Immense [I`mens] swan [swOn]

There was an unaccountable strangeness about Harris. It was something more than mere ordinary tiredness. He pulled the boat against a part of the bank from which it was quite impossible for us to get into it, and immediately went to sleep. It took us an immense amount of screaming and roaring to wake him up again and put some sense into him; but we succeeded at last, and got safely on board.

Harris had a sad expression on him, so we noticed, when we got into the boat. He gave you the idea of a man who had been through trouble. We asked him if anything had happened, and he said —

"Swans!"

It seemed we had moored close to a swan's nest (оказалось, мы причалили возле лебединого гнезда), and, soon after George and I had gone, the female swan came back, and kicked up a row about it (и, вскоре после того, как мы с Джорджем ушли, самка-/лебедь/ вернулась и устроила скандал из-за этого). Harris had chivied her off, and she had gone away, and fetched up her old man (Гаррис прогнал ее, она ушла прочь и привела своего старика; to chivy — охотиться, гнаться, преследовать; убегать). Harris said he had had quite a fight with these two swans (Гаррис сказал, у него был тяжелый бой с этими двумя лебедями); but courage and skill had prevailed in the end, and he had defeated them (но храбрость и мастерство восторжествовали в конце концов, и он одолел их; to defeat — одерживать победу, наносить поражение).

Half-an-hour afterwards they returned with eighteen other swans (полчаса спустя они вернулись с восемнадцатью /другими/ лебедями)! It must have been a fearful battle, so far as we could understand Harris's account of it (это была, должно быть, ужасная битва, насколько мы могли судить по рассказу Гарриса; account — счет; отчет; сообщение; доклад). The swans had tried to drag him and Montmorency out of the boat and drown them (лебеди пытались вытащить его и Монморенси из лодки и утопить); and he had defended himself like a hero for four hours, and had killed the lot (он оборонялся как герой четыре часа и поразил всех; to kill — убивать; поражать; нейтрализовать; lot — группа, компания), and they had all paddled away to die (и они уплыли прочь, чтобы умереть; to paddle — плыть на байдарке; шлепать /по воде или грязи/, плескаться; ковылять).

courage [`kArIG] drown [draun] hour [`auq]

It seemed we had moored close to a swan's nest, and, soon after George and I had gone, the female swan came back, and kicked up a row about it. Harris had chivied her off, and she had gone away, and fetched up her old man. Harris said he had had quite a fight with these two swans; but courage and skill had prevailed in the end, and he had defeated them.

Half-an-hour afterwards they returned with eighteen other swans! It must have been a fearful battle, so far as we could understand Harris's account of it. The swans had tried to drag him and Montmorency out of the boat and drown them; and he had defended himself like a hero for four hours, and had killed the lot, and they had all paddled away to die.

"How many swans did you say there were (сколько лебедей, говоришь, там было)?" asked George.

"Thirty-two (тридцать два)," replied Harris, sleepily (сонно ответил Гаррис).

"You said eighteen just now (ты только что сказал восемнадцать)," said George.

"No, I didn't (нет, не говорил)," grunted Harris (проворчал Гаррис); "I said twelve (я сказал двенадцать). Think I can't count (думаешь, я не умею считать)?"

What were the real facts about these swans we never found out (какими были настоящие обстоятельства = правду об этих лебедях мы /так/ никогда и не узнали; to find out — выяснить). We questioned Harris on the subject in the morning, and he said, "What swans?" (мы спросили Гарриса об этом утром, и он сказал: «Какие лебеди?») and seemed to think that George and I had been dreaming (и, видимо, думал, что нам с Джорджем это приснилось).

"How many swans did you say there were?" asked George.

"Thirty-two," replied Harris, sleepily.

"You said eighteen just now," said George.

"No, I didn't," grunted Harris; "I said twelve. Think I can't count?"

What were the real facts about these swans we never found out. We questioned Harris on the subject in the morning, and he said, "What swans?" and seemed to think that George and I had been dreaming.

Oh, how delightful it was to be safe in the boat, after our trials and fears (о, как восхитительно было находиться в безопасности в лодке после наших испытаний и страхов)! We ate a hearty supper, George and I, and we should have had some toddy after it (мы съели обильный ужин, Джордж и я = мы с Джорджем, и выпили бы пуншу после этого), if we could have found the whisky, but we could not (если бы смогли найти виски, но мы не нашли). We examined Harris as to what he had done with it (мы спросили Гарриса, что он с ним сделал; as to — относительно, по поводу); but he did not seem to know what we meant by "whisky," or what we were talking about at all (но он, казалось, не понимал, что мы имеем в виду под /словом/ «виски» и о чем мы вообще говорим). Montmorency looked as if he knew something, but said nothing (Монморенси глядел так, будто знает что-то, но ничего не сказал).

I slept well that night, and should have slept better if it had not been for Harris (я спал хорошо в ту ночь, и спал бы еще лучше, если бы не Гаррис). I have a vague recollection of having been woke up at least a dozen times during the night by Harris wandering about the boat with the lantern, looking for his clothes (у меня есть смутное воспоминание = смутно помню, что был разбужен по крайней дюжину раз мере за ночь Гаррисом, блуждающим по лодке с фонарем и ищущим свою одежду). He seemed to be worrying about his clothes all night (он, по-видимому, беспокоился о своей одежде всю ночь).