Английский язык с Э. Р. Берроузом. Принцесса Марса / Edgar Rice Burroughs: A Princess of Mars

They were now almost upon him; their flying mounts charging down on the relatively puny figure at terrific speed, while the warriors leaned low to the right, with their great metal-shod spears. Each seemed striving to be the first to impale the poor Zodangan and in another moment his fate would have been sealed had it not been for my timely arrival.

Driving my fleet air craft at high speed directly behind the warriors (направляя свой быстрый летательный аппарат на высокой скорости к воинам точно сзади; fleet — быстрый) I soon overtook them (я вскоре догнал их; to overtake — догнать, наверстать, нагнать; обогнать) and without diminishing my speed (и, не снижая скорости) I rammed the prow of my little flier between the shoulders of the nearest (я протаранил носом моего маленького летуна спину «между плечами» ближайшего /воина/; to ram — таранить, вколачивать; ram — баран; таран; prow — нос /корабля/). The impact sufficient to have torn through inches of solid steel (удар, достаточно сильный, чтобы пробить несколько дюймов сплошной стали; impact — удар, толчок; sufficient — достаточный), hurled the fellow's headless body into the air over the head of his thoat (перебросил обезглавленное тело этого парня в воздух через голову его тота), where it fell sprawling upon the moss (где оно упало, вытянувшись, на мох). The mounts of the other two warriors turned squealing in terror (верховые животные двух других воинов повернули, визжа от ужаса), and bolted in opposite directions (и рванули в противоположных направлениях).

Reducing my speed I circled (уменьшив скорость и описав круг) and came to the ground at the feet of the astonished Zodangan (я опустился на землю к ногам изумленного зодангианца). He was warm in his thanks (он горячо благодарил меня; warm — теплый; сердечный; warm thanks — горячая благодарность) for my timely aid (за мою своевременную помощь) and promised that my day's work (и пообещал, что мой поступок в этот день; work — труд; поступок) would bring the reward it merited (принесет мне такую награду, которую он заслуживает; to merit — заслуживать, быть достойным), for it was none other than a cousin of the jeddak of Zodanga (так как это был ни кто иной, как двоюродный брат джеддака Зоданги) whose life I had saved (чью жизнь я спас).

sprawl [sprO: l], squeal [skwi: l], reduce [rI'dju: s]

Driving my fleet air craft at high speed directly behind the warriors I soon overtook them and without diminishing my speed I rammed the prow of my little flier between the shoulders of the nearest. The impact sufficient to have torn through inches of solid steel, hurled the fellow's headless body into the air over the head of his thoat, where it fell sprawling upon the moss. The mounts of the other two warriors turned squealing in terror, and bolted in opposite directions.

Reducing my speed I circled and came to the ground at the feet of the astonished Zodangan. He was warm in his thanks for my timely aid and promised that my day's work would bring the reward it merited, for it was none other than a cousin of the jeddak of Zodanga whose life I had saved.