Adventure I. Silver Blaze (7)

We crossed the marshy bottom and passed over a quarter of a mile of dry, hard turf. Again the ground sloped, and again we came on the tracks. Then we lost them for half a mile, but only to pick them up once more quite close to Mapleton. It was Holmes who saw them first, and he stood pointing with a look of triumph upon his face. A man's track was visible beside the horse's.

"The horse was alone before," I cried.

"Quite so. It was alone before. Hullo, what is this?"

The double track turned sharp off and took the direction of King's Pyland. Homes whistled, and we both followed along after it. His eyes were on the trail, but I happened to look a little to one side, and saw to my surprise the same tracks coming back again in the opposite direction.

"One for you, Watson," said Holmes, when I pointed it out. "You have saved us a long walk, which would have brought us back on our own traces. Let us follow the return track."

We had not to go far. It ended at the paving of asphalt which led up to the gates of the Mapleton stables. As we approached, a groom ran out from them.

"We don't want any loiterers about here," said he.

"I only wished to ask a question," said Holmes, with his finger and thumb in his waistcoat pocket. "Should I be too early to see your master, Mr. Silas Brown, if I were to call at five o'clock to-morrow morning?"

"Bless you, sir, if any one is about he will be, for he is always the first stirring. But here he is, sir, to answer your questions for himself. No, sir, no; it is as much as my place is worth to let him see me touch your money. Afterwards, if you like."

As Sherlock Holmes replaced the half-crown which he had drawn from his pocket, a fierce-looking elderly man strode out from the gate with a hunting-crop swinging in his hand.

"What's this, Dawson!" he cried. "No gossiping! Go about your business! And you, what the devil do you want here?"

"Ten minutes' talk with you, my good sir," said Holmes in the sweetest of voices.

"I've no time to talk to every gadabout. We want no stranger here. Be off, or you may find a dog at your heels."

Holmes leaned forward and whispered something in the trainer's ear. He started violently and flushed to the temples.

"It's a lie!" he shouted, "an infernal lie!"

"Very good. Shall we argue about it here in public or talk it over in your parlor?"

"Oh, come in if you wish to."

Holmes smiled. "I shall not keep you more than a few minutes, Watson," said he. "Now, Mr. Brown, I am quite at your disposal."

It was twenty minutes, and the reds had all faded into grays before Holmes and the trainer reappeared. Never have I seen such a change as had been brought about in Silas Brown in that short time. His face was ashy pale, beads of perspiration shone upon his brow, and his hands shook until the hunting-crop wagged like a branch in the wind. His bullying, overbearing manner was all gone too, and he cringed along at my companion's side like a dog with its master.

"You instructions will be done. It shall all be done," said he.

"There must be no mistake," said Holmes, looking round at him. The other winced as he read the menace in his eyes.

"Oh no, there shall be no mistake. It shall be there. Should I change it first or not?"

Holmes thought a little and then burst out laughing. "No, don't," said he; "I shall write to you about it. No tricks, now, or--"

"Oh, you can trust me, you can trust me!"

"Yes, I think I can. Well, you shall hear from me to-morrow." He turned upon his heel, disregarding the trembling hand which the other held out to him, and we set off for King's Pyland.

"A more perfect compound of the bully, coward, and sneak than Master Silas Brown I have seldom met with," remarked Holmes as we trudged along together.

"He has the horse, then?"

"He tried to bluster out of it, but I described to him so exactly what his actions had been upon that morning that he is convinced that I was watching him. Of course you observed the peculiarly square toes in the impressions, and that his own boots exactly corresponded to them. Again, of course no subordinate would have dared to do such a thing. I described to him how, when according to his custom he was the first down, he perceived a strange horse wandering over the moor. How he went out to it, and his astonishment at recognizing, from the white forehead which has given the favorite its name, that chance had put in his power the only horse which could beat the one upon which he had put his money. Then I described how his first impulse had been to lead him back to King's Pyland, and how the devil had shown him how he could hide the horse until the race was over, and how he had led it back and concealed it at Mapleton. When I told him every detail he gave it up and thought only of saving his own skin."

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Adventure I. Silver Blaze (7) (с подсказками)

We crossed the marshy ['mRSi] (болотистое) bottom and passed over a quarter of a mile of dry, hard turf [tE:f] (дерн). Again the ground sloped [slqupt] (пошла холмистая местность : to slope - иметь наклон), and again we came on the tracks. Then we lost them for half a mile, but only to pick them up once more quite close to Mapleton. It was Holmes who saw them first, and he stood pointing with a look of triumph ['traIqmf] upon his face. A man's track was visible ['vIzIb(q)l] (видим) beside the horse's.

"The horse was alone before," I cried.

"Quite so. It was alone before. Hullo, what is this?"

The double track turned sharp [SRp] (резко) off and took the direction of King's Pyland. Homes whistled [wIsld] (присвистнул), and we both followed along after it. His eyes were on the trail [treIl] (след), but I happened to look a little to one side, and saw to my surprise the same tracks coming back again in the opposite ['PpqzIt] (противоположное) direction.

"One for you, Watson," said Holmes, when I pointed it out. "You have saved us a long walk, which would have brought us back on our own traces ['treIsIz] (следы). Let us follow the return track."

We had not to go far. It ended at the paving ['peIvIN] (мостовая) of asphalt ['xsfxlt] which led up to the gates of the Mapleton stables ['steIb(q)lz] (конюшни). As we approached, a groom [grHm] (конюх) ran out from them.

"We don't want any loiterers ['lOItqrqz] (зеваки) about here," said he.

