Английский язык с Робинзоном Крузо

over and about them, and then set it on fire.

As fast as the wood burned up, I heaped other pieces upon the fire. The hot flames

roared all round the jars and pots. The red coals burned beneath them.

I kept the fire going all day. I could see the pots become red-hot through and

through. The sand on the side of a little jar began to melt and run.

After that I let the fire go down, little by little. I watched it all night, for I did not

wish the pots and jars to cool too quickly.

In the morning I found that I had three very good earthen pots. They were not at

all pretty, but they were as hard as rocks and would hold water.

I had two fine jars also, and one of them was well glazed with the melted sand.

After this I made all the pots and jars and plates and pans that I needed. They

were of all shapes and sizes.

You would have laughed to see them.

Of course I was awkward at this work. I was like a child making mud pies.

But how glad I was when I found that I had a vessel that would bear the fire! I

could hardly wait to put some water in it and boil me some meat.

That night I had turtle soup and barley broth for supper.

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I BUILD A BIG CANOE (большое каноэ)

WHILE I was doing these things I was always trying to think of some way to

escape from the island (пока я делал эти вещи, я постоянно пытался подумать о

каком-то пути /как/ сбежать с острова).

True (правда), I was living there with much comfort (я жил там с большим

удобствами). I was happier than I had ever been while sailing the seas (был счастливее,

чем когда я плавал по морям).

But I longed to see other men (очень хотел увидеть других людей). I longed for

home and friends (очень хотел увидеть дом и друзей; to long for … — очень хотеть,

стремиться, страстно желать).

You will remember that when I was over at the farther side of the island (вы

должны помнить, что когда я был на дальней стороне острова) I had seen land in the

distance (я видел землю на расстоянии). Fifty or sixty miles of water lay between me

and that land (50-60 миль воды лежало между мной и той землей). Yet I was always

wishing that I could reach it (но я всегда желал, чтобы я мог достичь ее).

It was a foolish wish (глупое желание). For there was no telling what I might

find on that distant shore (трудно было предположить, что я мог бы найти на том

далеком берегу).

Perhaps it was a far worse place than my little island (возможно, это было

намного худшее место, чем мой маленький остров). Perhaps there were savage beasts

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105

there (дикие звери). Perhaps wild men lived there who would kill me and eat me (дикие

люди жили там, которые убьют и съедят меня).

I thought of all these things (думал обо всех этих вещах); but I was willing to

risk every kind of danger rather than stay where I was (я желал /скорее/ рискнуть

любой опасностью = пойти на любую опасность, чем оставаться, где я был).

At last I made up my mind to build a boat (наконец я решил построить лодку).

It should be large enough to carry me and all that belonged to me (должна быть

достаточно большой, чтобы перевезти меня и все, что принадлежало мне). It should

be strong enough to stand a long voyage over stormy seas (достаточно крепкой, чтобы

выдержать долгий вояж по штормящим морям).

I had seen the great canoes which Indians sometimes make of the trunks of trees

(я видел большие каноэ, которые индейцы иногда делают из стволов деревьев). I

would make one of the same kind (такого же вида).

In the woods I found a cedar tree (нашел кедр) which I thought was just the right

thing for my canoe (который, я думал, был как раз подходящим для моего каноэ).

It was a huge tree (огромное дерево). Its trunk was more than five feet through at

the bottom (ствол был более пяти футов в диаметре у нижней части).

I chopped and hewed many days before it fell to the ground (рубил много дней,

прежде чем он упал на землю). It took two weeks to cut a log of the right length from it

(потребовалось две недели, чтобы вырезать бревно нужной длины из него).

Then I went to work on the log (приступил к работе над бревном). I chopped

and hewed (рубил и вырубал) and shaped the outside into the form of a canoe (придал

снаружи форму каноэ). With hatchet and chisel I hollowed out the inside (топориком и

долотом выдолбил полость).

For full three months I worked on that cedar log (полных три месяца я работал

над этой кедровым бревном). I was both proud and glad when the canoe was finished

(был горд и рад, когда каноэ было закончено). I had never seen so big a boat made

from a single tree (я никогда не видел такой большой лодки, сделанной из одного

дерева).

It was well shaped and handsome (хорошей формы и красивая). More than

twenty men might find room to sit in it (более 20 человек могли бы найти место и

сесть в ней).

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106

But now the hardest question of all must be answered (но теперь самый

сложный из всех вопросов должен быть отвечен).

How was I to get my canoe into the water (как я смогу доставить каноэ на