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

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

When all my harvesting was done (когда весь сбор урожая был закончен), I measured the grain (взвесил зерно). I had two bushels of rice (два бушеля риса /бушель — мера емкости = 36,3 л/) 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 сейчас, 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 (я должен был сеять), to reap (жать), to thrash (молотить), to grind (молоть), to sift (просеивать), to mix (смешивать), and to bake (печь).

To do all these I needed many tools (много инструментов).

I had no plow to turn up the ground (не имел плуга, чтобы вскапывать землю). I had no spade nor shovel with which to dig it (не лопаты, ни мотыги, которыми копать ее). But with great labor (с большим трудом) I made me a wooden spade (деревянную лопату), which was better than nothing (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 сеял зерно, разбрасывая его руками). But it must be covered so it would grow (но оно должно быть накрыто /землей/, чтобы оно росло), and I had no harrow (борону). I cut down the branch of a tree (срезал ветку дерева), and dragged it over the field (протащил ее по полю). This, I think, was the way that people in old times harrowed their ground (это, я думаю, был способ, как 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 (собирание, 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 (дрожжи и соль, чтобы смешать /их/ с тестом). I needed an oven to bake it (печь, чтобы испечь его).

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

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 был бы я, если бы не сохранил 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 (о лопате, которую я сделал из куска твердого дерева). Next to the shovel I needed a pickax most of all (после лопаты мне нужна была киркомотыга больше всего).

Among the many things that I had saved from the wreck, I found an old crowbar (старый лом). This I heated in the fire until it was almost white hot (нагрел на огне, пока он не стал почти белым от жара).

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 форму пока я не сделал довольно хорошую киркомотыгу из него). 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 (кто бы стал искать красоту в киркомотыге)?

I at first felt the need of some light baskets (вначале я чувствовал необходимость легких корзин) in which to carry my fruit and grain (в которых носить мои плоды и зерно). So I began to study how baskets are made (изучать, как делаются корзины).

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 (длинные гибкие прутья) that would bend to make wicker ware (которые бы гнулись, чтобы сделать ивовую лозу = которые можно было гнуть, как ивовую лозу). Then I spent many an hour learning how to weave these twigs together (я провел много часов, изучая, как сплетать эти прутья вместе) and shape them into the form of a basket (придавать 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 мог делать такие хорошие корзины, которые когда-либо покупались на рынке).

I had quite a goodly number of edge tools (хорошее количество режущих инструментов). Among these there were three large axes (три больших топора) and a great store of hatchets (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 с дикарями). I had also many knives (также много ножей).

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

I studied hard to overcome this difficulty (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 (умудрился прицепить веревку к ручке точильного камня так, что я мог вертеть его ногой).

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

sword [so:d] sickle [sikl] scythe [saið]

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 member 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 [73] 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.

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