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He cowered in the midst of the milky water, as though the vastness were pressing in upon him with overwhelming force, brutally crushing him with its complacent awfulness. He began to shake as with an ague-fit, till the gun fell from his hand with a splash. This served to rouse him. He fought with his fear and pulled himself together, groping in the water and recovering the weapon. He hitched his pack farther over on his left shoulder, so as to take a portion of its weight from off the injured ankle. Then he proceeded, slowly and carefully, wincing with pain, to the bank.
He did not stop (он не останавливался). With a desperation that was madness (с отчаянием, которое было безумием), unmindful of the pain (не обращая внимания на боль; unmindful – забывчивый, невнимательный; mind – разум; память), he hurried up the slope to the crest of the hill (он поспешил вверх по склону к гребню холма) over which his comrade had disappeared (за которым исчез его товарищ) – more grotesque and comical by far than that limping, jerking comrade (намного более нелепый и комичный, чем тот хромающий, двигающийся резкими толчками товарищ; to jerk – двигаться резкими толчками; дергаться). But at the crest he saw a shallow valley, empty of life (но на гребне он увидел плоскую долину, лишенную жизни; empty – пустой, полый; необитаемый, нежилой, незанятый, свободный). He fought with his fear again (он снова сразился со своим страхом = ему снова пришлось бороться со своим страхом; to fight), overcame it (преодолел его), hitched the pack still farther over on his left shoulder (переместил тюк еще дальше на левом плече), and lurched on down the slope (и пошел, шатаясь, дальше вниз по склону).
He did not stop. With a desperation that was madness, unmindful of the pain, he hurried up the slope to the crest of the hill over which his comrade had disappeared – more grotesque and comical by far than that limping, jerking comrade. But at the crest he saw a shallow valley, empty of life. He fought with his fear again, overcame it, hitched the pack still farther over on his left shoulder, and lurched on down the slope.
The bottom of the valley was soggy with water (дно долины было болотистым от воды; soggy – промокший насквозь; пропитанный влагой; болотистый, топкий /о земле, грунте/), which the thick moss held, spongelike, close to the surface (которую удерживал густой мох, похожий на губку, расположенный близко к почве = росший у самой почвы; close – близко расположенный; sponge – губка; surface – поверхность). This water squirted out from under his feet at every step (эта вода била струей из-под его ног при каждом шаге; to squirt out – бить струей; squirt – струя), and each time he lifted a foot the action culminated in a sucking sound (и каждый раз, как он поднимал ногу, действие венчал чмокающий звук; sucking – всасывающий, сосущий; to suck – сосать; to culminate – достигнуть высшей точки, кульминации, апогея; венчать, завершать, стать завершением) as the wet moss reluctantly released its grip (когда мокрый мох неохотно разжимал свою хватку; to release – освобождать; отпускать, выпускать, пускать). He picked his way from muskeg to muskeg (он осторожно продвигался от трясины к трясине; to pick one’s way – выбирать дорогу, продвигаться вперед с большой осторожностью), and followed the other man’s footsteps along and across the rocky ledges (и шел по шагам другого мужчины вдоль скалистых выступов и через них; to follow – следовать, идти за) which thrust like islets through the sea of moss (которые раскинулись, как островки, по морю мха; to thrust – колоть; совать; развертывать/ся/, раскидывать/ся/, простирать/ся/, протягивать/ся/).
The bottom of the valley was soggy with water, which the thick moss held, spongelike, close to the surface. This water squirted out from under his feet at every step, and each time he lifted a foot the action culminated in a sucking sound as the wet moss reluctantly released its grip. He picked his way from muskeg to muskeg, and followed the other man’s footsteps along and across the rocky ledges which thrust like islets through the sea of moss.
Though alone, he was not lost (хоть и один, он не заблудился; to lose – терять; проигрывать; lost – потерянный, заблудившийся). Farther on he knew he would come to where dead spruce and fir, very small and weazened (дальше, он знал, он придет к тому месту, где мертвые ели и пихты, очень маленькие и высохшие), bordered the shore of a little lake, the titchin-nichilie (окаймляют берег небольшого озера «тичин-ничили»), in the tongue of the country, the “land of little sticks (на языке этой местности «земля прутиков»; stick – палка, прут).” And into that lake flowed a small stream (а в то озеро впадала маленькая речушка), the water of which was not milky (вода которой не была молочно-мутной). There was rush-grass on that stream (на той речке был = рос тростник) – this he remembered well (это он помнил хорошо) – but no timber (но никакого леса; timber – лесоматериалы; строевой лес; древесина), and he would follow it till its first trickle ceased at a divide (и он будет идти по ней, пока ее первая струйка не закончится на водоразделе; to cease – переставать /делать что-либо/, прекращать/ся/). He would cross this divide to the first trickle of another stream (он перейдет этот водораздел до первой струйки другого потока), flowing to the west (текущего на запад), which he would follow (за которым он будет идти) until it emptied into the river Dease (пока тот не впадет в реку Диз), and here he would find a cache under an upturned canoe and piled over with many rocks (и здесь он найдет /тайный/ запас = припасы под перевернутым каноэ и заваленный большим количеством камней; to pile over – заваливать, наваливать; pile – куча, груда). And in this cache would be ammunition for his empty gun (а в этом запасе будут боеприпасы для его пустого ружья), fish-hooks and lines, a small net (рыболовные крючки и лески, небольшая сеть) – all the utilities for the killing and snaring of food (все полезные вещи для убийства и ловли еды; snare – западня, капкан, ловушка, силок; to snare – поймать в ловушку, силки /птицу, небольшого зверька/). Also, he would find flour (также он найдет муку), – not much (немного), – a piece of bacon, and some beans (кусок бекона и немного бобов).
Though alone, he was not lost. Farther on he knew he would come to where dead spruce and fir, very small and weazened, bordered the shore of a little lake, the titchin-nichilie, in the tongue of the country, the “land of little sticks.” And into that lake flowed a small stream, the water of which was not milky. There was rush-grass on that stream – this he remembered well – but no timber, and he would follow it till its first trickle ceased at a divide. He would cross this divide to the first trickle of another stream, flowing to the west, which he would follow until it emptied into the river Dease, and here he would find a cache under an upturned canoe and piled over with many rocks. And in this cache would be ammunition for his empty gun, fish-hooks and lines, a small net – all the utilities for the killing and snaring of food. Also, he would find flour, – not much, – a piece of bacon, and some beans.