James Baldwin - Английский язык с Робинзоном Крузо (в пересказе для детей) (ASCII-IPA)

The wind was fair for the shore (ветер дул к берегу) , and I set my sail again (и я вновь поднял парус) . The canoe sped swiftly back toward the island (каноэ поспешило быстро назад к острову; to speed — двигаться поспешно; мчаться) .

I saw then that I was sailing midway between two strong currents (я увидел затем, что я плыл посредине между двумя сильными течениями) . If I should be caught in either (если бы я попал: «был пойман» в одно из них; to catch — ловить) , I would again be carried out to sea (я бы опять был вынесен в море) .

I needed all the skill I had to steer the canoe aright (мне нужно было все мое умение, которое у меня было, чтобы направить каноэ в нужном направлении; aright — верно, правильно) . At last, when the sun was almost down (наконец, когда солнце почти зашло) , I brought it into a quiet little cove (я завел его в маленькую бухточку) where the shore was green with grass (где берег был зеленым от травы) .

perilous ['perIl@s], given ['gIv(@)n], idea [aI'dI@], trial ['traI@l], failure ['feIlj@], succeed [s@k'si:d], person [p@:sn], river ['rIv@], supply [s@'plaI], afraid [@'freId], furious ['fju@rI@s], current ['kVr(@)nt], sluice [slu:s], whirl [w@:l], edge [edZ], calm [kA:m]

I HAD never given up the idea of having a canoe.

My first trial, as you have seen, was a failure. I had made too big a boat, and I had made it too far from the water. I could do better another time. One day after I had harvested my grain, I set to work.

There was no tree near the river that was fit for a canoe. But I found a fine one nearly half a mile away.

Before I began to chop the tree, I made all my plans for taking the canoe to the water.

I worked now with a will, for I felt sure that I would succeed.

In a few weeks the little vessel was finished. It was a very pretty canoe, and large enough for only two or three persons.

Small as it was, it was quite heavy. For you must remember that it was a part of the tree, hollowed out and shaped like a boat. It was as much as I could do to lift one end of it.

How should I ever get it to the river?

I have already told you that I had made plans for this.

Through the soft ground between the river and the canoe I dug a big ditch. It was four feet deep and six feet wide and nearly half a mile long.

I worked at this ditch for nearly two years. When it was done and filled with water from the river, I slid my canoe into it. It floated, as I knew it would.

As I pushed it along to the end of the great ditch and out into the river, it looked very small. I could never hope to make a long voyage in it!

But I could sail round the island, and make little journeys close to the shore.

Before starting out, I put up a mast in the prow of the canoe and made a sail for it of a piece of the ship's sail that I had kept with great care.

Then at each end of the little vessel I made lockers or small boxes, in which I put a supply of food and other things that I would need on my voyage.

On the inside of the vessel I cut a little, long, hollow place or shelf where I could lay my gun; and above this I tacked a long flap of goatskin to hang down over it and keep it dry.

In the stern I set up my umbrella, so that it would keep the hot sun off of me while I was steering the canoe.

Then every day I made short trips down the river to the sea and back again. Sometimes, when the wind was fair, I sailed a little way out; but I was afraid to go far.

At last I made up my mind for a voyage around the island.

I filled my lockers with food. In one I put two dozen barley cakes and a pot full of parched rice. In the other I stored the hind quarters of a goat.

I also put in powder and shot enough to kill as much game as I would need.

On a day in November I set sail on my voyage. It proved to be a harder voyage than I had bargained for.

In the first place, there were so many rocks along the shore that I sometimes had to sail for miles out into the sea to get around them.

Then, when I was on the farther side of the island, I struck a furious current of water that was pouring round a point of land like the sluice of mill.

I could do nothing in such a current. My canoe was whirled along like a leaf in a whirlwind. The sail was of no use. The little vessel spun round and round in the eddies and was carried far out to sea.

I gave myself up for lost. I was so far out that I could hardly see the low shores of my island.

Suddenly I noticed that the canoe was only a little way from the edge of the current. Just beyond it the water was quite calm and smooth.

I took up my paddle again and paddled with all my might. With great joy I soon found myself floating in quiet water.

The wind was fair for the shore, and I set my sail again. The canoe sped swiftly back toward the island.

I saw then that I was sailing midway between two strong currents. If I should be caught in either, I would again be carried out to sea.

I needed all the skill I had to steer the canoe aright. At last, when the sun was almost down, I brought it into a quiet little cove where the shore was green with grass.

(я разбужен голосом; alarm — боевая тревога, сигнал тревоги; to alarm — поднять тревогу, дать сигнал тревоги; предупредить об опасности; встревожить, взволновать; напугать; насторожить; вызвать тревогу)

AS soon as I touched the land (как только я коснулся земли) , I fell upon my knees and gave God thanks for bringing me safe out of so great danger (я пал на колени и возблагодарил Бога: «отдал Богу благодарности» за то, что он вывел меня живым из такой большой опасности) .

I made the canoe fast to a rock by the shore (привязал каноэ к скале у берега; fast — крепкий, твердый) , and lay down on the grass (и лег на траву) .

I was so tired (я был таким уставшим) that I soon fell asleep (что скоро заснул) and did not waken once until the next morning (и не просыпался до следующего утра) .

I went up a little hill close by the shore (я поднялся по маленькому холму /расположенному/ близко к берегу) , and looked around to see what part of the island I was in (и осмотрелся вокруг, чтобы увидеть, в какой части острова я был) .

To my right I saw some well-known trees (справа я увидел хорошо известные деревья) which I had visited when I was exploring the island (которые я посетил = видел, когда исследовал остров) . Then I knew that I was only a little way from my summer house (тогда я понял, что я был всего лишь на небольшом расстоянии от моего летнего дома) and that I could reach it easily by walking (и мог легко достичь его пешком) .