Джеймс Болдуин – Английский язык с Робинзоном Крузо (в пересказе для детей) (страница 48)

We found nothing more in the woods that day. Friday carried the kid home, and I took off its skin and dressed it. Then I stewed some of the best pieces and made some good broth.

At dinner I gave some of the broth to my man. He liked it very well, but he could not bear salt in it.

I tried to show him that food was best with a little salt. But he did not think so, and he would never eat meat that was salted.

The next day I set Friday to work. I had him thrash some barley for me and grind the grains into meal as I had always done.

He did his work very well.

Then I let him see me make some bread and bake it. He learned very fast and soon could cook and keep house as well as any one.

Little by little I taught him how to work on my farm. We fenced another field and sowed more barley. For now there were two mouths to feed instead of one.

Very soon Friday learned to talk quite well. He learned the name of everything he saw. He was very quick, and I took pleasure in teaching him.

I told him all about gunpowder and guns and showed him how to shoot. I gave him a knife, which pleased him not a little. I made him a belt and gave him a hatchet to carry in it.

I told him about the countries on the other side of the great ocean. And I told him something of my own history.

Little by little I explained how my people traded in great ships, and how my own ship had been wrecked on the coast of this island.

Thus, between working and teaching, I forgot all my fears. The days passed by, and every day brought some new delight.

It was the pleasantest year of my life.

I often asked my man Friday to tell me about his own country. He told me all that he knew, and his words made me feel quite sure that the mainland of South America was not far away.

In fact, the low shore that I could see far to the west of my island was part of the coast of that great continent.

Friday told me that white men sometimes went there. He said that they had long, dark beards and were always trying to trade with his people.

I felt quite sure they were Spaniards, and I had a great mind to go over, if I could, and join them. Indeed, my whole mind was set on seeing some of my own people again.

I thought that if I could only get to the mainland, I would find some way to reach England, or at least some place where Englishmen lived.

At last I told Friday that I would give him a boat to go back to his own country. This was part of my plan for getting away from the island.

I took him over to the other side of the island and showed him my canoe.

We cleared it of water and then took a short sail in it. Friday could paddle very well.

"Now, Friday," I said, "shall we paddle across the sea to your own country?"

He looked very dull at my saying this, and I saw that he thought the canoe was too small.

"Well," I said, "I have a bigger boat. I will show it to you to-morrow."

The next morning, therefore, I took him to see the first boat I had made and which I could not get to the water.

He said it was big enough. But it had been lying on the ground for twenty-three years and was rotten.

"We will make a new boat, Friday," I said. "We will make one as big as this. Then you shall go to your old home in it."

He looked very sad.

"Why are you angry with Friday?" he asked. "What has he done?"

I told him that I was not angry, and asked him what he meant.

"Not angry! not angry!" he cried. "Then why do you want to send Friday away to his old home?"

"Why, Friday," I said, "didn't you say that you wished you were there?"

"Yes, yes," said he. "Friday wishes both were there, but not Friday without his master."

"But what would I do there?" I asked. "I could do nothing."

"Oh, yes, master," he answered very quickly, "You could do much. You could teach wild mans to be tame, to know God, to live right. You could do much."

"No, Friday," I said. "You shall go without me. Leave me here to live by myself as I did before."

He looked very sad. Then all at once he ran and picked up a hatchet. He brought it and gave it to me.

"What shall I do with this?" I asked.

"You take it. Kill Friday," he said.

"Indeed," I said, "and why shall I do that?"

"Then why do you send Friday away?" he said "Better kill than send away."

The tears stood in his eyes as he spoke. I saw that he loved me and would always stand by me.

So I told him that I would never, never send him away, and that he should always stay with me.

You should have seen his eyes brighten.

I MAKE A NEW BOAT

(я мастерю новую лодку)

I MADE up my mind to begin the new boat at once (я решил начать /строить/ новую лодку).

So, the next day (поэтому, на следующий день), I went with Friday to find a good tree (я отправился с Пятницей найти хорошее дерево).

There were trees enough on the island to build a fleet (на острове было достаточно деревьев, чтобы построить флот). But, I must find one that was close to the water (но я должен был найти такое, что было близко к воде), so that we could launch the boat when it was made (чтобы мы смогли спустить лодку на воду, когда она будет готова; to launch — спускать судно на воду).

At last Friday found one (наконец Пятница нашел /такое/ дерево). He knew, better than I (он лучше меня знал), what kind of wood was best for making a boat (какой вид дерева был лучшим для создания лодки).

It was an odd-looking tree (это было странное: «странно выглядящее» дерево; odd — нечетный; чуждый, необычный, странный), and to this day I do not know its name (и по сей день я не знаю его названия).

Friday chopped it down (Пятница срубил его). He cut off a part of it for the boat (он отрубил часть его для лодки).

He wished to build a fire on the top of it (он захотел разжечь огонь на его верхней части) and thus burn out the hollow part of the boat (и таким образом выжечь полую часть лодки).

But I showed him a better way (но я показал ему лучший способ = способ получше), to chop it out with hatchets and chisels (/что можно/ выдолбить его /бревно/ топориками и долотом).

In about a month it was finished (примерно через месяц она /лодка/ была закончена). With our axes (нашими топорами) we cut and hewed the outside till it was in a very good shape (мы резали и рубили наружную часть, пока она не приняла очень хорошую форму).

Then we worked hard for two weeks to get the boat into the water (затем мы тяжело трудились в течение двух недель, чтобы доставить лодку в воду).

But when she was in (но когда она оказалась в воде), how well she floated (как хорошо она поплыла)! She would have carried at least twenty men (она могла бы везти самое малое двадцать человек).

It was wonderful (было удивительно) how well Friday could manage her (как хорошо Пятница мог управлять ею). It was wonderful how fast he could paddle (как быстро он мог грести).

"Now, Friday (а теперь, Пятница)," I said, "do you think she will carry us over the sea (как ты думаешь, она перевезет нас через море)?"

"Yes, master," he said, "she will carry us even in the worst wind (даже при самом худшем ветре)."

My next care was to make a mast and a sail (моей следующей заботой было сделать мачту и парус), and to fit the boat with an anchor and a rudder (и оборудовать лодку якорем и рулем).

It was easy enough to get the mast (было довольно легко раздобыть мачту). I had Friday cut down a tall young cedar (я приказал Пятнице срубить высокий молодой кедр; to cut — резать; рубить, валить /лес/; to cut down — рубить /деревья/) that grew near the place (который рос неподалеку: «близко к этому месту»).

He shaped it and smoothed it (он придал ему форму и сровнял), and made as pretty a mast as you would wish to see (и сделал такую красивую мачту, какую бы вы /только/ хотели видеть = что лучше некуда).

As for the sail, that was another thing (что касается паруса, это было другое дело). I had old sails (у меня были старые паруса), or pieces of old sails (или = точнее, куски старых парусов) in plenty (в изобилии: «в полноте»).

But they had been lying in this place and in that for six and twenty years (но они лежали то тут, то там в течение двадцати шести лет). It would be a wonder if they were not all rotten (было бы чудом, если бы они не оказались все гнилыми).