Острів Скарбів / Treasure Island

“ If you don’t, I’ll do this», and with that he gave me a twitch that I thought would have made me faint. Between this and that, I was so utterly terrified of the blind beggar that I forgot my terror of the captain, and as I opened the parlour door, cried out the words he had ordered in a trembling voice.

The poor captain raised his eyes, and at one look the rum went out of him and left him staring sober. The expression of his face was not so much of terror as of mortal sickness. He made a movement to rise, but I do not believe he had enough force left in his body.

«Now, Bill, sit where you are», said the beggar. «If I can’t see, I can hear a finger stirring. Business is business. Hold out your left hand. Boy, take his left hand by the wrist and bring it near to my right».

We both obeyed him to the letter, and I saw him pass something from the hollow of the hand that held his stick into the palm of the captain’s, which closed upon it instantly.

«And now that’s done», said the blind man. Аnd at the words he suddenly left hold of me, and with incredible accuracy and nimbleness, skipped out of the parlour and into the road, where, as I still stood motionless, I could hear his stick go tap-tap-tapping into the distance.

It was some time before either I or the captain seemed to gather our senses, but at length, and about at the same moment, I released his wrist, which I was still holding, and he drew in his hand and looked sharply into the palm.

«Ten o’clock!» he cried. «Six hours.

Even as he did so, he reeled, put his hand to his throat, stood swaying for a moment, and then, with a peculiar sound, fell from his whole height face foremost to the floor.

I ran to him at once, calling to my mother. But haste was all in vain. The captain had been struck dead by thundering apoplexy. It is a curious thing to understand, for I had certainly never liked the man, though of late I had begun to pity him, but as soon as I saw that he was dead, I burst into a flood of tears.

3

Чорна мiтка

Опiвднi я принiс капiтановi холодного питва та лiки. Вiн лежав нерухомо в тiй самiй позi, як ми його залишили, тiльки трохи пiдвiвшись; здавалося, вiн був слабий i водночас дуже збуджений.

– Джiме, – сказав вiн, – тiльки ти тут чогось вартий. Ти знаеш, що я завжди добре ставився до тебе.