Well, they went on till it was about dark, and they began to think of some place where they could spend the night. About this time they came in sight of a house, and Jack told them to keep still while he went up and looked in through the window. And there were some robbers counting over their money. Then Jack went back and told them to wait till he gave the word, and then to make all the noise they could. So when they were all ready Jack gave the word, and the cat mewed, and the dog barked, and the goat bleated, and the bull bellowed, and the rooster crowed, and altogether they made such a dreadful noise that it frightened the robbers all away.
And then they went in (и тогда они вошли внутрь) and took possession of the house (и захватили дом: «взяли обладание домом»). Jack was afraid (Джек опасался: «был испуган») the robbers would come back in the night (что разбойники придут назад ночью), and so when it came time (и вот, когда пришло время) to go to bed (идти в кровать) he put the cat in the rocking-chair (он усадил: «поместил» кота в кресло-качалку; rocking-chair – кресло-качалка: «качающийся стул»), and he put the dog under the table (и посадил пса под стол), and he put the goat upstairs (и поставил козла на втором этаже: «вверху лестницы»; upstairs – вверх /по лестнице/, наверх; наверху, в верхнем этаже; верхняя часть здания, верхний этаж), and he put the bull in the cellar (и поставил быка в подвал), and the rooster flew up on to the roof (а петух взлетел на крышу), and Jack went to bed (а Джек пошел в кровать).
And then they went in and took possession of the house. Jack was afraid the robbers would come back in the night, and so when it came time to go to bed he put the cat in the rocking-chair, and he put the dog under the table, and he put the goat upstairs, and he put the bull in the cellar, and the rooster flew up on to the roof, and Jack went to bed.
By and by (тем временем; by and by – вскоре) the robbers saw (разбойники увидели) it was all dark (что совсем стемнело: «было совсем темно») and they sent one man back to the house (и они послали одного человека назад к дому; to send) to look after their money (посмотреть за их деньгами = попробовать раздобыть их деньги). Before long (скоро: «раньше долгого») he came back (он пришел назад) in a great fright (в большом ужасе) and told them his story (и рассказал им свою историю; to tell).
‘I went back to the house (я пошел назад к дому),’ said he, ‘and went in (и вошел внутрь) and tried to sit down in the rocking-chair (и попытался сесть в кресло-качалку), and there was an old woman knitting (а там была старая женщина, вяжущая = которая вязала; to knit – вязать), and she stuck her knitting-needles into me (и она вонзила свои вязальные спицы в меня; to stick – вонзить).’ That was the cat (это был кот), you know (/как/ вы знаете).
‘I went to the table to look after the money (я пошел к столу, чтобы поискать деньги), and there was a shoemaker under the table (а под столом был сапожник), and he stuck his awl into me (и он вонзил свое шило в меня).’ That was the dog, you know (это был пес, /как/ вы знаете).
By and by the robbers saw it was all dark and they sent one man back to the house to look after their money. Before long he came back in a great fright and told them his story.
‘I went back to the house,’ said he, ‘and went in and tried to sit down in the rocking-chair, and there was an old woman knitting, and she stuck her knitting-needles into me.’ That was the cat, you know.
‘I went to the table to look after the money, and there was a shoemaker under the table, and he stuck his awl into me.’ That was the dog, you know.
‘I started to go upstairs (я начал идти = пошел вверх по лестнице), and there was a man up there threshing (а там наверху был человек, молотящий), and he knocked me down with his flail (и он сбил меня вниз своим цепом).’ That was the goat, you know (это был козел, /как/ вы знаете).
‘I started to go down into the cellar (я пошел вниз в погреб), and there was a man down there chopping wood (а там внизу был человек, колющий дрова), and he knocked me up (и он подбросил: «ударил» меня вверх) with his axe (своим топором).’ That was the bull, you know (это был бык, /как/ вы знаете).
‘But I shouldn’t have minded all that (но я не стал бы обращать внимание на все это) if it hadn’t been for that little fellow on top of the house (если бы не тот маленький парень на верху дома), who kept a-hollering (который все время вопил; to keep – держать, не отдавать; продолжать делать /что-либо/), “Chuck him up to me-e (подбросьте его наверх ко мне; to chuck – бросить; кинуть; швырнуть)! Chuck him up to me-e!” Of course, that was the cock-a-doodle-do (конечно, это было кукареканье).