Harrigan — Page 6
They closed on the white man with a yell; a passing group of their compatriots joined the affray; the whole mass surged in around the tall fellow.
Sie stürzten sich mit einem Schrei auf den weißen Mann; eine vorbeiziehende Gruppe ihrer Landsleute schloss sich dem Handgemenge an; die ganze Menge drängte sich um den großen Kerl.
Harrigan's head went back and his eyes half closed like a critic listening to an exquisite symphony.
Harrigans Kopf legte sich zurück und seine Augen schlossen sich halb wie bei einem Kritiker, der einer erlesenen Sinfonie lauscht.
The policemen struck the outer edge of the circle with drawn clubs, but there they stopped.
Die Polizisten schlugen mit gezückten Knüppeln auf den äußeren Rand des Kreises ein, doch dort kamen sie zum Stehen.
They could not dent that compacted mass.
Sie konnten die dicht gedrängte Masse nicht durchbrechen.
The soldiers struggled manfully, but they were held at bay.
Die Soldaten kämpften mannhaft, doch wurden sie in Schach gehalten.
Harrigan could see the heaving shoulders of the defender over the heads of the assailants, and the crack of hard-driven fists.
Harrigan konnte über die Köpfe der Angreifer hinweg die sich hebenden und senkenden Schultern des Verteidigers sehen und das Knallen der wuchtig geführten Fäuste hören.
The attackers were crushed together and had little room to swing their arms with full force, while the big man stood with his back against the wall of the cottage and made every smashing punch count.
Die Angreifer waren zusammengedrängt und hatten kaum Raum, ihre Arme mit voller Kraft auszuholen, während der große Mann mit dem Rücken gegen die Wand des Häuschens stand und jeden vernichtenden Schlag zur Geltung brachte.
As if by common assent, the soldiers suddenly desisted and gave back from this deadly fighter.
Als hätten sie es stillschweigend vereinbart, ließen die Soldaten plötzlich ab und wichen vor diesem tödlichen Kämpfer zurück.
His bellow of triumph rang over the clamor.
Sein triumphierendes Brüllen übertönte den Lärm.
His hat was off; his long black hair stood straight up in the wind; and he leaped after them with flailing arms.
Sein Hut war weg; sein langes schwarzes Haar stand im Wind steil aufrecht; und er sprang ihnen mit wild um sich schlagenden Armen hinterher.
But now the police had managed to pry their way into the mass by dint of indiscriminate battering.
Doch nun hatte es die Polizei durch wahlloses Dreinschlagen geschafft, sich ihren Weg in die Menge zu bahnen.
As the black-haired man came face to face with the sergeant, the light gleamed on a high-swung club that thudded home; and the big man dropped out of sight.
Als der schwarzhaarige Mann dem Sergeant gegenüberstand, blitzte das Licht auf einem hochgeschwungenen Knüppel auf, der dumpf sein Ziel traf; und der große Mann verschwand aus dem Blickfeld.
