(и его /разума/ хитрость), favored the slow and cautious meeting with the thing that menaced (предпочитали медленную и осторожную встречу с угрожавшим объектом) and which he could not see (и который он не мог видеть). And while he debated (и пока он размышлял), a loud (громкий), crashing noise burst on his ear (грохочущий/хлопнувший шум донесся до его ушей; to burst – лопаться; разрываться; взрываться). At the same instant he received a stunning blow on the left side of the back (в тот же момент он получил страшный удар в левую сторону спины; stunning – оглушающий, ошеломляющий; to stun – оглушать ударом), and from the point of impact felt a rush of flame through his flesh (и от этой точки удара почувствовал поток огня /хлынувший/ через все тело; to rush – бросаться, мчаться, нестись, устремляться). He sprang up in the air (он подскочил: «подпрыгнул в воздух»), but halfway to his feet collapsed (но, не успев встать на ноги: «на полпути на ноги», рухнул; halfway – наполовину). His body crumpled in like a leaf withered in sudden heat (его тело съежилось, как листок, увядший от внезапного жара), and he came down (и он упал), his chest across his pan of gold (грудью на свой лоток с золотом), his face in the dirt and rock (лицом в землю и камни), his legs tangled and twisted because of the restricted space at the bottom of the hole (с запутавшимися и переплетенными ногами из-за ограниченного пространства на дне ямы; to restrict – ограничивать /в пределах чего-либо/). His legs twitched convulsively several times (его ноги судорожно дернулись несколько раз). His body was shaken as with a mighty ague (его тело встряхнуло, как в сильной лихорадке; mighty – мощный). There was a slow expansion of the lungs (медленное расширение легких), accompanied by a deep sigh (сопровождалось глубоким вздохом). Then the air was slowly (затем воздух медленно), very slowly (очень медленно), exhaled (вышел; to exhale – выдыхать), and his body as slowly flattened itself down into inertness (и его тело так же медленно распласталось /на земле/ в неподвижность = пока не стало недвижным/не затихло).
Still he squatted on his heels, rubbing dirt from gold and debating in just what manner he should rise up. He might rise up with a rush and claw his way out of the hole to meet whatever threatened on the even footing above ground. Or he might rise up slowly and carelessly, and feign casually to discover the thing that breathed at his back. His instinct and every fighting fibre of his body favored the mad, clawing rush to the surface. His intellect, and the craft thereof, favored the slow and cautious meeting with the thing that menaced and which he could not see. And while he debated, a loud, crashing noise burst on his ear. At the same instant he received a stunning blow on the left side of the back, and from the point of impact felt a rush of flame through his flesh. He sprang up in the air, but halfway to his feet collapsed. His body crumpled in like a leaf withered in sudden heat, and he came down, his chest across his pan of gold, his face in the dirt and rock, his legs tangled and twisted because of the restricted space at the bottom of the hole. His legs twitched convulsively several times. His body was shaken as with a mighty ague. There was a slow expansion of the lungs, accompanied by a deep sigh. Then the air was slowly, very slowly, exhaled, and his body as slowly flattened itself down into inertness.
Above (наверху), revolver in hand (с револьвером в руке), a man was peering down over the edge of the hole (человек пристально смотрел вниз через край ямы; to peer – вглядываться; заглянуть). He peered for a long time at the prone and motionless body beneath him (он смотрел долгое время на распростертое и недвижное тело; prone – лежащий ничком, распростертый). After a while the stranger sat down on the edge of the hole so that he could see into it (через некоторое время незнакомец/чужак присел на краю ямы так, что он мог заглянуть туда), and rested the revolver on his knee (и положил револьвер на колени; to rest – класть, прислонять). Reaching his hand into a pocket (сунув руке в карман), he drew out a wisp of brown paper (он вынул клочок коричневой бумаги). Into this he dropped a few crumbs of tobacco (в нее он насыпал немного табака; crumb – крошка, кусочек /чего-либо печеного, чаще всего хлеба/). The combination became a cigarette (комбинация стала сигаретой), brown and squat (коричневой, толстой и короткой; squat – короткий и толстый), with the ends turned in (с заправленными /внутрь/ концами; to turn in – поворачивать вовнутрь; свертываться, складываться вовнутрь). Not once did he take his eyes from the body at the bottom of the hole (ни разу не оторвал он взгляд от тела на дне ямы). He lighted the cigarette (он зажег сигарету) and drew its smoke into his lungs with a caressing intake of the breath (и втянул дым в легкие наслаждающимся вдохом; to caress – ласкать; to draw – тащить, волочить; тянуть; вбирать, вдыхать, втягивать). He smoked slowly (он курил медленно). Once the cigarette went out and he relighted
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