Hispaniolahad begun her voyage to the Isle of Treasure.
2. I am not going to relate that voyage in detail. It was fairly prosperous. The ship proved to be a good ship, the crew were capable seamen, and the captain thoroughly understood his business. But before we came the length of Treasure Island, two or three things had happened which require to be known.
Mr. Arrow, first of all, turned out even worse than the captain had feared (мистер Эрроу, прежде всего, оказался даже хуже, чем капитан опасался = думал о нем). He had no command among the men (он не имел руководства среди матросов = не пользовался авторитетом), and people did what they pleased with him (и люди делали при нем, что хотели; to please — нравиться, хотеть, изволить). But that was by no means the worst of it (но это было далеко не самым худшим); for after a day or two at sea he began to appear on deck with hazy eye (так как через день-два в море = после того, как мы отчалили, он стал появляться на палубе с мутным взглядом), red cheeks, stuttering tongue (красными щеками, заплетающимся языком), and other marks of drunkenness (и другими признаками опьянения; drunken — пьяный). Time after time he was ordered below in disgrace (раз за разом его гнали вниз = в каюту с позором; time after time — не раз, постоянно; disgrace — позор, бесчестье). Sometimes he fell and cut himself (иногда он падал и расшибался; to cut — резать); sometimes he lay all day long in his little bunk at one side of the companion (иногда он лежал весь день напролет в своей маленькой койке в углу: «на одной стороне» каюты); sometimes for a day or two he would be almost sober and attend to his work at least passably (порой день или два он был почти трезвым и выполнял свои обязанности по крайней мере сносно; to attend — уделять внимание, заботиться о; выполнять).
pleased [`plJzd] hazy [`heIzI] tongue [tAN] drunkenness [`drANkqnnIs] passably [`pRsqblI]
Mr. Arrow, first of all, turned out even worse than the captain had feared. He had no command among the men, and people did what they pleased with him. But that was by no means the worst of it; for after a day or two at sea he began to appear on deck with hazy eye, red cheeks, stuttering tongue, and other marks of drunkenness. Time after time he was ordered below in disgrace. Sometimes he fell and cut himself; sometimes he lay all day long in his little bunk at one side of the companion; sometimes for a day or two he would be almost sober and attend to his work at least passably.
1. In the meantime (тем временем), we could never make out where he got the drink (мы никогда = никак не могли понять, где он берет выпивку). That was the ship's mystery (это была тайна корабля = весь корабль ломал над этим голову). Watch him as we pleased (как ни следили мы за ним), we could do nothing to solve it (но ничего не узнали: «могли сделать ничего, чтобы решить эту /проблему/»); and when we asked him to his face (когда спрашивали его напрямик: «в лицо»), he would only laugh, if he were drunk (он лишь смеялся, если был пьян), and if he were sober, deny solemnly that he ever tasted anything but water (а если был трезвым, то отрицал торжественно = божился, что никогда не пил ничего, кроме воды;