horror - horror
heights - alturas; altura, estatura, cumbre, cima
The idea that the extraordinary narrative which has been called the Joyce-Armstrong Fragment is an elaborate practical joke evolved by some unknown person, cursed by a perverted and sinister sense of humour, has now been abandoned by all who have examined the matter. The most macabre and imaginative of plotters would hesitate before linking his morbid fancies with the unquestioned and tragic facts which reinforce the statement. Though the assertions contained in it are amazing and even monstrous, it is none the less forcing itself upon the general intelligence that they are true, and that we must readjust our ideas to the new situation.
extraordinary - extraordinario, descomunal
narrative - narrativo, narrativa, narración
fragment - fragmento, fragmentar
elaborate - elaborar; profundizar
practical joke - broma práctica
evolved - evolucionado; progresar, evolucionar, desarrollar
unknown - ignoto, desconocido, incógnita, desconocido
cursed - Maldito; (curs) Maldito
perverted - pervertido, pervertir
sinister - siniestro, izquierdo
sense - sentido, sensación, significado, acepción, significación, sentir
humour - humor, seguir la corriente
abandoned - abandonado; abandonar, dejar
examined - examinado; examinar, analizar, auscultar
matter - importa; materia, asunto, cuestión, tema
macabre - macabro, gótico, mórbido, funesto
imaginative - imaginativo
hesitate - vacilar, dudar, hesitar
linking - enlazando; eslabón
morbid - mórbida; mórbido, morboso
fancies - ganas; capricho, antojo
unquestioned - Incuestionable
tragic - trágico
reinforce - reforzar
though - ero..; no obstante, de todas formas, de todas maneras
assertions - afirmaciones; afirmación, aserto
contained - contenido; contener, dominar
monstrous - monstruoso
none - ninguna; ninguno
forcing - forzando; fuerza
itself - en sí; se, solo, a si mismo, por si mismo, sí mismo
upon - sobre, en, tras
general - general, general
intelligence - inteligencia
readjust - reajustar
This world of ours appears to be separated by a slight and precarious margin of safety from a most singular and unexpected danger. I will endeavour in this narrative, which reproduces the original document in its necessarily somewhat fragmentary form, to lay before the reader the whole of the facts up to date, prefacing my statement by saying that, if there be any who doubt the narrative of Joyce-Armstrong, there can be no question at all as to the facts concerning Lieutenant Myrtle, R. N., and Mr. Hay Connor, who undoubtedly met their end in the manner described.
Appears - aparecer, comparecer
be separated - ser/estar separado
Slight - insignificante, leve, ligero, falta de respeto
precarious - precaria; precario
margin - margen
safety - seguridad, seguro
singular - singular, único, singular
unexpected - inesperado, inopinado
danger - peligro; (dang); peligro
endeavour - esfuerzo; esforzarse
reproduces - se reproduce; reproducir, proliferar, reproducirse, procrear
original document - documento original
necessarily - necesariamente
somewhat - algo, un poco, de algún modo, de alguna manera
lay - poner, colocar
prefacing - prefacio, introducir
concerning - preocupante; preocupación, referirse a, ataner, concernir
lieutenant - teniente, lugarteniente, checklugarteniente
Myrtle - arrayán, murta, mirto
Mr - Senor
Hay - heno
Undoubtedly - sin duda
manner - de qué manera; manera, modo, forma, actitud
The Joyce-Armstrong Fragment was found in the field which is called Lower Haycock, lying one mile to the westward of the village of Withyham, upon the Kent and Sussex border. It was on the 15th September last that an agricultural labourer, James Flynn, in the employment of Mathew Dodd, farmer, of the Chauntry Farm, Withyham, perceived a briar pipe lying near the footpath which skirts the hedge in Lower Haycock. A few paces farther on he picked up a pair of broken binocular glasses. Finally, among some nettles in the ditch, he caught sight of a flat, canvas-backed book, which proved to be a note-book with detachable leaves, some of which had come loose and were fluttering along the base of the hedge.
field - campo, agro, cancha, terreno
lower - más bajo; oscurecerse, encapotarse; (low) más bajo; oscurecerse
lying - Mentir; (lie) Mentir
Kent - Kent
border - frontera, borde, cenefa, orla, parterre
Last - el último; último
agricultural labourer - trabajador agrícola
James - Santiago, Jacobo, Yago, Jaime
employment - empleo
perceived - percibido; percibir, entender
pipe - pipa; caramillo, flauta ), tubo de órgano, tubería, tubo
footpath - sendero; acera
hedge - cobertura; seto
paces - pasos; paso
picked - elegido; pico, ganzúa, hurgar, recoger
finally - por fin, finalmente, por fin
among - entre
nettles - ortigas; ortiga, picar, checkirritar, checkprovocar
ditch - zanja, foso, cuneta
caught - atrapado; pega, traba, truco, cuestión
sight - vista, lugar de interés, espectáculo, panorama, visor, mira, ver
canvas - lienzo; lona
proved - probado; probar
detachable - desmontable; separable, de quita y pon
loose - suelto; flojo
fluttering - agitación; ondear, aletear
along - a lo largo, a lo largo de, por
These he collected, but some, including the first, were never recovered, and leave a deplorable hiatus in this all-important statement. The note-book was taken by the labourer to his master, who in turn showed it to Dr. J. H. Atherton, of Hartfield. This gentleman at once recognized the need for an expert examination, and the manuscript was forwarded to the Aero Club in London, where it now lies.
collected - recogido; reunir, recopilar
recovered - recuperado; recuperarse
deplorable - deplorable, lamentable
hiatus - pausa, vacaciones, descanso, hiato
Labourer - Trabajador
Master - maestro; senor, dueno; senora, duena
gentleman - caballero, senores
recognized - reconocido; reconocer
expert - experto, pericial, perito, experto, conocedor
examination - examen, examinación
manuscript - manuscrito, manuscrito
forwarded - reenviado; hacia delante
lies - mentiras; mentira
The first two pages of the manuscript are missing. There is also one torn away at the end of the narrative, though none of these affect the general coherence of the story. It is conjectured that the missing opening is concerned with the record of Mr. Joyce-Armstrong's qualifications as an aeronaut, which can be gathered from other sources and are admitted to be unsurpassed among the air-pilots of England. For many years he has been looked upon as among the most daring and the most intellectual of flying men, a combination which has enabled him to both invent and test several new devices, including the common gyroscopic attachment which is known by his name. The main body of the manuscript is written neatly in ink, but the last few lines are in pencil and are so ragged as to be hardly legible-exactly, in fact, as they might be expected to appear if they were scribbled off hurriedly from the seat of a moving aeroplane.
torn away - arrancado, desprendido
affect - afectar
coherence - coherencia
conjectured - conjeturado; conjetura, suposición, especulación, teoría
concerned - preocupado; preocupación, referirse a, ataner, concernir, tocar
record - récord; constancia (escrita); archivos; registro
qualifications - cualificaciones; titulación, salvedad
aeronaut - aeronauta
gathered - reunidos; juntar, recoger, recolectar, acumular, reunir
sources - fuentes; fuente, fontana, origen
admitted - admitido; admitir, dar entrada, dejar entrar, reconocer
pilots - pilotos; piloto, piloto, pilotar, probar
daring - atrevido, audaz, osado; (dare); atrevido, audaz, osado
intellectual - intelectual
combination - combinación
enabled - habilitado; habilitar, posibilitar, activar
invent - inventar
several - varios, varias
devices - dispositivos; dispositivo, mecanismo, aparejo
attachment - apego, carino, afición, atadura, archivo adjunto, ejecución
main body - el cuerpo principal
ink - tinta, entintar, firmar, tatuar
ragged - Desgarrado; (rag) Desgarrado
hardly - apenas, a duras penas
legible - legible
exactly - exactamente, exacto
expected - esperado; esperar, checkaguardar
appear - aparecer, comparecer
scribbled - arabateado; garabatear
seat - asiento, seato, sede
aeroplane - avión, aeroplano
There are, it may be added, several stains, both on the last page and on the outside cover which have been pronounced by the Home Office experts to be blood-probably human and certainly mammalian. The fact that something closely resembling the organism of malaria was discovered in this blood, and that Joyce-Armstrong is known to have suffered from intermittent fever, is a remarkable example of the new weapons which modern science has placed in the hands of our detectives.
be added - anadido
stains - manchas; mancha, lamparón, tacha, mancilla, colorante
cover - Cubierta
pronounced - pronunciado; pronunciar
Home Office - Ministerio del Interior
experts - expertos; experto, pericial, perito, experto, conocedor
blood - ensangrentar
human - humano
Certainly - seguro; ciertamente, sin duda, a todas luces, por supuesto
mammalian - mamífero
closely - de cerca; cercanamente
resembling - se parece; asemejar
organism - organismo
malaria - paludismo, malaria
discovered - descubierto; descubrir, destapar
suffered - sufrido; sufrir, penar, empeorar
intermittent - intermitente, esporádico, discontinuo
fever - fiebre, calentura
remarkable - notable, remarcable, destacable
weapons - armas; arma
Detectives - detectives; detective, inspector, investigador privado
And now a word as to the personality of the author of this epoch-making statement. Joyce-Armstrong, according to the few friends who really knew something of the man, was a poet and a dreamer, as well as a mechanic and an inventor. He was a man of considerable wealth, much of which he had spent in the pursuit of his aeronautical hobby. He had four private aeroplanes in his hangars near Devizes, and is said to have made no fewer than one hundred and seventy ascents in the course of last year.
