Chapter 11 Chapter Eleven Bones Beach

"July 29th - Bill and Hugh got married tonight. Grant was never lovely and did such a great job for the couple - I cried and so did the other girls. If the boy did Just as he said! I played a piece of Mendelssohn's "Wedding March" on the harmonica, and tears flowed down my cheeks and fell on the reeds of the harmonica. At Carmen's wedding, I I also wanted to play like this, but I couldn’t help being a bridesmaid at that time. The groom held his bride happily and walked to the bridal chamber—but the door of the bridal chamber was very low, so the groom had to put down the bride and let her go first. Go in, or you will knock your head. The roof is also much lower than the original design, because we ran out of materials. Just when we were about to tear down the fence, Rhodes came up to stop it. Grant was going to take the lead in tearing down the wall, and the two of them argued Bill got up, arguing red-faced. Rhodes pulled him aside, said something to him, and he backed away. Bill was a little angry with Rhodes, but Rhodes assured him that he would help him as soon as the wall was finished. He took the roof down, raised the walls and built a new house. It may not be as fast as he thought, because usable stones are getting harder and harder to find. In order to dig out even a small piece of usable stone, my fingernails It’s all broken. But I agree with Rhodes that we should repair the wall first, so that I can sleep more peacefully. Now he is still patrolling, if the wall is repaired, the wooden thorns behind the wall will also be densely tied I'll sleep more securely then. Of course, we girls sleep in a safer place, but who wants to wake up and find their boyfriend is gone? Really want to share safety with them, bless them these lovely Be careful! Mom always said there's nothing better than having a man around to make you feel at home."

"July 30th—I'm not going to write anything, because nothing important happened. Grant said to make papyrus like the Egyptians, but I won't believe it until I see it." "August 5th - last night I was the captain of the night shift, and Rhodes was actually awake all night. After I took over from breakfast, I slept until the afternoon. When I woke up, Rhodes was passing by with red eyes, and he was yelling More stones, more firewood. Sometimes Rhodes is too much work." "August 9th - Alice found a brine, not far from the one Shawdy found last week, but not as good as the one Shawdy found."

"August 14th - Jacqueline finally decided to marry Jimmy. I think Rhodes must be a little uncomfortable. In fact, I told him about this trend a month ago, and Rhodes is always slow to respond to such things. I see another crisis of new houses and walls, Rod is a bit isolated this time, and he hopes Jimmy and Jacqueline don't build a new house right away, because the only available stones are already used for the walls." "August 15th - Jimmy and Jacqueline, Agnes and Kurt married today in a fun group wedding. The Soxtons temporarily borrowed the Baxters' house, Bulville The Marks borrowed Kennedy's shack. We gave up part of the cave to two elderly couples."

"September 1st - The roots I dug up didn't poison me, so I made them all for dinner. We made a cauldron of the lightning gun power supply shield, which was good for everyone's food Offered some help. The roots smell weird, probably Agnes put the soap in it, and it's not a decent good soap. I guess I should call the roots sweet potatoes, they look a lot like sweet potatoes, but It tastes a bit like parsnip soup. There are a lot of these roots around here. I plan to burn some more tomorrow. Try adding some tender meat and more salt. Hey, I want to find some more and roast them on the fire eat."

"September 16th--Chad Ames and Dick Burke came back in rags. Grant kindly let them stay. They say Yorke McGowan is crazy, I can believe it." "September 28th - Philip Schneider was attacked while hunting today. Roy carried him back, but he was badly scratched, bled profusely and died. Roy No longer in charge of the hunt, Grant ordered Cliff to be responsible. Roy is very upset, but no one blames him. Life and death, God bless!" "October 7—I decided to marry M." "October 10th——I seem to have read it wrong. M is going to marry Margaret Zhuang. Well! They are indeed a good match. If it weren't for this, I would be really happy to live alone. I was originally Thinking of serving in the Amazon Army. Be strong, Caroline! Mmm! Come on!"

