Flashes of grotesque generosity alternated with longer stretches of inconceivable ferocity, and the skipper who fell into their hands might find himself dismissed with his cargo, after serving as boon companion in some hideous debauch, or might sit at his cabin table with his own nose and his lips served up with pepper and salt in front of him. It took a stout seaman in those days to ply his calling in the Caribbean Gulf.

      Such a man was Captain John Scarrow, of the ship Morning Star (таким человеком и был капитан корабля «Утренняя звезда» Джон Скарроу), and yet he breathed a long sigh of relief (но однако же и он издал долгий вздох облегчения; to breathe – дышать; вдыхать, выдыхать) when he heard the splash of the falling anchor (когда услышал всплеск падающего якоря; to hear) and swung at his moorings within a hundred yards of the guns of the citadel of Basseterre (и его /корабль/ закачался на рейде в сотне ярдов от пушек крепости Бас-Тер; to swing; moorings – место стоянки, причал). St. Kitt’s was his final port of call (Сент-Китт был последней точкой /в его маршруте/; port of call – порт назначения), and early next morning his bowsprit would be pointed for Old England (и рано утром следующего /дня/ бушприт его /судна/ будет нацелен на старую /добрую/ Англию). He had had enough of those robber-haunted seas (с него достаточно этих кишащих разбойниками морей; to haunt – часто посещать). Ever since he had left Maracaibo upon the Main (с тех пор, как он покинул /порт/ Маракайбо на материке;[1] to leave), with his full lading of sugar and red pepper (нагруженный под завязку сахаром и красным перцем; full – полный, заполненный; lading – загрузка), he had winced at every topsail (он вздрагивал при /виде/ каждого паруса; to wince – вздрагивать, морщиться /от боли, неприятного чувства/; topsail – топсель /парус/) which glimmered over the violet edge of the tropical sea (показавшегося над лиловой кромкой тропического моря; to glimmer – мерцать). He had coasted up the Windward Islands (он курсировал вдоль /побережья/ Наветренных островов; to coast – плавать вдоль побережья), touching here and there (заходя в разные порты; to touch – прикасаться, трогать; заходить /в порт/; here and there – там и сям: «здесь и там», кое-где), and assailed continually by stories of villainy and outrage (и повсюду: «непрерывно» его преследовали рассказы о злодействах и насилии; to assail – нападать, штурмовать).

 Such a man was Captain John Scarrow, of the ship Morning Star, and yet he breathed a long sigh of relief when he heard the splash of the falling anchor and swung at his moorings within a hundred yards of the guns of the citadel of Basseterre. St. Kitt’s was his final port of call, and early next morning his bowsprit would be pointed for Old England. He had had enough of those robber-haunted seas. Ever since he had left Maracaibo upon the Main, with his full lading of sugar and red pepper, he had winced at every topsail which glimmered over the violet edge of the tropical sea. He had coasted up the Windward Islands, touching here and there, and assailed continually by stories of villainy and outrage.

      Captain Sharkey, of the 20-gun pirate barque, Happy Delivery (капитан двадцатипушечного пиратского барка «Счастливое избавление»; delivery – освобождение, избавление), had passed down the coast (прошел вдоль побережья), and had littered it with gutted vessels and with murdered

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