squirrel ['skwIrql], /амер./ ['skwWrql], rhinestone ['raInstqVn], manage ['mxnIG]

Late that night he found his way to camp and twelve hours later all the males among his darkies were back by the squirrel hole digging furiously at the side of the mountain. He told them he had discovered a rhinestone mine, and, as only one or two of them had ever seen even a small diamond before, they believed him, without question. When the magnitude of his discovery became apparent to him, he found himself in a quandary. The mountain was a diamond — it was literally nothing else but solid diamond. He filled four saddle bags full of glittering samples and started on horseback for St. Paul. There he managed to dispose of half a dozen small stones — when he tried a larger one a storekeeper fainted and Fitz-Norman was arrested as a public disturber.

He escaped from jail and caught the train for New York (сбежал из тюрьмы и сел на поезд до Нью-Йорка), where he sold a few medium-sized diamonds (где продал несколько средней величины алмазов; to sell) and received in exchange about two hundred thousand dollars in gold (и получил взамен около двухсот тысяч долларов золотом; exchange — обмен; мена, замена). But he did not dare to produce any exceptional gems (но он не решился показать какие-либо = сколько-нибудь выдающиеся/неординарные камни) — in fact, he left New York just in time (в сущности, он покинул Нью-Йорк как раз вовремя). Tremendous excitement had been created in jewelry circles (в ювелирных кругах началось: «произвелось» невероятное волнение; tremendous — огромный, громадный; to create — создавать, творить; порождать, производить), not so much by the size of his diamonds as by their appearance in the city from mysterious sources (/вызванное/ не столько величиной алмазов, сколько их появлением в городе неизвестно откуда: «из таинственных источников»). Wild rumors became current (начали распространяться дикие слухи; current — находящийся в обращении, употреблении; имеющий хождение; ходячий) that a diamond mine had been discovered in the Catskills (/о том/ что /будто бы/ обнаружились залежи алмазов в горах Катскилл), on the Jersey coast (на побережье /штата/ Нью-Джерси), on Long Island (на Лонг-Айленде), beneath Washington Square (под Вашингтон-сквер). Excursion trains, packed with men carrying picks and shovels (специальные поезда, /битком/ набитые людьми с кирками и лопатами; excursion train — поезд для экскурсантов по сниженному тарифу; to carry — нести, носить; носить с собой, иметь при себе) began to leave New York hourly (начали ежечасно отбывать из Нью-Йорка), bound for various neighboring El Dorados (направляясь в различные окрестные Эльдорадо; neighbor — сосед). But by that time young Fitz-Norman was on his way back to Montana (но к этому времени Фиц-Норман был /уже/ на обратном пути в Монтану).

sources ['sLsIz], square [skwFq], neighboring ['neIbqrIN]

He escaped from jail and caught the train for New York, where he sold a few medium-sized diamonds and received in exchange about two hundred thousand dollars in gold. But he did not dare to produce any exceptional gems — in fact, he left New York just in time. Tremendous excitement had been created in jewelry circles, not so much by the size of his diamonds as by their appearance in the city from mysterious sources. Wild rumors became current that a diamond mine had been discovered in the Catskills, on the Jersey coast, on Long Island, beneath Washington Square. Excursion trains, packed with men carrying picks and shovels began to leave New York hourly, bound for various neighboring El Dorados. But by that time young Fitz-Norman was on his way back to Montana.

By the end of a fortnight (к концу второй недели; fortnight — две недели) he had estimated (он подсчитал; to estimate — /предварительно/ оценивать; приблизительно подсчитывать, прикидывать) that the diamond in the mountain was approximately equal in quantity to all the rest of the diamonds known to exist in the world (что алмаз в /его/ горе приблизительно равен по величине/объему всем остальным алмазам, имеющимся: «о существовании которых известно» в мире /вместе взятым/; to exist — существовать; иметься в природе). There was no valuing it by any regular computation, however (однако оценить его путем обычных расчетов было невозможно; to value — оценивать, устанавливать цену), for it was one solid diamond (потому что это был один цельный алмаз) — and if it were offered for sale (и если бы он был предложен для продажи) not only would the bottom fall out of the market (/то/ это не только вызвало бы кризис на рынке: «у рынка выпало бы дно»), but also, if the value should vary with its size in the usual arithmetical progression (но и если /считать, что/ цена должна изменяться в зависимости от размера в обычной арифметической прогрессии), there would not be enough gold in the world to buy a tenth part of it (в мире не было бы достаточно = не хватило бы золота, чтобы купить его десятую часть). And what could any one do with a diamond that size (/да/ и что делать с алмазом такой величины)?

