I make a long journey

I HAD long wished to see the whole of my island. So, one fine morning, I set out to travel across to the other side of it. Of course I carried my gun with me. In my belt was my best hatchet. In my pouch I had plenty of powder and shot. In my pocket were two biscuits and a big bunch of raisins. My dog followed behind me.

I went past my summer house, or bower, and toward evening came to a fine open place close by the sea.

It was a beautiful sight. The sky was clear, the air was still. The smooth waters stretched away and away toward the setting sun.

Far in the distance I could see land. I could not tell whether it was an island or some part of the mainland of America. It was at least fifty miles away.

If it were the mainland, I felt quite sure that I would at some time or other see a ship sailing hither to it or from it. If it were an island, there might be savages on it whom it would not be safe for me to meet. But it would do no good to worry my mind about such matters.

I found this side of the island much more beautiful than that where my castle was.

Here were large, open fields, green with grass and sweet with flowers. Here, too, were fine woods, with many strange trees and vines.

I saw many green parrots among the trees, and I thought how I would catch one and teach it to talk.

After a great deal of trouble I knocked a young one down with my stick. He was a good fighter, and it was no easy matter to get him. But at last I picked him up and put him in my bag.

He was not hurt, and I carried him home. It was a long time before I could make him talk. But at last he became a great pet and would call me by my name. I shall have a funny story to tell about him after a while.

Besides parrots there were many other birds in the woods. Some of these were of kinds that I had never seen before.

In the low grounds I saw some animals that looked like rabbits. There were others that I took to be foxes, but they were not such foxes as we have in England.

I traveled very slowly around the island, for I wished to see everything. Often I did not go more than two miles in a day.

At night I sometimes slept in a tree, while my dog watched below me. Sometimes I shut myself up in a little pen made by driving tall stakes into the ground. I felt quite safe, for nothing could come near me without waking me.

Along the seashore there were thousands of turtles and a great plenty of waterfowl.

I had no trouble to find all the food I needed. Sometimes I had a roast pigeon for dinner, sometimes the juicy meat of a turtle, sometimes that of a goat. No king could have fared better.

One day my dog caught a young kid. I ran and got hold of it, and would not let him hurt it.

I had a great mind to take it home with me. So I made a collar for it, and led it along by a string which I had in my pocket.

It was quite wild and did not lead well. It gave me so much trouble that I took it to my summer house and left it there.

I then went home to my castle.

I HARVEST MY GRAIN (я собираю мое зерно = мой урожай)

I CANNOT tell you how glad I was to get to my old house again (я не могу сказать = передать вам, как рад я был попасть в мой старый дом вновь) and lie down in my good hammock bed (и лечь в мою кровать-гамак).

I had been away for nearly a month (меня не было /здесь/ почти месяц; to be away — уходить, отлучиться; отсутствовать: «быть прочь»).

I was so tired from my long journey (так устал: «был таким уставшим» от длинного путешествия) that I stayed in my castle nearly a week (что я остался в замке почти на неделю).

While I was thus resting myself (пока я так отдыхал), I made a cage for my parrot (я смастерил клетку для попугая) which I named Poll (которого я назвал Попка; poll — стандартная кличка для попугая). He was very gentle for a parrot (он был очень послушным/смирным для попугая; gentle — /уст./ благородный; мягкий, добрый; послушный, смирный /обычно о животных/), and soon became very fond of me (и вскоре стал любить меня: «стал очень любящим меня/привязанным ко мне»; to become — становиться; fond of smb., smth. — любящий кого-л., что-л.).

Then I began to think of the kid (затем я начал думать о козленке) that I had left in my summer bower (которого я оставил в беседке). So I went with my dog to fetch it (поэтому я пошел со своей собакой забрать его).

I found it where I had left it (я нашел его там, где оставил его; to leave — оставлять, покидать). It had eaten all the grass inside of the fence (он съел всю траву внутри ограды) and was now very hungry (и был теперь очень голоден).

I gave it as much as it wished (я дал ему ее /травы/ столько, сколько он хотел), and then I tied the string to it to lead it away (а затем привязал веревку к нему, чтобы увести его). But there was no need of that (но в том не было нужды), for it was quite tame (потому что он был вполне послушным; tame — прирученный, одомашненный; укрощенный /о животных/).