personality - personalidad
author - autor, autora, escritor, escritora, escribir
epoch - época
according - de acuerdo; acuerdo, convenio, acordar, conceder, conferir
poet - poeta, poetisa
dreamer - sonador; sonador, sonadora, visionario, visionaria
mechanic - mecánico
inventor - inventor, inventora, inventriz
considerable - considerable
wealth - prosperidad, riqueza
pursuit - persecución
aeronautical - aeronáutica; aeronáutico
private - privado, privado
aeroplanes - aviones; avión, aeroplano
hangars - angares; hangar
ascents - ascensos; ascenso, elevación
He was a retiring man with dark moods, in which he would avoid the society of his fellows. Captain Dangerfield, who knew him better than anyone, says that there were times when his eccentricity threatened to develop into something more serious. His habit of carrying a shot-gun with him in his aeroplane was one manifestation of it.
retiring - retirarse, jubilarse
moods - stados de ánimo; humor
avoid - evitar, esquivar
Society - sociedad, comunidad
fellows - companeros; tipo
captain - capitán, capitanear, pilotar
eccentricity - excentricidad
threatened - amenazado; amenazar
develop - desarrollar, revelar
serious - en serio; serio
habit - hábito, costumbre
shot-gun - (shot-gun) Escopeta
manifestation - manifestación
Another was the morbid effect which the fall of Lieutenant Myrtle had upon his mind. Myrtle, who was attempting the height record, fell from an altitude of something over thirty thousand feet. Horrible to narrate, his head was entirely obliterated, though his body and limbs preserved their configuration. At every gathering of airmen, Joyce-Armstrong, according to Dangerfield, would ask, with an enigmatic smile: "And where, pray, is Myrtle's head?
effect - efecto, efectos, efectos especiales, vigencia, vigor
mind - mente, concentración, opinión, juicio, propósito, voluntad
attempting - intentando; intentar, tentativa, intento, ensayo
height - altura, estatura, cumbre, cima
altitude - altitud, altura
horrible - horrible, horrendo
narrate - narrar, contar
obliterated - oliterado; remover, borrar, destruir, obliterar
limbs - miembros; miembro
preserved - conservado; mermelada, reserva, reserva natural, coto, terreno
configuration - configuración
gathering - reunión; (gather); juntar, recoger, recolectar, acumular
airmen - aviadores; aviador, aviadora
enigmatic - enigmático
smile - sonrisa, sonreír
Pray - rezar, orar
On another occasion after dinner, at the mess of the flying school on Salisbury Plain, he started a debate as to what will be the most permanent danger which airmen will have to encounter.
Occasion - ocasión, ocasionar
mess - desastre, enredo, lío
flying school - escuela de vuelo
plain - plano; sencillo; liso; sin ornamentos; llano (persona)
debate - debate, debatir
most permanent - el más permanente
encounter - encuentro
Having listened to successive opinions as to air-pockets, faulty construction, and over-banking, he ended by shrugging his shoulders and refusing to put forward his own views, though he gave the impression that they differed from any advanced by his companions.
successive - sucesivo
pockets - bolsillos; bolsillo, bolsa, tronera, embolsar
faulty - defectuoso, imperfecto
construction - construcción
shrugging - encogimiento de hombros, encogerse de hombros
refusing - te niegas; negarse (a)
forward - hacia adelante; hacia delante
views - opiniones; vista, reproducción, visualización, visitas, visión
impression - impresión
differed - diferían; ser distinto
advanced - avanzado; avanzar, progresar, avance, progreso, adelanto, avance
Companions - companeros; companero, companera
It is worth remarking that after his own complete disappearance it was found that his private affairs were arranged with a precision which may show that he had a strong premonition of disaster. With these essential explanations I will now give the narrative exactly as it stands, beginning at page three of the blood-soaked note-book:
worth - vale la pena; valor
remarking - recordando; observación, comentario
disappearance - desaparición
affairs - asuntos; negocio, asunto, rollo, amorío, aventura
arranged - arreglado; disponer, poner en orden, arreglar
precision - exactitud, precisión
premonition - presentimiento, premonición
disaster - desastre
essential - esencial
explanations - explicaciones; explicación
soaked - empapado; empapar, remojar, embeber, saturar, esponjar
"Nevertheless, when I dined at Rheims with Coselli and Gustav Raymond I found that neither of them was aware of any particular danger in the higher layers of the atmosphere. I did not actually say what was in my thoughts, but I got so near to it that if they had any corresponding idea they could not have failed to express it. But then they are two empty, vainglorious fellows with no thought beyond seeing their silly names in the newspaper. It is interesting to note that neither of them had ever been much beyond the twenty-thousand-foot level.
nevertheless - a pesar de todo; sin embargo, a pesar de esto, con todo
dined - cenamos; jaleo
neither - ninguno de los dos; ninguno, ningún, ni X ni Y, tampoco
aware - alerta, consciente, conocedor, sabedor, entendido
particular - particular
layers - Capa
atmosphere - atmósfera, aire, clima, ambiente
actually - realmente
thoughts - pensamientos; pensamiento
corresponding - corresponder, equivaler, corresponderse, cartearse
failed - falló; fracasar
express - expresar
empty - vacío, vaciar
vainglorious - vanidoso, soberbio, fachendoso, perdonavidas
beyond - más allá de
silly - bobo, tonto, ninito, infantil, apayasado, semiaturdido, tontito
level - nivelado, al ras, nivel, niveles, llano, piso
Of course, men have been higher than this both in balloons and in the ascent of mountains. It must be well above that point that the aeroplane enters the danger zone-always presuming that my premonitions are correct.
balloons - globos; globo, vejiga, bomba
ascent - ascenso, elevación
enters - entrar
zone - zona, dividir en zona
premonitions - premoniciones; presentimiento, premonición
"Aeroplaning has been with us now for more than twenty years, and one might well ask: Why should this peril be only revealing itself in our day? The answer is obvious. In the old days of weak engines, when a hundred horse-power Gnome or Green was considered ample for every need, the flights were very restricted. Now that three hundred horse-power is the rule rather than the exception, visits to the upper layers have become easier and more common. Some of us can remember how, in our youth, Garros made a world-wide reputation by attaining nineteen thousand feet, and it was considered a remarkable achievement to fly over the Alps. Our standard now has been immeasurably raised, and there are twenty high flights for one in former years. Many of them have been undertaken with impunity.
peril - peligro, riesgo
obvious - obvio, evidente
weak - débil, feble, flaco, flojo
engines - motores; motor
power - poder, potencia, corriente, electricidad, potenciar
gnome - gnomo, duende
considered - onsiderado; considerar, barajar, sopesar, observar
ample - amplio, extenso, abundante, generoso
restricted - restringida; restringir, limitar
exception - excepción, salvedad, ofensa
youth - jóvenes; juventud, adolescencia, mocedad, anos mozos, joven
wide - ancho, amplio, lateral
reputation - reputación
attaining - lograr, conseguir
achievement - logro, hazana, proeza, gesta, hombrada
fly over - volar sobre
Alps - Alpes; (alp); Alpes
Standard - estándar, estándar, dechado, padrón, nivel
raised - levantado; levantar
former - antiguo, anterior
undertaken - emprendido; emprender, acometer
impunity - impunidad
The thirty-thousand-foot level has been reached time after time with no discomfort beyond cold and asthma. What does this prove? A visitor might descend upon this planet a thousand times and never see a tiger. Yet tigers exist, and if he chanced to come down into a jungle he might be devoured. There are jungles of the upper air, and there are worse things than tigers which inhabit them. I believe in time they will map these jungles accurately out. Even at the present moment I could name two of them. One of them lies over the Pau-Biarritz district of France. Another is just over my head as I write here in my house in Wiltshire. I rather think there is a third in the Homburg-Wiesbaden district.
reached - alcanzado; llegar (a)
discomfort - incomodidad; malestar, desasosiego
asthma - asma
Prove - probar
descend - descender, bajar
planet - planeta
tigers - tigre; tigresa
exist - existen; existir
chanced - suerte, by chance: por casualidad
devoured - evorado; devorar, jambar
jungles - elvas; selva, jungla
inhabit - habitar, morar, vivir
district - distrito, distrito
France - Francia
Wiltshire - Wiltshire
third - la tercera; tercero, tercio, tercera
"It was the disappearance of the airmen that first set me thinking. Of course, everyone said that they had fallen into the sea, but that did not satisfy me at all. First, there was Verrier in France; his machine was found near Bayonne, but they never got his body. There was the case of Baxter also, who vanished, though his engine and some of the iron fixings were found in a wood in Leicestershire. In that case, Dr. Middleton, of Amesbury, who was watching the flight with a telescope, declares that just before the clouds obscured the view he saw the machine, which was at an enormous height, suddenly rise perpendicularly upwards in a succession of jerks in a manner that he would have thought to be impossible. That was the last seen of Baxter. There was a correspondence in the papers, but it never led to anything. There were several other similar cases, and then there was the death of Hay Connor.
