Любимые герои. Книга для чтения на английском языке

The Headless Horseman

“I mean the place where Henry Poindexter was killed.”

“Then you are sure that he is dead?” asks the judge.

“Quite sure,” replies the prisoner.

“Go on with your story,” says the judge.

“We were both glad. We talked a little and parted. But before that I gave him my Mexican sombrero and serape, and took his hat and cloak — as a sign of friendship.

“Henry rode away. I was standing in the same place. In a few minutes I heard a gun-shot. It came from the direction in which Henry Poindexter had gone.

“I rode back to see what had happened.

“I did not have to go far. Oh, Heavens! What did I see?

“I saw —”

“The Headless Horseman!” exclaims a voice from the public. Everybody turns in the direction of the voice.

“The Headless Horseman!” repeat other voices. “He is coming here!”

Indeed, they see the Headless Horseman not far away. But then the horse, evidently frightened by the noise, turns and gallops away. A lot of men immediately jump on their horses and ride after it.

II

The trial goes on.

“You wanted to tell us what you saw,” says the judge.

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“A man who was lying on the grass with his face to the ground.”

“Asleep?”

“Yes; in the sleep of death.” “Dead?”

“More than dead, if that is possible. When I bent over him, I saw that his head was cut off.”

“Did you know the man?” “Yes.”

“But you say that he was lying with his face to the ground. How did you know who he was when you did not see his face?”

“To see his clothes was enough for me.” “What clothes?”

“The serape and the sombrero. They were my own. The dead man was Henry Poindexter.”

“Go on.”

“I examined the body. On the breast I found a hole in the serape; all around the hole there was blood. It was the place where the bullet had entered the body. But there was no wound on the back, which showed that the bullet was still in the body.”

“What did you do?”

“For some time I did not know what to do. I could not carry the body to Casa del Corvo alone. I could not leave the body: the coyotes were near, and the vultures were already flying over the place.

“Then I remembered what I had read about how the Indians of South America carry their dead. They put them in the saddle in a sitting position1 and tie them to it.

1 in a sitting position — в сидячем положении

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“I tried to do it with Henry’s body, but his horse was afraid and did not stand still. Then I put the body on my own horse and tied it to the saddle. After that I tied the head to the saddle too.

“Now I was ready for the journey.

“I got on Henry’s horse and started to ride. My own horse, with the body on its back, followed me.

“In five minutes I had an accident. My head struck a tree, I fell out of the saddle and broke my leg.”

Theprisonerhasfinishedhisstory.Manypeople are now on his side. Still, his innocence must be proved.

Where is the witness who, as everybody thinks now, can prove the innocence of the young man? Where is Zeb Stump?

III

(At this time Zeb Stump returned and brought the Headless Horseman with him. He told the jury how he had followed the track of Calhoun’s horse. He said that the bullet of the murderer was still inside the dead body, and if the jury extracted it, they would know who had killed Henry Poindexter. When the bullet was extracted, the judge and the jury saw the letters C.C. on it. It was the marked bullet of Captain Cassius Calhoun.)

It is now evening. The trial is coming to an end. Maurice Gerald is not a prisoner any more. He is

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now one of the witnesses. In his place there is another. It is Cassius Calhoun.

There is no doubt that he is guilty.

There is only one question — why did he kill Henry Poindexter? Why did he cut off his head?

No one can answer these questions — except the murderer himself.

He stands up to make his final speech.

“It is true,” he says, “that I killed Henry Poindexter — shot him dead.

“I know that I must die. You want to know why I killed my own cousin. I killed him by mistake.

“It is true that I wanted to kill some one. I can tell you who it was. It was that scoundrel who is now standing before me.”

The speaker looks with hatred at Gerald. “Yes, I wanted to kill him. And I thought I had

killed him, but the Irish dog had changed cloaks with my cousin.

“You know the rest. I fired, and poor Henry fell from his horse, face down. I still thought it was the mustanger. I was not sure that he was dead and cut off his head.

“Now you know all that has been; but you don’t know what will come. You see that I am standing on my grave; but I don’t go into it before I send him to his!”

He quickly pulls out his pistol. Two shots are heard with a little interval between them. Two men fall down, with the same interval.

One is Maurice Gerald, — the other Cassius Calhoun.

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* * *

But Cassius Calhoun killed only himself. The bullet which he had sent into Maurice Gerald, hit the talisman, a present from Louise, which the young man wore on his heart.

