(я обдумал весь вопрос: «всю материю»; to think smth. over — обдумывать что-л.), and felt much easier in my mind (и почувствовал намного легче в душе = почувствовал облегчение; mind — разум; умственные способности; ум; настроение, расположение духа).
I had been on the island eighteen years before I saw the first footprint (я пробыл на острове восемнадцать лет, прежде чем увидел первый отпечаток ноги). I had been there twenty-three years before I saw any other signs of savages (я пробыл там двадцать три года, прежде чем увидел другие признаки дикарей; sign — знак). It was likely that many more years would pass before any harm should come to me (было похоже, что много лет пройдут, прежде чем какая-либо беда постигнет меня).
With these thoughts I lay down in my hammock and slept without fear (с этими мыслями я лег в мой гамак и спал без страха).
But it was a long time before I went again to the farther shore of the island (но прошло долгое время, прежде чем я пошел опять на дальний берег острова). I did not even go to look after my canoe (я даже не пошел взглянуть на мое каноэ = проверить свое каноэ; to look after smb., smth. — следить глазами, взглядом; присматривать, ухаживать за кем-л., чем-л., заботиться о ком-л., чем-л.).
The days went quietly by (дни тихо проходили). I kept quite close to my castle (я держался довольно близко к замку), and busied myself with my goats and my grain (и занимался козами и зерном).
I was always on my guard (я постоянно был начеку; guard — охрана, защита; бдительность, осторожность), and never stepped out of doors without first looking around me (и никогда не выходил из дверей, сначала не осмотревшись).
bold [ˈbǝuld], harbor [ˈhɑ:bǝ], slaughter [ˈslɔ:tǝ], cannibal [ˈkænɪb(ǝ)l], breath [breƟ], look [luk]
FIVE or six years had passed, and not another footprint had I seen.
I had gotten over my great fright, and yet I was not so bold as I had been. Any sudden sound would make me start and look around. I thought that if savage men had been on the island once, they were quite likely to come again. So I kept on the lookout for them all the time.
My flock of goats had now grown to be very large, and I needed another field. I wished to put some of them in a hidden spot where the savages, if they did come, would not find them.
I had already a small flock in one such spot, as I have told you. But now I wished to have another.
In looking for the right kind of place, I went all over the island. I even went far out on a rocky point beyond the place where I kept my canoe.
As I was standing on a rock and looking out to sea, I thought I saw a boat in the distance. I was only a little speck on the water, and it seemed to rise and fall with the waves. It could not be a rock.
I looked at it till my eyes could look no more. I had saved a spyglass out of the ship; but, as luck would have it, I had left it at home. How I wished for it then!
Whether I really saw a boat or not, I do not know. But as I walked back along the shore, I made up my mind never to go out again without my spyglass.
I walked slowly along, thinking of what I had seen. All at once I came upon that which made my heart stand still.
On the sandy, sloping beach of a pleasant little harbor I saw not only one footprint, but hundreds of them.
I stood still, afraid to move.
But the footprints were not all. The beach at one place was covered with bones and bits of flesh, as in a slaughter house. Some of the bones were quite fresh; some had been charred with fire.
"Here the savages have been holding a feast," I said to myself.
A little farther on I saw that a pit had been dug in the sand, and here they had had their fire. The ashes were still warm.
I wondered what kind of a feast these wild men had been having. There were savages on the mainland who were said to kill and eat the captives whom they took in war. Cannibals, they were called.
Could this have been a feast of cannibals? And were these the bones and flesh of human beings?
I trembled as I thought of it.
I turned and ran from the place as fast as I could.
I ran until I could go no farther. My breath came fast. I sank down upon the ground.
When I had rested a little while, I looked around and found that I was not very far from my castle. All around me was peaceful and still. I was surely safe from harm.
With tears in my eyes I knelt down and gave thanks to God. I thanked him that he had kept me alive and safe through so many years. I thanked him that I had been cast on the side of the island which was never visited by savages. I thanked him for all the comforts and blessings that were mine.
Then I arose and went home to my castle.
As I sat before my door that evening, I thought the whole matter over, and felt much easier in my mind.
