Любимые герои. Книга для чтения на английском языке

Treasure Island

It seemed to me that the sea would not be so rough on the other side of it, so I decided to wait.

When my boat passed the Cape of the Woods, I was greatly surprised to see theHispaniola. The waves and the wind were carrying her1 in the direction of my boat. You remember that Ben Gunn’s boat was very difficult to manage, so I could not change its course. Very soon the ship and the boat were so close to one another that the boat was in danger. I had no time to think. I was on the top of a big wave. The bowsprit2 of the Hispaniola was over my head. I jumped and caught on to3 the bowsprit. The next moment I was on deck.

Now I saw the two pirates. One of them was lying on his back, dead. The other one — I recognized him, it was Israel Hands4 — was sitting with his chin on his chest, and his face was white as a candle. There was blood around both of them.

Israel Hands was not dead. He opened his eyes and looked at me.

“Hello, Mr. Hands,” I said.

“Where have you come from?” he said. “Well,” said I, “I’ve come to take possession5 of

this ship, Mr. Hands; I am your captain now.”

He looked at me, but said nothing at first.

1Лодки и корабли в английском языке соотносятся с местоимениями женского рода

2bowsprit ['bAusprIt] — бушприт (выступающий на носу парусного судна горизонтальный или наклонный брус

3caught on to — схватился за

4Israel Hands ['IzreIAl'hBndz] — Израэль Хэндз

5to take possession — (зд.) взять в свои руки

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Robert Louis Stevenson

“I understand,” he said at last, “I understand, Captain Hawkins, that you want to get ashore now. Let’s talk.”

“Why, yes,” said I. “Go on.”

“Well, captain,” he said, “if I don’t tell you how to sail this ship, you will not know what to do. Now, look here: you give me food and drink, and something to bandage my wound; and I’ll tell you how to sail her.”

“I’ll tell you one thing,” said I: “I’m not going back to the anchorage. I want to get into North Inlet and put her there.”

(With Israel Hands’s help, Jim Hawkins sailed the Hispaniola along the coast of Treasure Island to its most northern point, turned to the east, then to the south, and brought the ship into North Inlet, a narrow gulf, where she could be safe. When Jim was steering the ship to the shore, Israel Hands suddenly attacked him with a knife. At that moment theHispaniolastruck the sand-bank1 and lay on her side. Jim Hawkins quickly climbed up the mast, sat down on the cross-trees2 and took out his two pistols. Israel Hands began to climb the mast with the knife in his hand.)

With a pistol in each hand, I spoke to him.

мель1 struck the sand-bank — налетела на песчаную от- 2 cross-trees — салинг (деревянная или стальная конструкция на мачтах парусных кораблей, состоящая

из поперечных и продольных брусьев)

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“One more step, Mr. Hands,” said I, “and I’ll kill you.” He stopped at once. I was looking at him and smiling, when suddenly, he threw his knife at me, and it pinned me by the shoulder to the mast. At the same moment I fired from both my pistols, and Israel Hands fell into the water.

I was now alone on the ship, but my position was terrible. I felt a sharp pain in the shoulder. Hot blood was running over my back and chest. Any moment I could fall into the water. When I thought about it, I shuddered, and that shudder helped me. The knife held me only by the skin, and when I shuddered, the skin was torn. Now I was held only by my shirt and coat, which I tore easily. Then I climbed down to the deck.

It was now evening. The sun was setting and it was getting cold. I looked into the water. The tide was low1, and it was shallow. I took the end of the anchor rope in both hands and jumped overboard. The water reached only to my waist. The bottom was good, and I walked ashore.

III

At last I was on dry land and returning not with empty hands. The Hispaniola lay in a safe place; there were no pirates on her, and she was ready for our men. Now I wanted to go back to the stockade and tell my friends about my adventure. But how? Then I remembered that there was a river

1 The tide was low — Был отлив

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which ran from the hill which was to the east of me. I went in that direction because I wanted to cross the river where it was narrow.

