Любимые герои. Книга для чтения на английском языке

Treasure Island

Sometimes he told stories in which people were hanged, terrible stories about wicked men and storms at sea, and he made everybody listen to his stories. If somebody did not listen, he jumped up, shouted and took out his knife. We were afraid of him.

In winter my father fell seriously ill, and it was clear that he would not live to see the spring1. My mother and I had all the inn upon our hands.2

One January morning when Mother was upstairs with Father and I was laying the table for the captain’s breakfast the door of the inn opened and a man came in. He asked me if I was laying the table for his friend Bill. I told him that I did not know his friend Bill, and the breakfast was for a guest who was staying at the inn and whom we called the captain.

“Well,” said the man, “it must be my friend Bill. He will be glad to see me.”

Soon the door opened and the captain came in. “Bill,” said the stranger.

The captain looked at him and turned pale3. I saw that he was very frightened.

“Come, Bill4, you know me, you know an old shipmate, Bill,” said the stranger.

“Black Dog,” said the captain.

1would not live to see the spring — не доживет до весны

2My mother and I had all the inn upon our hands. —

Нам с матерью пришлось заниматься всеми делами в гостинице.

3turned pale — побледнел

4Come, Bill — Ну, Билл

71

Robert Louis Stevenson

“Of course,” said the other. “Black Dog, and I have come to see my old shipmate Bill, at the ‘Admiral Benbow’ inn.”

“Well now,” said the captain, “you have found me; here I am; speak up: what is it?”

They sat down at the table and told me to go out. I listened from the next room, but at first I could hear nothing. Then the voices became louder, and the captain cried: “No, no, no; and an end of it!”

There was a great noise. The table and chairs were overturned. I ran into the room and saw that Black Dog was running away. There was blood on his shoulder. The captain was standing in the middle of the room, then he suddenly fell to the floor.

My mother came running1 into the room. The captain was breathing very loudly. His eyes were shut. We did not know how to help him, but at this moment the door opened and Doctor Livesey came in, on his visit to my father.

“Oh, doctor,” we cried, “what shall we do?” Doctor Livesey examined the captain and said

that he had had a stroke. He bled him2 and soon the man opened his eyes. With much difficulty the doctor and I carried him upstairs to his room and put him on his bed.

When I came to him in the evening, he was very weak.

1came running — вбежала

2bled him — пустил ему кровь

72

Treasure Island

“Jim,” he said, “they want to get my old seachest. If they bring me the black spot1, you must get on a horse and go to — well, go to that doctor and tell him to bring men and seize them. They are pirates, all old Flint’s crew. I was with them once. Flint was captain. I was first mate and I am the only one who knows the place. Flint gave me the map of the island when he was dying.”

He said something else which I did not understand, then he fell asleep and I left him.

II

My father died soon after that. The captain stayed in his bed a few days; then he began to get up and come down, but he was still very weak.

One day I was standing at the door, when I saw a blind man with a stick. He was coming up to the inn. He stopped and said:

“Will any kind person tell a poor blind man where he is?”

“You are at the ‘Admiral Benbow’ inn, my good man,” said I.

“Will you give me your hand,” he said, “and lead me in?”

I gave him my hand. He seized it and said to me: “Now, boy, take me in to the captain.”

When the captain saw the blind man, there was terror on his face. He tried to stand up, but could not.

1 the black spot — черная метка

73

Robert Louis Stevenson

“Now, Bill, sit where you are,” said the blind man. “Boy, give me his right hand.”

He put something into the captain’s hand and went out. The captain stood up, put his hand to his throat, stood a moment and then fell down dead.

I told my mother all that I knew. We were in a very dangerous position. Some of the captain’s money was certainly due to us1, and my mother wanted to take it, but we were afraid of the captain’s shipmates. We went to the village not far away to ask somebody to come with us, but everybody was afraid.

Mother and I returned to the inn. We went in, closed and locked the door. The body of the cap- tain lay on the floor. Near his hand I saw the black spot, a piece of paper, black on one side. I took it and saw some words on the other side. I read: “You have till ten tonight.”

“He had till ten, Mother,” said I; and just as I said it, our old clock began to strike. It was six o’clock.

“Now, Jim,” said Mother, “that key.”

The key was hanging on a string round the captain’s neck. I took it and we went upstairs to his room. My mother took the key and opened the chest.

In the chest we found some of the captain’s clothes, a paper parcel and a bag of money.

“I am an honest woman,” said my mother. “I shall take only the money which he owes me.”

1 was due to us — причитались нам

74

Treasure Island

We began to count the coins. It was a very long business because the coins were all of different countries, and my mother wanted to take only English money.

Suddenly we heard the sound of the blind man’s stick on the road near the inn. He stopped at the door and tried to open it. Then he went away.

We were frightened to death. “Mother,” said I, “take all the money and let’s go.”

At that time we heard a whistle. That was enough for us.

“I’ll take what I have,” said my mother.

“And I’ll take this,” said I and took the paper parcel.

We left the inn and hurried to the village. We were still quite near the inn when we heard

footsteps. Some people were running towards the inn. The moon was shining brightly and we were afraid that they would see us. There was a little bridge near us, and we hid under it. We were so near the inn, that we could hear every sound that came from it.

“Break the door!” cried the blind man. “The door is open!” cried one of them. It was clear that they were surprised. “Go in!” cried the blind man.