It followed me everywhere (он следовал за мной всюду). It was very gentle and loving (он был очень добрым/смирным и любящим).

I had now a number of pets (теперь у меня было несколько: «число» домашних животных; number — число; a number — некоторое количество, несколько) and was no longer lonesome (и я больше не был одиноким).

My life was much happier (моя жизнь была намного счастливее) than it had been while I was sailing the seas (чем она была, когда я плавал по морям). I took delight in many things (я радовался многим вещам: «брал отраду во многих вещах»; delight — радость, отрада) that I had never cared for before (на которые ранее я никогда не обращал внимания/к которм прежде был равнодушен; to care for smb., smth. — заботиться о ком-л., чем-л.; проявлять интерес, испытывать любовь/привязанность к кому-л., чему-л.).

My barley and rice had grown well (ячмень и рис выросли хорошо; to grow — расти) and in another month would be ready to be harvested (и через месяц будут готовы к тому, чтобы быть собранными; harvest — урожай; to harvest — снимать урожай).

But one day I saw that some animals had been in the field (но однажды я увидел, что некоторые животные побывали в поле). Goats and rabbits had trampled upon the green stalks (козы и кролики потоптали зеленые стебли) and had eaten the long blades of barley (и поели длинные листья ячменя).

If things kept on this way I should soon lose my grain (если так будет продолжаться, я вскоре потеряю мое зерно).

There was nothing to be done but to build a fence or hedge around the field (ничего не оставалось делать, как только построить забор или устроить живую изгородь вокруг поля; hedge — /живая/ изгородь; ограда). This was easy, for the field was not large (это было легко, так как поле не было большим).

I drove tall stakes into the ground all around my growing crops (я вбил длинные колья в землю вокруг моего растущего урожая; to drive — гнать; вгонять, вбивать). These stakes were so close together (они были так близко вместе = друг к другу) that not even a rabbit could get between them (что даже кролик не мог пробраться между них).

Then I tied my dog near the gate of the little field (затем я привязал собаку у ворот маленького поля), so that he would bark whenever any animal came near (так, чтобы она бы залаяла, когда какое-либо животное приблизится; whenever — всякий раз когда; когда бы ни).

My grain was now safe from the beasts (мое зерно было = мои злаки были теперь в безопасности от зверей). It grew fast (оно росло быстро). The barley sent out large heads (ячмень выпустил большие головки = колосья) which soon began to ripen (которые скоро начали зреть).

But now the birds came down in great flocks to rob me (но теперь птицы спускались большими стаями, чтобы грабить меня). They sat on the fence (они сидели на заборе), they flew among the stalks of grain (они летали между стеблями зерна; to fly — летать), they carried away all the ripe barley they could find (они уносили весь зрелый ячмень, который могли найти).

This troubled me very much (это беспокоило меня очень сильно). The most of the grain was still green (большая часть зерна была еще зеленой). But I feared that as soon as it ripened I should lose it all (но я боялся, что как только оно созреет, я потеряю его полностью).

I loaded my gun (я зарядил ружье) and went out to the field (и вышел в поле). There I saw the thieves (там я видел воров), sitting on the fence and watching me (сидящих на заборе и наблюдающих за мной). I was so angry (я был таким сердитым/раздраженным) that I fired right among them and killed three (что выстрелил прямо между ними и убил троих).

"Now I will show you how to steal my grain (сейчас я покажу вам, как воровать мое зерно)!" I cried.

I put up a long pole in the center of the field (я установил длинный шест в центре поля), and on top of it I hung the three dead birds (и на верхушке его повесил три мертвых птицы; to hang — вешать).

"This will I do to all that venture to come into my field (это я сделаю со всеми, кто решится зайти на мое поле)," I said.

Strange to say, this ended all my troubles (странно сказать, но это прекратило все мои горести). Not another bird came to that place so long as my scarecrows hung there (ни одна другая птица не приходила = не прилетала на это место, пока мои пугала висели там; scarecrow — пугало; to scare — пугать; crow — ворона). In fact, the birds went away from that part of the island, and I did not soon see another (на самом деле, птицы покинули эту часть острова, и я не скоро увидел другую = не скоро увидел других птиц).

thus [DAs], parrot ['pxrqt], delight [dI'laIt], lose [lu:z], angry ['xngrI], scarecrow ['skeqkrqu]