ума: «я был достаточно глуп, чтобы» искупаться в Ганге). Luckily for me, my company sergeant, John Holder, was in the water at the same time (к моему счастью, наш ротный сержант, Джон Холдер, как раз в это время тоже находился в воде; company — общество, компания; рота), and he was one of the finest swimmers in the service (а он был один из лучших пловцов в армии; service — служба, работа; военная служба; род вооруженных сил). A crocodile took me, just as I was half-way across (меня сцапал крокодил, как раз посреди реки), and nipped off my right leg as clean as a surgeon could have done it (и оттяпал мою правую ногу аккуратно, как хирург мог бы сделать это; to nip —ущипнуть, щипать, кусать; откусывать; clean — чистый, опрятный; гладкий, ровный), just above the knee (как раз над коленом). What with the shock and the loss of blood, I fainted (от шока и потери крови я потерял сознание), and should have been drowned if Holder had not caught hold of me and paddled for the bank (и я бы утонул, если бы Холдер не схватил меня и не выгреб бы к берегу; to catch — ловить; поймать; схватить; to catch hold of — схватить, ухватиться; paddle — байдарочное весло; to paddle — грести байдарочным веслом). I was five months in hospital over it (я пролежал с этим в госпитале пять месяцев), and when at last I was able to limp out of it with this timber toe strapped to my stump (и когда я наконец был в состоянии, хромая, выйти из него с этой деревяшкой, привязанной к остатку ноги; toe — палец ноги; нижний конец, нижняя часть; to strap — стягивать ремнем; stump — обрубок; культя, ампутированная конечность) I found myself invalided out of the army and unfitted for any active occupation (я обнаружил себя комиссованным из армии и непригодным к любому активному занятию; to invalid — делать инвалидом, больным; освобождать от военной службы по состоянию здоровья).
soldier [' [email protected]@], drown [draun], invalid [' [email protected]]
"I wasn't destined to do much soldiering, however. I had just got past the goose-step, and learned to handle my musket, when I was fool enough to go swimming in the Ganges. Luckily for me, my company sergeant, John Holder, was in the water at the same time, and he was one of the finest swimmers in the service. A crocodile took me, just as I was half-way across, and nipped off my right leg as clean as a surgeon could have done it, just above the knee. What with the shock and the loss of blood, I fainted, and should have been drowned if Holder had not caught hold of me and paddled for the bank. I was five months in hospital over it, and when at last I was able to limp out of it with this timber toe strapped to my stump I found myself invalided out of the army and unfitted for any active occupation.
"I was, as you can imagine, pretty down on my luck at this time (как вы можете представить, я оказался в довольно тяжелом положении в это время; down on one's luck — удрученный невезением; в несчастье, в беде; без денег), for I was a useless cripple though not yet in my twentieth year (так как я был никуда не годный калека, хотя мне еще не было двадцати). However, my misfortune soon proved to be a blessing in disguise (как бы то ни было, нет худа без добра: «мое несчастье вскоре оказалось замаскированным благословением»). A man named Abelwhite, who had come out there as an indigo-planter (человек по имени Эйбельвайт, хозяин индиговых плантаций: «который приехал туда в качестве плантатора индигосодержащих растений»), wanted an overseer to look after his coolies and keep them up to their work (нуждался в надсмотрщике, чтобы присматривать за его кули и не давать им бездельничать: «поддерживать их за работой»). He happened to be a friend of our colonel's (он оказался другом нашего полковника), who had taken an interest in me since the accident (который принимал во мне участие с тех пор, как со мной произошел этот несчастный случай). To make a long story short, the colonel recommended me strongly for the post (короче говоря: «чтобы сделать длинную историю короткой», полковник настойчиво порекомендовал меня на должность; strongly — крепко, сильно; очень, весьма; post — должность; положение), and, as the work was mostly to be done on horseback (а так как работа преимущественно выполнялась верхом), my leg was no great obstacle (моя нога большим препятствием не была), for I had enough knee left to keep a good grip on the saddle (так как от нее осталось достаточно: «так как у меня осталось достаточно колена», чтобы устойчиво сидеть в седле; grip — схватывание; хватка). What I had to do was to ride over the plantation (мои обязанности были: «то, что я должен был делать, было» объезжать плантации), to keep an eye on the men as they worked (присматривать за работниками: «за людьми в то время, как они работали»), and to report the idlers (и докладывать о лентяях; idle — бесполезный, тщетный; ленивый, праздный). The pay was fair, I had comfortable quarters (оплата была хорошая, у меня была уютная комната; fair — красивый, прекрасный; большой, значительный; quarters — жилище, помещение, квартира), and altogether I was content to spend the remainder of my life in indigo-planting (и в целом я и не имел ничего против того, чтобы провести остаток моей жизни за выращиванием индиго). Mr. Abelwhite was a kind man (мистер Эйбельвайт был добрым человеком), and he would often drop into my little shanty and smoke a pipe with me (и он частенько заглядывал в мою маленькую лачугу выкурить со мной трубку; shanty — хижина, лачуга), for white folk out there feel their hearts warm to each other as they never do here at home (так как белые там чувствуют тягу друг к другу, не то что здесь, дома: «как они никогда не делают дома»; to warm — греть, нагревать; разгорячаться, воодушевляться; нравиться).
colonel [' [email protected]:n(@)l], idler [' [email protected]], quarter ['kwO: [email protected]]
"I was, as you can imagine, pretty down on my luck at this time, for I was a useless cripple though not yet in my twentieth year. However, my misfortune soon proved to be a blessing in disguise. A man named Abelwhite, who had come out there as an indigo-planter, wanted an overseer to look after his coolies and keep them up to their work. He happened to be a friend of our colonel's, who had taken an interest in me since the accident. To make a long story short, the colonel recommended me strongly for the post, and, as the work was mostly to be done on horseback, my leg was no great obstacle, for I had enough knee left to keep a good grip on the saddle. What I had to do was to ride over the plantation, to keep an eye on the men as they worked, and to report the idlers. The pay was fair, I had comfortable quarters, and altogether I was content to spend the remainder of my life in indigo-planting. Mr. Abelwhite was a kind man, and he would often drop into my little shanty and smoke a pipe with me, for white folk out there feel their hearts warm to each other as they never do here at home.
