Won from the Waves — Page 6
They had retreated back a few paces to avoid the salt showers.
Si erano ritirati di qualche passo per evitare gli spruzzi di salsedine.
Adam still seemed somewhat unwilling to give up putting to sea, when the dull sound of a gun from the offing reached their ears.
Adam sembrava ancora alquanto riluttante a rinunciare a prendere il mare, quando il suono sordo di un cannone dal largo raggiunse le loro orecchie.
Another and another followed.
Un altro e poi un altro ancora seguirono.
"There is a ship on Norton Sands," observed one of the men.
«C'è una nave sui banchi di Norton,» osservò uno degli uomini.
"Those guns are too far off for that," answered Halliburt.
«Quei cannoni sono troppo lontani per questo,» rispose Halliburt.
Two others followed, and then came the thunder-sounding reports of several fired together.
Altri due seguirono, e poi vennero i boati simili a tuoni di diversi cannoni sparati insieme.
"I was sure those were not guns of distress.
«Ero certo che quelli non fossero cannoni di segnalazione di soccorso.
They come from ships in action, depend on that; and the news is true we heard yesterday, that the French and English are at it again," exclaimed Adam.
Vengono da navi in combattimento, statene certi; e la notizia che abbiamo sentito ieri è vera, che i Francesi e gli Inglesi ci sono di nuovo alle prese,» esclamò Adam.
"I thought we shouldn't long remain friends with the Mounsiers."
«Pensavo che non saremmo rimasti a lungo amici coi Monsieurs.»
"Good luck be with the English ships!" cried one of the fishermen.
«Buona fortuna alle navi inglesi!» gridò uno dei pescatori.
"Amen to that! but they must be careful what they are about, for with the wind dead on shore, if they knock away each other's spars, they are both more than likely to drift on Norton Sands, and if they do, the Lord have mercy on them," said Adam, solemnly.
«Amen a questo! ma devono stare attenti a quello che fanno, perché con il vento che spinge direttamente verso la riva, se si abbattono a vicenda gli alberi, è più che probabile che entrambe vadano alla deriva sui banchi di Norton, e se accade, il Signore abbia misericordia di loro,» disse Adam, solennemente.
"Whichever gets the victory, they will be in a bad way, as I fear, after all, it will be a dirty night.
«Chiunque ottenga la vittoria, si troverà in cattive acque, come temo, dopotutto sarà una brutta notte.
The wind has shifted three points to the eastward since I left home, and it's blowing twice as hard as it did ten minutes ago.
Il vento è girato di tre quarti verso est da quando sono uscito di casa, e soffia il doppio di quanto facesse dieci minuti fa.
We may as well run the _Nancy_ up to her moorings, lads."
Tanto vale riportare la Nancy agli ormeggi, ragazzi.»
Vocabulary
- erano
- Third person plural past tense of 'essere' (to be)
- ritirati
- Withdrawn or retreated from a place
- qualche
- Indefinite adjective meaning 'some' or 'a few'
- passo
- A step or pace taken while walking
- evitare
- To avoid or prevent something from happening
- spruzzi
- Sprays or splashes of liquid, especially water
- salsedine
- Saltiness or salty quality of sea air
- sembrava
- Third person singular imperfect of 'sembrare' (to seem)
- ancora
- Adverb meaning 'still' or 'yet'
- alquanto
- Adverb meaning 'rather' or 'somewhat'
- riluttante
- Reluctant or unwilling to do something
- rinunciare
- To give up or renounce something
- prendere
- To take or grab something
- mare
- The sea or ocean
- suono
- A sound or noise perceived by the ear
- sordo
- Deaf, or muffled and dull in sound
- cannone
- A cannon, large artillery weapon used in warfare
- largo
- The open sea, far from the shore
- raggiunse
- Reached or arrived at a destination or person
- orecchie
- Ears, the organs used for hearing
- poi
- Adverb meaning 'then' or 'afterwards'
- seguirono
- Third person plural past tense of 'seguire' (to follow)
- nave
- A ship or large vessel sailing on water
- banchi
- Sandbanks or shallow underwater ridges near shore
- osservò
- Observed or remarked, noting something aloud
- uomini
- Men, adult male human beings
- Quei
- Demonstrative adjective meaning 'those' (masculine plural)
- cannoni
- Cannons, plural of cannone
- troppo
- Adverb meaning 'too' or 'too much'
- lontani
- Far away, distant (masculine plural adjective)
- rispose
- Replied or answered, past tense of 'rispondere'
- vennero
- Third person plural past tense of 'venire' (to come)
- boati
- Loud rumbling booms or roaring sounds
- simili
- Similar or alike (plural adjective)
- tuoni
- Thunderclaps or loud rumbling sounds of thunder
- diversi
