The Island of Thieves

But now the birds came down in great flocks to rob me. They sat on the fence, they flew among the stalks of grain, they carried away all the ripe barley they could find. This troubled me very much. The most of the grain was still green. But I feared that as soon as it ripened I should lose it all. I loaded my gun and went out to the field. There I saw the thieves, sitting on the fence and watching me. I was so angry that I fired right among them and killed three. "Now I will show you how to steal my grain!" I cried. I put up a long pole in the center of the field, and on top of it I hung the three dead birds. "This will I do to all that venture to come into my field," I said. Strange to say, this ended all my troubles. Not another bird came to that place so long as my scarecrows hung there. In fact, the birds went away from that part of the island, and I did not soon see another. I WORK UNDER MANY DIFFICULTIES (я работаю в трудных условиях: «под многими сложностями») MY barley ripened (мой ячмень созрел) and was ready to be harvested (был готов быть собранным) ...»