Chapter 10 chapter Ten

The next day, the weather was fine for hiking, and Flip decided to explore the southern shore of the lagoon.He asked Mrs. Clifton if she would take her children with him. "Thank you, friend Flip," replied the mother. "Because there should be someone left to look after our stove, and I thought it would be best for me to take on the job, whether hunting or fishing, and Mark and Robert would be more helpful to you than I would be. I could also take the opportunity to take our The new house needs to be tidied up further.” "You agree to be left alone in the camp?" Flip asked again.

"Yes, Flip." "If you like, mother," said Mark, "I'll stay with you, and Robert will go with Flip." "Accompanies Flip to the hunt like a good hound," put in Robert. "No, my children," said Mrs. Clifton, "go both of you. Shouldn't I get used to being alone sometimes? Besides, don't I have grown-up Jack to protect me?" Hearing what his mother said, Jack immediately puffed up his chest and stood there with a high air, like a hero who stands up to heaven and earth.Frankly speaking, this is not a very brave little boy, he dare not walk in the night, but in broad daylight, he does look like a hero.

With a clear understanding of Mrs. Clifton's decision, Flip, Mark, and Robert began their preparations for departure.Sailors did not want them to be out for too long, so the survey was limited to the west and south shores of the lake. Knowing that Mrs. Clifton was going to smoke the remaining three capybara legs, Flip set up a stand for the job before setting out: using three sharpened sticks, one end was held like a tent stand. tied together; the sharpened ends were stuck in the ground respectively; the meat was hung in the middle; a fire was lit underneath, and the smoke from the wet wood could smoke the meat from the inside out.Flapp specially selected several kinds of shrub branches that can emit fragrance as fuel, so that the smoked meat will be more fragrant and delicious.This shrub branch is everywhere, and Mrs. Clifton's cooking is satisfied.

After a quick breakfast, at eight o'clock, the three hunters, armed with sharp sticks, left the camp, took the grassland, and walked towards the lake.When passing the coconut grove, looking at the clusters of coconuts, Flip promised that they would come to pick coconuts soon. On reaching the lake, the seaman and his companions, instead of following the circular bank which they had surveyed which led to the forest, went southward along the right bank of the river.In this area, some places on the shore are swamps, where many kinds of water birds often appear, and groups of kingfishers multiply here in pairs.Some of them stood motionless on the stones, watching the small fish passing by; some suddenly spread their wings and flew up from time to time, and another fierce one dived into the water, making piercing calls at the same time.When they resurfaced from the water, they already had prey in their mouths.Robert was always tempted to show his nimble hunting skills, beating the grass with sticks and hurling waterfowl with stones, but Flip always stopped him.Because, he thinks the meat of this kind of bird is unpalatable, so why kill innocent people indiscriminately?

"Let more birds live around us," said Flip to the two young men. "These animals can alleviate our loneliness and beautify our environment. Please remember, Mr. Robert, never let the blood of any animal go to waste, or you are a bad hunter." After walking for half an hour, Flip and his two companions reached the end of the lake.The west bank of the lake is clearly drawn away from the beach, and a diagonal line is clearly outlined.The sea is barely visible from this place, and there are yellow sand dunes scattered with rushes.Viewed from the south bank, the lake surface forms an arc from southwest to northeast, making the entire lake surface look like a heart shape, with the tip of the heart pointing to the south.The water of the lake is clear and emerald green, with a slight black cast.Microwaves rippling on the surface of the lake, countless concentric circles appeared in the water waves, expanding outward from the center of the circle, each one getting bigger and bigger, disappearing silently on the lake surface...There is no doubt that the lake must be rich in fish.

To the south of the lakeshore, the ground is more rugged, and the terrain suddenly rises to form a hilly area with few trees.Three explorers passed through this new area and saw many tall bamboos growing there. "Bamboo," cried Flip, "an important discovery, Mr. Mark!" "But these bamboos are not edible," said Robert. "Hey, is there only one purpose for 'eating'?" the seaman asked back. "Then I'll tell you, when I was in India, I, I ate bamboo as asparagus." "Thirty-foot asparagus!" exclaimed Robert. "Is it delicious?"