I had been on the island eighteen years before I saw the first footprint. I had been there twenty-three years before I saw any other signs of savages. It was likely that many more years would pass before any harm should come to me.
With these thoughts I lay down in my hammock and slept without fear.
But it was a long time before I went again to the farther shore of the island. I did not even go to look after my canoe.
The days went quietly by. I kept quite close to my castle, and busied myself with my goats and my grain.
I was always on my guard, and never stepped out of doors without first looking around me.
I MAKE A SURPRISING DISCOVERY
(я совершаю удивительное открытие)
ONCE every week I went into the woods to see the flock of goats that I had hidden there (один раз каждую неделю я ходил в лес посмотреть на стадо коз, которое я спрятал там; to hide — прятать).
I always carried my gun (я всегда носил = имел при себе ружье), but since my last great fright (но с последнего моего большого страха = с тех пор, как я сильно был напуган) I did not dare to fire it off (я не осмеливался выстрелить из него). I was afraid even to drive a nail (я боялся даже забить гвоздь) or chop a stick of wood (или срубить ветку дерева), lest some savages might be near enough to hear the sound (так как дикари могли быть достаточно близко, чтобы услышать звук; lest — чтобы не, как бы не; что /после глаголов и фраз, обозначающих опасение: вводит дополнение, выражаюшее событие, которого опасаются/).
I was afraid to build a fire at my castle (я боялся развести огонь у моего замка), lest the smoke should be seen (так как дым мог быть увиден).
At last I carried some of my pots and kettles to my hidden field in the woods (в конце концов я принес несколько моих горшков и чайников на мое спрятанное поле в лесу; pot — горшок, котелок, кастрюля). I could do my cooking there much more safely than at my castle (я мог заниматься готовкой там намного в большей безопасности, чем в замке).
Hardly had I put things in order there when I found something that made me very glad (едва я разложил там вещи в порядке, как обнаружил нечто, что сделало меня очень радостным = очень обрадовало меня). What do you suppose it was (что, вы полагаете, это было; to suppose — предполагать)?
It was a cave — a real cave (это была пещера — настоящая пещера). The door into it was through a little hollow place at the bottom of a great rock (дверь в нее была через маленькое отверстие: «полое место» у подножия большой скалы). It was so well hidden that no one could have found it even by looking for it (оно было так хорошо спрятано, что никто не мог бы найти его, даже ища его).
Shall I tell you how I came upon it (должен ли я сказать вам, как как я наткнулся на нее)?
I was afraid to make a smoke near my house (я боялся разводить дым около моего дома), and yet I could not live without cooking meat (но все же не мог жить, не готовя мяса). I tried all kinds of dry wood (я испытал все виды сухой древесины), and yet there was always some smoke (но все же всегда был какой-то дым). Then I thought I would try charcoal (затем я подумал, что стоит попробовать древесный уголь). But I must first make the charcoal (но сначала я должен был сделать древесный уголь).
I found a place in the darkest part of the woods (я нашел место в самой темной части леса) where the smoke would hardly rise to the tops of the trees (где бы дым едва поднялся бы до макушек деревьев). There I built my charcoal pit (там я устроил яму для древесного угля; to build — строить).
This was done in the following way (это было сделано следующим способом):
First, I cleared off a round space about ten feet in diameter (сначала я расчистил круглое пространство около десяти футов в диаметре). Here I dug out the earth (здесь я выкопал землю; to dig out — выкапывать) till I made a pit about a foot deep (пока не сделал яму около фута глубиной). Then I cut a cord or more of wood (затем я нарубил корд[9] или больше дров) and piled it up in this space (и уложил его на этом пространстве). I piled it up until it was almost as high as my shoulders (я укладывал их /дрова/, пока они не было почти такими высокими, как мои плечи = на уровне моих плеч; to pile up — нагромождать). I covered it a foot deep with earth and turf (я накрыл их слоем земли и дерна глубиной в фут; deep — глубокий), leaving a small open place at the bottom (оставив маленькое открытое место у основания).
When this was done (когда это было сделано)