Английский язык с Робинзоном Крузо (в пересказе для детей)

As the boat neared the shore, we saw that there were ten men in her and that they were all armed with muskets.

The sun shone in their faces and we had a good sight of them as they came.

The captain knew them all. He said that there were three very honest fellows among them who had gone into this business against their will. All the rest, however, were bad men who were ready to do any wicked deed.

We now set free two of our prisoners, for they seemed to be trustworthy men and glad that matters had turned in the captain's favor.

"Can we trust them, Captain?" I asked.

"I will stand good for them," said the captain.

I gave them each a gun. We had now seven armed men to meet the ten who were coming to the shore.

But we kept ourselves hidden and waited to see what they would do.

As soon as they reached the shore they ran to see the other boat. What was their surprise to find her stripped of everything and a hole in her bottom.

They shouted, but no one answered.

They fired off their muskets, making the woods ring with their echoes. But still there was no answer.

Then they launched their boat again, and all started to the ship.

But on the way they changed their minds. It would never do, they thought, to leave their friends on the island without so much as hunting for them.

They therefore rowed back to the shore. Three men were left with the boat as guards, and the rest started out into the country to seek their lost companions.

We should have been glad if they had come our way, so that we might have fired on them; but this they failed to do.

Night was fast coming on, and they did not dare to go far from the shore.

By and by they came back to the boat again.

We feared that they had given up the search and would now return to the ship.

The sun was setting, and darkness would soon cover both land and sea.

I AM CALLED GOVERNOR

(меня называют губернатором)

BY my orders (по моим приказам), Friday and the captain's mate hurried through the woods to the little river (Пятница и помощник капитана поспешили через лес к речке) where I had landed so long ago with my rafts (где я причалил так давно = некогда с моими плотами).

When they had reached the place (когда они добрались до того места), they shouted as loudly as they could (они стали кричать так громко, как /только/ могли).

The men who were just getting into the boat heard them (матросы, которые как раз садились в лодку, услышали их). They answered (они ответили), and ran along the shore toward the little river (и побежали вдоль берега к речке).

The three who had been left in the boat also rowed around toward the same place (те трое, что были оставлены в лодке, также погребли к тому же месту). Near the mouth of the river, however, they came to land again (около устья реки они однако вновь высадились на землю), and one of them ran along the bank of the stream to meet his fellows (и один из них побежал вдоль берега потока, чтобы встретить своих товарищей).

At this moment I rushed forward with the captain (в этот момент я бросился вперед с капитаном; to rush — броситься, устремиться), and seized the boat (и захватил лодку) before the two fellows who were in it could save themselves (прежде чем два парня, которые были в ней, смогли спастись /бегством/).

It was now almost dark (было уже почти темно), and we had nothing to do but wait (и нам не оставалось ничего другого, как подождать) till the seamen came back to the shore to look for their boat (пока моряки не вернутся на берег искать свою лодку).

Soon Friday and the captain's mate rejoined us (вскоре Пятница и помощник капитана вновь присоединились к нам; to join smb. — присоединяться к кому-л.; to rejoin smb. — вновь присоединяться к кому-л.), and I stood at the head of my little army (и я стоял = был во главе своей малой армии), listening to the seamen as they made their way through the bushes (прислушиваясь, как моряки прокладывали путь через кусты).