5

　　Learning to live alone

　　I still needed a lot of things. 'Well，'I said，'I'm going to have to make them. 'So，every day，I worked.

　　First of all，I wanted to make my cave bigger. I carried out stone from the cave，and after many days' hard work I had a large cave in the side of the hill. Then I needed a table and a chair，and that was my next job. I had to work on them for a long time. I also wanted to make places to put all my food，and all my tools and guns. But every time I wanted a piece of wood，I had to cut down a tree. It was long，slow，difficult work，and during the next months I learnt to be very clever with my tools. There was no hurry. I had all the time in the world.

　　I also went out every day，and I always had my gun with me. Sometimes I killed a wild animal，and then I had meat to eat.

　　But when it got dark，I had to go to bed because I had no light. I couldn't read or write because I couldn't see. For a long time，I didn't know what to do. But in the end，I learnt how to use the fat of dead animals to make a light.

　　The weather on my island was usually very hot，and there were often storms and heavy rain. The next June，it rained all the time，and I couldn't go out very often. I was also ill for some weeks，but slowly，I got better. When I was stronger，I began to go out again. The first time I killed a wild animal，and the second time I caught a big turtle.

　　I was on the island for ten months before I visited other parts of it. During those months I worked hard on my cave and my house and my fence. Now I was ready to find out more about the rest of the island.

　　First，I walked along the side of a little river. There，I found open ground without trees. Later，I came to more trees with many different fruits. I decided to take a lot of the fruit，and to put it to dry in the sun for a time. Then I could keep it for many months.

　　That night I went to sleep in a tree for the second time，and the next day I went on with my journey. Soon I came to an opening in the hills. In front of me，everything was green，and there were flowers everywhere. There were also a lot of differ-ent birds and animals. I saw that my house was on the worst side of the island. But I didn't want to move from there. It was my home now. I stayed away for three days，and then I came home. But I often went back to the other，greener side of the island.

　　And so my life went on. Every month I learnt to do or to make something new. But I had troubles and accidents too. Once there was a terrible storm with very heavy rain. The roof of my cave fell in，and nearly killed me！I had to build it up again with many pieces of wood.

　　I had a lot of food now. I cooked it over a fire or dried it in the sun. So I always had meat during the rainy months when I could not go out with a gun. I learnt to make pots to keep my food in. But I wanted very much to make a harder，stronger pot—a pot that would not break in a fire. I tried many times，but I could not do it. Then one day I was lucky. I made some new pots and put them in a very hot fire. They changed colour，but did not break. I left them there for many hours，and when they were cold again，I found that they were hard and strong. That night I was very happy. I had hot water for the first time on the island.

　　By then，I also had my own bread. That was luck，too. One day I found a little bag. We used it on the ship，to keep the chickens' food in. There was still some of the food in the bag，and I dropped some of it onto the ground. A month later I saw something bright green there，and after six months I had a very small field of corn. I was very excited. Perhaps now I could make my own bread！

　　It was easy to say，but not so easy to do. It is a lot of work to make bread from corn. Many people eat bread，but how many people can take corn from a field and make bread out of it without help？I had to learn and to make many new things，and it was a year before I cooked and ate my first bread.

　　During all this time I never stopped thinking about escape. When I travelled across to the other side of the island，I could see the other islands，and I said to myself，'Perhaps I can get there with a boat. Perhaps I can get back to England one day. '

　　So I decided to make myself a boat. I cut down a big tree，and then began to make a long hole in it. It was hard work，but about six months later，I had a very fine canoe. Next，I had to get it down to the sea. How stupid I was！Why didn't I think before I began work？Of course，the canoe was too heavy. I couldn't move it！I pulled and pushed and tried everything，but it didn't move. I was very unhappy for a long time after that.

　　That happened in my fourth year on the island. In my sixth year I did make myself a smaller canoe，but I did not try to es-cape in it. The boat was too small for a long journey，and I did not want to die at sea. The island was my home now，not my prison，and I was just happy to be alive. A year or two later，I made myself a second canoe on the other side of the island. I also built myself a second house there，and so I had two homes.

　　My life was still busy from morning to night. There were al-ways things to do or to make. I learnt to make new clothes for myself from the skins of dead animals. They looked very strange，it is true，but they kept me dry in the rain.

　　I kept food and tools at both my houses，and also wild goats. There were many goats on the island，and I made fields with high fences to keep them in. They learnt to take food from me，and soon I had goat's milk to drink every day. I also worked hard in my cornfields. And so many years went by.

