17 Farmer Robinson

CHAPTER 17 Farmer Robinson My second year on the island started. I had learned a lot about the island over the last twelve months. Instead of four distinct seasons like we had back home in England, the weather here had a very different cycle. There were only two seasons: one rainy and one dry. It would rain for three months and then it would be dry for the same period of

第十七章农夫鲁滨逊我在岛上的第二年开始了。 在过去的12个月里，我对这个岛了解了很多。 不像我们在英国的家乡那样四季分明，这里的天气有一个非常不同的周期。 只有两个季节：一个雨季和一个旱季。 会下三个月的雨，然后同样的一段时间会干燥

time. Knowing this meant I could now start to prepare for the rainy months so I wouldn't have to spend so much time outside. It was about time I tried to grow some crops. I had sowed some of the barley and rice that grew in my front yard earlier in the previous year for its seeds. My first attempt to grow anything useful was a complete disaster. Not knowing how the seasons on the island would affect the crops, I planted my first seeds right after a rainy season. Well, that was a mistake! I didn't think about how arid the dry season would actually be! It was a good thing I didn't use all my seeds. I had kept many behind in case I needed to try to plant again. Now that I knew that my seeds needed wet weather, I waited to plant them until the next rainy season. I also thought that it might not be such a good idea to plant them in my yard. The fruit grew so well in the valley. I

时间。知道了这一点，我就可以开始为下雨天做准备了，这样我就不用花那么多时间在外面了。 我是时候尝试种些庄稼了。 去年早些时候，我在我家前院种了一些大麦和水稻，为了得到种子，我把它们种了进去。 我第一次尝试种植有用的东西完全是一场灾难。 由于不知道岛上的季节会对庄稼产生什么影响，我在雨季过后就种下了第一颗种子。 好吧，那是个错误！我没有想到旱季实际上会有多干旱！还好我没有把所有的种子都用完。 我留下了很多，以备再次尝试种植。 既然我知道我的种子需要潮湿的天气，我就等到下一个雨季再播种。 我还认为把它们种在我的院子里可能不是个好主意。 这种水果在山谷里长得很好。 我

decided that soil would be good for my crops. Success! On my second attempt, the crops grew up healthy and strong. Because there were two rainy seasons per year, I knew I could at least count on two different harvests. During the rains, I stayed inside. I kept busy trying to make useful objects. First, I tried to make a basket. When I was a boy, I went with my father to watch a basket maker in town. I vaguely knew how to make a basket, but turning these thoughts into actions, well, that was a whole other story. Before the rains set in, I had peeled some wood from the palm trees that grew near my summer home. These stalks sat near the fire and had been drying for months now. This was the material I wanted to use to make baskets. The first few I wove looked absolutely

我觉得土壤对我的庄稼很好。 成功!在我的第二次尝试中，庄稼长得又健康又强壮。 因为每年有两个雨季，我知道我至少可以指望两次不同的收获。 下雨的时候，我呆在家里。 我一直忙着做一些有用的东西。 首先，我试着投篮。 当我还是个孩子的时候，我和父亲去镇上看一个制篮匠。 我隐约知道如何投篮，但把这些想法转化为行动，那就完全是另一回事了。 在下雨之前，我从我家附近的棕榈树上剥下了一些木头。 这些秸秆放在火旁，已经干了好几个月了。 这就是我想用来做篮子的材料。 我编织的前几件看起来绝对是

terrible. They were all lopsided with uneven weaving. But I didn't care what they looked like and just used them anyway. I made progress and each new basket was better than the one before. They certainly came in handy. I used them to carry seeds, to store my goods, and to move supplies from one place to another. The rainy season came to an end, and sunny days were back again. My mind started to wander, and I started exploring even more of the island. Within a week of the good weather, Shippy and I were off to our summer house. My destination was the seashore on the other side of the island. I stood atop a hill and took a good look around to see what the best way to go would be. This hill was quite a bit higher than any ground near either of my homes, and for the first time, I saw that there was land about twenty leagues out to

糟透了。它们都是不平衡的，编织不均匀。 但我不在乎它们长什么样子，还是用了。 我取得了进步，每一个新的篮子都比以前的好。 它们当然会派上用场。 我用它们来运送种子，储存我的货物，把物资从一个地方运到另一个地方。 雨季结束了，晴天又回来了。 我开始神游，开始探索这个岛更多的地方。 在好天气的一个星期内，我和西皮去了我们的避暑别墅。 我的目的地是岛另一边的海滨。 我站在山顶上，环顾四周，看看哪条路是最好的。 这座小山比我家附近的任何地方都要高得多。我第一次看到，离我大约二十里格的地方有陆地

sea. Where am I? I thought. What could that land be? I searched my mind for anything I might recognize, but it was of no use. I had no idea. The closest thing I could think of was that I was on an island in the Spanish part of the Americas. And if that was the case, it was very dangerous. The men that lived in those lands were very unfriendly. I had heard so many scary things about them from other sailors on my travels. They really didn't like strangers and tried to keep everyone off their islands. I didn't let these chilling thoughts frighten me. I had never seen another person on my island, so I was safe for now. Shippy and I set off on our little adventure. Maybe it was just to hear the sound of my own voice, but I talked and talked to him. I told him all about my life, about my plans, about where I was before I landed on the island with him. He

海中。我在哪儿？我想。 那是什么土地呢？我在脑子里搜寻着我能认出来的东西，但毫无用处。 我不知道。我能想到的最接近的事情是我在美洲西班牙部分的一个岛屿上。 如果是这样的话，那是非常危险的。 住在那些土地上的人非常不友好。 在旅行中，我从其他水手那里听到了很多关于它们的可怕事情。 他们真的不喜欢陌生人，并试图让所有人离开他们的岛屿。 我没有让这些可怕的想法吓到我。 我从来没有在我的岛上见过其他人，所以我现在是安全的。 西比和我开始了我们的小冒险。 也许只是为了听到我自己的声音，但我和他说了又说。 我告诉了他我的生活，我的计划，我和他在岛上登陆之前在哪里。 他

trotted along beside me, happy as could be. The other side of the island was very beautiful. There were parrots in the trees and lots of interesting animals. I decided to take a parrot home as a pet. I named her Poll. I spent many nights away from home on that trip. It was a pleasant and enjoyable time, except for the few days Shippy and I spent lost in a vast valley. How glorious home is when you've been away! My eyes feasted on everything! Even my odd-looking baskets put a smile on my face. "Ah, Shippy," I said as I collapsed into the comfort of my hammock, "Home sweet home." This was an important moment. As I lay there, sipping my fruity water, and rocking back and forth in my hammock, I stopped feeling sorry for myself. Yes, I was stuck on this island. Yes, I was all alone. And it's true, this was a hard life, but it was also an

在我身边小跑着，开心极了。 岛的另一边非常美丽。 树上有鹦鹉和许多有趣的动物。 我决定带一只鹦鹉回家当宠物。 我给她起名叫波尔。在那次旅行中，我有好几个晚上都不在家。 这是一段愉快的时光，除了我和希皮在一个大山谷里迷路的那几天。 你不在家的时候，家是多么美好啊！我的眼睛饱览了一切！就连我那些看起来很奇怪的篮子也让我露出了笑容。 “啊，希皮，”我一边说一边瘫倒在舒适的吊床上，“回到甜蜜的家。” 这是一个重要的时刻。 当我躺在那里，啜饮着水果水，在吊床上来回摇晃时，我不再为自己感到难过。 是的，我被困在这个岛上。 是的，我独自一人。没错，这是一段艰苦的生活，但同时也是