satisfy - satisfacer
Bayonne - Bayona
vanished - desaparecido; desvanecerse, desaparecer, anularse
engine - motor
iron - hierro; férreo, planchar
fixings - Arreglando
wood - madera
telescope - telescopio
declares - explicar, aclarar, declarar
clouds - nubes; nublar
obscured - ocultado; obscuro, esconder, ocultar
view - vista, reproducción, visualización, visitas, visión, mirada, ver
enormous - enorme, ingente
suddenly - de repente, repentinamente, de pronto, súbitamente
rise - aumentar; subir
perpendicularly - perpendicularmente
upwards - hacia arriba
succession - sucesión
jerks - imbéciles; sacudida
impossible - imposible, insoportable, imposible
correspondence - correspondencia, carteo, noticias
led - llevado; led; (lead) llevado; led
cases - asos; caso
Death - muerte, la muerte, el arcano de la muerte
What a cackle there was about an unsolved mystery of the air, and what columns in the halfpenny papers, and yet how little was ever done to get to the bottom of the business! He came down in a tremendous vol-plane from an unknown height. He never got off his machine and died in his pilot's seat. Died of what? 'Heart disease,'said the doctors. Rubbish! Hay Connor's heart was as sound as mine is. What did Venables say? Venables was the only man who was at his side when he died. He said that he was shivering and looked like a man who had been badly scared. 'Died of fright,'said Venables, but could not imagine what he was frightened about. Only said one word to Venables, which sounded like 'Monstrous.'They could make nothing of that at the inquest. But I could make something of it. Monsters! That was the last word of poor Harry Hay Connor. And he DID die of fright, just as Venables thought.
cackle - cacareo, cacarear
mystery - misterio, arcano
columns - columnas; columna
bottom - fondo, culo, pasivo
tremendous - tremendo
an unknown - un desconocido
pilot - piloto, piloto, pilotar, probar
heart - corazón
disease - enfermedad, dolencia
mine - (el) mío, (la) mía, (los) míos, (las) mías
side - lado
shivering - Tiritando; (shiver) Tiritando
badly - malamente
scared - asustado; (scar); asustado
frightened - asustado; atemorizar
inquest - investigación, pesquisa
monsters - monstruos; monstruo, fiera
"And then there was Myrtle's head. Do you really believe-does anybody really believe-that a man's head could be driven clean into his body by the force of a fall? Well, perhaps it may be possible, but I, for one, have never believed that it was so with Myrtle. And the grease upon his clothes-'all slimy with grease,'said somebody at the inquest. Queer that nobody got thinking after that! I did-but, then, I had been thinking for a good long time. I've made three ascents-how Dangerfield used to chaff me about my shot-gun-but I've never been high enough. Now, with this new, light Paul Veroner machine and its one hundred and seventy-five Robur, I should easily touch the thirty thousand tomorrow. I'll have a shot at the record. Maybe I shall have a shot at something else as well.
ve - e
Anybody - alguien
force - fuerza
Perhaps - acaso, quizá, quizás, tal vez
grease - grasa, engrasar, checklubricar
slimy - pelusa; viscoso, baboso, pegajoso, gelatinoso
queer - raro, extrano, trucha, marica, maricón
chaff - paja, barcia, exico, pienso
shot - tiro, disparo; (shoot) tiro, disparo
gun - arma de fuego; pistola
Paul - Pablo
easily - fácilmente
touch - tocar, conmover, toque, toque, tacto, pizca
shall - sí; panish: ''shall followed by the infinitive is translated using the future tense''
Of course, it's dangerous. If a fellow wants to avoid danger he had best Keep out of flying altogether and subside finally into flannel slippers and a dressing-gown. But I'll visit the air-jungle tomorrow-and if there's anything there I shall know it. If I return, I'll find myself a bit of a celebrity. If I don't this note-book may explain what I am trying to do, and how I lost my life in doing it. But no drivel about accidents or mysteries, if YOU please.
fellow - colega; tipo
Keep out - no (dejar) entrar/pasar
altogether - todos juntos; totalmente, completamente, en general, en suma
subside - disminuir; calmarse
flannel - panela; franela
slippers - zapatillas; zapatilla, pantufla, babucha
dressing-gown - (dressing-gown) bata
jungle - la jungla; selva, jungla
myself - yo mismo; me
bit - oco; pedacito; (bite); morder, picar, mordida, mordedura
celebrity - celebridad, celebrity
drivel - Gilipolleces
accidents - accidentes; accidente
mysteries - misterios; misterio, arcano
"I chose my Paul Veroner monoplane for the job. There's nothing like a monoplane when real work is to be done. Beaumont found that out in very early days. For one thing it doesn't mind damp, and the weather looks as if we should be in the clouds all the time. It's a bonny little model and answers my hand like a tender-mouthed horse. The engine is a ten-cylinder rotary Robur working up to one hundred and seventy-five. It has all the modern improvements-enclosed fuselage, high-curved landing skids, brakes, gyroscopic steadiers, and three speeds, worked by an alteration of the angle of the planes upon the Venetian-blind principle. I took a shot-gun with me and a dozen cartridges filled with buck-shot.
damp - húmedo, humedad, amortiguar
tender - tierno
cylinder - cilindro, bombona
improvements - mejoras; mejora, mejoramiento, enmienda, mejoría
fuselage - fuselaje
curved - curvado; curva, curvas, curvar, encorvar
skids - patines; derrapar, patinar
brakes - frenos; frenar
steadiers - Más firme
speeds - velocidades; velocidad
alteration - alteración, cambio, modificación
angle - ángulo; anglo
venetian - veneciano, veneciano, veneciana, véneto
blind - ciego, invidente, celosía, persiana, ciega, ciego, cegar
principle - principio
dozen - docena, decenas
cartridges - cartuchos; cartucho, cartuchera, cartucho de tinta
Buck - macho
You should have seen the face of Perkins, my old mechanic, when I directed him to put them in. I was dressed like an Arctic explorer, with two jerseys under my overalls, thick socks inside my padded boots, a storm-cap with flaps, and my talc goggles. It was stifling outside the hangars, but I was going for the summit of the Himalayas, and had to dress for the part. Perkins knew there was something on and implored me to take him with me. Perhaps I should if I were using the biplane, but a monoplane is a one-man show-if you want to get the last foot of life out of it. Of course, I took an oxygen bag; the man who goes for the altitude record without one will either be frozen or smothered-or both.
directed - dirigido; directo, dirigir
Arctic - el ártico; ártico, árctico, glacial, ártico
explorer - explorador, exploradora
jerseys - jerseys; jersey, camiseta, elástica
overalls - un mono; total, completo, general, sobretodo, totalmente
thick - gruesa; grueso, espeso
socks - calcetines; calcetín
inside - interior, dentro, adentro, dentro de
padded - relleno; almohadilla
storm - tormenta
cap - gorra
flaps - solapas; solapa; faldón
talc - talco
stifling - asfixiante; sofocante; (stifle) asfixiante; sofocante
summit - cumbre, cima, cúspide; punto álgido
Himalayas - El Himalaya
implored - imploró; implorar
biplane - biplano
oxygen - oxígeno
either - cada, tampoco, o , o, ya sea...o
frozen - congelado; congelar
smothered - asfixiado; asfixiar, ahogar
"I had a good look at the planes, the rudder-bar, and the elevating lever before I got in. Everything was in order so far as I could see. Then I switched on my engine and found that she was running sweetly. When they let her go she rose almost at once upon the lowest speed.
rudder - timón; (rud); timón
bar - barra; tableta; barrote, reja
elevating - elevando; elevar, levantar, subir
lever - palanca
switched on - encedido; modernizado
sweetly - dulcemente, abemoladamente
rose - Rosa; (rise); Rosa
almost - casi, por poco
lowest - más bajo; bajo
Speed - velocidad
I circled my home field once or twice just to warm her up, and then with a wave to Perkins and the others, I flattened out my planes and put her on her highest. She skimmed like a swallow down wind for eight or ten miles until I turned her nose up a little and she began to climb in a great spiral for the cloud-bank above me. It's all-important to rise slowly and adapt yourself to the pressure as you go.
circled - un círculo; círculo, circunferencia, esfera, curva, grupo
wave to - Saludar a
flattened - aplanado; aplanar, achatar, aplanarse, achatarse
skimmed - desnatada; sobrevolar rozando, rebotar, hojear, leer por encima
swallow - tragar, engullir
wind - viento, aire
spiral - espiral, hélice
cloud - nube; nublar
slowly - lentamente, despacio
adapt - adaptar, ajustar, adaptarse, adaptado
pressure - presión, presionar
"It was a close, warm day for an English September, and there was the hush and heaviness of impending rain. Now and then there came sudden puffs of wind from the south-west-one of them so gusty and unexpected that it caught me napping and turned me half-round for an instant. I remember the time when gusts and whirls and air-pockets used to be things of danger-before we learned to put an overmastering power into our engines. Just as I reached the cloud-banks, with the altimeter marking three thousand, down came the rain. My word, how it poured! It drummed upon my wings and lashed against my face, blurring my glasses so that I could hardly see. I got down on to a low speed, for it was painful to travel against it. As I got higher it became hail, and I had to turn tail to it. One of my cylinders was out of action-a dirty plug, I should imagine, but still I was rising steadily with plenty of power. After a bit the trouble passed, whatever it was, and I heard the full, deep-throated purr-the ten singing as one. That's where the beauty of our modern silencers comes in. We can at last control our engines by ear.
