4

　　A new life on an island

　　When day came，the sea was quiet again. I looked for our ship and，to my surprise，it was still there and still in one piece. 'I think I can swim to it，'I said to myself. So I walked down to the sea and before long，I was at the ship and was swimming round it. But how could I get on to it？In the end，I got in through a hole in the side，but it wasn't easy.

　　There was a lot of water in the ship，but the sand under the sea was still holding the ship in one place. The back of the ship was high out of the water，and I was very tnankful for this be-cause all the ship's food was there. I was very hungry so I be-gan to eat something at once. Then I decided to take some of it back to the shore with me. But how could I get it there？

　　I looked around the ship，and after a few minutes，I found some long pieces of wood. I tied them together with rope. Then I got the things that I wanted from the ship. There was a big box of food—rice，and salted meat，and hard ship's bread. I al-so took many strong knives and other tools，the ship's sails and ropes，paper，pens，books，and seven guns. Now I needed a little sail from the ship，and then I was ready. Slowly and carefully，I went back to the shore. It was difficult to stop my things from falling into the sea，but in the end I got everything on to the shore.

　　Now I needed somewhere to keep my things.

　　There were some hills around me，so I decided to build my－self a little house on one of them. I walked to the top of the highest hill and looked down，I was very unhappy，because I saw then that I was on an island. There were two smaller is-lands a few miles away，and after that，only the sea. Just the sea，for mile after mile after mile.

　　After a time，I found a little cave in the side of a hill. In front of it，there was a good place to make a home. So，I used the ship's sails，rope，and pieces of wood，and after a lot of hard work I had a very fine tent. The cave at the back of my tent was a good place to keep my food，and so I called it my 'kitchen'. That night，I went to sleep in my new home.

　　The next day I thought about the possible dangers on the is-land. Were there wild animals，and perhaps wild people too，on my island？I didn't know，but I was very afraid. So I decided to build a very strong fence. I cut down young trees and put them in the ground，in a halfcircle around the front of my tent. I used many of the ship's ropes too，and in the end my fence was as strong as a stone wall. Nobody could get over it，through it，or round it.

　　Making tents and building fences is hard work. I needed many tools to help me. So I decided to go back to the ship again，and get some more things.

　　I went back twelve times，but soon after my twelfth visit there was another terrible storm. The next morning，when I looked out to sea，there was no ship.

　　When I saw that，I was very unhappy. 'Why am I alive，and why are all my friends dead？'I asked myself. 'What will hap-pen to me now，alone on this island without friends？How can I ever escape from it？'

　　Then I told myself that I was lucky—lucky to be alive，lucky to have food and tools，lucky to be young and strong. But I knew that my island was somewhere off the coast of South America. Ships did not often come down this coast，and I said to myself，'I'm going to be on this island for a long time. 'So，on a long piece of wood，I cut these words：

　　I CAME HERE ON 30TH SEPTEMBER 1659

　　After that，I decided to make a cut for each day.

　　4 孤岛上的新生活

　　当白天到来时，大海又恢复了平静。我找我们的船，令我惊诧的是它依然在那儿并且没有破碎。“我想我能够游到那儿，”我自言自语。于是，我朝大海里走去，不一会儿，我靠近了船绕着它游。只是，我怎样才可以上去呢？最后，我从船舷一侧的一个洞里钻了进去，但却很不容易。

　　船里积了很多水，但海底的沙使船固定在了一个地方。船的尾部翘出了水面，这让我非常庆幸，因为船上全部的食物都储在那儿。我已经很饥饿，所以我马上开始吃东西。然后决定带一些食物回到岸上。可是我又怎样才能做到呢？

　　我察看了这只船的四周，几分钟后，我找到了几块长条的木板。我用绳子把它们紧扎在一起。然后我便搬上我想从船上带走的东西。那儿有一大箱食品——米、咸肉和硬面包。我还拿了很多坚固的小刀及其他工具，船帆、绳子、纸、钢笔、书及7枝枪。现在我需要在船上找一个小帆，不一会儿，我就找好了。我慢慢地、小心翼翼地向岸边划，要使我的东西不掉到海里是挺困难的，但终于我把每一件东西都弄上了岸。

　　现在，我需要地方来存放我的东西。

　　在我的周围有些小山丘，于是我决定在其中的一个小山上给自己建一座小屋。我走到最高的小山的山顶往下看。我非常沮丧，因为那时我才明白我是在一个孤岛上。几英里外有两个更小的岛，更远的地方，只剩下了大海，延绵数英里的大海。

　　过了不久，我在小山的一侧找到了一个小洞穴。在它前面，是一个安家的好地方。于是，我用那些船的帆，绳子及本板经过很艰苦的劳作，我有了一个非常好的帐篷。帐篷后面的洞穴是存放食物的好地方，所以我称之为我的“厨房”。那天晚上，我便在我的新家睡觉。

　　第二天，我仔细设想了岛上可能存在的危险。在我的岛上，会不会有野兽，也许还会存在野人？虽然我不知道，但却很害怕。于是我决定建一个坚固的栅栏。我砍倒了一些小树，插入到地上在我的帐篷前围成个半圆。我还用了很多船上的绳子，最后我的栅栏就象一堵坚固的石墙。没有人可以翻进来，钻进来或者绕过来。

　　制作帐篷和建造栅栏篱笆是一项艰苦的工作。我需要很多工具来帮我。所以，我打算再次回到船上，去拿更多的东西。

　　我回去了12次，但就在我第12次回来之后不久又来了一场暴风雨。第二天一早我朝外瞧向大海时，船不见了。

　　目睹了这一切，我非常悲伤。“为什么我活着，而我所有的朋友们却都死了？”我问自己。“现在对于我又会有什么事情发生呢？没有朋友独自生活在岛上，我怎么才能够逃离这儿？”

　　但随即我告诉自己我是幸运的——能够幸运地活下来，幸运有食物、有工具，幸运自己还年轻力壮。但我知道我的小岛在远离南美海岸的某个地方。船只不太经常沿着这个海岸航行，我对自己说，“我会在这个岛上呆很长时间。”于是，在一长条的木牌上，我刻下了这些话：