Английский язык с Э. Р. Берроузом. Принцесса Марса

Dejah Thoris related many interesting facts and legends concerning this lost race of noble and kindly people. She said that the city in which we were camping was supposed to have been a center of commerce and culture known as Korad. It had been built upon a beautiful, natural harbor, landlocked by magnificent hills. The little valley on the west front of the city, she explained, was all that remained of the harbor, while the pass through the hills to the old sea bottom had been the channel through which the shipping passed up to the city's gates.

The shores of the ancient seas were dotted with just such cities (берега древнего моря были усеяны как раз такими городами), and lesser ones, in diminishing numbers (а меньшие /по размерам/ и в меньшем количестве), were to be found converging toward the center of the oceans (можно было найти сходящимися к центру океанов; to converge — сходиться в одной точке), as the people had found it necessary to follow the receding waters (так как людям стало необходимо следовать за отступающей водой; to find it necessary — считать необходимым; to recede — отступать, пятиться) until necessity had forced upon them their ultimate salvation, the so-called Martian canals (пока нужда не заставила их /прибегнуть/ к последнему /средству/ спасения, к так называемым Марсианским каналам).

We had been so engrossed in exploration of the building and in our conversation (мы были так поглощены исследованием здания и нашим разговором; to engross — завладевать вниманием, поглощать) that it was late in the afternoon before we realized it (что наступил вечер, прежде чем мы осознали это). We were brought back to a realization of our present conditions (нас вернул к осознанию нашей нынешней ситуации) by a messenger bearing a summons from Lorquas Ptomel (посланник, /который/ принес распоряжение Лоркваса Птомеля; summons — вызов; требование быть где-либо) directing me to appear before him forthwith (предписывающее мне явиться к нему немедленно; forthwith — тотчас, немедленно). Bidding Dejah Thoris and Sola farewell, and commanding Woola to remain on guard (простившись с Дежа Торис и Солой и приказав Вуле оставаться на страже), I hastened to the audience chamber (я поспешил в зал для аудиенций), where I found Lorquas Ptomel and Tars Tarkas seated upon the rostrum (где я нашел Лоркваса Птомеля и Тарса Таркаса, сидящими на возвышении).

diminishing [dI'mInISIN],converging [kqn'vWdZIN], conversation ["kOnvq'seISn], forthwith ['fO: TwID]

The shores of the ancient seas were dotted with just such cities, and lesser ones, in diminishing numbers, were to be found converging toward the center of the oceans, as the people had found it necessary to follow the receding waters until necessity had forced upon them their ultimate salvation, the so-called Martian canals.

We had been so engrossed in exploration of the building and in our conversation that it was late in the afternoon before we realized it. We were brought back to a realization of our present conditions by a messenger bearing a summons from Lorquas Ptomel directing me to appear before him forthwith. Bidding Dejah Thoris and Sola farewell, and commanding Woola to remain on guard, I hastened to the audience chamber, where I found Lorquas Ptomel and Tars Tarkas seated upon the rostrum.

CHAPTER XII

A PRISONER WITH POWER (пленник, /облеченный/ властью)