Hush - callar, callarse, calmar, acallar, silencio
heaviness - pesadez
sudden - de repente; repentino, súbito, brusco
puffs - inhalaciones; soplo, racha, ráfaga; bocanada
gusty - Ráfagas
napping - siesta
round - ronda; redondo
instant - instantáneo, inmediato
gusts - rachas; ráfaga, racha
overmastering - Dominar
altimeter - altímetro
marking - Marcando; (mark); Marcos, Evangelio según San Marcos
poured - vertido; verter, derramar; chorrear; manar, salir
drummed - tambor
wings - alas; ala, sección, parte, flanco, alero
lashed - azotado; pestana
against - contra, cerca de, frente, en contra, enfrente, en pugna
blurring - desenfoque; desdibujar, difuminar, borrar, manchar, esfumarse
low - bajo
painful - doloroso, dolorido, adolorido, panish: t-needed
hail - Granizo, granizar; llamar, saludar
turn tail - huir
cylinders - cilindros; cilindro, bombona
plug - enchufe, tapón, tapar, promocionar
rising - subiendo; rebelión, levantamiento, alzamiento, ascensión
steadily - De forma constante
plenty - bastante; abundancia
trouble - problemas; marrón, berenjenal, dificultad, problema, molestia
passed - pasó; pasar(por), dejar atrás
whatever - qué; cualquier, lo que sea que, cualquier cosa que, no importa
deep - profundo, hondo, fondo, ancho, bajo, grave, oscuro
throated - garganta, tráquea, cuello
purr - ronronear, ronroneo
beauty - belleza, hermosura, preciosidad, preciosura
control - controlar, administración, control, dirección, manejo
by ear - de oído
How they squeal and squeak and sob when they are in trouble! All those cries for help were wasted in the old days, when every sound was swallowed up by the monstrous racket of the machine. If only the early aviators could come back to see the beauty and perfection of the mechanism which have been bought at the cost of their lives!
squeal - chillido, chirrido, rechinido, chillar, delatar
squeak - chirriar; chirrido, rechinar
sob - sollozar; hdp
those - esos, esas, aquéllos, aquellas
cries for help - Gritos de ayuda
wasted - desperdiciado; desperdiciar, malgastar
swallowed up - se ha tragado
racket - jaleo, barullo, escándalo, alboroto
aviators - aviadores; aviador, aviadora
perfection - perfección
mechanism - mecanismo
"About nine-thirty I was nearing the clouds. Down below me, all blurred and shadowed with rain, lay the vast expanse of Salisbury Plain. Half a dozen flying machines were doing hackwork at the thousand-foot level, looking like little black swallows against the green background. I dare say they were wondering what I was doing up in cloud-land. Suddenly a grey curtain drew across beneath me and the wet folds of vapours were swirling round my face. It was clammily cold and miserable. But I was above the hail-storm, and that was something gained. The cloud was as dark and thick as a London fog. In my anxiety to get clear, I cocked her nose up until the automatic alarm-bell rang, and I actually began to slide backwards.
blurred - borrosa; desdibujar, difuminar, borrar, manchar, esfumarse
shadowed - sombreado; sombra
vast - vasta; vasto, enorme
expanse - extensión
flying machines - máquinas voladoras
swallows - golondrinas; tragar, engullir
background - Fondo
dare - te atreves; atraverse, osar
wondering - Te preguntas; (wonder); maravilla, milagro, genio, asombro
doing up - abrochar, renovar, decorar, envolver
curtain - cortina, telón
beneath - por debajo; bajo
wet - húmedo, mojado, húmeda, mojada, mojar, mearse, orinarse, mojarse
folds - liegues; doblar, plegar
vapours - vapores; vapor
swirling - rremolinándose; girar, rotar, remolino
clammily - clamorosamente
miserable - miserable
hail - granizo
Gained - ganado; ganar, adquirir, obtener, conseguir
Fog - niebla
anxiety - zozobra, ansiedad, inquietud
clear - está claro; transparente, claro, despejado, libre
cocked - agachado; gallo, macho
automatic - automático, automático, semi-automática
alarm-bell - (alarm-bell) alarma
actually - de verdad; en realidad, de hecho, realmente, de veras
slide - deslizar, resbalar, tobogán, resbaladilla, resbaladero
backwards - hacia atrás; atrasado, rezagado, subdesarrollado
My sopped and dripping wings had made me heavier than I thought, but presently I was in lighter cloud, and soon had cleared the first layer. There was a second-opal-coloured and fleecy-at a great height above my head, a white, unbroken ceiling above, and a dark, unbroken floor below, with the monoplane labouring upwards upon a vast spiral between them. It is deadly lonely in these cloud-spaces. Once a great flight of some small water-birds went past me, flying very fast to the westwards. The quick whir of their wings and their musical cry were cheery to my ear. I fancy that they were teal, but I am a wretched zoologist. Now that we humans have become birds we must really learn to know our brethren by sight.
dripping - goteo; chorreo; (drip) goteo; chorreo
heavier - más pesado; pesado
cleared - transparente, claro, despejado, libre
layer - Capa; (lay) Capa
opal - ópalo
unbroken - intacto
ceiling - techo; (ceil) techo
labouring - trabajando; trabajo, campesinos, trabajadores, parto, trabajar
deadly - mortal, letal, mortífero
lonely - solo; solitario, desolado, desierto
musical - musical, musical
cry - llorar, gritar, panish: t-needed
cheery - Alegre
fancy - te apetece; capricho, antojo
teal - cerceta, barraquete, azul petróleo
zoologist - zoólogo, zoóloga
humans - humanos; humano
brethren - hermanos
by sight - a la vista
"The wind down beneath me whirled and swayed the broad cloud-plain. Once a great eddy formed in it, a whirlpool of vapour, and through it, as down a funnel, I caught sight of the distant world. A large white biplane was passing at a vast depth beneath me. I fancy it was the morning mail service betwixt Bristol and London. Then the drift swirled inwards again and the great solitude was unbroken.
swayed - nfluido; balanceo, influencia, influjo, preponderancia
broad - amplio; ancho
eddy - remolino
whirlpool - remolino, vorágine
vapour - vapor
funnel - embudo
distant - distante, a distancia, hurano, remoto
passing - pasando; pasajero, excelente, superficial, somero
depth - profundidad
mail - correo, cartas, correspondencia
service - servicio
betwixt - entre medias; entre
drift - deriva, derrape, ir a la deriva, vagar, derivar, errar
swirled - girar, rotar, remolino
inwards - hacia dentro; interior, adentro
solitude - soledad, solitud
"Just after ten I touched the lower edge of the upper cloud-stratum. It consisted of fine diaphanous vapour drifting swiftly from the westwards. The wind had been steadily rising all this time and it was now blowing a sharp breeze-twenty-eight an hour by my gauge. Already it was very cold, though my altimeter only marked nine thousand. The engines were working beautifully, and we went droning steadily upwards. The cloud-bank was thicker than I had expected, but at last it thinned out into a golden mist before me, and then in an instant I had shot out from it, and there was an unclouded sky and a brilliant sun above my head-all blue and gold above, all shining silver below, one vast, glimmering plain as far as my eyes could reach. It was a quarter past ten o'clock, and the barograph needle pointed to twelve thousand eight hundred. Up I went and up, my ears concentrated upon the deep purring of my motor, my eyes busy always with the watch, the revolution indicator, the petrol lever, and the oil pump. No wonder aviators are said to be a fearless race.
