They could hear Painted Jaguar roaring up and down among the trees and the bushes by the side of the turbid Amazon, till his Mummy came.

‘Son, son!’ said his mother ever so many times, graciously waving her tail, ‘what have you been doing that you shouldn’t have done?’

‘I tried to scoop something (я попытался выскрести кого-то) that said it wanted to be scooped out of its shell with my paw (который говорил, что он хочет, чтобы я выскреб его из его панциря моей лапой), and my paw is full of per-ickles (и в моей лапе полно колю-ю-ючек),’ said Painted Jaguar (сказал Пестрый Ягуар).

‘Son, son (сынок, сынок)!’ said his mother ever so many times (сказала его мать очень много раз), graciously waving her tail (грациозно помахивая своим хвостом), ‘by the prickles in your paddy-paw I see (по колючкам в твоей лапе-лапочке я вижу) that that must have been a Hedgehog (что это наверняка был Еж). You should have dropped him into the water (тебе следовало бросить его в воду).’

son [sAn], said [sed], water ['wLtq]

‘I tried to scoop something that said it wanted to be scooped out of its shell with my paw, and my paw is full of per-ickles,’ said Painted Jaguar.

‘Son, son!’ said his mother ever so many times, graciously waving her tail, ‘by the prickles in your paddy-paw I see that that must have been a Hedgehog. You should have dropped him into the water.’

‘I did that to the other thing (я сделал это другому существу); and he said he was a Tortoise (а оно сказало, что оно Черепаха), and I didn’t believe him (и я не поверил ему), and it was quite true (а это оказалось совершеннейшей правдой), and he has dived under the turbid Amazon (и оно нырнуло под /воду/ в мутную Амазонку), and he won’t come up again (и оно больше не всплывало), and I haven’t anything at all to eat (и мне совсем нечего есть), and I think (и мне кажется) we had better find lodgings somewhere else (что нам лучше подыскать жилье где-нибудь в другом месте). They are too clever on the turbid Amazon for poor me (они на мутной Амазонке слишком /мутные[84] и/ хитрые для меня бедняжки)!’

lodging ['lOGIN], clever ['klevq], poor [puq]

‘I did that to the other thing; and he said he was a Tortoise, and I didn’t believe him, and it was quite true, and he has dived under the turbid Amazon, and he won’t come up again, and I haven’t anything at all to eat, and I think we had better find lodgings somewhere else. They are too clever on the turbid Amazon for poor me!’

‘Son, son (сынок, сынок)!’ said his mother ever so many times (сказала его мать очень много раз), graciously waving her tail (грациозно помахивая своим хвостом), ‘now attend to me and remember what I say (теперь выслушай меня внимательно и запомни, что я скажу). A Hedgehog curls himself up into a ball (Еж сворачивается в клубок) and his prickles stick out every which way at once (и его колючки тотчас торчат = начинают торчать во все стороны). By this you may know the Hedgehog (по этому ты можешь узнать Ежа).’

‘I don’t like this old lady one little bit (ни чуточки мне не нравится эта старая дама),’ said Stickly-Prickly (сказал Колючки-Торчком), under the shadow of a large leaf (в тени большого листа). ‘I wonder what else she knows (интересно, что еще она знает)?’

‘A Tortoise can’t curl himself up (Черепаха не умеет сворачиваться),’ Mother Jaguar went on (продолжала Мать Ягуариха), ever so many times (очень много раз), graciously waving her tail (грациозно помахивая своим хвостом). ‘He only draws his head and legs into his shell (она только втягивает свою голову и лапы в свой панцирь). By this you may know the Tortoise (по этому /признаку/ ты можешь узнать Черепаху).’

graciously ['greISqslI], every ['evrI], once [wAns]

‘Son, son!’ said his mother ever so many times, graciously waving her tail, ‘now attend to me and remember what I say. A Hedgehog curls himself up into a ball and his prickles stick out every which way at once. By this you may know the Hedgehog.’

‘I don’t like this old lady one little bit,’ said Stickly-Prickly, under the shadow of a large leaf. ‘I wonder what else she knows?’

‘A Tortoise can’t curl himself up,’ Mother Jaguar went on, ever so many times, graciously waving her tail. ‘He only draws his head and legs into his shell. By this you may know the Tortoise.’

‘I don’t like this old lady at all — at all (эта старая дама мне совсем-совсем не нравится),’ said Slow-and-Solid Tortoise (сказала Медленная-и-Твердая Черепаха). ‘Even Painted Jaguar can’t forget those directions (даже Пестрый Ягуар не забудет этих инструкций). It’s a great pity that you can’t swim, Stickly-Prickly (очень жаль, что ты не умеешь плавать, Колючки-Торчком).’

‘Don’t talk to me (не разговаривай со мной),’ said Stickly-Prickly (сказал Колючки-Торчком). ‘Just think how much better it would be if you could curl up (просто подумай насколько гораздо лучше было бы, если бы ты умела сворачиваться). This is a mess (вот это неприятность)! Listen to Painted Jaguar (послушай Пестрого Ягуара).’

Painted Jaguar was sitting on the banks of the turbid Amazon (Пестрый Ягуар сидел на берегах мутной Амазонки) sucking prickles out of his paw (высасывал колючки из своей лапы) and saying to himself (и говорил себе) —

forget [fq'get], pity ['pItI], direction [dI'rekS(q)n]

‘I don’t like this old lady at all — at all,’ said Slow-and-Solid Tortoise. ‘Even Painted Jaguar can’t forget those directions. It’s a great pity that you can’t swim, Stickly-Prickly.’

‘Don’t talk to me,’ said Stickly-Prickly. ‘Just think how much better it would be if you could curl up. This is a mess! Listen to Painted Jaguar.’