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.
(я становлюсь гончаром)
WHEN it came to making bread (когда предстояло делать хлеб: «когда пришло к деланью = иготовлению хлеба»), I found that I needed several vessels (я обнаружил = понял, что мне нужно несколько сосудов). In fact, I needed them in many ways (на самом деле, они нужны были мне по многим причинам).
It would be hard to make wooden vessels (было бы тяжело делать деревянные сосуды). Of course it was out of the question to make vessels of iron or any other metal (конечно, было вне вопроса = было совершенно невозможно сделать сосуды из железа или любого другого металла). But why might I not make some earthen vessels (но почему не мог я сделать несколько глиняных сосудов)?
If I could find some good clay (если бы я смог найти хорошую глину), I felt quite sure that I could make pots strong enough to be of use (я чувствовал полную уверенность, что я смогу делать горшки достаточно крепкими, чтобы быть годными к использованию/полезными).
After much trouble I found the clay (после многих трудностей я нашел глину). The next thing was to shape it into pots or jars (следующей вещью = задачей придать ей форму горшков или кувшинов).
You would have laughed to see the first things I tried to make (вы бы посмеялись, увидев первые вещи, которые я попытался сделать). How ugly they were (какими уродливыми они были)!
Some of them fell in pieces of their own weight (некоторые их них распадались на кусочки от собственного веса). Some of them fell in pieces when I tried to lift them (некоторые их них распадались на кусочки, когда я пытался поднять их).
They were of all shapes and sizes (они были всех форм и размеров = самых разнообразных форм и размеров).
After I had worked two months I had only two large jars (после того, как я проработал два месяца, у меня было только два больших кувшина) that were fit to look at (на которые можно было смотреть; fit — подходящий, подобающий). These I used for holding my rice and barley meal (их я использовал для хранения рисовой и ячменной еды).
Then I tried some smaller things, and did quite well (хзатем я попытался /сделать/ несколько более мелких вещей, и сделал довольно хорошо).
I made some plates (я сделал несколько тарелок), a pitcher (кувшин), and some little jars that would hold about a pint (и несколько маленьких кувшинов, которые удерживали около пинты[6]).
All these I baked in the hot sun (их всех я обжег на горячем солнце). They kept their shape (они сохранили свою форму), and seemed quite hard (и казались довольно крепкими). But of course they would not hold water or bear the heat of the fire (но, конечно, они не удержали бы воды и не выдержали бы жара огня).
One day when I was cooking my meat for dinner (однажды, когда я готовил мясо на обед), I made a very hot fire (я сделал = развел очень жаркий огонь/костер). When I was done with it (когда я закончил это = приготовление ужина), I raked down the coals (я разгреб угли) and poured water on it to put it out (и налил на костер воды, чтобы загасить его).
It so happened that one of my little earthenware jars had fallen into the fire and been broken (так случилось, что один из моих глиняных кувшинов упал в огонь и разбился). I had not taken it out (я не вытащил его), but had left it in the hot flames (а оставил его в горячем пламени; to leave — оставлять).
Now, as I was raking out the coals (так вот, когда я разгребал угли), I found some pieces of it and was surprised at the sight of them (я нашел несколько кусочков его /кувшина/ и был удивлен их видом), for they were burned as hard as stones and as red as tiles (потому что они спеклись /и стали/ крепкими, как камни, и красными, как черепица).
"If broken pieces will burn so (если разбитые куски обжигаются так)," said I, "why cannot a whole jar be made as hard and as red as these (почему целый кувшин не может быть сделан таким же твердым и красным, как эти)?"
I had never seen potters at work (я никогда не видел гончаров за работой). I did not know how to build a kiln for firing the pots (я не знал, как построить печь для обжига горшков). I had never heard how earthenware is glazed (я никогда не слышал, как глазируется глина).
But I made up my mind to see what could be done (но я решил посмотреть, что может быть сделано; to make up one's mind to do smth. — принять решение, решиться /сделать что-л./).
I put several pots and small jars in a pile (я поставил несколько горшков и кувшинов в кучу), one upon another (один на другой). I laid dry wood all over and about them (я положил сухое дерево над и вокруг), and then set it on fire (м затем поджег это).
As fast as the wood burned up (как только дерево прогорало), I heaped other pieces upon the fire (я бросал новые деревяшки в огонь; heap — груда, куча, масса; to heap — бросать в кучу, складывать в кучу, нагромождать). The hot flames roared all round the jars and pots (пламя шумело = бушевало вокруг кувшинов и горшков; to roar — реветь, орать; рычать). The red coals burned beneath them (красные угли горели под ними).
I kept the fire going all day (я поддерживал огонь весь день). I could see the pots become red-hot through and through (я мог видеть, как горшки становятся раскаленно-красными совершенно; through — насквозь; совершенно). The sand on the side of a little jar began to melt and run (песок в стороне от маленького кувшина начал плавиться и течь).
After that I let the fire go down (после этого я позволил огню потухнуть), little by little (мало-помалу). I watched it all night (я смотрел/следил за ним всю ночь), for I did not wish the pots and jars to cool too quickly (потому что я не хотел, чтобы горшки и кувшины остывали слишком быстро).
In the morning I found that I had three very good earthen pots (утром я обнаружил, что у меня были три очень хороших глиняных горшка). They were not at all pretty (они вовсе не были красивыми), but they were as hard as rocks (но они были тверды как камень; rock — скала) and would hold water (и могли: «будут» удержать воду).
I had two fine jars also (у меня также было два прекрасных кувшина), and one of them was well glazed with the melted sand (и один из них был хорошо глазированный расплавленным песком).
After this I made all the pots and jars and plates and pans that I needed (после этого я сделал все горшки, кувшины, тарелки и миски, которые были нужны). They were of all shapes and sizes (они были всех форм и размеров).
You would have laughed to see them (вы бы посмеялись, увидев их).
Of course I was awkward at this work (конечно, я был неуклюжим/неловким при этой работе). I was like a child making mud pies (я был подобен ребенку, делающий пироги из грязи).
But how glad I was when I found that I had a vessel that would bear the fire (но как рад я был, когда обнаружил, что у меня был сосуд, который вынес бы огонь)! I could hardly wait to put some water in it and boil me some meat (я едва мог ждать, чтобы налить воды в него и сварить себе мясо).
That night I had turtle soup (в тот вечер у меня были черепаховый суп; night — ночь; вечер) and barley broth for supper (ячменная похлебка на ужин).
question [ˈkwestʃ(ǝ)n], metal [ˈmet(ǝ)l], ugly [ˈʌɡlɪ], bear [ˈbeǝ], fire [ˈfaɪǝ], earthenware [ˈǝ:Ɵ(ǝ)nweǝ], piece [pi:s], burn [bǝ:n], broth [brɔƟ]
I BECOME A POTTER
WHEN it came to making bread, I found that I needed several vessels. In fact, I needed them in many ways. It would be hard to make wooden vessels. Of course it was out of the question to make vessels of iron or any other metal. But why might I not make some earthen vessels?
If I could find some good clay, I felt quite sure that I could make pots strong enough to be of use.
After much trouble I found the clay. The next thing was to shape it into pots or jars.
You would have laughed to see the first things I tried to make. How ugly they were!
Some of them fell in pieces of their own weight. Some of them fell in pieces when I tried to lift them.
They were of all shapes and sizes.
After I had worked two months I had only two large jars that were fit to look at. These I used for holding my rice and barley meal.
Then I tried some smaller things, and did quite well.
I made some plates, a pitcher, and some little jars that would hold about a pint.
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?"
