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| They then had embarked on the | Они уплатили за проезд на |
| "Waldeck," paying their passage like ordinary passengers. On the 5th of December they left Melbourne, and seventeen days after, during a very black night, the "Waldeck" had been struck by a large steamer. | "Вальдеке" как обыкновенные пассажиры и 5 января отплыли из Мельбурна. Спустя семнадцать суток, темной ночью, "Вальдек" столкнулся с каким-то большим кораблем. |
| The blacks were in bed. | Негры спали. |
| A few seconds after the collision, which was terrible, they rushed on the deck. | Их разбудил страшный толчок. Через несколько секунд они выбежали на палубу. |
| Already the ship's masts had fallen, and the | Мачты уже рухнули за борт, и |
| "Waldeck" was lying on the side; but she would not sink, the water not having invaded the hold sufficiently to cause it. | "Вальдек" лежал на боку; но он не пошел ко дну, так как в трюм попало сравнительно немного воды. |
| As to the captain and crew of the | Капитан и команда |
| "Waldeck," all had disappeared, whether some had been precipitated into the sea, whether others were caught on the rigging of the colliding ship, which, after the collision, had fled to return no more. | "Вальдека" исчезли: вероятно, одних сбросило в море, другие уцепились за снасти налетевшего корабля, который после столкновения с "Вальдеком" поспешил скрыться. |
| The five blacks were left alone on board, on a half-capsized hull, twelve hundred miles from any land. | Пятеро негров остались на потерпевшем крушение судне, в тысяче двухстах милях от ближайшей земли. |
| Then oldest of the negroes was named Tom. | Старшего из негров звали Томом. |
| His age, as well as his energetic character, and his experience, often put to the proof during a long life of labor, made him the natural head of the companions who were engaged with him. | Спутники признавали его своим руководителем. Этим Том был обязан не только возрасту, но и своей энергии и большому опыту, накопленному за долгую трудовую жизнь. |
| The other blacks were young men from twenty-five to thirty years old, whose names were Bat (abbreviation of Bartholomew), son of old Tom, Austin, Acteon, and Hercules, all four well made and vigorous, and who would bring a high price in the markets of Central Africa. | Остальные негры были молодые люди в возрасте от двадцати пяти до тридцати лет. Звали их: Бат, Остин, Актеон и Геркулес. Бат был сыном старика Тома. Все четверо были рослыми и широкоплечими молодцами - на невольничьих рынках Центральной Африки за них дали бы высокую цену. |
| Even though they had suffered terribly, one could easily recognize in them magnificent specimens of that strong race, on which a liberal education, drawn from the numerous schools of North America, had already impressed its seal. |