When I reached the river and crossed it, I turned to the south and went through the wood in the direction of the stockade.

The night was very dark. When I came up to the stockade, I saw the remains of a large fire in- side it, but nobody was sitting near the fire. I climbed over the stockade and went up to the house. It was quite still and quite dark inside. All I could hear was loud snoring. My friends were sleeping.

With my arms before me, I walked in. I was very glad to be back with my friends. “I shall lie down in my own place,” I said to myself, “and look at their faces when they find me in the mor- ning!”

My foot struck something — it was a man’s leg. Somebody jumped up. I heard a voice: “Who goes?”

It was Silver’s voice.

I turned to run, but somebody’s arms caught me.

“Bring a torch, Dick,” said Silver.

QUESTIONS AND TASKS

1.Why did Jim Hawkins leave the stockade?

2.Why did Jim want to cut the anchor rope of the Hispaniola? How did he do it?

3.What did Jim see through the window of the cabin?

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4.How did Jim get on board the Hispaniola?

5.How did he kill Israel Hands?

6.Describe how Jim came back to the stockade.

Part IV

I

In the light of the torch I saw all the pirates — they were six now; all the others were dead. But I saw no prisoners: evidently, all my friends were killed. I felt terribly sad.

“So,” said Silver, “here is Jim Hawkins! Here you are, Jim! This is a pleasant surprise. Now you will be with us. Captain Smollett is a good sailor, but he likes discipline. He and the doctor are very angry with you. You can’t go back to your friends, because they won’t take you. So you will have to join Captain Silver.”

So my friends were alive. Of course, I believed Silver when he said that they were angry with me, but still I was glad to hear what he said.

“Why are you here?” I said, “and where are my friends?”

“I don’t know where they are,” said Silver. “Yesterday morning Doctor Livesey came to us with a white flag and said: ‘Captain Silver, the ship is gone1.’ We looked and saw that it was true. ‘Well,’ said the doctor, ‘let’s talk.’ We talked, and now we are here, and they have gone away, I don’t know where.”

1 the ship is gone — корабль пропал

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Robert Louis Stevenson

“Is that all?” I asked.

“Well, it’s all that you must know, my son,” replied Silver.

“Well,” said I, “there is something I want to tell you. You are in a bad position: you have lost the ship, you have lost the treasure, you have lost many men. And if you want to know who did it — it was I! I overheard your talk on the last day of the voyage and went and told every word you said. As for1 the ship, I cut her anchor rope, and I killed the men who were on board, and I have brought the ship to such a place where you’ll never see her. I am not afraid of you. Kill me or spare me. But I’ll say one thing, and no more: if you spare me, I’ll try to save you when you are in court for piracy2.”

The pirates were ready to kill me, but Silver stopped them. Later, when we were alone with him, he said to me:

“Look here, Jim Hawkins, you are in danger, but I shall stand by you3. I see that you are right. I shall save you and you save me.”

“I’ll do what I can,” I said.

“Very good!” cried Silver. “Understand me, Jim,” he said, “I am on the squire’s side now, and I will help you, Jim. Butwhydidthatdoctorgivemethe

map?”

1As for — Что касается

2when you are in court for piracy — когда вы предста-

нете перед судом за пиратство

3I shall stand by you — я на твоей стороне

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My face expressed such surprise, that Silver saw at once that I did not know the answer to that question.

II

The next morning I was wakened by a voice from the wood.

“Ahoy!1” it cried, “here’s the doctor!”

It was Doctor Livesey. I was glad to hear his voice, but at the same time I was ashamed to look him in the face.

“You, doctor!” cried Silver, “Good morning to you, sir! George2, help Doctor Livesey to get over the stockade! Your patients are well3 and merry, doctor. We have a surprise for you, sir. We have a little stranger.”

“Not Jim?” said Doctor Livesey. “Yes, doctor, Jim,” said Silver.

