Робинзон Крузо / Robinson Crusoe

But we were both more frighted when we heard one of these mighty creatures come swimming towards our boat; we could not see him, but we might hear him by his blowing to be a monstrous huge and furious beast. Xury said it was a lion, and I said it might be so. I had no sooner said so, but I saw the creature (whatever it was) within two oars’ length,[75 - within two oars’ length – на расстоянии двух вытянутых весел] which something surprised me; however, I immediately stepped to the cabin door, and taking up my gun, fired at him; upon which he immediately turned about and swam towards the shore again.

But it is impossible to describe the horrid noises, and hideous cries and howlings that were raised, as well upon the edge of the shore as higher within the country, upon the noise or report of the gun, a thing I have some reason to believe those creatures had never heard before.

However, we were obliged to go on shore somewhere or other for water, for we had not a pint left on a board; when and where to get to it was the point. Xury said, if I would let him go on shore with one of the jars, he would find if there was any water, and bring some to me. He said that I should stay aboard.

“Why should you go, Xury?” I asked. “Why should I not go, and you wait aboard?”

Xury replied in words that made me love him ever after: “If wild men come, they will eat me, and you will escape.

“Well, Xury,” said I, “we will both go and if the wild men come, we will kill them, they shall eat neither of us.” So I gave Xury a piece of rusk bread[76 - rusk bread – морские сухари] to eat, and a dram[77 - dram – глоток спиртного] out of our patron’s case of bottles which I mentioned before; and we moored our ship to the shore as we thought was proper,[78 - proper – правильный, сделанный надлежащим образом] and so waded on shore, carrying nothing but our arms and two jars for water.

I did not want to go out of sight of the boat, fearing the coming of canoes with savages down the river; but the boy seeing a low place about a mile up the country, rambled to it, and by-and-by I saw him come running towards me.