"October 20th—Carmen?" "October 21st—yes." "November 1st—what an honor, I've been made commander of the city defense! Little Caroline, a bit of a clumsy girl! Although this is only temporary—maybe only a few weeks, because Rhodes is out—but with When I speak, I say 'Yes, sir'. Hehe, that's not bad! Grant finally agreed to let Rhodes search the lower reaches of the river, and this guy barked with excitement, completely ignoring Grant's suggestions and instructions. This is a second The human team, Rhodes selected Roy as his team member. They set off this morning."

"November 5th——Being the commander of the city defense is really not an errand, I hope Rhodes will come back soon." "November 11th - Grant asked me to record the 'Artifact Committee Report' in my diary, which Mick Mohammad had already had in mind, but here I found a good Place. Since Rod and Roy are gone, and Grant is a little nervous, I think I'd better accommodate him. The content of the report is as follows: 12 extra daggers (in addition to one per person); 53 guns and other firearms, half of which had only one bullet left; 6 Bibles; 2 copies of the Sutra of Brightness and Peace;

1 Koran; 1 Book of Mormon; 1 "Oxford English Poems", centennial edition; 1 bow, 3 arrows; 1 shielded pot (heavier than uranium), the attachment of the lightning gun captured by Jack; 1 skillet (Carmen's); 1 deck of playing cards, missing a 9 of Hearts; 13 boxes of matches, many portable lighters are not working, and 27 pairs of sunglasses; 1 hatchet; 1 rope of 565 meters used for climbing, some used for other purposes; 91 hooks (haven't caught any fish yet); 61 compasses, some broken; 19 watches, still running (4 of them changed to local time); 2 bars of soap, from Dior Hoard;

2 boxes of Band-Aids, half a bottle of sunscreen. There are also a few kilograms of odds and ends that have not been found to be useful, so I won't list them one by one. Mick's brain is like a mouse hole, very good at pretending. We made many things and could do more - jugs, bowls, arrows, leather water bladders, and a stone age rice mill - if you're not afraid of chipping your teeth - you can use it for plant seeds peeled.The mayor said that "Oxford Anthology of English Poetry" is our most valuable thing, and I agree, but the reason is different from his.He wanted me to use the margins of the pages to make shorthand notes of the special knowledge we had—from mathematical calculations to pig skills.Cliff said, remember it!Just don't get the content wrong.But how can I have time?After Rhodes left, I didn't even have time to catch my breath, and I had to sleep with my ears propped up. "

"November 13th - only two days left..." "November 16th—I don't think they'll be able to finish in time." "November 21st - Today we finally have our own constitution and basic legal provisions, weeks after the first city-state council. This constitution is written all over the white margins of two Bibles, written by Bob and Georgia Bible. If anyone wants to look it up (I doubt it), I don't think he knows where to start." "November 29th—Jimmy says old Rhodes is too good to be killed. I hope he's right. Why? Why don't I try to let myself go?"

