Читать «Английский язык с Р. Брэдбери. И грянул гром» онлайн - страница 22

Billings and Kramer sat on the pathway and threw up. Travis and Lesperance stood with smoking rifles, cursing steadily. In the Time Machine, on his face, Eckels lay shivering. He had found his way back to the Path, climbed into the Machine.

Travis came walking, glanced at Eckels, took cotton gauze from a metal box, and returned to the others, who were sitting on the Path.

"Clean up."

They wiped the blood from their helmets. They began to curse too. The Monster lay, a hill of solid flesh. Within, you could hear the sighs and murmurs as the furthest chambers of it died, the organs malfunctioning, liquids running a final instant from pocket to sac to spleen, everything shutting off, closing up forever. It was like standing by a wrecked locomotive or a steam shovel at quitting time, all valves being released or levered tight. Bones cracked; the tonnage of its own flesh, off balance, dead weight, snapped the delicate forearms, caught underneath. The meat settled, quivering.

Another cracking sound (еще один треск). Overhead (над головой), a gigantic tree branch broke from its heavy mooring, fell (гигантская ветка дерева, сломанная у основания, упала: mooring — место, где ветка прикреплена к дереву). It crashed upon the dead beast (она обрушилась на мертвое чудовище) with finality (как финальный аккорд: finality — окончательность).

"There." Lesperance checked his watch (посмотрел на часы). "Right on time (абсолютно вовремя: right — зд. как раз, полностью). That's the giant tree that was scheduled to fall and kill this animal originally (это гигантское дерево, которое изначально должно было упасть и убить это животное: schedule — список, план; to schedule — вносить в список, планировать; scheduled — запланированный)." He glanced at the two hunters (он взглянул на двоих охотников). "You want the trophy picture (хотите трофейную фотографию: trophy — трофей, добыча; picture — картина, фотография)?"

"What (что)?"

"We can't take a trophy back to the Future (мы не можем взять добычу назад в Будущее). The body has to stay right here (тело должно остаться прямо здесь) where it would have died originally (где животное умерло бы изначально), so the insects, birds, and bacteria can get at it (так, чтобы насекомые, птицы и бактерии могли добраться до него), as they were intended to (для чего они и были предназначены: to intend — намереваться, предназначать). Everything in balance (все /должно быть/ в равновесии). The body stays (тело остается). But we can take a picture of you standing near it (но мы можем сфотографировать вас, стоящих рядом с ним)."