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“It’s one o’ two things, Bill; one o’ two things (это одно из двух, Билл; одно из двух). Either Mr. Pocket’s spilled himself all out an’ down the hill (либо мистер Карман рассыпал себя по всему склону), or else Mr. Pocket’s that damned rich you maybe won’t be able to carry him all away with you (или мистер Карман так чертовски богат, /что/ ты, возможно, не сможешь унести его всего с собой; either… or /else/ – или… или). And that ’d be hell, wouldn’t it, now (вот это будет кошмар, не так ли)?” He chuckled at contemplation of so pleasant a dilemma (он издал смешок, решая такую приятную дилемму; to chuckle – /радостно/ хихикнуть; to contemplate – обдумывать, размышлять).
For that matter, the gold-trace had become something more than a trace; it was a placer mine in itself, and the man resolved to come back after he had found the pocket and work over the ground. But the increasing richness of the pans began to worry him. By late afternoon the worth of the pans had grown to three and four dollars. The man scratched his head perplexedly and looked a few feet up the hill at the manzanita bush that marked approximately the apex of the “V.” He nodded his head and said oracularly:
“It’s one o’ two things, Bill; one o’ two things. Either Mr. Pocket’s spilled himself all out an’ down the hill, or else Mr. Pocket’s that damned rich you maybe won’t be able to carry him all away with you. And that ’d be hell, wouldn’t it, now?” He chuckled at contemplation of so pleasant a dilemma.
Nightfall found him by the edge of the stream (сумерки застали его у берега ручья), his eyes wrestling with the gathering darkness over the washing of a five-dollar pan (/при этом/ его глаза боролись со сгущающейся темнотой над промывкой пятидолларового лотка).
“Wisht I had an electric light to go on working (жаль, у меня нет электрического фонарика, чтобы продолжать работать),” he said.
He found sleep difficult that night (у него плохо получалось заснуть той ночью: «он нашел сон трудным той ночью»). Many times he composed himself and closed his eyes for slumber to overtake him (много раз он успокаивал себя и закрывал глаза, чтобы дремота овладела им; to compose oneself – успокаиваться; to compose – составлять; успокаивать/ся/; улаживать); but his blood pounded with too strong desire (но его кровь стучала от слишком сильного желания), and as many times his eyes opened and he murmured wearily (и столь же много раз его глаза открывались, и он бормотал устало), “Wisht it was sun-up (был бы уже рассвет: «я желал бы…»; wisht = wished).”
Nightfall found him by the edge of the stream, his eyes wrestling with the gathering darkness over the washing of a five-dollar pan.
“Wisht I had an electric light to go on working,” he said.
He found sleep difficult that night. Many times he composed himself and closed his eyes for slumber to overtake him; but his blood pounded with too strong desire, and as many times his eyes opened and he murmured wearily, “Wisht it was sun-up.”
Sleep came to him in the end (сон пришел к нему наконец), but his eyes were open with the first paling of the stars (но его глаза открылись с первыми побледневшими звездами: «с первым побледнением звезд»; to pale – бледнеть, терять яркость), and the gray of dawn caught him with breakfast finished (и сумрак рассвета застал его покончившим с завтраком) and climbing the hillside in the direction of the secret abiding-place of Mr. Pocket (и взбирающимся на склон в направлении таинственного местонахождения мистера Кармана; to abide – обитать, проживать).
The first cross-cut the man made (первый поперечный ряд, который он сделал), there was space for only three holes (в нем было место только для трех ям), so narrow had become the pay-streak (таким узким стал золотой след) and so close was he to the fountainhead of the golden stream he had been following for four days (и так близко был он к истоку золотого ручья/потока, который он преследовал четыре дня; fountain-head – источник, ключ).
Sleep came to him in the end, but his eyes were open with the first paling of the stars, and the gray of dawn caught him with breakfast finished and climbing the hillside in the direction of the secret abiding-place of Mr. Pocket.
The first cross-cut the man made, there was space for only three holes, so narrow had become the pay-streak and so close was he to the fountainhead of the golden stream he had been following for four days.
“Be ca’m, Bill; be ca’m (будь спокоен, Билл, будь спокоен; ca’m = calm),” he admonished himself (увещевал он себя), as he broke ground for the final hole where the sides of the “V” had at last come together in a point (начав копать землю для последней ямы, где стороны «V», наконец, сошлись в одной точке; to break – ломать; вскапывать).
“I’ve got the almighty cinch on you, Mr. Pocket (вы мне попались, мистер Карман; to have a cinch on smb. – держать кого-либо в узде; almighty – сильный, всемогущий), an’ you can’t lose me (и вы никуда не денетесь; to lose – отделываться, освобождаться),” he said many times as he sank the hole deeper and deeper (сказал он много раз, выкапывая: «опуская» яму /все/ глубже и глубже).
Four feet (четыре фута), five feet (пять футов), six feet (шесть футов), he dug his way down into the earth (выкапывал он свой путь вниз; to dig – копать). The digging grew harder (копать становилось труднее). His pick grated on broken rock (его кирка скрипнула, /натолкнувшись/ на раздробленную /горную/ породу; rock – скала; горная порода). He examined the rock (он осмотрел породу).
“Be ca’m, Bill; be ca’m,” he admonished himself, as he broke ground for the final hole where the sides of the “V” had at last come together in a point.
“I’ve got the almighty cinch on you, Mr. Pocket, an’ you can’t lose me,” he said many times as he sank the hole deeper and deeper.
Four feet, five feet, six feet, he dug his way down into the earth. The digging grew harder. His pick grated on broken rock. He examined the rock.
“Rotten quartz (рыхлый кварц; rotten – гнилой, прогнивший; мягкий, податливый, рыхлый /о почве и. т. п./; to rot – гнить),” was his conclusion as, with the shovel, he cleared the bottom of the hole of loose dirt (был его вывод, когда лопатой он очистил дно ямы от обвалившейся земли; loose – свободный, неприкрепленный). He attacked the crumbling quartz with the pick (он набросился на крошащийся кварц с киркой; to crumble – крошиться), bursting the disintegrating rock asunder with every stroke (разламывая распадающуюся породу на части с каждым ударом; to disintegrate – раздроблять, размельчать; asunder – на куски, на части). He thrust his shovel into the loose mass (он вонзил лопату в рыхлую массу). His eye caught a gleam of yellow (его глаза уловили проблеск желтого). He dropped the shovel and squatted suddenly on his heels (он уронил лопату и внезапно сел на корточки; to squat – садиться на корточки; heel – пятка). As a farmer rubs the clinging earth from fresh-dug potatoes (как фермер счищает налипшую землю со свежевырытой картошки), so the man (так и человек), a piece of rotten quartz held in both hands (держа в обоих руках кусок рыхлого кварца), rubbed the dirt away (счищал грязь/землю).