"December 15th—it's no use deceiving yourself." "December 21st--The Soxtons and the Baxters, and myself and Grant, gathered in secret at Baxter's house tonight, and Grant said a silent service. Bob prayed for them both , we sat for a long time. It was a Quaker ceremony. Rod always reminded me of my brother Rick, I privately asked my mother to take care of him, and Roy too, who was always kind to us Yes. Grant has not announced publicly, the official word is that their expedition has been extended." "December 25th - Christmas". Rhodes and Roy went into battle lightly, and the two quickly searched downstream along the river.They took turns walking ahead, covering each other.Each person only brought a few kilograms of bacon, but they decided to use local materials first.Now, they already know many edible fruits, berries, and nuts.As long as you can recognize them, the forest is a free cafeteria.They didn't bring water because they decided to walk along the river.But they were more cautious when approaching the water's edge, because besides something that would drag the drinking deer into the water from time to time, there were also bloodthirsty small fish with sharp and fine teeth waiting, They swarm in groups and can devour an animal to its skeleton in a matter of minutes. Rod carried his two daggers, Roy Killow carried his Occam's razor, and a dagger borrowed from Carmen Baxter, with climbing ropes wrapped around his waist.They also each carried a pistol, but only as a last resort, since each had only three rounds.Roy borrowed Jacqueline Soxton's air gun and brought some tranquilizer rounds, which they hoped would save them hunting time for the journey. After walking for three days, they found a small cave with five girls living in it. After greeting each other, they described their respective situations.The two continued on while the five girls headed upstream to find their camp.The girls told them that there was a place downstream where they could cross the river and go across the valley.They found it, a wide stone ford, piled up in the river to form a natural bridge... They searched the opposite bank for two days, and then returned. By the morning of the seventh day, they had not found any other caves except those of the girls.Rhodes said to Roy: "It has been a week today, and Grant said he would go back within two weeks." "That's what he said, sir." "no result?" "Yes, not at all." "We should go back." Roy didn't answer, and Rhodes asked, "So, what do you think?" Kylo lay down, staring at an insect crawling on the ground like an ant on the ground.He seemed in no rush to do anything else.Finally he said: "Rod, you are the leader of this team, upstream or downstream, you have the final say." "Oh, you bastard." "On the other hand, someone who thinks he knows the law like Shawdy might question Grant's authority to limit our time. He might use words like 'liberal civil rights' and 'autonomy of powers.' Perhaps he has found What—this place looks far away." "Well... maybe we can delay for a day, and we won't return along the river." "Of course, if I'm the boss now, but I'm not." "Don't say that again! I'm asking for your advice." "Okay! I mean, we're here to find caves, not to follow a program." Rhodes' brows stretched. "Stand up, let's go." They continued downstream. The river passes through a plateau, and the terrain changes from forested mountain streams to canyon-like landforms.The herd was getting harder to see, and they were eating the bacon they carried. Two days later, they saw for the first time the cliffs, caves, and deep caves formed hundreds of millions of years ago. "This looks a bit like it." "Yes." Roy continued, looking around. "Maybe there are better ones ahead." "Maybe." They walked on again. The river suddenly widened, and there were no more caves. The canyon became a wide grassland, and there were few trees except for the wide river beach.Rhodes sniffed with his nose, "I smell salty." "That's right, there should be the sea over there." "I don't think so." After finishing speaking, they continued to walk forward for a while. They avoided the taller wormwood and kept walking where there were trees.These interstellar immigrants have compiled a large list of large carnivores that threaten humans, from lion beasts twice the size of African lions to timid carnivores that bite people when pressed.It is widely believed that the lion beast is the stubble they were warned about, but a few believe that the stubble is a small carnivore that is faster, more cunning and more aggressive people. There is also a carnivore that is not enough to attract attention.It was not much bigger than a hare, but it had a big head and a big jaw, its front legs were stronger than its hind legs, and it had no tail.It looks silly and ridiculous, like a big-headed doll. Even if it is disturbed, its movements are slow and clumsy.This animal usually waits by the burrows of rodents and preys on those that come out