Питер Пен / Peter Pan

They lived like moles under the ground, for fear of the Pirates and the wolves. Each one had a special staircase hollowed in a tree-trunk, so that they could easily run down among the roots of the trees into their home.

Next come the pirates. They sing a dreadful song. Here, a little in advance[48 - a little in advance – немного впереди], comes handsome Cecco[49 - handsome Cecco – красавчик Чекко]. Here is Bill Jukes[50 - Bill Jukes – Билл Джукс], every inch of him tattooed; and Cookson[51 - Cookson – Куксон], and Black Murphy[52 - Black Murphy – Черный Мерфи], and Gentleman Starkey[53 - Gentleman Starkey – Старки-Джентльмен], who was a school teacher; and Skylights[54 - Skylights – Верзила]; and Noodler[55 - Noodler – Лапша], and many other scoundrels.

In the midst of them, the blackest and largest, was James Hook[56 - James Hook – Джеймс Крюк], or as he wrote himself, Jas. Hook. You could not imagine a more dreadful-looking villain than that man was. He had two most evil-looking black eyes, his face was marked with his wicked thoughts, his hair was long and black, and it hung around his face in greasy curls.

He was singing a horrible song about himself. Instead of a right hand he had the iron hook. That man was the most wicked pirate who ever lived. Even his own crew dreaded him and obeyed him as dogs. And he was the biggest enemy of Peter Pan.

The Indians disappear moving like shadows, and soon the beasts take their place, a great and motley procession: lions, tigers, bears, all the man-eaters, they are hungry tonight.

“Where is Peter?” said the boys nervously.

“I am the only one who is not afraid of the pirates,” Slightly said, “but I want to see him and learn more about Cinderella.”

The Lost Boys darted like rabbits to their cave.

Captain Hook most of all wanted to find Peter Pan, for it was Peter who, a long time before, in an encounter between the Pirates and the Lost Boys, had cut off his right arm and flung it to a passing crocodile.

The crocodile liked the taste of it so much that ever since he began to wander from land to land and from sea to sea and to look for the rest of the Captain.

The Captain had naturally some reason to hate Peter, because he had a dreadful time. The crocodile followed him on and on and on wherever he went.

Fortunately for Hook, the crocodile once swallowed an alarum clock. It ticked so loudly that the Captain could always hear it, and it was the signal for him.