George requested that we would not talk about these things, at all events until he had finished his cold boiled beef without mustard.

We played penny nap after supper. We played for about an hour and a half, by the end of which time George had won fourpence — George always is lucky at cards — and Harris and I had lost exactly twopence each.

We thought we would give up gambling then. As Harris said, it breeds an unhealthy excitement when carried too far. George offered to go on and give us our revenge; but Harris and I decided not to battle any further against Fate.

After that, we mixed ourselves some toddy, and sat round and talked (после этого мы смешали/приготовили себе пунша, уселись и повели беседу). George told us about a man he had known, who had come up the river two years ago (Джордж рассказал нам об одном знакомом человеке, который плавал по реке два года назад) and who had slept out in a damp boat on just such another night as that was (и спал на открытом воздухе в сырой лодке как раз в такую же ночь, как эта), and it had given him rheumatic fever, and nothing was able to save him (и получил из-за этого ревматизм, и ничто не могло спасти его; rheumatic fever — ревматизм, ревматический полиартрит; fever — лихорадка), and he had died in great agony ten days afterwards (он умер в страшных мучениях через десять дней). George said he was quite a young man, and was engaged to be married (Джордж сказал, это был совсем молодой человек, который был помолвлен; to engage — заниматься чем-либо; быть связанным /какими-либо обязательствами/; быть помолвленным, обручать/ся/). He said it was one of the saddest things he had ever known (это одна из самых печальных историй, что он когда либо знал = слышал).

And that put Harris in mind of a friend of his, who had been in the Volunteers (это напомнило Гаррису об одном его приятеле, который поступил добровольцем на военную службу; volunteer — волонтер, доброволец), and who had slept out under canvas one wet night down at Aldershot (и спал в палатке одной сырой ночью под Олдершотом), "on just such another night as this," said Harris («как раз в такую же ночь, как эта», сказал Гаррис); and he had woke up in the morning a cripple for life (и проснулся утром калекой на всю жизнь; to wake up). Harris said he would introduce us both to the man when we got back to town (Гаррис сказал, что познакомит нас двоих с ним, когда вернемся в город; to introduce — вставлять, /при/вносить; знакомить, представлять); it would make our hearts bleed to see him (заставит наши сердца облиться кровью = наши сердца кровью обольются, когда мы увидим его).

rheumatic [ru:'maetk] fever ['fi:v]

After that, we mixed ourselves some toddy, and sat round and talked. George told us about a man he had known, who had come up the river two years ago and who had slept out in a damp boat on just such another night as that was, and it had given him rheumatic fever, and nothing was able to save him, and he had died in great agony ten days afterwards. George said he was quite a young man, and was engaged to be married. He said it was one of the saddest things he had ever known.

And that put Harris in mind of a friend of his, who had been in the Volunteers, and who had slept out under canvas one wet night down at Aldershot, "on just such another night as this," said Harris; and he had woke up in the morning a cripple for life. Harris said he would introduce us both to the man when we got back to town; it would make our hearts bleed to see him.