I work under many difficulties (я работаю в трудных условиях: «под многими сложностями»)

 

MY barley ripened (мой ячмень 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).

 

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 колосья ячменя и бросал их в большую корзину, /которую/ я сделал). I carried these heads into my cave (я относил колосья в мою пещеру) and thrashed out the grain with my hands (и молотил зерно руками).

When all my harvesting was done (когда весь сбор урожая был закончен: «был сделан»), I measured the grain (я взвесил зерно; to measure — измерять, мерить). I had two bushels of rice (у меня было два бушеля[5] риса) 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 теперь, 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)?

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 (но я должен был сеять), to reap (жать), to thrash (молотить), to grind (молоть), to sift (просеивать), to mix (смешивать), and to bake (и печь).

To do all these I needed many tools (чтобы проделать все это, мне нужно было много инструментов).

I had no plow to turn up the ground (у меня не было плуга, чтобы вскапывать землю; to turn up — поднимать вверх; загибать; вскапывать; вспахивать; to turn — поворачивать, переворачивать). I had no spade nor shovel with which to dig it (у меня не было ни лопаты, ни мотыги, которыми копать ее). But with great labor (с большим трудом) I made me a wooden spade (я смастерил себе деревянную лопату), which was better than nothing (которая была 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 посеял зерно, разбрасывая его руками; to scatter — разбрасывать, раскидывать; рассыпать). But it must be covered so it would grow (но оно должно быть накрыто /землей/, чтобы оно росло), and I had no harrow (а у меня не было бороны). I cut down the branch of a tree (я срезал ветку дерева), and dragged it over the field (и протащил ее по полю; to drag — тянуть, тащить, волочить). This, I think, was the way that people in old times harrowed their ground (это, я думаю, был способ, каким люди в старые времена боронили землю).

The third thing to be done was to build a fence around my field (третье дело, которое нужно было сделать, было построить забор вокруг поля). After that came the reaping (после этого пришла жатва), the curing (заготовка), the carrying home (доставка домой), the thrashing (молотьба), the parting of the grain from the chaff (отделение зерна от мякины), the grinding (помол).

I needed a mill to do the grinding (мне нужна была мельница, чтобы молоть). I needed a sieve to sift the flour (сито, чтобы просеивать муку). I needed yeast and salt to mix with the dough (мне нужны были дрожжи и соль, чтобы смешать /их/ с тестом). I needed an oven to bake it (мне нужна была печь, чтобы испечь его).

I had to do without the most of these things (мне приходилось обходиться без большинства этих вещей). And this made my work very slow and hard (и это делало мою работу очень медленной и тяжелой; hard — жесткий; тяжелый /о работе/).

I was very lucky in having saved so many tools from the wreck (мне повезло, /что я/ сохранил так много инструментов с остова разбитого судна), and for this I was indeed thankful (и за это я в самом деле был благодарен). What a hard case I would have been in if I had saved nothing at all (в каком затруднительном положении: «жестком/тяжелом случае» был бы я, если бы не сохранил/не спас ничего вообще)!

From time to time (время от времени), as I felt the need of things (когда чувствовал необходимость вещей = в какой-либо вещи) I made a number of tools that served me very well (я делал ряд инструментов, которые служили мне очень хорошо). They were not such tools as you would buy at the store (они не были такими инструментами, которые вы бы купили в магазине), but what did it matter (но имело ли это значение)?

I have already told you about the shovel which I made from a piece of hard wood (я уже рассказал вам о лопате, которую я сделал из куска твердого дерева). Next to the shovel I needed a pickax most of all (после лопаты мне больше всего нужна была киркомотыга).

Among the many things that I had saved from the wreck (среди многих вещей, которые я сохранил с разбитого корабля), I found an old crowbar (я нашел старый лом). This I heated in the fire until it was almost white hot (я нагрел его на огне, пока он не стал почти белым от жара; hot — горячий; жаркий; разогретый; накаленный).

I then found that I could bend it quite easily (затем я обнаружил, что мог согнуть его довольно легко). Little by little I shaped it until I had made quite a good pickax of it (мало-помалу я придавал ему /нужную/ форму, пока я не сделал из него довольно хорошую киркомотыгу; shape — форма; to shape — придавать форму, формировать; делать по какому-л. образцу). Of course, it was heavy and not at all pretty (конечно, она была тяжелой и совсем не красивой). But who would look for beauty in a pickax (но кто бы стал искать красоту в киркомотыге)?

I at first felt the need of some light baskets (на первых порах я чувствовал необходимость = мне не хватало легких корзин) in which to carry my fruit and grain (в которых /мог бы/ носить мои плоды и зерно). So I began to study how baskets are made (поэтому я стал теперь изучать, как делаются/сделаны корзины; to study — изучать, исследовать /внимательно, тщательно/; рассматривать, обдумывать, взвешивать).