IV

Nowhere has Time brought greater changes than in Texas — during the last ten years — and especially on the banks of the Leona river.

Large plantations and cities have appeared in the prairie. There are new names for men, places and things. Yet there are some people who will take you to an ancient house, which is still called Casa del Corvo.

When you come there, you will be received by the owners — one of the handsomest men in Texas and one of the most beautiful women, both still young.

You will find an old gentleman and six pretty children, who call him their “dear grandpa.”

At dinner you will hear talk of Zeb Stump, the hunter. But you will not often see the man, because he will be walking about the prairie and hunting all day.

While you are staying at Casa del Corvo, you may hear parts of a strange story, almost a legend now, which is connected with the place.

The people will tell it to you; but only in a whisper: the master and mistress of the house do not

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Mark Twain

All of you know the wonderful book about a boy, Tom Sawyer1 by name, who lived in a little town on the bank of the great American river Mississippi2. The author of this book, Mark Twain3 (1835–1910), whose name is known all over the world, spent his childhood on the bank of the Mississippi. When he was twelve, his father died, and the boy had to work. For some time he worked as a pilot4 on the Mississippi. He saw many people, all America passed before his eyes, and this helped him later to write his books.

Mark Twain was a great humourist. But he did more than make people laugh. In his books he exposed the oppressors of all times. In the book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn5 he shows the position of Negroes in America in the days of slavery. The Prince and the Pauper6 tells about the life of poor people in England in the 16th century. The book A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court7 is a fantasy, but there are many sad pages in it which describe the hard life of English peasants in the 6th century.

1Tom Sawyer ['tDm'sD:jA] — Том Сойер

2Mississippi [,mIsI'sIpI] — р. Миссисипи

3Mark Twain ['mC:k'tweIn] — Марк Твен

4pilot ['paIlAt] — лоцман

5The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn ['hEklberI'fIn] —

«Приключения Гекльберри Финна»

6The Prince and the Pauper — «Принц и нищий»

7A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court — «Ян-

ки из Коннектикута при дворе короля Артура»

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Mark Twain

A CONNECTICUT YANKEE

IN KING ARTHUR’S COURT1

Part I

I

(Mark Twain was on an excursion in an old castle with a group of tourists — so the story begins. One of the tourists attracted his attention. The stranger knew ancient armour very well, and he spoke of King Arthur, Sir Kay, Sir Bedivere and the other knights of the Round Table as if they were his friends or neighbours. He surprised Mark Twain by asking2 him: “Do you know about the transposition of epochs — and bodies3?”

In the evening of the same day, when they were in the hotel, the stranger came to Mark Twain’s room, and told him his story.)

I am an American and a practical man. My father was a worker, my uncle was a horse-doctor, and I was both4 at first. Then I went to work at a factory, and there I learned to make everything: guns, pistols, boilers, engines; all kinds of things. Why, I could make anything you wanted — anything in the world.

1King Arthur's Court — двор короля Артура

2by asking — тем, что спросил

3transposition of epochs ['i:pDks] — and bodies — пере-

мещение эпох и тел

4both [bAuF] — и тем, и другим

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Once I had a quarrel with one of the workers. He struck me with a crusher1 on the head, and I fainted.

When I came to2, I was sitting under an oaktree on the grass. Near me there was a fellow on a horse. He was looking down at me — a fellow out of a picture-book. He was in old-time iron armour from head to foot. He had a shield, a sword and a spear.3 He said to me:

1crusher ['krESA] — отбойный молоток

2came to — пришел в себя

3He had a shield [Si:ld], a sword [sD:d] and a spear [spIA]. — У него был щит, меч и копье.

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“Will you fight for land, or lady, or for —”

“What are you talking about?” I said. “Go back to your circus.”

He went back a little way, then rushed at me. I quickly climbed up the tree.

He said that I was his prisoner. So I had to climb down and go with him.

We walked about an hour, then I saw a town far away.

Near it there was a great castle. “What is it?” I asked. “Camelot,” said he.

(Mark Twain’s guest was falling asleep. He could not go on, but said that he had written everything down and could give Mark Twain his manuscript. They went into his room. Mark Twain got the manuscript, returned to his room and began to read.)

II

“Camelot — Camelot,” said I to myself, “I don’t remember the name.”

In the town there were a few stone houses without windows and many huts. The streets were dirty and narrow. I heard military music and saw many men on horseback. They were all in armour and had swords and spears. We joined them and soon came up to the castle. The great gates were opened, and we went into the large yard of the castle.

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