He was grey and he was woolly, and his pride was inordinate: he danced on a sandbank in the middle of Australia, and he went to the Big God Nqong.

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 508.

He went to Nqong at ten before dinnertime, saying, ‘Make me different from all other animals; make me popular and wonderfully run after by five this afternoon.'

Up jumped Nqong from his bath in the salt-pan and shouted, ‘Yes, I will!'

Nqong called Dingo (Нквонг позвал Динго) — Yellow-Dog Dingo (Желтую-Собаку Динго) — always hungry, dusty in the sunshine (вечно голодную, пыльную на солнечном свету), and showed him Kangaroo (и показал ей Кенгуру). Nqong said (Нквонг сказал), ‘Dingo! Wake up, Dingo (Динго! очнись, Динго; to wake up — просыпаться, бодрствовать, оживляться, очнуться)! Do you see that gentleman dancing on an ashpit (ты видишь того господина, танцующего на кратере с пеплом[70]; ashpit — зольник, яма с пеплом)? He wants to be popular and very truly run after (он хочет быть знаменитым и чтобы за ним очень-очень бегали). Dingo, make him so (Динго, сделай его таким / сделай ему так)!'

Up jumped Dingo (вскочила Динго) — Yellow-Dog Dingo (Желтая-Собака Динго) — and said (и сказала), ‘What, that cat-rabbit (что, того кошко-кролика)?'

Off ran Dingo (/и/ побежала Динго; to run off — убегать, удирать) — Yellow-Dog Dingo (Желтая-Собака Динго) — always hungry, grinning like a coal-scuttle (вечно голодная, скалящая зубы, как ведерко для угля у камина[71]) — ran after Kangaroo (побежала за Кенгуру).

call [kLl], ashpit ['xSpIt], truly ['trHlI]

Nqong called Dingo — Yellow-Dog Dingo — always hungry, dusty in the sunshine, and showed him Kangaroo. Nqong said, ‘Dingo! Wake up, Dingo! Do you see that gentleman dancing on an ashpit? He wants to be popular and very truly run after. Dingo, make him so!'

Up jumped Dingo — Yellow-Dog Dingo — and said, ‘What, that cat-rabbit?'