Английский язык с Робинзоном Крузо/Robinson Crusoe Written Anew for Children

I must have a stronger house to live in. I must build me a little fort or castle.

The place I was in was flat and wet. My tent was on open ground and could be

plainly seen from a distance. There was no fresh water near it.

I must find a better place than this for my castle.

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

Halfway up the hill there was a large level place, with a great rock rising behind it

like the side of a house.

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I climbed up to the level place. There was but one way to go, and that was by a

steep and winding path.

I found the place much larger than I thought. It was more than a hundred yards

long and almost half as broad.

It was, indeed, a green field, or plain, with steep cliff rising up behind it. You

must think of it as a great shelf half way up the side of the hill.

"Here," I said to myself, "is the place for my castle."

It was no easy thing to carry all my goods up the steep path to this level plain. I

worked hard for many days; but, then, there was nothing else to do, and I must needs

keep busy.

At one place on the side of the great rock there was a break, or opening, like the

door to a cave. But there was no cave there.

Just in front of this break I began to build my castle. First, I drew a half circle

upon the ground, with the opening at the center. The space which it inclosed was about

thirty feet across.

In this half circle I set up two rows of strong stakes, driving them deep into the

ground.

The rows were not more than six inches apart. The stakes were about two inches

apart and as high as my head.

Then between and around these stakes I laid the great ropes that I had brought

from the ship. Among these I twined the slender branches of trees and long grapevines

that I found in the woods.

When all was finished I had a wall nearly six feet high. It was so strong that

nothing could break through it.

I made no door in the wall. The only way in which to get into the yard behind it

was by going over the top. This was done by climbing a short ladder which I could lift up

after me, and then let down again.

How safe I felt now, as I stood inside of my castle wall!

Over this wall I next carried all my riches, food, my tools, my boxes of clothing.

Then, right against the great rock, I made me a large tent to shelter me from the rain.

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Into this tent I brought everything that would be spoiled by getting wet. In the

middle of it I swung the hammock that I had brought from the ship. For you must

remember that I was a sailor, and I could sleep better in a hammock than on a bed.

The hollow place in the rock was just as I hoped. It was, indeed, a large cleft or

crack, filled only with earth and small stones.

With such tools as I had I began to dig the earth and stones away. I carried them

out through my tent and piled them up along the inside of my wall.

In a few days I had made quite a cave which would serve very well as a cellar to

my castle.

I called the cave my kitchen; but when I began my cooking I found it best to do

most of that work outside.

In bad weather, however, the kitchen was an excellent place to live in.

I GO A-HUNTING (я иду на охоту; to hunt — охотиться)

WEEKS and weeks passed before my castle was finished (недели и недели

прошли до того, как мой замок был завершен).

I did not work at it all the time (не работал все время). Almost, every day I went

out with my gun to see what I could find (почти каждый день я выходил со своим

ружьем, чтобы увидеть, что я мог найти = поискать что-нибудь).

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The very first day (в самый первый день) I saw a flock of goats (стадо коз).

How glad I was (рад)!

But they were very shy and very swift (очень пугливыми и быстрыми). As soon

as they saw me (как только они увидали меня) they ran away in great fright (убежали в

большом страхе).

After that, I saw them nearly every day (почти каждый день). But it was hard to

get near them (но было трудно подобраться к ним близко).

One morning I saw an old goat feeding (старую козу, кормящую) in the valley

with a kid by her side (в долине с ребенком /козленком/ рядом с ней). I crept along

among the rocks (пробрался между камнями) in such a way (так, таким образом) that

she did not see me.

When I was close enough (близко достаточно), I raised my gun and fired

(выстрелил). The mother goat fell (упала), being killed at once by the shot (будучи

убитой выстрелом сразу).

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It was a cruel deed (это был жестокий поступок), and I felt indeed sorry for the