I find a great store of things

THE next day I went to the ship again. This I kept up for more than a week.

Every day I brought a load of things to the shore.

At last there was nothing left that one pair of hands could lift. But I do believe that if the fine days had held out, I would have brought away the whole ship.

You ask how I would have done that? I would have cut it into pieces and brought one piece at a time.

The last thing that I found was a secret drawer in the cabin. In that drawer there was some money.

A part of this money was in gold pieces—"pieces of eight," we called them. The rest was in silver.

I smiled to myself when I saw this money.

"O useless stuff!" I cried. '"What are you good for now? You are not worth picking up. This little old knife is worth much more. I have no manner of use for you. Lie there, where you are, and go to the bottom."

I was about to leave the cabin when I looked around again. The bright pieces were so pretty that I could not bear to leave them.

So I put them all in a strong bag and tied it around my waist like a belt.

"It will not do to throw good money away," I said.

When I went up on deck the wind was blowing hard. Dark clouds were beginning to cover the sky. The waves were rolling high. A storm was coming.

I saw that it was time for me to hurry back to the shore.

I let myself down into the water and began to swim. The sea was rough. The money was heavy.

I hastened home to my little tent. The storm had already begun.

I build me a castle (строю себе замок)

I LAY down on my bed (лег в постель), with my money and other precious things close at hand (с деньгами и другими ценными вещами близко к руке = положив возле себя).

All night long the wind blew and the rain poured (ветер дул и дождь лил; to blow).

Early in the morning I arose (встал) and looked out toward the sea (взглянул на море).

The waves were rolling (волны поднимались: «катились») very high.

The ship was gone (корабль исчез). The sea had swallowed it up (море проглотило его).

As I could make no more visits to the ship (так как я не мог делать больше визитов на корабль), I now began to think of other things.

I was still afraid lest there were savage beasts on the island (я все еще боялся, были ли дикие животные на острове = а вдруг на острове дикие животные).

Savage men (дикие люди), too, might come that way (тоже могли объявиться).

If any of these should find me (если бы кто-то из них нашел меня), how could I protect myself from them (как я смогу защититься от них)?

I must have a stronger house (более крепкий дом) to live in (в котором жить: «чтобы жить в /нем/»). I must build me a little fort or castle (построить себе небольшую крепость или замок).

The place I was in was flat and wet (место, в котором я был, было ровным и сырым). My tent was on open ground (на открытой земле) and could be plainly seen from a distance (мог быть легко увиден с расстояния). There was no fresh water near it (не было пресной воды рядом).

I must find a better place than this for my castle (лучшее место для замка).

A little way from the shore there was a rocky hill (скалистый холм). I went to look at it.

Halfway (на полпути) up the hill there was a large level place (большой уступ), with a great rock rising behind it like the side of a house (с большим камнем, вырастающим сзади как стена дома).

I climbed up (взобрался) to the level place. There was but one way to go (только один путь), and that was by a steep and winding path (по крутой и вьющейся дорожке).

I found the place much larger (намного больше) than I thought. It was more than a hundred yards long (сто ярдов длиной /ярд — мера длины, равная 3 футам или 914,4 мм/) and almost half as broad (почти половину этого шириной).

It was, indeed (в самом деле), a green field (зеленое поле), or plain (равнина), with steep cliff rising up behind it (с крутой скалой, поднимающейся за ней). You must think of it as a great shelf (большая полка) half way up the side of the hill (на полпути до верхушки холма).

"Here," I said to myself, "is the place for my castle (место для замка)."

It was no easy thing to carry (перевезти) all my goods up the steep path (по крутой тропинке) to this level plain (до уступа). I worked hard for many days (трудился упорно много дней); but, then, there was nothing else to do (ничего другого не было делать), and I must keep busy (а нужно было чем-то заняться).

At one place on the side of the great rock there was a break (пролом), or opening (отверстие), like the door to a cave (как дверь в пещеру). But there was no cave there (не было пещеры там).

Just in front of this break (как раз перед) I began to build my castle. First, I drew a half circle upon the ground (нарисовал полукруг на земле), with the opening (с углублением) at the center (в центре). The space which it inclosed (расстояние, которое он /полукруг/ ограничивал) was about thirty feet across (было около тридцати футов в диаметре).

In this half circle I set up two rows of strong stakes (два ряда крепких столбов, колов), driving them deep into the ground (вдолбив их глубоко в землю).

The rows (ряды) were not more than six inches apart (не больше, чем шесть дюймов друг от друга /дюйм = 2,5 см/). The stakes (столбы) were about two inches apart and as high as my head (такими высокими, как моя голова = на уровне головы).

Then between and around these stakes I laid the great ropes (уложил большие веревки) that I had brought (принес) from the ship. Among these I twined (скрутил, перевил) the slender branches of trees (тонкие ветки деревьев) and long grapevines (длинные ветки виноградной лозы) that I found in the woods (которые нашел в лесу).

When all was finished I had a wall nearly six feet high (я имел стены почти шести футов высотой). It was so strong that nothing could break through it (/стена/ была/ такой крепкой, что ничто не могло прорваться сквозь нее).

I made no door in the wall (не сделал двери в стене). The only way in which to get into the yard (единственный способ попасть внутрь двора) behind it (за стеной) was by going over the top (был пройти через верх). This was done by climbing a short ladder (это делалось посредством залезания по короткой лестнице) which I could lift up after me, and then let down again (которую я мог поднять за собой, а потом спустить вниз опять).

How safe I felt now (в какой безопасности я чувствовал себя сейчас), as I stood inside of my castle wall!

Over this wall I next carried all my riches (все мои богатства), food, my tools, my boxes of clothing (еду, инструменты, коробки с одеждой). Then, right against the great rock (прямо у большой скалы), I made me a large tent to shelter me from the rain (я сделал большой навес, чтобы укрывать себя от дождя).

Into this tent I brought everything that would be spoiled by getting wet (что было бы испорчено, если бы намокло). In the middle of it (в середине) I swung the hammock (повесил гамак; to swing) that I had brought from the ship. For you must remember that I was a sailor (так как вы должны помнить, что я был моряком), and I could sleep better in a hammock than on a bed (я мог спать лучше в гамаке, чем на кровати).

The hollow place in the rock (полость в скале) was just as I hoped (была точно такой, как я надеялся). It was, indeed, a large cleft or crack (большая расселина или трещина), filled only with earth and small stones (заполненная только землей и маленькими камнями).

With such tools as I had I began to dig the earth and stones away (выкапывать землю и камни). I carried them out through my tent and piled them up along (уложил их вдоль) the inside of my wall (внутренней стороны стены).

In a few days I had made quite a cave which would serve very well as a cellar to my castle (которая могла очень хорошо служить как подвал для моего замка).

I called the cave my kitchen (назвал пещеру моей кухней); but when I began my cooking I found it best to do most of that work outside (нашел, что лучше делать большую часть этого /готовки/ снаружи).

In bad weather (в плохую погоду), however (однако), the kitchen was an excellent place to live in (кухня была прекрасным местом для жизни).

halfway [‘ha:f’wei] ladder [lædə]