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

I gave it as much as it wished, and then I tied the string to it to lead it away. But

there was no need of that, for it was quite tame.

It followed me everywhere. It was very gentle and loving.

I had now a number of pets and was no longer lonesome.

My life was much happier than it had been while I was sailing the seas. I took

delight in many things that I had never cared for before.

My barley and rice had grown well and in another month would be ready to be

harvested.

But one day I saw that some animals had been in the field. Goats and rabbits had

trampled upon the green stalks and had eaten the long blades of barley.

If things kept on this way I should soon lose my grain.

There was nothing to be done but to build a fence or hedge around the field. This

was easy, for the field was not large.

I drove tall stakes into the ground all around my growing crops. These stakes

were so close together that not even a rabbit could get between them.

Then I tied my dog near the gate of the little field, so that he would bark

whenever any animal came near.

My grain was now safe from the beasts. It grew fast. The barley sent out large

heads which soon began to ripen.

But now the birds came down in great flocks to rob me. They sat on the fence,

they flew among the stalks of grain, they carried away all the ripe barley they could find.

This troubled me very much. The most of the grain was still green. But I feared

that as soon as it ripened I should lose it all.

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I loaded my gun and went out to the field. There I saw the thieves, sitting on the

fence and watching me. I was so angry that I fired right among them and killed three.

"Now I will show you how to steal my grain!" I cried.

I put up a long pole in the center of the field, and on top of it I hung the three dead

birds.

"This will I do to all that venture to come into my field," I said.

Strange to say, this ended all my troubles. Not another bird came to that place so

long as my scarecrows hung there. In fact, the birds went away from that part of the

island, and I did not soon see another.

I WORK UNDER MANY DIFFICULTIES (я работаю «под многими

сложностями» = в трудных условиях)

MY barley ripened (созрел) and was ready to be harvested (был готов быть

собранным). I had neither scythe nor sickle to cut it down (у меня не было ни косы, ни

серпа, чтобы срезать его).

But you will remember that I had two old swords which I had found in the ship

(но вы вспомните, что я имел две шпаги, которые я нашел на корабле).

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With one of the swords I cut off the heads of the barley and dropped them into a

big basket I had made (одной шпагой я срезал головки ячменя и бросал их в

большую корзину, /которую/ я сделал). I carried these heads into my cave and

thrashed out the grain with my hands (молотил зерно руками).

When all my harvesting was done (когда весь сбор урожая был закончен), I

measured the grain (взвесил зерно). I had two bushels of rice (два бушеля риса

/бушель — мера емкости = 36,3 л/) and two bushels and a half of barley (и два с

половиной бушеля ячменя).

This pleased me very much (это очень меня порадовало). I felt now that I

should soon be able to raise grain enough for food (я чувствовал сейчас, что скоро

смогу вырастить достаточно зерна для еды).

Have you ever thought how many things are necessary for the making of your

bread (вы когда-нибудь думали, сколько вещей необходимы для приготовления

хлеба)?

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You have nothing to do but eat the bread after others have made it (вы не знаете

других забот, как /только/ есть хлеб после того, как другие сделали его). But I had to

sow (я должен был сеять), to reap (жать), to thrash (молотить), to grind (молоть), to

sift (просеивать), to mix (смешивать), and to bake (печь).

To do all these I needed many tools (много инструментов).

I had no plow to turn up the ground (не имел плуга, чтобы вскапывать землю).

I had no spade nor shovel with which to dig it (не лопаты, ни мотыги, которыми

копать ее). But with great labor (с большим трудом) I made me a wooden spade

(деревянную лопату), which was better than nothing (лучше, чем ничего).

After the ground was turned up (после того, как земля была вскопана), I sowed

the seed by scattering it with my hands (я сеял зерно, разбрасывая его руками). But it

must be covered so it would grow (но оно должно быть накрыто /землей/, чтобы оно

росло), and I had no harrow (борону). I cut down the branch of a tree (срезал ветку