"Excellent!" said Flip, unhurriedly. "But I must tell you frankly that it is not the thirty-foot-high bamboo that is eaten, but the young bamboo shoots. Let me tell you again, Mr. Robert, that the bamboo shoots soaked in vinegar are excellent side dishes, and there are also bamboo shoots. A lot of economic value. There is a puddle of sweet water in the bamboo joint, I think Miss Bell must like this delicacy." "What else can this precious plant do?" "Its bark can be split into soft thin strips, Mr. Mark, to weave baskets, baskets, etc. This kind of bamboo bark can also be made into pulp after being soaked. It is the raw material for Chinese artificial paper. According to the length and thickness of the bamboo pole, it can also Make pipes or pipes for water. The largest bamboo is a good material for building a house, it is light and strong, and it will not be eaten by insects. And we can make it into pots of various sizes."

"Make jars! How?" asked Robert. "Sawn the bamboo to the proper length at the knots and keep the knots at one end, so we can get strong and durable bamboo jars. This kind of vessel is very popular in China." "Oh, now our mother should be happy," said Mark, "she's got an iron pot!" "Well, my young friends," said Flip, "we don't need to cut down these bamboos now, and it won't be too late to harvest them when we come back and pass here. Let's go!" Soon the hunters were on the foothills, where they stood looking out into the distance, and saw a stretch of sand dunes rising and falling against the rippling sea.The other side of the cliff is also clearly visible from this height, where there is a cave that now houses the family.

The children's eyes were wide open, and they looked over there greedily, but from five or six kilometers away, under the cover of green trees, it was impossible to see the campsite clearly. "No," Mark said, "you can't see the cave from here, wondering what mother, Jack and Bell are doing in the cave? But, Robert, do you see it? There's a wisp of blue smoke rising from behind the bushes, isn't that Is it a signal that everything is safe?" "Yes, I saw it," replied Robert. "It is true," went on Flip, "that this plume of smoke is a sign of peace, and as long as it rises in the air, we have no need to worry about our loved ones who remain in the cave. If you agree, We are no longer prospecting, my young gentlemen. I would like to know more about the abundance of game in the south of the hills. Don't forget that we are prospectors as well as hunters, and we must always think about our food lockers Yo."

Flip's advice was heeded, and indeed no game had hitherto been taken.So the three of them went down the hill and walked towards the sea.They came to a small meadow hidden behind the dunes, and the sea disappeared from sight at once.The grassland is a bit damp, with various flowers and plants growing everywhere, and the air is filled with the fragrance of flowers and plants.Flip easily recognized the large patches of thyme and thyme, the mounds of basil and the blooming conifers... almost every spice plant in the Lamiaceae can be seen here.This is purely a natural farm, a rabbit farm.Unfortunately, I haven't seen a rabbit yet, at least not any traces of the rodent's burrowing on the ground.Flip, who could not allow their distinguished guests to sit at an empty table, resolved to search more carefully the natural warren.The three of them were running back and forth between the hillside and the meadow.Robert jumped and jumped like a little boy, and he even risked tearing his clothes, sliding down the sandy slope like a slide again and again.

