Питер Пен / Peter Pan

On this evening the Lost Boys were looking for Peter, the pirates were looking for the Lost Boys, the Indians were looking for the pirates, and the beasts were looking for the Indians. They were going round and round the island, but they did not meet because all were going at the same speed.

The boys wanted to see their Captain, they were six. The first one is Tootles[42], not the least brave but the most unfortunate of all. Poor kind Tootles, there is danger in the air for you tonight. The fairy Tink wants to play a joke with you. Beware Tinker Bell!

Next comes debonair Nibs[43], followed by Slightly[44], who cuts whistles out of the trees[45] and dances. Slightly thinks he remembers the days before he was lost.

Curly[46] is fourth; he is a pickle. Last come the Twins[47], who cannot be described. They are so much alike! Peter never knew what twins were, and his band were not allowed to know anything he did not know.

They lived like moles under the ground, for fear of the Pirates and the wolves. Each one had a special staircase hollowed in a tree-trunk, so that they could easily run down among the roots of the trees into their home.

Next come the pirates. They sing a dreadful song. Here, a little in advance[48], comes handsome Cecco[49]. Here is Bill Jukes[50], every inch of him tattooed; and Cookson[51], and Black Murphy[52], and Gentleman Starkey[53], who was a school teacher; and Skylights[54]; and Noodler[55], and many other scoundrels.

In the midst of them, the blackest and largest, was James Hook[56], or as he wrote himself, Jas. Hook. You could not imagine a more dreadful-looking villain than that man was. He had two most evil-looking black eyes, his face was marked with his wicked thoughts, his hair was long and black, and it hung around his face in greasy curls. He was singing a horrible song about himself. Instead of a right hand he had the iron hook. That man was the most wicked pirate who ever lived. Even his own crew dreaded him and obeyed him as dogs. And he was the biggest enemy of Peter Pan.

The Indians disappear moving like shadows, and soon the beasts take their place, a great and motley procession: lions, tigers, bears, all the man-eaters, they are hungry tonight.

“Where is Peter?” said the boys nervously.

“I am the only one who is not afraid of the pirates,” Slightly said, “but I want to see him and learn more about Cinderella.”

The Lost Boys darted like rabbits to their cave.

Captain Hook most of all wanted to find Peter Pan, for it was Peter who, a long time before, in an encounter between the Pirates and the Lost Boys, had cut off his right arm and flung it to a passing crocodile. The crocodile liked the taste of it so much that ever since he began to wander from land to land and from sea to sea and to look for the rest of the Captain.

The Captain had naturally some reason to hate Peter, because he had a dreadful time. The crocodile followed him on and on and on wherever he went.

Fortunately for Hook, the crocodile once swallowed an alarum clock. It ticked so loudly that the Captain could always hear it, and it was the signal for him.

Hook sat down on one of the big forest mushrooms (in the Neverland mushrooms grow to a gigantic size) to rest a little. He felt his seat getting not only warm, but much too warm.

The pirates examined the mushroom; they tried to pull it up, and it came away at once in their hands, for it had no root. The pirates looked at each other. “A chimney!” they exclaimed.

So Captain Hook realised that he was really sitting on a chimney of the underground home which Peter cleverly disguised. The pirates discovered the chimney of the home under the ground. The boys stopped it with a mushroom when enemies were in the neighbourhood. He also understood at once that the Lost Boys were living in safety down below.

Very soon he made a wicked, treacherous plan. He cooked a huge cake, with beautiful green sugar and poisoned it inside. “We will leave the cake on the shore of the Mermaids’ Lagoon[57]. These boys are always swimming there, playing with the mermaids. They will find the cake and they will eat it, because they don’t know how dangerous it is to eat cakes. Aha, they will die!”

Smee[58] listened with growing admiration.

Tick tick tick tick!

“The crocodile!” Hook cried, and ran away, followed by his band. It was indeed the crocodile. It had passed the Indians. It was looking for Hook. The Pirates disappeared in the depths of the forest when the Indians crept silently up in pursuit of them.

Once more the boys emerged. Nibs said, “I saw a wonderfuller thing, a great white bird. It is flying this way.”

“What kind of a bird, do you think?”

“I don’t know,” Nibs said, “but it looked so tired, and it cried ‘Poor Wendy.’”

“Poor Wendy?”

“See, it comes!” cried Curly, pointing to Wendy in the heavens.

Wendy was now almost overhead, and they could hear her cry. But more distinct came the shrill voice of Tinker Bell. The jealous fairy cried, “Peter wants you to shoot the Wendy.”

Tinker was rather a bad little fairy sometimes.

“Let us do what Peter wishes!” cried the boys. “Quick, bows and arrows!”

All but Tootles popped down their trees. He had a bow and arrow with him, and Tink noted it, and rubbed her little hands.

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

Примечания

1

Peter breaks through – Питер врывается

2

There never was a happier family – Не было семьи счастливей

3

she knew of no Peter – она не знала никакого Питера

4

island of Neverland – остров Небывалый

5

she doubted whether there was any such person – она сомневалась в существовании такого человека

6

She managed to do that – Ей удавалось это делать

7

clad in skeleton leaves – одетый в высохшие листья

8

as if – как будто

9

shooting star – падающая звезда

10

game of being Father and Mother – игра в папу и маму

11

to make me well – чтобы я выздоровел

12

Ever so much nastier – Гораздо противнее

13

Hold your tongue. – Попридержи язык.

14

That is not the point. – Дело не в этом.

15

cowardly custard – жалкий трус

16

as soon as – как только

17

I’m glad of you. – Я так тебе рад.

18

Milky Way – Млечный Путь

19

Now, Peter! – Питер, давай!

20

Come away, come away! – Улетим, улетим!

21

Tinker Bell – Динь-динь

22

The window was blown open – Окно распахнулось

23

Wendy Moira Angela Darling – Венди Мойра Анджела Дарлинг

24

Second turning to the right, and straight on till morning. – Второй поворот направо, а потом прямо до самого утра.

25

I can’t get my shadow to stick on. – Я никак не могу прилепить свою тень.

26

You conceit! – Ах ты воображала!

27

falls down dead – падает замертво

28

chest of drawers – комод

29

to look the other way – смотреть в другую сторону

30

If they are not claimed – Если никто не потребует их обратно

31

Cinderella – Золушка

32

want to hear the rest – хотят услышать, что было дальше

33

Let me go! – Отпусти меня!

34

How sweet! – Как мило!

35

let us go at once – летим немедленно

36

Mysterious River – Река Чудес

37

make-believe – выдумка

38

They don’t want us to land. – Они не хотят, чтобы мы приземлились.

39

got Long Tom out – выкатили Длинного Тома

40

The island come true – Остров наяву

41

bite their thumbs at each other – показывают друг другу кукиш

42

Tootles – Шалун

43

Nibs – Задавака

44

Slightly – Малыш

45

cuts whistles out of the trees – вырезает из дерева свистульки

46

Curly – Кудряшка

47

Twins – Близнецы

48

a little in advance – немного впереди

49

handsome Cecco – красавчик Чекко

50

Bill Jukes – Билл Джукс

51

Cookson – Куксон

52

Black Murphy – Черный Мерфи

53

Gentleman Starkey – Старки-Джентльмен

54

Skylights – Верзила

55

Noodler – Лапша

56

James Hook – Джеймс Крюк

57

Mermaids’ Lagoon – Залив Русалок

58

Smee – Неряха