So far so good (пока все хорошо); but it next occurred to my recollection (но затем я вспомнил; to occur to — прийти в голову; recollection — воспоминание, память) that a taut hawser, suddenly cut (что туго натянутый канат, вдруг перерезанный; taut — туго натянутый, упругий), is a thing as dangerous as a kicking horse (такая же опасная вещь, как и брыкающаяся лошадь = может ударить с силой лошадиного копыта). Ten to one (почти наверняка: «десять к одному»), if I were so foolhardy as to cut the Hispaniola from her anchor (если я буду таким безрассудно храбрым, чтобы отрезать Испаньолу от якоря = перерубить канат), I and the coracle would be knocked clean out of the water (я вместе с лодкой буду «начисто выбит из воды» = перевернут; to knock out — выбить, вывести из строя; clear — начисто, прямо, совершенно).

hawser [`hɔ:zə] taut [tɔ:t] mountain [`mauntɪŋ] dangerous [`deɪnʤərəs]

First she loomed before me like a blot of something yet blacker than darkness, then her spars and hull began to take shape, and the next moment, as it seemed (for, the further I went, the brisker grew the current of the ebb), I was alongside of her hawser, and had laid hold.

The hawser was as taut as a bowstring, and the current so strong she pulled upon her anchor. All round the hull, in the blackness, the rippling current bubbled and chattered like a little mountain stream. One cut with my sea-gully, and the Hispaniola would go humming down the tide.

So far so good; but it next occurred to my recollection that a taut hawser, suddenly cut, is a thing as dangerous as a kicking horse. Ten to one, if I were so foolhardy as to cut the Hispaniola from her anchor, I and the coracle would be knocked clean out of the water.

This brought me to a full stop (это меня полностью остановило), and if fortune had not again particularly favoured me (и если бы судьба не была вновь особенно благосклонна ко мне), I should have had to abandon my design (мне бы пришлось отказаться от своей затеи; to abandon — покидать, бросать; отказываться). But the light airs which had begun blowing from the south-east and south (но легкие ветерки, начавшие дуть с юго-востока и юга) had hauled round after nightfall into the south-west (изменили направление после наступления ночи на юго-западное). Just while I was meditating (и пока я размышлял; to meditate — затевать, обдумывать), a puff came, caught the Hispaniola (шквал налетел, подхватил Испаньолу), and forced her up into the current (и заставил ее идти вверх = против течения); and to my great joy (и к моей большой радости), I felt the hawser slacken in my grasp (я почувствовал, что /натяжение/ каната ослабло в моей руке; grasp — хватка, зажим), and the hand by which I held it dip for a second under water (и рука, которой я держал его, погрузилась на мгновение под воду).

With that I made my mind up (с этим = тут я принял решение), took out my gully (достал нож), opened it with my teeth (открыл его зубами), and cut one strand after another (и /принялся/ перерезать одно волокно за другим), till the vessel swung only by two (пока судно /не осталось/ держаться только на двух; to swing — качать, висеть. поворачиваться). Then I lay quiet (затем я отпустил канат), waiting to sever these last (ожидая /момента/, чтобы перерезать эти последние /волокна/; to sever — разъединить, оторвать, отсечь) when the strain should be once more lightened by a breath of wind (когда дуновение ветра снова ослабит натяжение).

favoured [`feɪvəd] hauled [hɔ:ld] slacken [`slækən] gully [`gʌlɪ] lightened [`laɪtnd]

This brought me to a full stop, and if fortune had not again particularly favoured me, I should have had to abandon my design. But the light airs which had begun blowing from the south-east and south had hauled round after nightfall into the south-west. Just while I was meditating, a puff came, caught the Hispaniola, and forced her up into the current; and to my great joy, I felt the hawser slacken in my grasp, and the hand by which I held it dip for a second under water.

With that I made my mind up, took out my gully, opened it with my teeth, and cut one strand after another, till the vessel swung only by two. Then I lay quiet, waiting to sever these last when the strain should be once more lightened by a breath of wind.

All this time I had heard the sound of loud voices from the cabin (все это время я услышал звук голосов /доносившийся/ из каюты); but, to say truth (но, сказать по правде), my mind had been so entirely taken up with other thoughts (мой разум был полностью поглощен другими мыслями) that I had scarcely given ear (что я едва мог слушать; to give ear to — выслушать). Now, however, when I had nothing else to do (теперь, однако, когда мне нечего было делать), I began to pay more heed (я начал обращать больше внимания /на разговор/).

One I recognised for the coxswain’s, Israel Hands (я узнал /голос/ рулевого, Израэля Хендса), that had been Flint’s gunner in former days (который был канониром Флинта в былые дни). The other was, of course, my friend of the red night-cap (другим был, конечно, мой приятель в красном колпаке). Both men were plainly the worse of drink (оба матроса были, очевидно, совершенно пьяны; the worse — худшее), and they were still drinking (и все еще пили); for, even while I was listening (потому что, пока я слушал), one of them, with a drunken cry (один из них с пьяным криком), opened the stern window and threw out something, which I divined to be an empty bottle (открыл кормовой иллюминатор и выбросил что-то, что я определил как пустую бутылку; to divine — предсказать, предполагать). But they were not only tipsy (но они были не только под градусом; tipsy — подвыпивший); it was plain that they were furiously angry (было очевидно, что они яростно ссорились; to be angry — сердиться, злиться). Oaths flew like hailstones (ругательства сыпались градом: «летели, как градины»), and every now and then there came forth such an explosion (и то и дело происходила такая вспышка /гнева/; to come forth — выступать, показываться; explosion — взрыв) as I thought was sure to end in blows (что я был уверен, что /дело/ дойдет до драки: «ударов»; to end in — кончиться, привести к). But each time the quarrel passed off (но каждый раз ссора прекращалась), and the voices grumbled lower for a while (и голоса ворчали тише какое-то время), until the next crisis came (пока не наступал следующий критический момент), and, in its turn, passed away without result (и, в свою очередь, /также/ прекращался безрезультатно).

entirely [ɪn`taɪəlɪ] divined [dɪ`vaɪnd] explosion [ɪk`spləuʒn] quarrel [`kwɔrəl]

All this time I had heard the sound of loud voices from the cabin; but, to say truth, my mind had been so entirely taken up with other thoughts that I had scarcely given ear. Now, however, when I had nothing else to do, I began to pay more heed.

One I recognised for the coxswain’s, Israel Hands, that had been Flint’s gunner in former days. The other was, of course, my friend of the red night-cap. Both men were plainly the worse of drink, and they were still drinking; for, even while I was listening, one of them, with a drunken cry, opened the stern window and threw out something, which I divined to be an empty bottle. But they were not only tipsy; it was plain that they were furiously angry. Oaths flew like hailstones, and every now and then there came forth such an explosion as I thought was sure to end in blows. But each time the quarrel passed off, and the voices grumbled lower for a while, until the next crisis came, and, in its turn, passed away without result.