It was as large as a pig, and its eight thick hariy legs drove its ogreish body over the floor at headlong pace; its four evilly gleaming eyes shone with a horrible intelligence, and its fangs dripped venom that Conan knew, from the burning of his shoulder where only a few drops had splashed as the thing struck and missed, was laden with swift death. This was the killer that had dropped from its perch in the middle of the ceiling on a strand of web, on the neck of the Nemedian. Fools that they were, not to have suspected that the upper chambers would be guarded as well as the lower!
These thoughts flashed briefly through Conan's mind as the monster rushed (эти мысли сжато и быстро промелькнули в уме Конана, пока чудовище мчалось). He leaped high, and it passed beneath him (он высоко подпрыгнул, и оно прошло под ним), wheeled, and charged back (резко развернулось и снова атаковало). This time he evaded its rush with a sidewise leap and struck back like a cat (на этот раз он увернулся от его броска прыжком в сторону и нанес ответный удар, как кошка;
swerve [sw:v], fiendish ['fi:nd], pursuit [p'sju:t]
These thoughts flashed briefly through Conan's mind as the monster rushed. He leaped high, and it passed beneath him, wheeled, and charged back. This time he evaded its rush with a sidewise leap and struck back like a cat. His sword severed one of the hairy legs, and again he barely saved himself as the monstrosity swerved at him, fangs clicking fiendishly. But the creature did not press the pursuit; turning, it scuttled across the crystal floor and ran up the wall to the ceiling, where it crouched for an instant, glaring down at him with its fiendish red eyes. Then without warning it launched itself through space, trailing a strand of slimy grayish stuff.
Conan stepped back to avoid the hurtling body (Конан отступил, чтобы увернуться от несущегося тела) — then ducked frantically (потом яростно пригнулся), just in time to escape being snared by the flying web-rope (как раз вовремя, чтобы избежать ловушки из летящего каната паутины;
prisoner ['przn], loose [lu:s], fiend [fi:nd]