Vocabulary
- Sie
- They or you (formal), a German pronoun
- stürzten
- They rushed or plunged suddenly toward something
- sich
- Reflexive pronoun meaning themselves or oneself
- mit
- Preposition meaning with or along with
- einem
- Indefinite article, dative masculine or neuter: a/an
- Schrei
- A loud cry or scream of alarm
- auf
- Preposition meaning on, onto, or upon
- den
- Definite article, accusative masculine: the
- weißen
- Adjective meaning white, here describing a man
- Mann
- A male adult human being; man
- eine
- Indefinite article, nominative feminine: a/an
- vorbeiziehende
- Passing by; moving past a location at the moment
- Gruppe
- A group or cluster of people together
- ihrer
- Possessive pronoun meaning their or of them
- Landsleute
- Compatriots; people from the same country
- schloss
- Joined or closed; past tense of schließen
- dem
- Definite article, dative masculine or neuter: the
- Handgemenge
- A hand-to-hand brawl or physical scuffle
- an
- Preposition meaning at, to, or joined to
- die
- Definite article or relative pronoun meaning the
- ganze
- Adjective meaning whole or entire
- Menge
- A crowd or large number of people
- drängte
- Pressed or pushed forward in a crowd
- um
- Preposition meaning around or about
- großen
- Adjective meaning large or tall, inflected form
- Kerl
- A fellow or guy, often big or rough
- Kopf
- The head, uppermost part of the human body
- legte
- Laid or placed; past tense of legen
- zurück
- Back or backward, indicating direction or return
- und
- Coordinating conjunction meaning and
- seine
- Possessive pronoun meaning his
- Augen
- Eyes, the organs used for seeing
- schlossen
- Closed; past tense plural of schließen
- halb
- Half or halfway, indicating partial degree
- wie
- As or like, used in comparisons
- bei
- Preposition meaning at, with, or near
- Kritiker
- A critic who evaluates art or performance
- der
- Definite article or relative pronoun: the or who
- einer
- Indefinite article, dative feminine or genitive: a
- erlesenen
- Exquisite or select; of especially high quality
- Sinfonie
- A symphony; large orchestral musical composition
- lauscht
- Listens attentively, often with quiet concentration
- Die
- Definite article nominative feminine or plural: the
- Polizisten
- Police officers; law enforcement personnel
- schlugen
- Struck or hit; past tense plural of schlagen
- gezückten
- Drawn or brandished, as a weapon ready to use
- Knüppeln
- Clubs or batons used as blunt weapons
- äußeren
- Outer or external, referring to an outside edge
- Rand
- Edge, rim, or border of something
- des
- Definite article, genitive masculine or neuter: of the
- Kreises
- Of the circle; genitive of Kreis
- ein
- Indefinite article meaning a or an
- doch
- But, yet, or however; indicates contrast
- dort
- There, indicating a specific place or location
- kamen
- Came; past tense plural of kommen
- sie
- They or she; third-person pronoun
- zum
- Contraction of zu dem: to the
- Stehen
- Standing; the act of being upright and still
- konnten
- Could; past tense plural of können
- dicht
- Dense, thick, or tightly packed together
- gedrängte
- Pressed together; densely crowded mass of people
- Masse
- A mass or dense crowd of people
- nicht
- Not; negation particle in German sentences
- durchbrechen
- To break through or penetrate an obstacle
- Soldaten
- Soldiers; military personnel fighting in combat
- kämpften
- Fought; past tense plural of kämpfen
- mannhaft
- Manfully or bravely; with courage and determination
- wurden
- Were; past tense passive auxiliary of werden
- in
- Preposition meaning in or into
- Schach
- Check; held at bay or kept under control
- gehalten
- Held; past participle of halten
- konnte
- Could; past tense singular of können
- über
- Over or above; preposition indicating position
- Köpfe
- Heads; plural of Kopf
- Angreifer
- Attackers or assailants who initiate aggression
- hinweg
- Over or past; indicating movement across something
- hebenden
- Rising or lifting; present participle of heben inflected
- senkenden
- Lowering or falling; inflected participle of senken
- Schultern
- Shoulders; the joints connecting arms to the torso
- Verteidigers
- Of the defender; genitive of Verteidiger
- sehen
- To see or watch; infinitive of perception verb
- das
- Definite article or demonstrative: the or that
- Knallen
- Cracking or snapping sound of heavy impacts
- wuchtig
- Powerful or heavy; describing forceful blows
- geführten
- Delivered or led; inflected past participle of führen
- Fäuste
- Fists; clenched hands used for striking
- hören
- To hear; perceive sounds with the ears
- waren
- Were; past tense plural of sein (to be)
- zusammengedrängt