touched - tocado; tocar, conmover, toque, toque, tacto, pizca
edge - orilla, borde, lado, arista, ventaja, filo
stratum - estrato, capa
consisted - consistió; componerse (de), constar (de)
diaphanous - défano; diáfano
drifting - deriva, derrape, ir a la deriva, vagar, derivar, errar
Swiftly - rápido; rápidamente
blowing - soplando; golpe
sharp - agudo, afilado, filoso, listo, sostenido, agrio, certero
breeze - brisa
gauge - medida, medidor, medir
marked - marcado; Marcos, Evangelio según San Marcos
beautifully - bonito; bellamente
droning - zumbido; zángano
thicker - más grueso; grueso, espeso
mist - niebla; neblina
sky - cielo
brilliant - brillante, perla
gold - oro
shining - brillante; brillar
silver - plata
glimmering - Resplandeciente; (glimmer); luz tenue, titileo
reach - llegar (a)
barograph - Barógrafo
needle - aguja, acícula
concentrated - concentrar, concentrarse, concentrado
purring - Ronroneando; (pur) Ronroneando
motor - motor
revolution - revolución, vuelta, giro
indicator - indicador; direccional
petrol - gasolina
oil pump - Bomba de aceite
wonder - me pregunto; maravilla, milagro, genio, asombro, pasmo
fearless - intrépido, impávido, sin miedo
race - carrera
With so many things to think of there is no time to trouble about oneself. About this time I noted how unreliable is the compass when above a certain height from earth. At fifteen thousand feet mine was pointing east and a point south. The sun and the wind gave me my true bearings.
oneself - sí mismo, uno mismo
unreliable - poco fiable; no fidedigno
compass - brújula
Certain - seguro; cierto, cierto, cierta
earth - tierra, suelo, terreno, madriguera, aterrar
bearings - Rodamiento
"I had hoped to reach an eternal stillness in these high altitudes, but with every thousand feet of ascent the gale grew stronger. My machine groaned and trembled in every joint and rivet as she faced it, and swept away like a sheet of paper when I banked her on the turn, skimming down wind at a greater pace, perhaps, than ever mortal man has moved.
eternal - eterno, eternal
altitudes - altitudes; altitud, altura
gale - revuelo; vendaval, galerna
groaned - gimió; gemido, grunido, gemir, grunir
trembled - tembló; tiritar, temblar, temblor, vibración, temblequera
joint - en común, comunitario, en conjunto, articulación, coyuntura
Rivet - remache, remachar
swept away - se ha arrastrado
sheet - hoja, folio, pliego, lámina, capa, escota
skimming - desnatando; (skim); sobrevolar rozando, rebotar, hojear
pace - paso
mortal - mortal
Yet I had always to turn again and tack up in the wind's eye, for it was not merely a height record that I was after. By all my calculations it was above little Wiltshire that my air-jungle lay, and all my labour might be lost if I struck the outer layers at some farther point.
tack - tachuela
merely - simplemente; meramente, puramente, solamente, sólo
calculations - cálculos; cálculo, cálculo, cómputo, conjetura
labour - trabajo, campesinos, trabajadores, parto, trabajar
be lost - perderse
struck - golpeado; tachar, borrar, golpear, pegar, acunar
"When I reached the nineteen-thousand-foot level, which was about midday, the wind was so severe that I looked with some anxiety to the stays of my wings, expecting momentarily to see them snap or slacken. I even cast loose the parachute behind me, and fastened its hook into the ring of my leathern belt, so as to be ready for the worst. Now was the time when a bit of scamped work by the mechanic is paid for by the life of the aeronaut. But she held together bravely. Every cord and strut was humming and vibrating like so many harp-strings, but it was glorious to see how, for all the beating and the buffeting, she was still the conqueror of Nature and the mistress of the sky.
midday - mediodía
severe - severo, grave, austero
snap - chasquido, crujido, chasquido de dedos, fotografía, foto
slacken - aflojar
cast - moldear, elenco, castear, sondar, sondear, lanzar, lanzamiento
parachute - paracaídas, panish: lanzarse en paracaídas
fastened - sujetado; atar, abrochar
hook into - engancharse
leathern - de cuero
belt - cinturón, cincho, cinturón de seguridad, correa, golpe, golpear
scamped - Gorrón
held together - Mantenerse unidos
bravely - con valentía; valientemente
cord - cuerda, cable, hilo, cordón
strut - puntales; pavonearse
humming - Tarareando; (hum); tararear, canturrear
vibrating - vibrando; vibrar
harp - arpa, harpa
strings - cuerdas; cordel, mecate, usic, cadena, cuerda, enhebrar
glorious - glorioso
beating - golpeando; paliza, latido; (beat) golpeando; paliza, latido
Conqueror - conquistador
nature - naturaleza, natura
Mistress - senora; duena, maestra, querida, amante, barragana, manceba, ama
There is surely something divine in man himself that he should rise so superior to the limitations which Creation seemed to impose-rise, too, by such unselfish, heroic devotion as this air-conquest has shown. Talk of human degeneration! When has such a story as this been written in the annals of our race?
surely - seguro; seguramente, checksin duda
divine - divino
superior - superior, superior
limitations - limitaciones; limitación
creation - creación
seemed - parecía; parecer
impose - imponer
such - cómo; así, tal, semejante, tan, qué
unselfish - altruista, desprendido, generoso
heroic - heroico
devotion - devoción, dedicación, fervor, veneración
conquest - conquista
degeneration - degeneración
annals - anales; anal
"These were the thoughts in my head as I climbed that monstrous, inclined plane with the wind sometimes beating in my face and sometimes whistling behind my ears, while the cloud-land beneath me fell away to such a distance that the folds and hummocks of silver had all smoothed out into one flat, shining plain. But suddenly I had a horrible and unprecedented experience. I have known before what it is to be in what our neighbours have called a tourbillon, but never on such a scale as this. That huge, sweeping river of wind of which I have spoken had, as it appears, whirlpools within it which were as monstrous as itself. Without a moment's warning I was dragged suddenly into the heart of one. I spun round for a minute or two with such velocity that I almost lost my senses, and then fell suddenly, left wing foremost, down the vacuum funnel in the centre. I dropped like a stone, and lost nearly a thousand feet. It was only my belt that kept me in my seat, and the shock and breathlessness left me hanging half-insensible over the side of the fuselage. But I am always capable of a supreme effort-it is my one great merit as an aviator.
whistling - Silbando; (whistle); silbato, pito, chifle, pitido
distance - distancia, lejanía, distanciarse, alejarse
smoothed - alisado; liso, sofisticado, constante, tranquilo, apacible
shining - brillante; espinilla
unprecedented - sin precedentes; sin precedente
Experience - experiencia, vivencia, experimentar, vivir
tourbillon - turbillon
scale - escala
huge - enorme, grandote
whirlpools - torbellinos; remolino, vorágine
within - dentro de, adentro
warning - advertencia, aviso, precaución, cuidado; (warn); alertar
dragged - arrastrado; llevar a rastras
spun round - girar, darse la vuelta; dar vueltas
velocity - velocidad
senses - sentidos; sentido, sensación, significado, acepción
Wing - ala, sección, parte, flanco, alero
vacuum - vacío, aspirar
dropped - se cayó; gota
stone - piedra, roca, gema, piedra preciosa, hueso, cálculo, lapidar
nearly - casi
shock - conmoción, golpe
hanging - Colgando; (hang) Colgando
insensible - insensible
capable - capaz
supreme - supremo
effort - esfuerzo
merit - mérito, merecimiento, meritar
aviator - aviador, aviadora
I was conscious that the descent was slower. The whirlpool was a cone rather than a funnel, and I had come to the apex. With a terrific wrench, throwing my weight all to one side, I levelled my planes and brought her head away from the wind. In an instant I had shot out of the eddies and was skimming down the sky. Then, shaken but victorious, I turned her nose up and began once more my steady grind on the upward spiral. I took a large sweep to avoid the danger-spot of the whirlpool, and soon I was safely above it. Just after one o'clock I was twenty-one thousand feet above the sea-level. To my great joy I had topped the gale, and with every hundred feet of ascent the air grew stiller. On the other hand, it was very cold, and I was conscious of that peculiar nausea which goes with rarefaction of the air. For the first time I unscrewed the mouth of my oxygen bag and took an occasional whiff of the glorious gas. I could feel it running like a cordial through my veins, and I was exhilarated almost to the point of drunkenness. I shouted and sang as I soared upwards into the cold, still outer world.
conscious - consciente
descent - descendencia; descenso, bajada, ascendencia, origen, abolengo
cone - cono, cono, estróbilo, checkcucurucho, checkbarquillo
apex - ápice, cima, cúspide, apogeo
terrific - fantástico; estupendo
wrench - llave inglesa; arrancar
throwing - Lanzamiento; (throw) Lanzamiento
weight - peso, pesa, pesar, ponderar
levelled - nivelado, al ras, nivel, niveles, llano, piso
eddies - torbellinos; remolino
shaken - sacudido; agitar, sacudir, checksacudir, sacudida, batido
victorious - victorioso
steady - estable; firme, liso, fijo
grind - moler, triturar, picar
upward - hacia arriba
sweep - barrer, peinar
spot - unto; mancha, grano, poquito, poquita, zona, paraje, lámpara
safely - seguro; seguramente
sea-level - (sea-level) nivel del mar
joy - alegría, júbilo
topped - topado; cima, parte superior, parte de más arriba, cabecera
peculiar - particular; peculiar, raro, específico
nausea - náusea, repulsión, asco, náuseas
rarefaction - rarefacción
unscrewed - desatornillado; desatornillar, destornillar, desenroscar
occasional - ocasional, esporádico
whiff - oler; bocanadas, soplo, hálito, bocanada
cordial - cordial
veins - venas; vena
drunkenness - borrachera, embriaguez, pedo, cogorza
shouted - gritó; grito
soared - e disparó; planear, elevarse, planar
"It is very clear to me that the insensibility which came upon Glaisher, and in a lesser degree upon Coxwell, when, in 1862, they ascended in a balloon to the height of thirty thousand feet, was due to the extreme speed with which a perpendicular ascent is made. Doing it at an easy gradient and accustoming oneself to the lessened barometric pressure by slow degrees, there are no such dreadful symptoms. At the same great height I found that even without my oxygen inhaler I could breathe without undue distress. It was bitterly cold, however, and my thermometer was at zero, Fahrenheit. At one-thirty I was nearly seven miles above the surface of the earth, and still ascending steadily.