There was a pause, then we heard a voice: “Bill is dead!”

“Get the chest!” cried the blind man again. There was another pause and then a voice came

from the window of the captain’s room:

75

Robert Louis Stevenson

“Pew1, they have been here before us. They have taken Flint’s papers.”

“It’s that boy!” cried Pew. “He was here a few minutes ago. Find him!”

That was the end for us. But then we heard another whistle. I understood that that whistle was a danger signal. The pirates all ran away when they heard it. At last we could go to the village safely.

III

That same evening I went to Doctor Livesey. I found him in Squire Trelawney’s house. I told the two gentlemen all that had happened and gave the doctor the captain’s paper parcel.

“Squire,” said Doctor Livesey, “I suppose you have heard about this Flint. Had he much money?”

“Very much!” cried the squire. “So much, that if we know where he has buried his treasure, I shall get a ship and take you and Jim Hawkins2 to that place at once!”

They opened the parcel and found in it the map of an island, with latitude and longitude. In the centre of the map there was a hill with the name “The Spy-Glass.” Near it was a cross and the words: “Treasure here.”

On the back of the map we saw these words:

1Pew [pju:] — Пью

2Jim Hawkins ['dZIm'hD:kInz] — Джим Хокинс

76

Treasure Island

“Tall tree, Spy-Glass shoulder1 ten feet, N.N.E.2” “Livesey,” said the squire, “tomorrow I start for Bristol3. In two weeks — ten days — we’ll have the best ship, sir, and the best crew in England. Hawkins will be a cabin-boy. You, Livesey, will be the ship’s doctor, I shall be admiral. We’ll find the

treasure and be very rich.”

“Trelawney,” said the doctor, “I shall go with you, and so will Jim4. But I am afraid of one man.”

1shoulder — зд. склон (горы)

2N.N.E. = north-north-east

3Bristol — г. Бристоль

4and so will Jim — и Джим также

77

Robert Louis Stevenson

“Who is it?” cried the squire. “Name the dog, sir!”

“You,” replied the doctor. “You talk too much. The captain’s shipmates know about the treasure and want to get it. Nobody must know what we have found.”

“Livesey,” said the squire, “you are right. I shall be silent.”

QUESTIONS AND TASKS

1.Describe the old sailor who came to the “Admiral Benbow” inn one day.

2.Why were Jim Hawkins and his parents afraid of their new guest?

3.Describe the visit of Black Dog.

4.What did the captain tell Jim Hawkins about himself?

5.Speak about the end of the captain.

6.How did the map of Treasure Island get into Jim’s hands?

Part II

I

(Doctor Livesey was right: Squire Trelawney talked too much, and many people in Bristol soon knew that he was sailing to Treasure Island. It is no wonder1 that when he was looking for a crew for his ship, the Hispaniola2, the dead captain’s old shipmates wanted to join it. So almost the whole crew consisted of pirates. Their chief was

1no wonder — не удивительно

2Hispaniola [hIspA'njAulA] — «Эспаньола»

78

Treasure Island

John Silver1, who became ship’s cook. The squire, the doctor and Captain Smollett2 did not know anything of this until the last day of the voyage, when Jim Hawkins overheard a talk between John Silver and the sailors who had joined the crew together with him. The pirates had no map and did not know where the treasure was buried, but they knew that the owners of the ship had the map. It was their plan to let the squire and his men find the treasure. When the treasure was found, they planned to kill them.

Squire Trelawney had three of his servants on board, Redruth3, Joyce4, and Hunter5. So, with Captain Smollett, the doctor and Jim Hawkins, they were seven.

The pirates were nineteen.)

At last we approached the island. It was night, and we saw it first in the light of the moon. We were coming to it from the east.

“And now, men,” said Captain Smollett, “has any one of you seen this land?”

“I have, sir,” said Silver, “I have been here.” “The anchorage is on the south, isn’t it?” asked

the captain.

“Yes, sir. Once this island was the main place for pirates. One sailor on a ship where I was cook

1John Silver ['dZDn'sIlvA] — Джон Силвер

2Smollett ['smDlIt] — Смоллет

3Redruth ['redruF] — Редрут

4Joyce [dZDIs] — Джойс

5Hunter ['hEntA] — Хантер

79

Robert Louis Stevenson

knew all the names on it. That hill to the north they call the Fore-mast Hill1, the next, in the middle of the island, is the main one; it is the highest, and they usually call it the Spy-Glass2.”

“I have a map here,” said the captain. “Is the anchorage here?” Silver’s eyes burned as he took the map, but he was disappointed. It was not the map he wanted to see. It was a very good copy of the map which I had found in the old captain’s chest. There was everything on the copy except the cross which showed the place where the treasure was hidden. Silver managed to hide his disappointment.

“Yes, sir,” he said, “this is the spot. Here it is. There is a strong current which runs around the island from the east along the south coast and then away to the north along the west coast. You were right, sir,” he said, “that you chose this place.”

“Thank you, my man,” said Captain Smollett, “I’ll ask you later on to help us. You may go.”

(When theHispanioladropped anchor near the island, Captain Smollett allowed the sailors to go ashore till the evening.)

Silver left six of his pirates on board. He himself and the other twelve got into two boats. At the last moment I had an idea that helped so much to save our lives. I jumped into one of the boats

1the Fore-mast Hill — гора Фок-мачта

2the Spy-Glass — (зд.) гора Подзорная труба

80