Английский язык с Э. Р. Берроузом. Принцесса Марса

The fire from the vessels was most ineffectual, owing, as I afterward learned, to the unexpected suddenness of the first volley, which caught the ships' crews entirely unprepared and the sighting apparatus of the guns unprotected from the deadly aim of our warriors.

It seems that each green warrior has certain objective points for his fire under relatively identical circumstances of warfare. For example, a proportion of them, always the best marksmen, direct their fire entirely upon the wireless finding and sighting apparatus of the big guns of an attacking naval force; another detail attends to the smaller guns in the same way; others pick off the gunners; still others the officers; while certain other quotas concentrate their attention upon the other members of the crew, upon the upper works, and upon the steering gear and propellers.

Twenty minutes after the first volley (через двадцать минут после первого залпа) the great fleet swung trailing off in the direction from which it had first appeared (огромный флот развернулся, двигаясь в беспорядке в том направлении, откуда он впервые появился; to trail — идти по следу; двигаться в беспорядке). Several of the craft were limping perceptibly (несколько кораблей давали заметный крен; to limp — хромать; двигаться с трудом; perceptible — ощутимый, заметный), and seemed but barely under the control of their depleted crews (и, казалось, ими едва управляют их поредевшие команды; depleted — истощенный; уменьшившийся состав; to deplete — уменьшать/количество, размер/;истощать/организм/). Their fire had ceased entirely (их огонь совершенно прекратился) and all their energies seemed focused upon escape (и вся их энергия, казалось, сосредоточилась на бегстве). Our warriors then rushed up to the roofs of the buildings which we occupied (наши воины затем ринулись на крыши зданий, которые мы занимали) and followed the retreating armada with a continuous fusillade of deadly fire (и стали преследовать отступающую армаду непрерывными залпами смертельного огня; fusillade — ружейный огонь; расстрел).

perceptibly [pq'septqblI], depleted [dI'pli: tId], fusillade ["fju: zI'leId]

Twenty minutes after the first volley the great fleet swung trailing off in the direction from which it had first appeared. Several of the craft were limping perceptibly, and seemed but barely under the control of their depleted crews. Their fire had ceased entirely and all their energies seemed focused upon escape. Our warriors then rushed up to the roofs of the buildings which we occupied and followed the retreating armada with a continuous fusillade of deadly fire.