insensibility - insensibilidad
lesser - menos
ascended - ascendió; subir, ascender
balloon - globo, vejiga, bomba
extreme - extremo
perpendicular - perpendicular
gradient - gradiente, gradiente
accustoming - acostumbrarse, habituar
lessened - isminuido; menoscabar, disminuir, reducir, aminorar
barometric - barométrico
degrees - grados; título, diploma, grado
dreadful - terrible; espantoso, espantosa
symptoms - síntomas; síntoma
inhaler - inhalador
breathe - respirar
undue - desproporcionado, injustificado, indebido, no debido
distress - aflicción, angustia, desasosiego, ansiedad
bitterly - con amargura; amargamente
thermometer - termómetro
Fahrenheit - Fahrenheit
surface - superficie
ascending - ascendente; subir, ascender
I found, however, that the rarefied air was giving markedly less support to my planes, and that my angle of ascent had to be considerably lowered in consequence. It was already clear that even with my light weight and strong engine-power there was a point in front of me where I should be held. To make matters worse, one of my sparking-plugs was in trouble again and there was intermittent misfiring in the engine. My heart was heavy with the fear of failure.
rarefied - enrarecido; rarificar
markedly - muy marcadamente; marcadamente
support - apoyo; aguantar, sostener
Considerably - considerablemente
lowered - bajado; oscurecerse, encapotarse
consequence - consecuencia
held - sostenida; tener en las manos, agarrar, asir
matters - importa; materia, asunto, cuestión, tema
sparking - chispeando; chispa
plugs - enchufes; enchufe, tapón, tapar, promocionar
misfiring - encendido defectuoso, fallo de encendido
heavy - pesado
fear - miedo, temor
failure - fallo, fracaso, fiasco, fracasado, avería
"It was about that time that I had a most extraordinary experience. Something whizzed past me in a trail of smoke and exploded with a loud, hissing sound, sending forth a cloud of steam. For the instant I could not imagine what had happened. Then I remembered that the earth is for ever being bombarded by meteor stones, and would be hardly inhabitable were they not in nearly every case turned to vapour in the outer layers of the atmosphere.
whizzed - zumbado; pasar zumbando/silbando/volando
trail of smoke - Rastro de humo
exploded - explotó; explotar, explosionar, reventar
loud - en voz alta; alto
forth - adelante
steam - Vapor; vaporear; de vapor; al vapor
for ever - para siempre
bombarded - bombardeado; bombardear
meteor - meteoro
stones - piedras; piedra, roca, gema, piedra preciosa, hueso, cálculo
inhabitable - habitable
case - caso
Here is a new danger for the high-altitude man, for two others passed me when I was nearing the forty-thousand-foot mark. I cannot doubt that at the edge of the earth's envelope the risk would be a very real one.
mark - Marcos, Evangelio según San Marcos
doubt - dudas; dudar, duda, incertidumbre
envelope - sobre
Risk - riesgo, checkpeligro, arriesgar, poner en riesgo
"My barograph needle marked forty-one thousand three hundred when I became aware that I could go no farther. Physically, the strain was not as yet greater than I could bear but my machine had reached its limit. The attenuated air gave no firm support to the wings, and the least tilt developed into side-slip, while she seemed sluggish on her controls. Possibly, had the engine been at its best, another thousand feet might have been within our capacity, but it was still misfiring, and two out of the ten cylinders appeared to be out of action. If I had not already reached the zone for which I was searching then I should never see it upon this journey. But was it not possible that I had attained it? Soaring in circles like a monstrous hawk upon the forty-thousand-foot level I let the monoplane guide herself, and with my Mannheim glass I made a careful observation of my surroundings.
physically - físicamente
strain - tensión; estirar, tensar
as yet - todavía
bear - oso; aguantar, soportar
limit - límite
firm - firma; firme, sólido
tilt - inclinación; inclinar, ladear
developed - desarrollar
slip - resbalón; resbalar
sluggish - perezoso, haragán, huevón, desganado
controls - controles; controlar, administración, control, dirección, manejo
Possibly - es posible; posiblemente
capacity - capacidad
appeared - apareció; aparecer, comparecer
searching - buscando; búsqueda, buscar, inspeccionar, cachear, allanar
attained - lcanzado; lograr, conseguir
soaring - aumentando; ascendente; (soar); planear, elevarse, planar
circles - círculos; círculo, circunferencia, esfera, curva, grupo
hawk - gavilán; halcón
Guide - guía; guiar, dirigir
careful - cauto, cuidadoso, tener cuidado
observation - observación, vigilancia; observancia, anotación, registro
surroundings - alrededores; periferia, rededor, derredor, circundante
The heavens were perfectly clear; there was no indication of those dangers which I had imagined.
heavens - cielos; cielo, firmamento, paraíso
perfectly - perfectamente
indication - indicación
dangers - peligros; peligro
"I have said that I was soaring in circles. It struck me suddenly that I would do well to take a wider sweep and open up a new airtract.
wider - más ancho; ancho, amplio, lateral
airtract - irtract
If the hunter entered an earth-jungle he would drive through it if he wished to find his game. My reasoning had led me to believe that the air-jungle which I had imagined lay somewhere over Wiltshire. This should be to the south and west of me. I took my bearings from the sun, for the compass was hopeless and no trace of earth was to be seen-nothing but the distant, silver cloud-plain. However, I got my direction as best I might and kept her head straight to the mark. I reckoned that my petrol supply would not last for more than another hour or so, but I could afford to use it to the last drop, since a single magnificent vol-plane could at any time take me to the earth.
Hunter - cazador, perro de caza, buscador, buscadora
entered - entró; entrar
wished - deseaba; deseo, gana, desear
somewhere - en alguna parte, en algún lugar, en algún sitio, a alguna parte
hopeless - sin esperanza; desesperado
trace - rastrear; rastro, huella, vestigio, indicio
direction - dirección
straight - recto, liso, franco, directo, puro, convencional, hetero
reckoned - contó; considerar
supply - suministro; proporcionar, abastecer
afford - pagar; costear, permitirse
drop - dejar caer; gota
Since - desde cuándo; desde entonces, desde que, ya que, dado que
single - solo, único, soltero, sencillo, soltero, soltera
magnificent - magnífico, macanudo
"Suddenly I was aware of something new. The air in front of me had lost its crystal clearness. It was full of long, ragged wisps of something which I can only compare to very fine cigarette smoke. It hung about in wreaths and coils, turning and twisting slowly in the sunlight. As the monoplane shot through it, I was aware of a faint taste of oil upon my lips, and there was a greasy scum upon the woodwork of the machine. Some infinitely fine organic matter appeared to be suspended in the atmosphere. There was no life there.
crystal - cristal
clearness - claridad
wisps - w wisps; brizna, mechón, voluta, jirón
cigarette smoke - humo de cigarrillo
hung about - frecuentar, esperar
wreaths - coronas; guirnalda, corona, burelete, rodear
Coils - bobinas; enroscarse
twisting - Torciendo; (twist); torcer, sacar punta a, torcerse
sunlight - la luz del sol; luz del sol
shot through - se ha disparado a través de
faint - desmayarse; débil, tenue
taste - gusto, gusto, gustos, muestra, gustar, probar, catar, saber
lips - labios; labio, labro
greasy - grasiento, grasoso, resbaloso
scum - escoria, gentuza, canalla
woodwork - maderamen, maderaje, carpintería, carpintería
infinitely - infinitamente
organic - orgánico, biológico, ecológico
suspended - suspendido; suspender
It was inchoate and diffuse, extending for many square acres and then fringing off into the void. No, it was not life. But might it not be the remains of life? Above all, might it not be the food of life, of monstrous life, even as the humble grease of the ocean is the food for the mighty whale? The thought was in my mind when my eyes looked upwards and I saw the most wonderful vision that ever man has seen. Can I hope to convey it to you even as I saw it myself last Thursday?
inchoate - embrional, incipiente, caótico; incoherente
diffuse - difuso; difundir(se)
extending - extendiéndose; extender, ampliar
square - cuadro, cuadrado, escuadra, cartabón, plaza, casilla
acres - acres; acre
fringing - flequillo; orla, extremista, radical, periferia, marginal, orlar
void - vacío; nulo
remains - resto, restos, quedarse, sobrar, restar, permanecer, continuar
humble - humilde
Ocean - océano
mighty - poderoso
whale - ballena
most wonderful - el más maravilloso
vision - vista, visión
convey - transmitir; transportar, trasladar, comunicar, expresar
"Conceive a jelly-fish such as sails in our summer seas, bell-shaped and of enormous size-far larger, I should judge, than the dome of St. Paul's. It was of a light pink colour veined with a delicate green, but the whole huge fabric so tenuous that it was but a fairy outline against the dark blue sky.