　　5 学会独自生活

　　我仍需要很多东西。“好吧，”我说，“我只能去做出来。”于是，每天，我都工作着。

　　首先，我把我的山洞扩大。我从洞里运出石头，经过许多天的艰苦劳动我在小山的一侧有了个大的山洞。然后，我需要一张桌子和一把椅子，这便是我接下来的工作。为此，我不得不长时间地干。我还想要找些地方存放我的食物，以及我全部的工具和枪支。每一次我需要一块木板时都不得不砍倒一棵树。这是一项漫长艰难的工作，在随后的几个月里我学得熟练地使用工具了。无须焦急。我拥有世界上的全部时间。

　　我依然每天出去，而且总是随身带枪。有时我杀死一只野兽，然后，就可以有肉吃了。

　　但每到天黑，因为没有灯，我就只好睡觉。由于看不见我不能读书也没法写字，好长一段时间我不知道该怎么做。但最终我学会了如何使用死兽的脂肪来点灯。

　　岛上的天气通常很热，经常有暴风雨。第二年的六月一直在下雨，我不能够经常出去。我也病了几个星期，但慢慢地我好转了。当我强壮起来时，我又开始外出。第一次我杀了一只野兽，第二回我捕获了一只大海龟。

　　当我去参观岛的其他地方时，我在岛上已有10个月了，在这期间，我为我的洞穴、我的房子、我的篱笆忙活，现在我可以进一步了解该岛其他地方的情况了。

　　首先，我沿着一条小河岸前行。那儿，我发现一片没有树木的开阔地。随后，我到达了一片结着各种水果的树林。我决定多摘些果子把它们在太阳下放一阵晒干。然后就可以保存很多个月了。

　　那个晚上，我第二次睡在了树上，第二天便又继续我的旅行。不久，我到了这个小山的开阔地。在我面前，一片郁郁葱葱，鲜花遍野。还有很多各种各样的鸟类和动物。我明白我的房子是在这个岛的最糟的一侧。但我并不打算从那儿迁移，那是我的家。我在外呆了三天，然后回了家。但我经常回到这岛的另外的绿色的一边。

　　我的生活继续着。每个月我学会干点或制造点新的东西。但也总有麻烦和灾祸。一次一场夹着大雨的风暴来临，我的山洞的顶层塌了下来，差点就送了我的命！我不得不用很多木材把它重新建好。

　　现在，我有了很多食物。我把它架在火上烤或搁在太阳下晒干。因此，既使在雨季我不能够带枪外出时我也总有肉吃了。我学会做陶罐存放我的食物。但我非常想要做一个更坚固的罐子——一个放在火里不会破裂的罐子。我试了很多次，可我没有成功。但有一天我太走运了。我制了几个新的罐子把它们搁在旺火里。它们变了颜色但却没有碎裂。我把它们放在那儿好几个小时，当它们再次冷却下来时，我发现它们既坚硬又牢固。那个晚上，我非常高兴。在这岛上我第一次喝到了热水。

　　从那时起，我也有了自己的面包。这也是一件幸运的事。一天我找到一只小袋子。在船上时我们用它来存放小鸡的饲料。在那袋子里还一直放着些食物，我把它们全倒在了地上。一个月后，我看见一些亮绿的幼苗，六个月后我便有了一块非常小的庄稼地。我很激动。或许现在我可以制自己的面包了。

　　这些事说起来容易做起来却很困难。从谷物到面包需要很多工作。很多人吃面包，但又有多少人可以无须帮助地种出谷物又生产出面包呢？我不得不学着去做而且去做很多新的东西，在我烧出并食用我第一个面包时又一年过去了。

　　在这期间，我从来没有停止设法逃离小岛。当我纵深探索小岛的另外一侧时，我能够看见其他的小岛，我对自己说，“或许我用一只小船可以到达那儿。也许，有一天我便可以回到英格兰了。”

　　于是，我决定造自己的小船。我砍倒了一棵大树，然后开始掏成一个长条形洞。这是很苦的工作，但六个月后，我就有了一只很好的独木舟。接下去，我必须让它下水。我是多么的愚蠢啊！为什么开始工作前却没想到呢？毫无疑问，这只独木舟太重了。我不能够移得动它！我又拉又推用尽一切方法，但它却纹丝不动。这以后很长一段日子我都不开心。

　　造船是发生在我到岛上之后的第四个年头。在我的第六年里我又造了一只更小的船，但我没有用它来试图逃离。要想长途航行，这船太小了，我可不想死在海上。现在这岛便是我的家而非我的监狱，我相当快乐地生活着。一年或两年后，我在岛的另一侧又造了一只独木舟。我还在那儿建了第二座房子，所以我有了两个家。

　　我的生活总是从早忙到晚，总是有很多事情要做。我学会用兽皮给自己做新衣服，虽然看起来挺古怪，但穿着它在雨季能使我保持干燥。