Под стягом победным

His experience under Pellew in the blockading squadron years ago was serving him in good stead now, for he knew the ways of those fishing boats.	К счастью, он многое узнал об этих лодках, служа под началом у Пелью в блокадной эскадре.
They were accustomed to ply their trade among the islands of the Breton coast, catching the pilchards which the French persisted in calling 'sardines', and bringing their catch up the estuary to sell in the market at Nantes.	Они промышляли сардин у бретонских островов и везли в Нант продавать.
He and Bush and Brown between them could handle one of those boats with ease, and they were seaworthy enough to take them safely out to the blockading squadron, or to England if necessary.	Втроем он, Браун и Буш легко смогут управлять такой лодкой, при этом маленькие суденышки достаточно мореходны, чтоб добраться до блокадной эскадры, а, если понадобится, то и до Англии.
He was practically certain that he would decide upon such a plan, so that as they rowed by he sharply ordered Brown to pull more slowly, and he turned all his attention upon them.	Хорнблауэр был почти уверен, что остановится на этом плане, поэтому велел Брауну грести помедленней, сам же внимательно разглядывал лодки.
Below the fishing boats two American ships were lying against the quay, the Stars and Stripes fluttering jauntily in the gentle wind.	За рыбачьими суденышками у пристани стояли два американских корабля под звездно-полосатыми флагами.
His attention was caught by a dreary clanking of chains - the ships were being emptied of their cargoes by gangs of prisoners, each man staggering bent double under a bag of grain.	Внимание Хорнблауэра привлекло унылое звяканье цепей - на разгрузке работали арестанты, каждый, согнувшись вдвое, нес на спине мешок с зерном.
That was interesting. Hornblower looked again.	Хорнблауэр заинтересовался и взглянул пристальнее.
The chain gangs were under the charge of soldiers -Hornblower could see the shakos and the flash of the musket barrels - which gave him an insight into who the poor devils might be.	Арестантов охраняли солдаты - он видел кивера и ружейные дула.
They were military criminals, deserters, men caught sleeping at their posts, men who had disobeyed an order, all the unfortunates of the armies Bonaparte maintained in every corner of Europe.	Он догадался, кто эти бедняги в цепях -дезертиры, солдаты, уснувшие на посту, все мелкие нарушители уставов из всех армий Бонапарта.
Their sentences condemned them to 'the galleys' and as the French Navy no longer used galleys in which they could be forced to tug at the oars, they were now employed in all the hard labour of the ports; twice as lieutenant in Pellew's Indefatigable Hornblower had seen picked up small parties of desperate men who had escaped from Nantes in much the same fashion as he himself proposed now to do.	Их приговорили "к галерам", но поскольку галер во французском флоте не осталось, то использовали на любых тяжелых работах в порту. Когда Хорнблауэр был лейтенантом у Пелью, "Неустанный" раза два подбирал каторжников, бежавших из Нанта примерно так же, как намеревался бежать он.
And then against the quay below the American ships they saw something else, something which caused them to stiffen in their seats. The tricolour here was hoisted above a tattered blue ensign, flaunting a petty triumph.	А дальше у пирса, за американскими судами, они увидели нечто такое, от чего как сидели, так и замерли - трехцветный французский флаг кичливо плескал над выцветшим британским.
"Witch of Endor, ten-gun cutter," said Bush hoarsely.	- "Аэндорская волшебница", десятипушечный тендер, - выговорил Буш хрипло.