It was an amazing predicament (удивительное положение; predicament — затруднительное положение; затруднение). He was, in one sense, the richest man that ever lived (он был, в некотором смысле = можно сказать, самым богатым человеком из когда-либо живших /на земле/) — and yet was he worth anything at all (и при этом чего он, в сущности, стоил: «стоил ли он что-нибудь вообще»)? If his secret should transpire (если его тайна раскроется; to transpire — испаряться; просачиваться /о газе/; обнаруживаться, становиться известным) there was no telling to what measures the Government might resort (нельзя сказать = предугадать, к каким мерам может прибегнуть правительство) in order to prevent a panic, in gold as well as in jewels (чтобы предотвратить панику как на золотом, так и на алмазном рынке; as well as — а также; заодно и). They might take over the claim immediately and institute a monopoly (вполне могут немедленно отобрать /у него/ этот участок и основать монополию; to take over — принимать /должность, обязанности/ от другого; вступать во владение /вместо другого лица/; claim — требование; притязание; заявка на отвод участка; отведенный участок земли).

approximately [q'prOksImqtlI], equal ['Jkwql], secret ['sJkrIt]

By the end of a fortnight he had estimated that the diamond in the mountain was approximately equal in quantity to all the rest of the diamonds known to exist in the world. There was no valuing it by any regular computation, however, for it was one solid diamond — and if it were offered for sale not only would the bottom fall out of the market, but also, if the value should vary with its size in the usual arithmetical progression, there would not be enough gold in the world to buy a tenth part of it. And what could any one do with a diamond that size?

It was an amazing predicament. He was, in one sense, the richest man that ever lived — and yet was he worth anything at all? If his secret should transpire there was no telling to what measures the Government might resort in order to prevent a panic, in gold as well as in jewels. They might take over the claim immediately and institute a monopoly.

There was no alternative — he must market his mountain in secret (выбора не было — он должен распродавать свою гору тайно). He sent South for his younger brother and put him in charge of his colored following (он послал на Юг за младшим братом и препоручил ему своих цветных/темнокожих рабов; charge — ответственность; забота, попечение, надзор; to put in charge of — поручить /кому-л. что-л./), — darkies who had never realized that slavery was abolished (негров, которые даже не подозревали, что рабство отменено). To make sure of this, he read them a proclamation that he had composed (для пущей надежности он прочитал им прокламацию, которую /сам и/ составил; to make sure — убедиться, удостовериться; обеспечить; sure — уверенный; верный, безошибочный; надёжный), which announced that General Forrest had reorganized the shattered Southern armies and defeated the North in one pitched battle (которая сообщала, что генерал Форрест реорганизовал рассеянные армии южан и победил Север = северян в одном тщательно подготовленном сражении). The negroes believed him implicitly (негры поверили ему безоговорочно). They passed a vote declaring it a good thing (они единодушно решили, что это хорошая новость; vote — голосование; вотум; решение, принятое большинством; to pass a vote — принять коллективное решение; to declare — заявлять, объявлять; высказываться, выражать свое отношение) and held revival services immediately (и тут же устроили молитвенное собрание; revival — возрождение; духовное пробуждение /особенно в протестантизме/; revival service — молитвенное собрание протестантов).

alternative [Ll'tWnqtIv], South [saVT], reorganize [rJ'LgqnaIz]

There was no alternative — he must market his mountain in secret. He sent South for his younger brother and put him in charge of his colored following — darkies who had never realized that slavery was abolished. To make sure of this, he read them a proclamation that he had composed, which announced that General Forrest had reorganized the shattered Southern armies and defeated the North in one pitched battle. The negroes believed him implicitly. They passed a vote declaring it a good thing and held revival services immediately.