conceive - concebir
jelly - jalea; gelatina
sails - velas; vela
bell - campana
shaped - con forma; forma, estado, modelar, formar
size - tamano, magnitud
judge - juez; juzgar
dome - cúpula, domo
veined - eteado; vena
delicate - delicado, delicado (1, 2)
fabric - tela, tejido, género
tenuous - débil; tenue
fairy - hada, marica, mujercita
outline - contorno, esbozo, resumen, delinear, resumir
dark blue - azul oscuro
It pulsated with a delicate and regular rhythm. From it there depended two long, drooping, green tentacles, which swayed slowly backwards and forwards. This gorgeous vision passed gently with noiseless dignity over my head, as light and fragile as a soap-bubble, and drifted upon its stately way.
pulsated - pulsado; latir
regular - regular, parroquiano
rhythm - ritmo
depended - dependía; depender, confiar, atender
tentacles - tentáculos; tentáculo
forwards - hacia delante
gorgeous - guapa; guapísimo
gently - suavemente; mansamente, suave
dignity - dignidad
fragile - frágil
soap-bubble - (soap-bubble) Burbuja de jabón
drifted - deriva, derrape, ir a la deriva, vagar, derivar, errar
stately - enorial; majestuoso
"I had half-turned my monoplane, that I might look after this beautiful creature, when, in a moment, I found myself amidst a perfect fleet of them, of all sizes, but none so large as the first. Some were quite small, but the majority about as big as an average balloon, and with much the same curvature at the top. There was in them a delicacy of texture and colouring which reminded me of the finest Venetian glass.
look after - Cuidar
creature - criatura
amidst - en medio de; en medio
Fleet - flota
sizes - tallas; tamano, magnitud
majority - mayoría, mayoría de edad
average - promedio; media
curvature - curvatura
top - cima, parte superior, parte de más arriba, cabecera, tapa
delicacy - una delicia; fineza, delicadeza, fragilidad, exquisitez
texture - textura, textura
reminded - recordado; recordar
Pale shades of pink and green were the prevailing tints, but all had a lovely iridescence where the sun shimmered through their dainty forms. Some hundreds of them drifted past me, a wonderful fairy squadron of strange unknown argosies of the sky-creatures whose forms and substance were so attuned to these pure heights that one could not conceive anything so delicate within actual sight or sound of earth.
pale - pálido
shades - sombras; alosa, sábalo
prevailing - revaleciendo; prevalecer, vencer
tints - tintes; tinte, matiz
lovely - Encantador
iridescence - iridiscencia
shimmered - brillaba; brillar, relucir
dainty - delicado, manoso
squadron - escuadrón, escuadra, cuadrilla
strange - extrano; extrano, raro, anormal, desconocido
creatures - criaturas; criatura
whose - de quién; quién, quien, cuyo, cuya, cuyas
substance - sustancia, enjundia
attuned - en sintonía; adecuar, adaptar
pure - pura; puro
actual - real, existente, verdadero, efectivo, actual
"But soon my attention was drawn to a new phenomenon-the serpents of the outer air. These were long, thin, fantastic coils of vapour-like material, which turned and twisted with great speed, flying round and round at such a pace that the eyes could hardly follow them. Some of these ghost-like creatures were twenty or thirty feet long, but it was difficult to tell their girth, for their outline was so hazy that it seemed to fade away into the air around them. These air-snakes were of a very light grey or smoke colour, with some darker lines within, which gave the impression of a definite organism.
attention - atención
phenomenon - fenómeno
serpents - serpientes; serpiente
outer air - el aire exterior
material - material, significativo, material
twisted - retorcido; torcer, sacar punta a, torcerse
flying round - recorrer, dar la vuelta
ghost - fantasma, espectro, espíritu, aparecido
girth - círculo; cincha, circunferencia, cintura
fade away - desvanecerse, desaparecer, desdibujarse, paliceder
smoke - fumar; humo
definite - definitiva; definido, indudable
One of them whisked past my very face, and I was conscious of a cold, clammy contact, but their composition was so unsubstantial that I could not connect them with any thought of physical danger, any more than the beautiful bell-like creatures which had preceded them. There was no more solidity in their frames than in the floating spume from a broken wave.
whisked - batido; llevar rápidamente
contact - contacto, contactar, entrar en contacto con
composition - composición, panish: t-needed
unsubstantial - insustancial
connect - conectar
physical - físico, revisación
preceded - precedido; preceder, anteceder
solidity - solidez
frames - marcos; levantar la estructura, armar, enmarcar, concebir
floating - flotante, flotador; (float); flotar, carroza
spume - Espuma
wave - ola
"But a more terrible experience was in store for me. Floating downwards from a great height there came a purplish patch of vapour, small as I saw it first, but rapidly enlarging as it approached me, until it appeared to be hundreds of square feet in size. Though fashioned of some transparent, jelly-like substance, it was none the less of much more definite outline and solid consistence than anything which I had seen before.
more terrible - más terrible
in store - en la tienda
downwards - hacia abajo
purplish - amoratado, cárdeno, purpúreo, púrpura
patch - remiendo, parche
rapidly - rápidamente
enlarging - ampliando; ampliar, agrandar, engrandecer
approached - se acercó; acercarse, aproximarse
fashioned - a la moda; moda, manera, modo
transparent - transparente
solid - sólido, masivo, macizo, continuo, junto, sólido, cuerpo
There were more traces, too, of a physical organization, especially two vast, shadowy, circular plates upon either side, which may have been eyes, and a perfectly solid white projection between them which was as curved and cruel as the beak of a vulture.
traces - rastros; rastro, huella, vestigio, indicio
organization - organización
especially - especialmente, sobre todo, máxime, más
shadowy - sombra; sombroso, sombreado, sombrío, umbroso
circular - circular
plates - placas; plato
projection - protuberancia, proyección
beak - pico
vulture - buitre, zopilote
"The whole aspect of this monster was formidable and threatening, and it kept changing its colour from a very light mauve to a dark, angry purple so thick that it cast a shadow as it drifted between my monoplane and the sun. On the upper curve of its huge body there were three great projections which I can only describe as enormous bubbles, and I was convinced as I looked at them that they were charged with some extremely light gas which served to buoy up the misshapen and semi-solid mass in the rarefied air. The creature moved swiftly along, keeping pace easily with the monoplane, and for twenty miles or more it formed my horrible escort, hovering over me like a bird of prey which is waiting to pounce.
aspect - aspecto
monster - monstruo, fiera
threatening - amenazante; amenazador; (threaten); amenazar
mauve - malva
shadow - sombra
curve - curva, curvas, curvar, encorvar
projections - proyecciones; protuberancia, proyección
bubbles - burbujas; burbuja, pompa, burbujear
Convinced - convencido; convencer
charged - cargado; cargo, acusación, encargo, figura, acusar, cobrar
extremely - extremadamente, sumamente, harto
served - servido; servicio, servir, desempenar, fungir, operar, cernir
buoy - boya
misshapen - Malformar
mass - montón, masa
escort - acompanante; escolta, acompanante, escoltar
hovering - revoloteando; cerner, dudar, hesitar, vacilar
bird of prey - ave de rapina
pounce - saltar sobre; precipitarse; abalanzarse sobre
Its method of progression-done so swiftly that it was not easy to follow-was to throw out a long, glutinous streamer in front of it, which in turn seemed to draw forward the rest of the writhing body. So elastic and gelatinous was it that never for two successive minutes was it the same shape, and yet each change made it more threatening and loathsome than the last.
method - método, forma
progression - progresión
throw out - descartar, echar fuera, deshacerse de algo; despedir a alguien
streamer - treamer; serpentina
rest - descansar; descanso, reposo
elastic - elástico, elástico
gelatinous - gelatinoso
shape - forma, estado, modelar, formar
more threatening - más amenazante
loathsome - asqueroso; aborrecible, detestable, odioso, abominable
"I knew that it meant mischief. Every purple flush of its hideous body told me so. The vague, goggling eyes which were turned always upon me were cold and merciless in their viscid hatred. I dipped the nose of my monoplane downwards to escape it. As I did so, as quick as a flash there shot out a long tentacle from this mass of floating blubber, and it fell as light and sinuous as a whip-lash across the front of my machine. There was a loud hiss as it lay for a moment across the hot engine, and it whisked itself into the air again, while the huge, flat body drew itself together as if in sudden pain.