to feed at night. The skin of the "big-headed beast" is tough and makes excellent water bladders.Many of these animals live on such grasslands. They settled down in a big tree near the water.Rhodes said: "I don't know if I should waste a match, or be patient?" "It's up to you! I'll get something to eat." "Be careful, don't go into the grass." "I'll be out in the bushes. People call me 'Prudent Killow' and say I'd be best suited for an insurance company." Rhodes counted his three matches and wanted to find the fourth one, and then he started to strike the fire. It was easy, but the matches seemed to be a little damp, so it took a long time to strike.Roy shot back a small animal, saying, "This is the dumbest animal I've ever seen." It is the big headed beast.Rhodes looked at it in disgust, "Is this the best you can find? It doesn't taste very good." "Let me tell you, I didn't shoot it, it came to hunt me." "Give me a break." "Really, I had to kill it, it bit my ankle, so I brought it back." Rhodes looked at the little animal. "Never heard of it. It's probably the dumbest one in his family." "Maybe." Roy smiled at it too. The next morning, they arrived at the seaside. The sea was like a mirror, and the water was calm.The seawater has a high salt content, and there are white salt flowers on the beach.They concluded that it was the Dead Sea, not a real ocean.Their attention didn't stay on the sea water for too long. In the distance, there were layers of white bones extending to the end of the beach. Rhodes was stunned, "Where did they come from?" Roy whistled softly. "You ask me? If we sold it for five cents a ton, we'd be millionaires." "I'm afraid he's a billionaire!" "Don't be ridiculous!" They walked along the beach, completely stunned by the sight in front of them, and even forgot about safety.Here are some bones from long ago, cracked and cracked by the sea and the sun.Others were new bones, still tightly connected.Some were the bones of large herbivores, which they had not yet hunted.There were also bones of small animals, not much bigger than a puppy.There are countless types of bones, but none of them are complete. They walked several kilometers along the beach, completely confused by this strange phenomenon.As they walked back, they knew that they had not only set foot on the way back to the camp, but also began to see the hope of building a home.This is as far as they can go.When they came, they hadn't looked carefully at the conditions of those caves. On the way back, Rhodes decided to choose a few suitable caves as their settlements, with some herbivores around them and close to the water source.It is more important to be safe and easy to defend. They saw several arched water erosion pits in the cliffs. The lowest pit was also six or seven meters high. The cliffs of the canyon here fell steeply, as if they had been cut off. Rhodes saw a waterfall pouring from the upstream When they came down, the water kept scouring the stone wall, and the distance didn't seem too far away, but they seemed to have wasted a lot of time.Day after day, the water flow has formed these numerous natural caves, which are the natural houses of these immigrants and can also prevent rain. Roy is a great mountain climber, he climbed inch by inch along the smooth rock wall to a stone platform, and then threw the rope to Rhodes, who quickly climbed up like a snake.Rhodes grabbed the edge of the stone wall with one hand, raised his legs and climbed up the stone platform. When he stood up, he was stunned. "what is this?" "There," said Roy, "why didn't I say anything? I thought you'd say I was crazy and blind." "I think both of us are dazzled." Rhodes looked around, and the depth of the cave could not be seen to the bottom, and it was filled with layers of houses built on the stone wall. Now, these houses are no longer inhabited, and they should never have been inhabited by humans.The openings of the doors were not much higher than a man's knees, nor as wide as a man's shoulders.But obviously, this is a man-made dwelling, and it is not completely formed by the erosion of water.There are six stories of these houses from the ground to the top of the cave, and the material used is a mixed mud, as well as lime clay and wood. There is no sign of who built it.Roy was about to stick his head into a doorway when Rod yelled, "Hey! Don't do that." "Why? This place has been abandoned." "You don't know what's in there, maybe a snake." "There are no snakes on this planet, no one has ever seen a snake." "Really? Be careful though." "It would be nice to have a torch." "I want eight more beautiful dancers and a Cadillac. You better watch out! I don't want to go back alone." They ate lunch in the cave, thinking that those must have been built by intelligent creatures."We might be able to find them elsewhere, maybe they're civilized now, and these things look like ancient relics," Roy said. "Not necessarily." Rhode retorted: "Bees can