Английский язык с Робинзоном Крузо (в пересказе для детей)

All these I baked in the hot sun. They kept their shape, and seemed quite hard. But of course they would not hold water or bear the heat of the fire.

One day when I was cooking my meat for dinner, I made a very hot fire. When I was done with it, I raked down the coals and poured water on it to put it out.

It so happened that one of my little earthenware jars had fallen into the fire and been broken. I had not taken it out, but had left it in the hot flames.

Now, as I was raking out the coals, I found some pieces of it and was surprised at the sight of them, for they were burned as hard as stones and as red as tiles.

"If broken pieces will burn so," said I, "why cannot a whole jar be made as hard and as red as these?"

I had never seen potters at work. I did not know how to build a kiln for firing the pots. I had never heard how earthenware is glazed.

But I made up my mind to see what could be done.

I put several pots and small jars in a pile, one upon another. I laid dry wood all over and about them, and then set it on fire.

As fast as the wood burned up, I heaped other pieces upon the fire. The hot flames roared all round the jars and pots. The red coals burned beneath them.

I kept the fire going all day. I could see the pots become red-hot through and through. The sand on the side of a little jar began to melt and run.

After that I let the fire go down, little by little. I watched it all night, for I did not wish the pots and jars to cool too quickly.

In the morning I found that I had three very good earthen pots. They were not at all pretty, but they were as hard as rocks and would hold water.

I had two fine jars also, and one of them was well glazed with the melted sand.

After this I made all the pots and jars and plates and pans that I needed. They were of all shapes and sizes.

You would have laughed to see them.

Of course I was awkward at this work. I was like a child making mud pies.

But how glad I was when I found that I had a vessel that would bear the fire! I could hardly wait to put some water in it and boil me some meat.

That night I had turtle soup and barley broth for supper.

I BUILD A BIG CANOE

(я мастерю большое каноэ)

WHILE I was doing these things I was always trying to think of some way to escape from the island (пока я делал эти вещи, я постоянно пытался подумать о каком-то пути /как/ сбежать с острова).

True (правда), I was living there with much comfort (я жил там с большим удобствами). I was happier than I had ever been while sailing the seas (я был счастливее, чем был когда-либо, пока плавал по морям = чем когда плавал по морям).

But I longed to see other men (но я очень хотел увидеть других людей). I longed for home and friends (я очень хотел увидеть дом и друзей; to long for smth. — очень хотеть, страстно желать чего-л., стремиться к чему-л.).

You will remember that when I was over at the farther side of the island (вы, наверное, помните, что когда я был на дальней стороне острова)

I had seen land in the distance (я видел на расстоянии/в отдалении землю). Fifty or sixty miles of water lay between me and that land (пятьдесят или шестьдесят миль воды лежало между мной и той землей). Yet I was always wishing that I could reach it (но я всегда желал, чтобы я мог достичь ее).

It was a foolish wish (это глупое желание). For there was no telling what I might find on that distant shore (потому что трудно было предположить, что я мог бы найти на том далеком берегу; distant — отдаленный).

Perhaps it was a far worse place than my little island (возможно, это было намного худшее место, чем мой маленький остров). Perhaps there were savage beasts there (возможно, там были дикие звери). Perhaps wild men lived there who would kill me and eat me (возможно, дикие люди жили там, которые могли убить меня и съесть).