mischief - travesuras; travesura, diablura, gamberrada
flush - lanzar; rubor
hideous - horrible, odioso, chocante, atemorizante
vague - vago, impreciso
merciless - sin piedad; despiadado, inmisericorde
viscid - Viscoso
hatred - odio
dipped - sumergido; mojar
escape - escapar, liberarse, fugarse, eludir
flash - destello
tentacle - tentáculo
sinuous - sinuoso
whip - fusta, látigo, flagelo, panish: t-needed
hiss - siseo, sisear
pain - dolor
I dipped to a vol-pique, but again a tentacle fell over the monoplane and was shorn off by the propeller as easily as it might have cut through a smoke wreath. A long, gliding, sticky, serpent-like coil came from behind and caught me round the waist, dragging me out of the fuselage. I tore at it, my fingers sinking into the smooth, glue-like surface, and for an instant I disengaged myself, but only to be caught round the boot by another coil, which gave me a jerk that tilted me almost on to my back.
pique - resentimiento, despecho
Shorn - Esquilada; (shear); cizallar, cortar, esquilar, tonsurar, tundir
propeller - propulsor, hélice
cut through - cortar camino, cortar, ir al grano
wreath - guirnalda, corona, burelete, rodear
sticky - pegajoso, adherente, adherible, peliagudo, escabroso
serpent - serpiente
coil - bobina; enroscarse
waist - cintura
dragging - arrastrando; llevar a rastras
tore - Romper
fingers - dedos; apuntar, senalar, hurgar, dedear
sinking - se hunde; hundimiento, naufragio; (sink); hundir, sumergir
smooth - liso, sofisticado, constante, tranquilo, apacible, suave, alisar
glue - cola, goma, pegamento, encolar, pegar
disengaged - desconectado; desenganchar, desatar, liberar, retirar
be caught - estar atrapado, pillado
jerk - imbécil; sacudida
tilted - inclinado; inclinar, ladear
"As I fell over I blazed off both barrels of my gun, though, indeed, it was like attacking an elephant with a pea-shooter to imagine that any human weapon could cripple that mighty bulk. And yet I aimed better than I knew, for, with a loud report, one of the great blisters upon the creature's back exploded with the puncture of the buck-shot. It was very clear that my conjecture was right, and that these vast, clear bladders were distended with some lifting gas, for in an instant the huge, cloud-like body turned sideways, writhing desperately to find its balance, while the white beak snapped and gaped in horrible fury.
blazed - arde; llamarada, incendio; resplandor
barrels - barriles; barril, tonel, canón, cano, embarrilar
indeed - de verdad; de hecho, realmente, efectivamente, verdaderamente
attacking - atacando; ataque, atacar
pea - guisante
Shooter - tirador, tiradora
weapon - arma
cripple - lisiado, lisiado, lisiada
bulk - masa, corpulencia, grueso, bulto, a granel, masivo
aimed - dirigido; apuntar
blisters - ampollas; ampolla, ámpula, ampollar
puncture - pinchazo, perforar
conjecture - conjeturas; conjetura, suposición, especulación, teoría
bladders - ejigas; vejiga, cubi, barrica plástica, bota
lifting - levantando; levantar, alzar
sideways - de lado
desperately - desesperadamente
balance - equilibrio, balance, balanza, balancear, equilibrar
snapped - se rompió; chasquido, crujido, chasquido de dedos, fotografía
gaped - abierta; hueco, espacio, vacío; brecha
fury - furia
But already I had shot away on the steepest glide that I dared to attempt, my engine still full on, the flying propeller and the force of gravity shooting me downwards like an aerolite. Far behind me I saw a dull, purplish smudge growing swiftly smaller and merging into the blue sky behind it. I was safe out of the deadly jungle of the outer air.
steepest - la más empinada; empinado
glide - deslizarse; deslizar, planear
dared - se atrevió; atraverse, osar
attempt - intentar, tentativa, intento, ensayo
force of gravity - Fuerza de gravedad
shooting - disparando; tiroteo, tiro; (shoot) disparando; tiroteo, tiro
dull - sordo; romo, desafilado, embotado, aburrido, soso
smudge - manchar; mancha, borrón
merging - Fusión; (merge); fusionar
safe - seguro, salvo, checkseguro, caja fuerte, cofre
"Once out of danger I throttled my engine, for nothing tears a machine to pieces quicker than running on full power from a height. It was a glorious, spiral vol-plane from nearly eight miles of altitude-first, to the level of the silver cloud-bank, then to that of the storm-cloud beneath it, and finally, in beating rain, to the surface of the earth. I saw the Bristol Channel beneath me as I broke from the clouds, but, having still some petrol in my tank, I got twenty miles inland before I found myself stranded in a field half a mile from the village of Ashcombe.
out of danger - fuera de peligro
throttled - válvula reguladora, acelerador
Tears - lágrimas; lágrima
full power - máxima potencia
Channel - canal
tank - tanque, depósito
stranded - encallado; varar
There I got three tins of petrol from a passing motor-car, and at ten minutes past six that evening I alighted gently in my own home meadow at Devizes, after such a journey as no mortal upon earth has ever yet taken and lived to tell the tale. I have seen the beauty and I have seen the horror of the heights-and greater beauty or greater horror than that is not within the ken of man.
tins - latas; estano, lata, enlatar, estanar
motor-car - (motor-car) automóvil
alighted - se bajó; apearse de
meadow - pradera; prado, vega
Tale - cuento; historia, relato
"And now it is my plan to go once again before I give my results to the world. My reason for this is that I must surely have something to show by way of proof before I lay such a tale before my fellow-men. It is true that others will soon follow and will confirm what I have said, and yet I should wish to carry conviction from the first. Those lovely iridescent bubbles of the air should not be hard to capture. They drift slowly upon their way, and the swift monoplane could intercept their leisurely course.
Proof - pruebas; prueba
fellow-men - (fellow-men) prójimo
confirm - confirmar
wish - deseo, gana, desear
conviction - convicción
iridescent - iridiscente, irisado
capture - captura, capturar
swift - rápido, veloz, célere, pronto
intercept - interceptar, interrumpir
leisurely - con calma
It is likely enough that they would dissolve in the heavier layers of the atmosphere, and that some small heap of amorphous jelly might be all that I should bring to earth with me. And yet something there would surely be by which I could substantiate my story. Yes, I will go, even if I run a risk by doing so. These purple horrors would not seem to be numerous. It is probable that I shall not see one. If I do I shall dive at once. At the worst there is always the shot-gun and my knowledge of ..."
Likely - Es probable
dissolve - disolver
heap - pila, montón, cúmulo, montículo, checkpila, amontonar
amorphous - amorfo
horrors - horrores; horror
Seem - parecer
numerous - numerosos; numeroso
probable - probable
dive - bucear; zambullirse, tirarse de cabeza
my knowledge - Mi conocimiento
Here a page of the manuscript is unfortunately missing. On the next page is written, in large, straggling writing:
unfortunately - desafortunadamente, desgraciadamente, lamentablemente
straggling - rezagado; (straggle) rezagado
"Forty-three thousand feet. I shall never see earth again. They are beneath me, three of them. God help me; it is a dreadful death to die!"
God - endiosar, idolatrar, deificar
Such in its entirety is the Joyce-Armstrong Statement. Of the man nothing has since been seen. Pieces of his shattered monoplane have been picked up in the preserves of Mr. Budd-Lushington upon the borders of Kent and Sussex, within a few miles of the spot where the note-book was discovered. If the unfortunate aviator's theory is correct that this air-jungle, as he called it, existed only over the south-west of England, then it would seem that he had fled from it at the full speed of his monoplane, but had been overtaken and devoured by these horrible creatures at some spot in the outer atmosphere above the place where the grim relics were found.
entirety - en su totalidad; enterez, integridad, totalidad
shattered - destrozado; astillar, estrellar, quebrantar, hacer anicos
preserves - conservas; mermelada, reserva, reserva natural, coto, terreno
borders - fronteras; frontera, borde, cenefa, orla, parterre
unfortunate - desafortunado, desgraciado
theory - teoría
existed - existió; existir
fled - huyó; huir, desvanecerse, checkfugarse
overtaken - uperado; rebasar, sobrepasar, adelantar, alcanzar, superar
grim - asqueroso; horrible, horroroso, macabro, nefasto
relics - reliquias; reliquia, vestigio
The picture of that monoplane skimming down the sky, with the nameless terrors flying as swiftly beneath it and cutting it off always from the earth while they gradually closed in upon their victim, is one upon which a man who valued his sanity would prefer not to dwell. There are many, as I am aware, who still jeer at the facts which I have here set down, but even they must admit that Joyce-Armstrong has disappeared, and I would commend to them his own words: "This note-book may explain what I am trying to do, and how I lost my life in doing it. But no drivel about accidents or mysteries, if YOU please."
nameless - innominado, sin nombre
terrors - terrores; terror
gradually - gradualmente, poco a poco, paulatinamente
victim - víctima, sacrificio
valued - valorado; valor, importancia, valorar, cifrar, apreciar
sanity - la cordura; cordura, sensatez
dwell - habitar, morar
jeer - burla; abuchear
set down - establecer; tomar nota; anotar; dejar
admit - admitir, dar entrada, dejar entrar, reconocer, permitir
disappeared - desapareció; desaparecer
