Arthur Conan Doyle - Английский язык с Шерлоком Холмсом. Знак четырех
bugle [bju:ɡl], corps [kɔ:], clerk [klɑ:k], torture [ˈtɔ:ʧǝ]
"As it proved, however, there was no great safety there, either. The whole country was up like a swarm of bees. Wherever the English could collect in little bands they held just the ground that their guns commanded. Everywhere else they were helpless fugitives. It was a fight of the millions against the hundreds; and the cruellest part of it was that these men that we fought against, foot, horse, and gunners, were our own picked troops, whom we had taught and trained, handling our own weapons, and blowing our own bugle-calls. At Agra there were the 3d Bengal Fusiliers, some Sikhs, two troops of horse, and a battery of artillery. A volunteer corps of clerks and merchants had been formed, and this I joined, wooden leg and all. We went out to meet the rebels at Shahgunge early in July, and we beat them back for a time, but our powder gave out, and we had to fall back upon the city. Nothing but the worst news came to us from every side, — which is not to be wondered at, for if you look at the map you will see that we were right in the heart of it. Lucknow is rather better than a hundred miles to the east, and Cawnpore about as far to the south. From every point on the compass there was nothing but torture and murder and outrage.
"The city of Agra is a great place (Агра — большой город), swarming with fanatics and fierce devil-worshippers of all sorts (кишащий фанатиками и свирепыми поклонниками дьявола всех сортов; to worship — поклоняться, почитать). Our handful of men were lost among the narrow, winding streets (наша горстка людей затерялась бы среди узких, извилистых улочек; to wind — виться, извиваться, изгибаться). Our leader moved across the river, therefore, and took up his position in the old fort of Agra (поэтому наш начальник переправился через реку, и мы заняли оборону: «и занял свою позицию» в старой крепости Агры; to take up — закреплять; занимать определенную позицию). I don't know if any of you gentlemen have ever read or heard anything of that old fort (я не знаю, читал ли когда или слышал кто из вас, джентльмены, что-нибудь об этой старой крепости). It is a very queer place, — the queerest that ever I was in (это очень странное место — в более странном я и не бывал), and I have been in some rum corners, too (а побывал я во многих чудных местах; rum — странный, чудной, подозрительный; corner — угол, уголок; сторона, район). First of all, it is enormous in size (прежде всего, она огромна по размеру). I should think that the enclosure must be acres and acres (я бы сказал, что огороженное пространство занимает многие акры; enclosure — огораживание, отгораживание; огороженное место). There is a modern part, which took all our garrison (в ней есть новая часть, которая приняла весь наш гарнизон), women, children, stores, and everything else, with plenty of room over (женщин, детей, припасы и все остальное, да при этом еще осталось много места). But the modern part is nothing like the size of the old quarter (но новая часть и не сравнится по размеру со старой частью), where nobody goes (куда никто не ходит), and which is given over to the scorpions and the centipedes (и которая предоставлена скорпионам и сороконожкам). It is all full of great deserted halls, and winding passages, and long corridors twisting in and out (это сплошные огромные заброшенные залы, извивающиеся проходы, длинные извилистые коридоры), so that it is easy enough for folk to get lost in it (так что заблудиться в ней легче легкого: «достаточно легко»). For this reason it was seldom that any one went into it (по этой причине туда редко кто ходил), though now and again a party with torches might go exploring (хотя время от времени экспедиция с факелами отправлялась /туда/ исследовать).
winding [ˈwaɪndɪŋ], centipede [ˈsentɪpi:d]
"The city of Agra is a great place, swarming with fanatics and fierce devil-worshippers of all sorts. Our handful of men were lost among the narrow, winding streets. Our leader moved across the river, therefore, and took up his position in the old fort of Agra. I don't know if any of you gentlemen have ever read or heard anything of that old fort. It is a very queer place, — the queerest that ever I was in, and I have been in some rum corners, too. First of all, it is enormous in size. I should think that the enclosure must be acres and acres. There is a modern part, which took all our garrison, women, children, stores, and everything else, with plenty of room over. But the modern part is nothing like the size of the old quarter, where nobody goes, and which is given over to the scorpions and the centipedes. It is all full of great deserted halls, and winding passages, and long corridors twisting in and out, so that it is easy enough for folk to get lost in it. For this reason it was seldom that any one went into it, though now and again a party with torches might go exploring.
"The river washes along the front of the old fort (река течет вдоль переднего фасада старой крепости; to wash — мыть; омывать; front — лоб; лицо; передняя сторона чего-либо), and so protects it (и таким образом защищает его), but on the sides and behind there are many doors (но с боков и сзади было много дверей), and these had to be guarded, of course (и их надо было охранять, конечно), in the old quarter as well as in that which was actually held by our troops (в старой части так же, как и в той, которую, собственно, и занимали наши войска). We were short-handed (у нас не хватало людей; short-handed — неукомплектованный штатами, испытывающий недостаток в рабочей силе), with hardly men enough to man the angles of the building and to serve the guns (их едва было достаточно, чтобы держать посты на углах здания и обслуживать орудия; to man — укомплектовывать кадрами; укомплектовывать личным составом). It was impossible for us, therefore, to station a strong guard at every one of the innumerable gates (поэтому мы не имели возможности поставить сильную охрану у каждого из многочисленных проходов; to station — ставить на определенное место; помещать; размещать; gate — ворота; дверь, калитка; проход). What we did was to organize a central guard-house in the middle of the fort (мы организовали тогда центральное караульное помещение в центре крепости), and to leave each gate under the charge of one white man and two or three natives (и каждый проход оставили под охраной одного белого и двух или трех туземцев; charge — заряд; руководство; ответственность). I was selected to take charge during certain hours of the night of a small isolated door upon the southwest side of the building (мне выпало: «я был избран» охранять в определенные ночные часы маленькую изолированную дверь с юго-западной стороны здания). Two Sikh troopers were placed under my command (под мое начало дали двух сикхов; trooper — солдат любого рода войск), and I was instructed if anything went wrong to fire my musket (и я был проинструктирован выстрелить из мушкета в случае опасности: «если что-нибудь пойдет не так»), when I might rely upon help coming at once from the central guard (и ожидать подмоги из центральной караулки: «когда я мог положиться на помощь, сразу приходящую из центральной караулки»). As the guard was a good two hundred paces away, however (но так как она располагалась в добрых двухстах шагах), and as the space between was cut up into a labyrinth of passages and corridors (и это расстояние представляло собой: «было изрезано в» лабиринт переходов и коридоров), I had great doubts as to whether they could arrive in time to be of any use in case of an actual attack (я сильно сомневался, что подкрепление прибыло бы: «они могли бы прибыть» вовремя в случае настоящей атаки).
building [ˈbɪldɪŋ], isolate [ˈaɪsǝleɪt]
"The river washes along the front of the old fort, and so protects it, but on the sides and behind there are many doors, and these had to be guarded, of course, in the old quarter as well as in that which was actually held by our troops. We were short-handed, with hardly men enough to man the angles of the building and to serve the guns. It was impossible for us, therefore, to station a strong guard at every one of the innumerable gates. What we did was to organize a central guard-house in the middle of the fort, and to leave each gate under the charge of one white man and two or three natives. I was selected to take charge during certain hours of the night of a small isolated door upon the southwest side of the building. Two Sikh troopers were placed under my command, and I was instructed if anything went wrong to fire my musket, when I might rely upon help coming at once from the central guard. As the guard was a good two hundred paces away, however, and as the space between was cut up into a labyrinth of passages and corridors, I had great doubts as to whether they could arrive in time to be of any use in case of an actual attack.