- Pressed together; crowded into a tight space
- hatten
- Had; past tense plural of haben
- kaum
- Barely or scarcely; almost not at all
- Raum
- Space or room; area available for movement
- ihre
- Their or her; possessive pronoun, feminine or plural
- Arme
- Arms; upper limbs of the human body
- voller
- Full of; indicating something filled with quality
- Kraft
- Strength or force; physical or mental power
- auszuholen
- To wind up or swing back before striking
- während
- While or during; indicating simultaneous actions
- große
- Big, large, or tall; adjective describing size
- Rücken
- Back; the posterior side of the human torso
- gegen
- Against; preposition indicating opposition or contact
- Wand
- Wall; a vertical surface of a building
- Häuschens
- Of the small house; genitive of Häuschen
- stand
- Stood; past tense singular of stehen
- jeden
- Every or each; accusative masculine of jeder
- vernichtenden
- Devastating or annihilating; describing powerful blows
- Schlag
- A blow, strike, or punch delivered forcefully
- zur
- Contraction of zu der: to the
- Geltung
- Effect or impact; bringing something to bear
- brachte
- Brought; past tense singular of bringen
- Als
- As or when; subordinating conjunction for past events
- hätten
- Would have; subjunctive past of haben
- es
- It; neuter third-person singular pronoun
- stillschweigend
- Tacitly or silently; without words being spoken
- vereinbart
- Agreed upon; past participle of vereinbaren
- ließen
- Let or left; past tense plural of lassen
- plötzlich
- Suddenly; happening without warning or expectation
- ab
- Off or away; separable prefix indicating cessation
- wichen
- Retreated or gave way; past tense of weichen
- vor
- Before or in front of; spatial or temporal preposition
- diesem
- This; dative masculine demonstrative pronoun
- tödlichen
- Deadly or lethal; causing or capable of death
- Kämpfer
- Fighter or combatant; one who fights vigorously
- Sein
- His; possessive pronoun, or to be (infinitive)
- triumphierendes
- Triumphant; expressing victory or exultation
- Brüllen
- Roaring or bellowing; a loud powerful shout
- übertönte
- Drowned out; was louder than surrounding noise
- Lärm
- Noise or din; loud disruptive background sound
- Hut
- Hat; a head covering worn outdoors
- war
- Was; past tense singular of sein (to be)
- weg
- Gone or away; indicating something is absent
- sein
- His (possessive) or to be (infinitive)
- langes
- Long; adjective describing extended length, neuter form
- schwarzes
- Black; color adjective in strong neuter form
- Haar
- Hair; the strands growing from the scalp
- im
- Contraction of in dem: in the
- Wind
- Wind; moving air currents outdoors
- steil
- Steeply or upright; rising sharply in direction
- aufrecht
- Upright or erect; standing straight and tall
- er
- He; third-person singular masculine pronoun
- sprang
- Sprang or leaped; past tense of springen
- ihnen
- Them; dative plural third-person pronoun
- wild
- Wildly or fiercely; in an uncontrolled manner
- schlagenden
- Striking or hitting; inflected participle of schlagen
- hinterher
- After or behind; chasing someone who has fled
- Doch
- But or however; introduces a contrasting statement
- nun
- Now; indicating the current moment in time
- hatte
- Had; past tense singular of haben
- Polizei
- Police; the law enforcement institution or force
- durch
- Through; preposition indicating passage across something
- wahlloses
- Indiscriminate or random; without specific targeting
- Dreinschlagen
- Striking indiscriminately into a crowd with force
- geschafft
- Managed or accomplished; past participle of schaffen
- ihren
- Their or her; accusative possessive pronoun form
- Weg
- Way or path; a route from one place to another
- zu
- To or toward; preposition or infinitive marker
- bahnen
- To clear or forge a path through obstacles
- schwarzhaarige
- Black-haired; having dark black hair
- Sergeant
- A sergeant; a mid-level military or police rank
- gegenüberstand
- Stood facing or opposite; confronted face to face
- blitzte
- Flashed or gleamed; past tense of blitzen
- Licht
- Light; visible illumination or a beam of light
- hochgeschwungenen
- Swung high or raised up; inflected participle form
- Knüppel
- Club or baton; a heavy stick used as weapon
- dumpf
- Dull or thudding; a muffled heavy impact sound
- Ziel
- Target or goal; the intended point of impact
- traf
- Hit or struck; past tense singular of treffen
- verschwand
- Disappeared or vanished; past tense of verschwinden
- aus
- Out of or from; preposition indicating departure
- Blickfeld
- Field of vision; the area visible to the eyes
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