It was not until I had searched almost every nook on the island (только после того, как я обыскал каждый уголок острова) that I found some long slender twigs (я нашел длинные гибкие прутья) that would bend to make wicker ware (которые бы гнулись, чтобы сделать ивовую лозу = которые можно было гнуть, как ивовую лозу; wicker — ивовый прут, лоза; ware — изделия). Then I spent many an hour learning how to weave these twigs together (затем я провел много часов, учась, как сплетать эти прутья вместе) and shape them into the form of a basket (и придавать им форму корзины).

In the end (в конце концов), however (тем не менее), I was able to make as good baskets as were ever bought in the market (я был способен делать такие хорошие корзины, которые когда-либо покупались на рынке).

I had quite a goodly number of edge tools (у меня было довольно большое количество режущих инструментов; goodly — большой, большого размера; крупный, внушительный). Among these there were three large axes (среди них было три больших топора) and a great store of hatchets (и большой запас топориков); for you will remember that we carried hatchets to trade with the savages (так как вы должны помнить, что мы везли топорики, чтобы торговать/обмениваться с дикарями). I had also many knives (у меня было также много ножей).

But all these became very dull with use (но все они стали тупыми от использования). I had saved a grindstone from the wreck (я спас точильный камень с остова корабля), but I could not turn it and grind my tools at the same time (но не мог крутить его и точить инструменты в одно и то же время).

I studied hard to overcome this difficulty (я напряженно думал, как преодолеть эту трудность). At last (наконец), I managed to fasten a string to the crank of the grindstone in such a way that I could turn it with my foot (мне удалось прикрепить веревку к ручке точильного камня так, что я мог вертеть его ногой).

My tools were soon sharp, and I kept them so (мои инструменты вскоре были острыми, и я держал их такими = поддерживал в таком состоянии).

 

ripen ['raIp(q)n], scythe ['saID], sword [sO:d], measure ['meZq], bushel [buSl], necessary ['nesqs(q)rI], thrash [TrxS], harrow ['hxrqu], field [fi:ld], flour ['flauq], yeast [ji:st], salt [sO:lt], dough ['dqu], until [qn'tIl], axe [xks], manage ['mxnIG], fasten [fRsn]

 

I WORK UNDER MANY DIFFICULTIES

 

MY barley ripened and was ready to be harvested. I had neither scythe nor sickle to cut it down.

But you will remember that I had two old swords which I had found in the ship. With one of the swords I cut off the heads of the barley and dropped them into a big basket I had made. I carried these heads into my cave and thrashed out the grain with my hands.

When all my harvesting was done, I measured the grain. I had two bushels of rice and two bushels and a half of barley.

This pleased me very much. I felt now that I should soon be able to raise grain enough for food.

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

You have nothing to do but eat the bread after others have made it. But I had to sow, to reap, to thrash, to grind, to sift, to mix, and to bake.

To do all these I needed many tools.

I had no plow to turn up the ground. I had no spade nor shovel with which to dig it. But with great labor I made me a wooden spade, which was better than nothing.

After the ground was turned up, I sowed the seed by scattering it with my hands. But it must be covered so it would grow, and I had no harrow. I cut down the branch of a tree, and dragged it over the field. This, I think, was the way that people in old times harrowed their ground.

The third thing to be done was to build a fence around my field. After that came the reaping, the curing, the carrying home, the thrashing, the parting of the grain from the chaff, the grinding.

I needed a mill to do the grinding. I needed a sieve to sift the flour. I needed yeast and salt to mix with the dough. I needed an oven to bake it.

I had to do without the most of these things. And this made my work very slow and hard.

I was very lucky in having saved so many tools from the wreck, and for this I was indeed thankful. What a hard case I would have been in if I had saved nothing at all!

From time to time, as I felt the need of things I made a number of tools that served me very well. They were not such tools as you would buy at the store, but what did it matter?

I have already told you about the shovel which I made from a piece of hard wood. Next to the shovel I needed a pickax most of all.

Among the many things that I had saved from the wreck, I found an old crowbar. This I heated in the fire until it was almost white hot.

I then found that I could bend it quite easily. Little by little I shaped it until I had made quite a good pickax of it. Of course, it was heavy and not at all pretty. But who would look for beauty in a pickax?

I at first felt the need of some light baskets in which to carry my fruit and grain. So I began to study how baskets are made.

It was not until I had searched almost every nook on the island that I found some long slender twigs that would bend to make wicker ware. Then I spent many an hour learning how to weave these twigs together and shape them into the form of a basket.

In the end, however, I was able to make as good baskets as were ever bought in the market.

I had quite a goodly number of edge tools. Among these there were three large axes and a great store of hatchets; for you will remember that we carried hatchets to trade with the savages. I had also many knives.

But all these became very dull with use. I had saved a grindstone from the wreck, but I could not turn it and grind my tools at the same time.

I studied hard to overcome this difficulty. At last, I managed to fasten a string to the crank of the grindstone in such a way that I could turn it with my foot.

My tools were soon sharp, and I kept them so.