- Several or various; different from one another
- sparati
- Fired or shot (as in guns or cannons)
- insieme
- Together or at the same time
- Ero
- First person singular imperfect of 'essere' (I was)
- certo
- Certain or sure about something
- quelli
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'those' (masculine plural)
- fossero
- Third person plural imperfect subjunctive of 'essere'
- segnalazione
- A signal or signaling, especially for distress
- soccorso
- Aid or rescue given in an emergency
- Vengono
- Third person plural present of 'venire' (they come)
- navi
- Ships, plural of nave
- combattimento
- Combat or fighting between opposing forces
- statene
- Be sure of it; imperative of 'stare' with pronoun
- certi
- Certain or sure (masculine plural adjective)
- notizia
- A piece of news or information
- sentito
- Heard or felt; past participle of 'sentire'
- ieri
- Yesterday, the day before today
- vera
- True or real (feminine singular adjective)
- Francesi
- French people or things relating to France
- Inglesi
- English people or things relating to England
- nuovo
- New or again; adjective meaning 'new'
- prese
- Grips or engagements; alle prese means 'at grips with'
- esclamò
- Exclaimed, uttered something with strong emotion
- Pensavo
- I thought or was thinking (imperfect tense)
- saremmo
- First person plural conditional of 'essere' (we would be)
- rimasti
- Remained or stayed (past participle, masculine plural)
- lungo
- Long in duration or length
- amici
- Friends (masculine plural noun)
- Buona
- Good (feminine singular adjective)
- fortuna
- Luck or fortune, good or bad chance
- inglesi
- English people or the English language
- gridò
- Shouted or cried out (third person singular past)
- pescatori
- Fishermen, people who fish for a living
- devono
- Third person plural present of 'dovere' (they must)
- stare
- To stay or be; also used with gerunds
- attenti
- Careful or attentive (masculine plural adjective)
- perché
- Conjunction or adverb meaning 'because' or 'why'
- vento
- Wind, the movement of air outdoors
- spinge
- Pushes or drives (third person singular present)
- direttamente
- Directly, without deviation or intermediary
- verso
- Preposition meaning 'toward' or 'towards'
- riva
- Shore or bank of a body of water
- abbattono
- Strike or knock down each other (third plural present)
- vicenda
- Each other; l'un l'altro, alternately or mutually
- alberi
- Trees, or masts of a ship (plural noun)
- probabile
- Probable or likely to happen
- entrambe
- Both (feminine plural), referring to two things
- vadano
- Third person plural present subjunctive of 'andare'
- deriva
- Drift; andare alla deriva means to drift away
- accade
- Happens or occurs (third person singular present)
- Signore
- Lord or Sir; a title of respect or religious address
- abbia
- Third person singular present subjunctive of 'avere'
- misericordia
- Mercy or compassion, especially divine forgiveness
- disse
- Said (third person singular past tense of 'dire')
- solennemente
- Solemnly, in a serious and formal manner
- Chiunque
- Whoever or anyone who (indefinite pronoun)
- ottenga
- Obtains or achieves (present subjunctive of 'ottenere')
- vittoria
- Victory or triumph in a battle or contest
- troverà
- Will find (third person singular future of 'trovare')
- cattive
- Bad or wicked (feminine plural adjective)
- acque
- Waters (plural of acqua); refers to sea conditions
- temo
- I fear (first person singular present of 'temere')
- dopotutto
- After all, considering everything said or done
- sarà
- Will be (third person singular future of 'essere')
- brutta
- Ugly or nasty (feminine singular adjective)
- notte
- Night, the period of darkness after sunset
- girato
- Turned or rotated (past participle of 'girare')
- quarti
- Quarters or fourths; tre quarti means three quarters
- est
- East, the cardinal direction toward the sunrise
- uscito
- Gone out or exited (past participle of 'uscire')
- casa
- House or home where someone lives
- soffia
- Blows (as wind); third person singular present of 'soffiare'
- doppio
- Double or twice as much
- quanto
- As much as or how much
- facesse
- Was doing; imperfect subjunctive of 'fare'
- minuti
- Minutes, units of time equal to sixty seconds
- fa
- Ago (used with time) or does/makes (present of 'fare')
- Tanto
- So much; tanto vale means it is just as well
- vale
- Is worth; third person singular present of 'valere'
- riportare
- To bring back or return something to a place
- ormeggi
- Moorings where boats are tied up and secured
- ragazzi
- Boys or guys; informal term for a group of people
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