Сердца трех / Hearts of three. Уровень 3

Regan shook his head.

“What do you say?” he asked.

“Of course it’s good,” was Francis’ response. “If it drops, I’ll buy.”

“Don’t you worry about that, my boy. Just go fishing and forget it.” Regan paused, picked up Alvarez Torres’ card. “Look, who’s just been here – Senor Alvarez Torres.”

Regan retained the card a moment.

“Look, your father always was always proud of that old family pirate.”

“I know about his treasure. And what?”

Francis looked up questioningly.

“Senor Torres,” Regan explained, “gave me the map. Here is the treasure. It is buried. Of course, I don’t believe him. But… You know, Sir Henry died practically a poor man, and they never found his treasure. Oh, I’m too old for that!”

“I’d like to meet this Alvarez Torres,” the young man responded. “Do you know where I can find him?”

The next morning the meeting took place in Regan’s office. They were examining modern maps and ancient charts, and old documents. Finally, Francis announced his next fishing: on the Bull Island[12 - Bull Island – Остров Быка], where – as Torres averred – the treasure lay.

“I’ll catch the train for New Orleans,” Francis said. “And then I’ll go to Colon[13 - Colon – Колон]!”

“But don’t charter a schooner[14 - charter a schooner – фрахтовать шхуну] at Colon,” Torres advised. “It’s better in Belen[15 - Belen – Белен].”

“I always wanted to see the country!” Francis said. “And you, Senor Torres?”

“I’ll join you later, Mr. Morgan.” Alvarez Torres said. “I have some little business here.”

“And, before you go,” Regan noticed, “it’s reasonable to arrange with Senor Torres some division of the treasure… if you ever find it.”

“What’s that?” Francis asked.

“Equal division, fifty-fifty,” Regan answered.

“Fine!” Francis cried. “Good-bye, Regan. Good-bye, Senor Torres, until we meet somewhere around Bocas del Toro, or in on the Bull!”

And Senor Alvarez Torres remained with Regan some time longer. He was receiving instructions.

“You see,” Regan said, “I don’t care if he never comes back. Try to keep him down there as long as you can.”

Chapter II

So Francis Morgan found himself[16 - found himself – оказался] on board his schooner, the Angelique[17 - the Angelique – «Анжелика» (название шхуны)]. The water was glassy. Francis, through his glass, saw a white hacienda, and a woman on the beach.

“Who lives here?” he asked

“The Enrico Solano[18 - Enrico Solano – Энрико Солано] family, sir,” was the answer. “And they are prideful and fiery as cayenne pepper[19 - fiery as cayenne pepper – вспыльчивы, как порох].”

Francis took a boat to the shore. When the skiff grounded, he stepped out. Then he looked around. The beach to the jungle was bare.

Suddenly, the woman sprang out of the green wall of jungle and with both hands seized his arm. She muttered tensely:

“Quick! Follow me!”

She shook him.

He smiled and obeyed. Abruptly she stopped and sat down, her hand directed him to sit beside her. “Thank God!”

“My dear lady…” Francis began.

But he heard the movement of men several yards away. She slipped away down the runway. Francis followed her, through the jungle to the beach. She stopped.

“You fool!” she cried, and lifted her finger to his moustache. “That won’t disguise you!”

“But my dear lady…” he began to protest.

“I won’t talk with you,” she answered. “Go back to your schooner, and go away… Forever. If you ever come back I’ll shoot you.”

She showed him a revolver.

“So I’d better go, then,” he uttered, as he turned to the skiff. She followed him. The strange young woman was crying. Suddenly she stopped him.

“At least you can…” she began, then faltered and swallowed, “kiss me good-bye[20 - kiss me good-bye – поцеловать меня на прощание].”

She advanced impulsively. Francis hesitated a moment, then she kissed his lips. She lifted her face and kissed him again and again.

Then she menacingly directed him with the revolver to get into the boat.

From the edge of the jungle he saw three men. They were armed with rifles. They ran toward the woman. They saw Francis, who was rowing. The next moment, one of the tree men on the beach, an elderly man with a beard, was directing the girl’s binoculars on him. And the moment after, he was taking aim with his rifle[21 - he was taking aim with his rifle – он целился из ружья].

The bullet spat on the water within a yard of the skiff’s side. The girl sprang to her feet, knocked up the rifle with her arm, and spoiled the second shot. She was threatening the men with the revolver.

“Cayenne pepper, those damned, horrible, crazy Solanos,” the captain said.

“Yes, you’re right,” Francis agreed.

After breakfast Francis landed to reconnoiter on the Bull[22 - to reconnoiter on the Bull – исследовать остров Быка]. He found that was not merely thirty degrees of latitude from New York but thirty hundred years, or centuries. Nearly naked, armed with machetes[23 - machetes – мачете, большой широкий нож], the Indians told him that the Bull belonged to them. But there lives a madly impossible Gringo[24 - Gringo – гринго (иностранец, слово используется для обозначения жителей Америки и Европы)].

Francis decided to meet the mysterious Gringo. He came down to the beach. On the shore, he saw a barefooted young man in the canvas trousers. That Gringo was standing behind a palm. The man had an automatic pistol in hand, and shouted:

“Get out!”

“I beg you pardon?” Francis grinned.

“Nobody invited you,” the stranger retorted. “You’re intruding. Get off my island. I’ll give you half a minute.”

Francis went behind the trunk. Suddenly a bullet thudded into the other side of it. Francis centered a bullet into the trunk of the other man’s palm. The next few minutes they were shooting each other.