Английский язык с Робинзоном Крузо (в пересказе для детей)
Шрифт:
I stopped short (я остановился как вкопанный; short — короткий; резко, круто). Cold chills ran down my back (холодок: «холодный озноб» пробежал вниз у меня по спине; chill — простуда, озноб). My hair seemed to stand on end (казалось, волосы встали дыбом; on end — стоймя; дыбом). But I would not allow myself to run out again (но я не позволил бы себе выбежать опять).
I pushed my little torch forward into the darkness (я толкнул = протянул мой маленький факел вперед в темноту), as far as I could (так
Why, nothing but a shaggy old goat (да ничего, как только потрепанную старого козла; goat — козел; коза) that I had missed from my flock for nearly a week past (которого недоставало моему стаду почти неделю уже = который пропал из стада почти неделю назад; to miss smth. — обнаружить отсутствие /чего-л./).
He was stretched on the floor of the cave (он лежал, растянувшись на полу пещеры), and too weak to rise up (и был слишком слаб, чтобы встать). He was a very old fellow (он был очень старым: «старым парнем»), and perhaps had gone in there to die (и, возможно, зашел сюда умирать).
I gave him some food and water (я дал ему еды и воды), and made him as comfortable as I could (и сделал ему так удобно, как мог). But he was too far gone to live long (но он был слишком стар, чтобы прожить долго).
I found that, although I could stand up in the cave, it was very small (я обнаружил, что, хотя я мог стоять в пещере, она была очень маленькой). It was only a hole in the rocks (она была лишь дырой в скалах), and was neither round nor square (и не была ни круглой, ни квадратной).
But at the end of this little chamber there seemed to be a passage that led farther in (но в конце этой маленькой комнаты, казалось, был проход, который вел дальше внутрь; to lead — вести). This passage was very narrow and dark (этот проход был узким и темным; to pass — проходить), and as my torch had burned out (и поскольку мой факел выгорел), I did not try to follow it (я не попытался последовать по нему).
I went back to my wood chopping (я вернулся к моей рубке леса).
discovery [d'skvr], suppose [s'puz], upon ['pn], charcoal ['t:kul], brush [br], aside ['sad], sigh ['sa], chamber ['temb], passage ['paesd]
ONCE every week I went into the woods to see the flock of goats that I had hidden there. I always carried my gun, but since my last great fright I did not dare to fire it off. I was afraid even to drive a nail or chop a stick of wood, lest some savages might be near enough to hear the sound.
I was afraid to build a fire at my castle, lest the smoke should be seen.
At last I carried some of my pots and kettles to my hidden field in the woods. I could do my cooking there much more safely than at my castle.
Hardly had I put things in order there when I found something that made me very glad. What do you suppose it was?
It was a cave — a real cave. The door into it was through a little hollow place at the bottom of a great rock. It was so well hidden that no one could have found it even by looking for it.
Shall I tell you how I came upon it?
I was afraid to make a smoke near my house, and yet I could not live without cooking meat. I tried all kinds of dry wood, and yet there was always some smoke. Then I thought I would try charcoal. But I must first make the charcoal.
I found a place in the darkest part of the woods where the smoke would hardly rise to the tops of the trees. There I built my charcoal pit.
This was done in the following way:
First, I cleared off a round space about ten feet in diameter. Here I dug out the earth till I made a pit about a foot deep. Then I cut a cord or more of wood and piled it up in this space. I piled it up until it was almost as high as my shoulders. I covered it a foot deep with earth and turf, leaving a small open place at the bottom.
When this was done, I set fire to the wood through the hole in the bottom. It burned slowly. The wood became charcoal.
One day, while cutting wood for my charcoal pit, I happened to see a hollow place in the rock close by a tree I was chopping.
It was half covered with brush. I pushed this aside and looked in. I saw a little cave just large enough for me to creep into on my hands and knees.
But, a little farther in, it was larger. It was so high that I could stand upright, and it was so wide that two men could have walked in it side by side.
It was a very dark place, and I stood still a moment till my eyes should become a little used to it.
All at once I saw something in the darkness that made me scramble out of that place much faster than I had come into it.
What do you think it was? Two big shining eyes that glowed like coals in the darkness. Whether they were the eyes of a man or of some fierce beast, I did not stop to see.
I stood a little while by the mouth of the cave and then I began to get over my fright.
What could there be in this cave that would do me harm? No man could live there in the darkness. As for any animal, I knew there was nothing fiercer on the island than one of my cats.
So, with a blazing stick for a torch, I crept back into the cave. But I had not gone three steps before I was frightened almost as much as before.
I heard a loud sigh, like that of a man in trouble. Then there were low moans, and sounds as of some one trying to speak.
I stopped short. Cold chills ran down my back. My hair seemed to stand on end. But I would not allow myself to run out again.
I pushed my little torch forward into the darkness, as far as I could. The blaze lit up the cave. And what do you suppose I saw then?
Why, nothing but a shaggy old goat that I had missed from my flock for nearly a week past.
He was stretched on the floor of the cave, and too weak to rise up. He was a very old fellow, and perhaps had gone in there to die.
I gave him some food and water, and made him as comfortable as I could. But he was too far gone to live long.
I found that, although I could stand up in the cave, it was very small. It was only a hole in the rocks, and was neither round nor square.