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;
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
сезонами). Indeed, there were two wet seasons and two dry seasons, in the year (в самом
деле, было два влажных сезона = сезона дождей и два сухих сезона в году).
season [si:zn] almanac [‘o:lmænək] account [ə’kaunt]
I MAKE ME A CALENDAR
IT was now just one year since I was cast upon this lonely island. Do you wonder
how I have kept an account of the time? I will tell you.
A few days after the ship wreck it came into my mind that I should lose track of
the days and the seasons. For I had neither almanac nor notebook. It would be hard
always to remember the days of the week and I might even forget when it was Sunday.
So I set up a large post by my door. At the top of this post I cut in large letters
these words:
I CAME ON SHORE HERE
SEPTEMBER 30, 1659.
Every morning I cut a little notch on the side of the post under these words.
Every seventh notch was twice as long as the rest, and this showed me that the
day was Sunday.