Half-an-hour afterwards they returned with eighteen other swans (полчаса спустя они вернулись с восемнадцатью /другими/ лебедями)! It must have been a fearful battle, so far as we could understand Harris's account of it (это была, должно быть, ужасная битва, насколько мы могли судить по рассказу Гарриса; account — счет; отчет; сообщение; доклад). The swans had tried to drag him and Montmorency out of the boat and drown them (лебеди пытались вытащить его и Монморенси из лодки и утопить); and he had defended himself like a hero for four hours, and had killed the lot (он оборонялся как герой четыре часа и поразил всех; to kill — убивать; поражать; нейтрализовать; lot — группа, компания), and they had all paddled away to die (и они уплыли прочь, чтобы умереть; to paddle — плыть на байдарке; шлепать /по воде или грязи/, плескаться; ковылять).

courage ['kr] drown [draun] hour ['au]

It seemed we had moored close to a swan's nest, and, soon after George and I had gone, the female swan came back, and kicked up a row about it. Harris had chivied her off, and she had gone away, and fetched up her old man. Harris said he had had quite a fight with these two swans; but courage and skill had prevailed in the end, and he had defeated them.

Half-an-hour afterwards they returned with eighteen other swans! It must have been a fearful battle, so far as we could understand Harris's account of it. The swans had tried to drag him and Montmorency out of the boat and drown them; and he had defended himself like a hero for four hours, and had killed the lot, and they had all paddled away to die.

"How many swans did you say there were (сколько лебедей, говоришь, там было)?" asked George.

"Thirty-two (тридцать два)," replied Harris, sleepily (сонно ответил Гаррис).

"You said eighteen just now (ты только что сказал восемнадцать)," said George.

"No, I didn't (нет, не говорил)," grunted Harris (проворчал Гаррис); "I said twelve (я сказал двенадцать). Think I can't count (думаешь, я не умею считать)?"

What were the real facts about these swans we never found out (какими были настоящие обстоятельства = правду об этих лебедях мы /так/ никогда и не узнали; to find out — выяснить). We questioned Harris on the subject in the morning, and he said, "What swans?" (мы спросили Гарриса об этом утром, и он сказал: «Какие лебеди?») and seemed to think that George and I had been dreaming (и, видимо, думал, что нам с Джорджем это приснилось).

"How many swans did you say there were?" asked George.

"Thirty-two," replied Harris, sleepily.

"You said eighteen just now," said George.

"No, I didn't," grunted Harris; "I said twelve. Think I can't count?"

What were the real facts about these swans we never found out. We questioned Harris on the subject in the morning, and he said, "What swans?" and seemed to think that George and I had been dreaming.