The doctor did not speak for some seconds. “Well, well,”hesaidatlast,“dutyfirstandpleasureafter- wards. Let’s see the patients.”

He entered the house, examined the pirates who were ill, gave them medicine and told each of them what to do.

“Well,” he said, “that’s all for today. And now I want to have a talk with that boy, Silver.”

1Ahoy! [A'hDI] — Эй!

2George [dZD:dZ] — Джордж

3Your patients are well — Ваши больные чувствуют себя хорошо

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Robert Louis Stevenson

“Doctor,” said Silver, “I was thinking of that. We are grateful to you for your kindness and we believe you and take all the medicines you give us. Hawkins, will you give me your word of honour1 not to run away?”

“Yes,” I said.

“Then, doctor,” said Silver, “you step outside the stockade and I’ll bring the boy to it on the inside, and I think you can talk there.”

The doctor climbed over the stockade and Silver brought me to the same place on the inside. He himself stepped back and sat down on a treestump. From there he could see us, but could not hear our talk.

“So, Jim,” said the doctor sadly, “here you are. How could you do it? Captain Smollett was ill and could not stop you, and you ran away like a coward.”

Here I began to cry.

“Jim,” said the doctor, “I can’t have this. Jump over and we’ll run.”

“Doctor,” I said, “I gave my word.”

“I know, I know,” he cried. “Never mind. I cannot let you stay here. Jump!”

“No,” I replied. “You know that you yourself would not do it2; the squire and the captain would not do it. Silver trusted me. I gave my word and I will go back. But doctor, I must tell you about

1word of honour ['wD:d Av'DnA] — честное слово

2would not do it — не сделали бы этого

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the ship: I got1 the ship and she lies in North Inlet.”

“The ship!” exclaimed the doctor. Quickly I told him my adventures. When I had finished, he said:

“Every step you take you save our lives. You overheard that talk: you found Ben Gunn — and that is the best thing. Oh, and talking about Ben Gunn2! Silver!” he cried, “Silver!”

When Silver came up to us, the doctor said: “I want to tell you something. Don’t hurry to

find that treasure.”

“Sir,” said Silver, “you have said too much and too little. You gave me the map and now you are telling me not to hurry. I don’t understand. You must tell me more.”

“No,” said the doctor. “I have no right to say more. It is not my secret. But Silver, take care of the boy, and if we both get back to England, I’ll try to save you. Good-bye, Jim.” And Doctor Livesey quickly went into the wood.

III

(After breakfast the pirates took the map and went to look for the treasure. Silver took Jim Hawkins with him and led him by a rope which was tied round the boy’s waist. They came to the SpyGlass, the hill in the west of the island, and began to look for the place which was marked with a

1I got — (зд.) я завладел

2talking about Ben Gunn — кстати о Бене Ганне

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cross on the map. But when they found the place, they saw a large pit. At the bottom of the pit there was a broken spade and one gold coin. That was all. The treasure was not there.)

Silver and I were standing on one side of the pit, the other pirates — on the other side. Silver gave me a pistol and whispered:

“Take this, Jim, and be ready.”

The pirates were in a rage. One of them shook the gold coin at Silver and shouted:

“That’s your seven hundred thousand pounds, is it?” He turned to the other pirates. “Do you see it?” he said. “I tell you that he knew it! Look at his face and you will see it. Mates, they are alone there, those two. Now, mates —”

He was raising his arm, but just then — crack! crack! crack! — three shots came out of the wood. The pirate fell dead into the pit. Another pirate fell dead too. The other three turned and ran. Silver and I remained alone on our side of the pit.

At the same moment the doctor, Gray and Ben Gunn joined us.

“Thank you, doctor,” said Silver, “you came in time for me and Hawkins.”

We went down the hill in the direction of Ben Gunn’s cave. On the way the doctor told us what had taken place1. It was a story, the hero of which was Ben Gunn.

1 what had taken place — что произошло

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