"I only wished to ask a question," said Holmes, with his finger and thumb [TAm] (большой палец) in his waistcoat ['weIskqut] (жилет) pocket. "Should I be too early to see your master, Mr. Silas Brown, if I were to call at five o'clock [q'klPk] (часов) tomorrow morning?"

"Bless [bles] you (зд. еще бы, а как же), sir, if any one is about he will be, for he is always the first stirring ['stE:rIN] (он всегда первый встает). But here he is, sir, to answer your questions for himself. No, sir, no; it is as much as my place is worth to let him see me touch your money. Afterwards, if you like."

As Sherlock Holmes replaced the half-crown [hRf-kraun] (пол-кроны) which he had drawn [drLn] (вынул : draw - вынимать) from his pocket, a fierce-looking ['fIqs-'lukIN] (свирепого вида) elderly man strode [strqud] (вышел : stride - шагать (большими шагами)) out from the gate with a hunting-crop ['hAntINkrPp] (охотничий хлыст) swinging ['swININ] (досл. качающийся) in his hand.

"What's this, Dawson!" he cried. "No gossiping ['gPsIpIN] (болтовня)! Go about your business! And you, what the devil ['dev(q)l] (дьявол) do you want here?"

"Ten minutes' ['mInIts] (минутный) talk with you, my good sir," said Holmes in the sweetest ['swJtIst] (приятнейший) of voices.

"I've no time to talk to every gadabout ['gxdqbaut] (праздношатающийся). We want no stranger ['streInGq(r)] (незнакомец) here. Be off (уходите), or you may find a dog at your heels [hJlz] (пятки)."

Holmes leaned forward and whispered ['wIspqd] (шепнул) something in the trainer's ['treInqz] ear. He started violently ['vaIqlqntlI] (вздрогнул сильно) and flushed ['flASt] (покраснел) to the temples ['temp(q)lz] (виски).

"It's a lie!" he shouted, "an infernal [In'fE:nl] (адская) lie!"

"Very good. Shall we argue about it here in public or talk it over in your parlor ['pRlq] (кабинет)?"

"Oh, come in if you wish to."

Holmes smiled. "I shall not keep you more than a few minutes, Watson," said he. "Now, Mr. Brown, I am quite at your disposal [dIs'pquzql] (распоряжение)."

It was twenty ['twentI] (двадцать) minutes, and the reds [redz] (багряные цвета) had all faded ['feIdId] (had ~ - зд. превратились, досл. поблекли) into grays [greIz] (серые цвета) before Holmes and the trainer ['treInq] reappeared ["rJq'pIqd] (вновь появились). Never have I seen such a change as had been brought about in Silas Brown in that short time. His face was ashy ['xSi] (пепельно) pale [peIl] (бледное), beads [bJdz] (капли) of perspiration ["pE:spq'reIS(q)n] (пот) shone [Squn] (появились : show - появляться) upon his brow [brau] (бровь), and his hands shook until the hunting-crop ['hAntINkrPp] (охотничий хлыст) wagged [wxgd] (качался) like a branch in the wind. His bullying ['bulIIN] (заносчивые), overbearing ["quvq'beqrIN] (властные) manner was all gone too, and he cringed [krInGd] (шел, съежившись) along at my companion's side like a dog with its master.

"Your instructions will be done. It shall all be done," said he.

"There must be no mistake," said Holmes, looking round at him. The other winced [wInst] (вздрогнул) as he read the menace ['menqs] (угроза) in his eyes.

"Oh no, there shall be no mistake. It shall be there. Should I change it first or not?"

Holmes thought a little and then burst [bE:st] out laughing (рассмеялся) . "No, don't," said he; "I shall write to you about it. No tricks [trIks] (фокусы), now, or --"

"Oh, you can trust me, you can trust me!"

"Yes, I think I can. Well, you shall hear from me tomorrow." He turned upon his heel [hJl] (пятка), disregarding ["dIsrI'gRdIN] (не обращая внимания на) the trembling ['tremb(q)lIN] (дрожащая) hand which the other held out to him, and we set off for King's Pyland.

"A more perfect compound ['kPmpaund] (смесь) of the bully ['bulI] (задира), coward ['kauqd] (трус), and sneak [sni:k] (воришка) than Master Silas Brown I have seldom met with," remarked [rI'mRkt] (заметил) Holmes as we trudged [trAGd] along (тащились) together.

"He has the horse, then?"

"He tried to bluster ['blAstq] out of it (отпираться), but I described to him so exactly what his actions had been upon that morning that he is convinced [kqn'vInst] (убежден) that I was watching him. Of course you observed the peculiarly [pI'kjHliqli] (странно) square [skweq] (квадратные) toes [tquz] (пальцы ног) in the impressions (отпечатки), and that his own boots [bHts] (ботинки) exactly corresponded ["kPrIs'pPndId] (соответствовали) to them. Again, of course no subordinate [sqb'LdInqt] (подчиненный) would have dared [deqd] (осмелился бы) to do such a thing. I described to him how, when according to his custom ['kAstqm] (обычай) he was the first down, he perceived [pq'sJvd] (заметил) a strange horse wandering ['wPndqrIN] (блуждающая) over the moor [muq] (торфяник). How he went out to it, and his astonishment [qs'tPnISmqnt] (удивление) at recognizing, from the white forehead ['fLrId] (лоб) which has given the favorite ['feIvqrIt] its name, that chance (случай) had put in his power the only horse which could beat the one upon which he had put his money. Then I described how his first impulse ['ImpAls] had been to lead him back to King's Pyland, and how the devil ['dev(q)l] (дьявол) had shown [Squn] (показал : show - показывать) him how he could hide the horse until the race was over, and how he had led it back and concealed [kqn'sJld] (спрятал) it at Mapleton. When I told him every detail he gave it up and thought only of saving his own skin."

To be continued...

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