also build complex houses." "Bees don't mix mud and wood like people do, look over there." "But birds can. I think their brains are about the same as birds', that's all." "Rod, didn't you see the evidence?" "Where's the artifact? Show me an ashtray marked 'Made in Jersey City.'" "If you're not so impatient, I'll show you." "I'll wait. But anyway, what they've found is a safe place where we can live." "Maybe, something killed them? Or, why did they leave?" After lunch, they searched two more caves and found more artificial houses.Apparently, the occupants had formed a large community at that time.The fourth cave they looked at was mostly empty, with a building just started in one corner.Rhode looked around and said, "We can use this place. Although it's not the best, we can move here first, and then find a better place when we have time." "Go back now?" "Well, let's go tomorrow morning. This is a good place to sleep. Tomorrow we will go all out until we can't walk anymore. What's that up there?" Rhodes looked up at the stone platform below the main arch. Roy took a look. "I'll let you know right away." "Forget it, the stone wall is almost straight. Let's build a ladder." "My mother is a flying girl, and my father is a goat. Look at me!" The stone platform was not much higher than Roy's head. Roy reached up and wanted to grab the edge of the stone and climb up, but he fell off a rock.Fortunately, he didn't fall too hard. Rhodes ran over. "Are you all right, Roy?" Roy grinned. "It should be fine." After he finished speaking, he wanted to stand up, but suddenly said "ahh". "What's wrong?" "My right leg. Probably... broken! Oh! Oh!" Rhodes checked his wounds, and then went out to cut branches for splints.Roy had brought a rope, but he had to save it because it was going to be used for a rope ladder.Rod put some leaves on Roy's injured leg, and then tightened the splint.Roy may have a fractured calf bone, it's not too dangerous, and it won't be infected. Then, they kept arguing. "Of course you can do this." Roy said, "Leave me some fresh meat and bacon, and find a way to save me some water." "But when I come back, you may have been gnawed into bones." "Impossible, nothing can come near me. If you hurry up, you can come back in three days." "Four days, maybe even five days, six days with a team. Do you want to go back in a coffin? What if there's a Stubble attack?" "I don't intend to go back. Everyone should stay here." "Then can they get there? It will take eleven days, more likely twelve days, Roy, I see that not only your calf is injured, but your brain is also broken." They have been living in the cave, waiting for Roy's leg injury to recover. It is not difficult or dangerous, but it is a bit tedious.Rhodes could have checked all the caves, but when he went hunting for the first time longer than Roy expected, and when he came back and saw that Roy seemed to be going crazy, he gave up this idea.After spending a little longer outside, Roy began to think wildly. He thought that Rhodes might be dead, and then he himself was going to die—either from starvation or thirst.From then on, Rhodes could only go out for a short time to collect some food or fetch some water for him.In fact, the cave is very safe and does not need any guards. It is only necessary to light a fire when cooking.The weather is getting hotter and hotter and it's raining every day. They talked a lot, from girls to what the colony needed, from the catastrophic accident that got them abandoned here, to their favorite food, and finally back to girls.Instead of discussing the possibility of rescue, they took it for granted that this planet was their home.They sleep most of the time and do nothing, just like animals hibernate. As soon as Rhodes took off Roy's splint, Roy wanted to start back immediately.But he found that he no longer knew how to walk.He practiced for a few more days before he could hobble a few steps, but Rod insisted he couldn't go back yet.Roy talked about going back all day, and they started arguing every day again. Rhodes became more and more angry. One day, he was so angry that he threw the climbing rope at Roy and shouted, "Let's go! Let's go! See how far you can go with that lame leg!" Five minutes later, Rhodes decided to let Roy see if he could walk by himself, and he pulled Roy down the hole with a noose.After a while, Roy, who was pale, trembling and sweating, returned to the cave again.They stayed for about ten more days to allow Roy's muscles to recover.Then, they hit the road. Shordy Dumont was the first person they encountered as they approached camp.Shawdy's jaw seemed to drop, he looked terrified, then he ran up to hug them in another burst of cheers before he led them to camp and yelled, "Hi! They're back, they're back La!" Caroline heard the shout, left the people around her, and ran over quickly, hugging and kissing them. "Hi, Caroline!" Rod said. "How's your errand?" "Oh! Rhodes, you bad guy, bad guy!"