Английский язык с Робинзоном Крузо
Шрифт:
time they made the finest of raisins. I took them down and carried them to my castle.
Thus little by little I gathered food for winter.
The winters there were not cold. But the rain fell every day, and often all the day.
I had just finished my bower, and was beginning to enjoy myself when the rainy
season, or winter, began.
What could I do but hurry back to my castle and its dry, warm cave?
For weeks I could not stir out without getting wet. My store of food began to
grow small.
One day, in spite of the rain, I went out and killed a goat. The next day I found a
very large turtle among the rocks.
This was all good luck, for I had now enough to eat for many a day.
My meals were simple and plain.
For breakfast, I had a bunch of raisins and a bit of biscuit.
For dinner, I had broiled turtle. I could not have turtle soup, for I had no vessel in
which to cook it.
For supper, I ate two or three turtle's eggs.
Although I was kept close indoors by the rain, I was never idle.
Every day I worked at making my cave larger. I dug far in, behind the rock, and
made a fine, large room there.
Then I made another door or way out, which opened on the outside of my wall.
So now I could come into the castle through the cellar, or kitchen, and without climbing
the ladder.
This was much handier and easier than the other way. But it did not seem so safe.
I feared now lest some wild beast might get into my house; and yet the biggest animal I
had seen on the island was a goat.
Soon after this I put a roof over my whole inclosure. I took a number of long
poles for rafters and laid one end of each on the wall, while the other end leaned against
the rock above the cave.
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These I covered with boughs of trees, long grass, and such other things as I could
get. In this way I made a very good roof which turned the rain and kept everything dry.
My castle was now a very roomy place. It was quite warm and dry even in the
worst of weather.
I MAKE ME A CALENDAR (делаю себе календарь)
IT was now just one year since I was cast upon this lonely island (сейчас был как
раз один год с того времени, когда я был выброшен на этот необитаемый остров).
Do you wonder how I have kept an account of the time (вам интересно, как я
вел счет времени)? I will tell you.
A few days after the ship wreck (несколько дней спустя после
кораблекрушения) it came into my mind that I should lose track of the days and the
seasons (мне пришло в голову, что я могу потерять счет дней и сезонов = времен
года). For I had neither almanac nor notebook (так как не имел ни альманаха =
календаря, ни записной книжки). It would be hard always to remember the days of the
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week (было бы трудно всегда помнить дни недели) and I might even forget when it
was Sunday (мог бы даже забыть, когда воскресенье).
So I set up a large post by my door (установил большой шест у двери). At the
top of this post I cut in large letters these words (на верхушке шеста я вырезал
большими буквами эти слова):
I CAME ON SHORE HERE (я высадился на берег здесь)
SEPTEMBER 30, 1659.
Every morning I cut a little notch on the side of the post under these words
(вырезал зарубку на боку шеста под этими словами).
Every seventh notch was twice as long as the rest (каждая седьмая зарубка была
в два раза длиннее других; rest — остаток, остальное), and this showed me that the
day was Sunday.
Every thirtieth notch was longer and broader (каждая тридцатая зарубка была
длиннее и шире). This showed me that a full month had gone by (она показывала мне,
что целый месяц прошел).
It was thus I made my calendar (вот так я сделал календарь).
One morning I found, on counting up (одним утром я нашел, подсчитывая),
that there were three hundred and sixty-five notches (365 зарубок на столбе). I knew,
therefore, that it was just one year since my landing (я узнал, таким образом, что
прошел уже год со времени моей высадки).
I sat in my castle and thought of the goodness of God in thus keeping me alive (я
сидел в моем замке и думал о благодетели Бога /который/ так сохранил мне жизнь)
and safe in the midst of so many perils (посреди столь многих опасностей)
I humbled myself (смирился), and thanked him for his many mercies (за многие
милости).
For twelve hours I tasted nothing (двенадцать часов я не ел ничего). When, at
last, the sun went down, I ate a biscuit and a bunch of grapes and went to bed (когда,
наконец, солнце зашло, я съел печенье и гроздь винограда и пошел в постель).
Having now been on the island a whole year (пробыв на острове целый год), I
had learned that the seasons there were not the same as in England (я узнал, что времена
года не были такими, как в Англии).
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They were not to be spoken of as spring, summer, autumn, and winter (не
приходилось говорить о весне, лете, осени и зиме). They were rather to be called the
wet season and the dry season (скорее их нужно было называть дождливым и сухим