Тень над Иннсмутом/The shadow over Innsmouth (Говард Лавкрафт). Страница 12 из 41

Понятно

Понятно

Для того чтобы воспользоваться закладками, необходимо

Войти или зарегистрироваться

Отмена

Для того чтобы воспользоваться озвучкой предложений, необходимо

Войти или зарегистрироваться

Отмена

Озвучка предложений доступна при наличии PRO-доступа

Купить PRO-доступ

Отмена

Предыдущая страница

Reentering

the

Square

I

saw

that

luck

was

with

me

;

for

--

shuffling

out

of

Paine

Street

around

the

corner

of

the

Gilman

House

--

I

glimpsed

nothing

less

than

the

tall

,

lean

,

tattered

form

of

old

Zadok

Allen

himself

.

In

accordance

with

my

plan

,

I

attracted

his

attention

by

brandishing

my

newly-purchased

bottle

:

and

soon

realised

that

he

had

begun

to

shuffle

wistfully

after

me

as

I

turned

into

Waite

Street

on

my

way

to

the

most

deserted

region

I

could

think

of

.

I

was

steering

my

course

by

the

map

the

grocery

boy

had

prepared

,

and

was

aiming

for

the

wholly

abandoned

stretch

of

southern

waterfront

which

I

had

previously

visited

.

The

only

people

in

sight

there

had

been

the

fishermen

on

the

distant

breakwater

;

and

by

going

a

few

squares

south

I

could

get

beyond

the

range

of

these

,

finding

a

pair

of

seats

on

some

abandoned

wharf

and

being

free

to

question

old

Zadok

unobserved

for

an

indefinite

time

.

Before

I

reached

Main

Street

I

could

hear

a

faint

and

wheezy

"

Hey

,

Mister

!

"

behind

me

and

I

presently

allowed

the

old

man

to

catch

up

and

take

copious

pulls

from

the

quart

bottle

.

Отключить рекламу

I

began

putting

out

feelers

as

we

walked

amidst

the

omnipresent

desolation

and

crazily

tilted

ruins

,

but

found

that

the

aged

tongue

did

not

loosen

as

quickly

as

I

had

expected

.

At

length

I

saw

a

grass-grown

opening

toward

the

sea

between

crumbling

brick

walls

,

with

the

weedy

length

of

an

earth-and-masonry

wharf

projecting

beyond

.

Piles

of

moss-covered

stones

near

the

water

promised

tolerable

seats

,

and

the

scene

was

sheltered

from

all

possible

view

by

a

ruined

warehouse

on

the

north

.

Here

,

I

thought

was

the

ideal

place

for

a

long

secret

colloquy

;

so

I

guided

my

companion

down

the

lane

and

picked

out

spots

to

sit

in

among

the

mossy

stones

.

The

air

of

death

and

desertion

was

ghoulish

,

and

the

smell

of

fish

almost

insufferable

;

but

I

was

resolved

to

let

nothing

deter

me

.

About

four

hours

remained

for

conversation

if

I

were

to

catch

the

eight

o'clock

coach

for

Arkham

,

and

I

began

to

dole

out

more

liquor

to

the

ancient

tippler

;

meanwhile

eating

my

own

frugal

lunch

.

In

my

donations

I

was

careful

not

to

overshoot

the

mark

,

for

I

did

not

wish

Zadok

's

vinous

garrulousness

to

pass

into

a

stupor

.

After

an

hour

his

furtive

taciturnity

shewed

signs

of

disappearing

,

but

much

to

my

disappointment

he

still

sidetracked

my

questions

about

Innsmouth

and

its

shadow-haunted

past

.

He

would

babble

of

current

topics

,

revealing

a

wide

acquaintance

with

newspapers

and

a

great

tendency

to

philosophise

in

a

sententious

village

fashion

.

Toward

the

end

of

the

second

hour

I

feared

my

quart

of

whiskey

would

not

be

enough

to

produce

results

,

and

was

wondering

whether

I

had

better

leave

old

Zadok

and

go

back

for

more

.

Just

then

,

however

,

chance

made

the

opening

which

my

questions

had

been

unable

to

make

;

and

the

wheezing

ancient

's

rambling

took

a

turn

that

caused

me

to

lean

forward

and

listen

alertly

.

My

back

was

toward

the

fishy-smelling

sea

,

but

he

was

facing

it

and

something

or

other

had

caused

his

wandering

gaze

to

light

on

the

low

,

distant

line

of

Devil

Reef

,

then

showing

plainly

and

almost

fascinatingly

above

the

waves

.

The

sight

seemed

to

displease

him

,

for

he

began

a

series

of

weak

curses

which

ended

in

a

confidential

whisper

and

a

knowing

leer

.

He

bent

toward

me

,

took

hold

of

my

coat

lapel

,

and

hissed

out

some

hints

that

could

not

be

mistaken

,

Отключить рекламу

"

Thar

's

whar

it

all

begun

--

that

cursed

place

of

all

wickedness

whar

the

deep

water

starts

.

Gate

o

'

hell

--

sheer

drop

daown

to

a

bottom

no

saoundin

'

-

line

kin

tech

.

Ol'

Cap'n

Obed

done

it

--

him

that

faound

aout

more

'n

was

good

fer

him

in

the

Saouth

Sea

islands

.

"

Everybody

was

in

a

bad

way

them

days

.

Trade

fallin

'

off

,

mills

losin

'

business

--

even

the

new

ones

--

an

'

the

best

of

our

menfolks

kilt

aprivateerin

'

in

the

War

of

1812

or

lost

with

the

Elizy

brig

an

'

the

Ranger

scow

--

both

on

'em

Gilman

venters

.

Obed

Marsh

he

had

three

ships

afloat

--

brigantine

Columby

,

brig

Hefty

,

an

'

barque

Sumatry

Queen

.

He

was

the

only

one

as

kep

'

on

with

the

East

--

Injy

an

'

Pacific

trade

,

though

Esdras

Martin

's

barkentine

Malay

Bride

made

a

venter

as

late

as

twenty-eight

.

Предыдущая страница

Предыдущая

Следующая

Следующая страница

Следующая страница