The hunt for prey lasted for more than half an hour, and there was no sign of the rabbit, nor any rodents of the same family, but this did not discourage the hunters.Although no animals were hunted, it was a rare learning opportunity for a botanist.Various plant samples can be seen here.Mark is obsessed with natural history and is a plant fan. He carefully observes these flowers and plants, hoping to find useful plants for life.Among them, he saw melissa, known in North America as perfumed mint tea.So far, Mark can still imagine the refreshing fragrance that this plant emits when it is soaked in boiling water.He picked some young leaves of basil grass, young leaves of melissa, as well as mint and stachys.These plants also have medical effects, some can eliminate phlegm, remove blood stasis, treat lung diseases, some can reduce fever and relieve pain, resist colds, and some can reduce inflammation and spasm, and resist arthritis.The whole meadow is a big pharmacy. Because none of the members of the small group had any symptoms of illness, Flip didn't pay much attention to this drug resource, and he walked elsewhere.Suddenly his attention was drawn to Robert's shouting fifty paces away. Flip hurried to Robert, knowing that his premonitions would not deceive him.Robert was standing next to a raised sand dune. The sand dune was full of holes, like a big colander. There must be hundreds of prey in the holes. "Rabbit hole!" said Robert excitedly. "Yes," Flip replied. "Are they in the hole?" "That's the problem," Flip replied. However, questions were quickly answered.Suddenly a large group of rabbits jumped out of the hole together, and fled to the surroundings with lightning speed.Mark and Robert hopped and hopped and gave chase, but the rodents got away easily.But Flip didn't want to go away empty-handed. He planned to catch at least five or six of them, so they could stock up on their pantry and tame a few more later.But when he saw Mark and Robert coming up empty-handed and exhausted, he understood that since he couldn't race these rodents, he had to sit back and wait.If you want to guard the hole and wait for the rabbit, you should set up a net at the entrance of the cave. Unfortunately, there is neither a net nor a material for making the net, so the problem becomes more difficult and complicated.There was no other way but to poke wildly about the hole with a stick to see if there were any rabbits that had escaped. An hour passed, and the three hunters inspected almost most of the caves, and they plugged the holes where no rabbits were found with grass and dirt.Finally, Mark found a little rabbit in a shallow hole and curled up at the hole in fright.With one stick down, the little rabbit was knocked unconscious.The rabbit, which resembles its European counterparts, is commonly known as the "American rabbit" because it is most commonly seen in North America, Flip said. Mark's results aroused his opponent's desire to compete, and Robert was unwilling to return empty-handed, intending to catch at least two or three.But in this hunt, his vitality far exceeded his patience, so that although he found rabbits in five or six holes, they were all frightened away by him.When Flip and Mark caught four rabbits, he had nothing to gain.So he gave up the "quiet search method" and switched to his "chasing and throwing method".But unfortunately, the rabbit's dexterity far outweighs his hurling stones and swinging sticks.When Flip signaled that it was time to call it a day, he "went away empty-handed" in disappointment. Flip was very pleased with the results of the hunt and nothing should be too demanding.Under the conditions they have, hitting four rabbits is already a complete victory.At this time, the sun had risen to noon, and the hunters' stomachs were already protesting.Flip decides to return to the cave.He carried on his shoulder a stick with two rabbits on one end.Mark immediately followed suit, and the two rushed down the hillside, took the river, and walked towards the station.Robert followed resentfully, whistling, and pretending to be indifferent, like a child trying to hide his embarrassment. "I feel sorry for Robert, he didn't hit anything," Mark told his friend Flip. "Robert is a little impatient," replied the seaman, "but he will grow up." At half past twelve, a group of three arrived at the southern end of the monkey.They reached the left bank again.A place where a bamboo forest grows.Robert poked the stick once and then in the grass of the swamp.Suddenly a bird was startled, and it quickly spread its wings and ran for its life.The boy whose self-esteem was greatly challenged decided to catch the bird no matter the cost.He immediately ran after it.Before Flip could cry out, he was already in the mud.Fortunately, the stone he threw hit the bird accurately, wounded its wing, and landed in the grass only a few meters away from the boy. Robert would not give up his prey, and in spite of Flip's cries from behind he made his tentative approach to the slumped bird in the mire.But the mud was too thin and soft, and he sank into it little by little.Fortunately he remembered to bring the wounded bird closer with a stick, and caught him.Then, he jumped onto several bushes of dense weeds, and finally jumped out of the quagmire unharmed.However, his clothes and trousers suffered, covered with a layer of black sludge. But he triumphed, and for this victory he defied Flapp's advice, disregarded the dangers that might occur, and was not afraid of destroying his irreplaceable garments, and for the sake of victory, he did not hesitate to go forward. "I've got a bird, I've got a bird!" he cried with dancing. "That's no reason for you to ignore it," replied Flip. "Besides, what kind of bird are you, and is it tasty?" "Of course it's delicious!" Robert said dissatisfied, "I want to see who says it's not delicious." The seaman took the bird handed over by Robert and inspected it. It was a bone-crested bird belonging to the order Macrodactylus, which is a transitional species that evolved from waders to webbed feet.This bird is good at floating water and is rock gray in color; the beak is short: broad forehead, broad flat toes; the edge of the wing has a tooth-shaped white edge.The bird was about the size of a chough.Flip knew the bird so well that he shook his head resignedly.He regarded the bird as pathetic prey, far from being a rare game, but Robert was one of those dubious carnivorous hunters whose prey, whatever it was, was a delicacy.Discussing the bone-crested bird with him in terms of deliciousness would be a waste of time.Flip said nothing more, and continued walking in the direction of the bamboo forest. With his knife Flip chopped off five or six bamboos of various thicknesses.This is Almedinaria bamboo, which looks like a small palm tree from a distance.Because many twigs and young leaves grew from its bamboo joints. After cutting the bamboo, each person carried two of them and returned along the nearest road. They arrived near the camp around 2 o'clock in the afternoon. Half a mile from camp, Mrs. Clifton, Jack and Bell greeted them.Both hunters and their prey are welcomed and deserved praise.Mrs. Clifton, the hostess of the house, was heartily relieved when she heard about the "rabbit farm" which would provide the family with an inexhaustible supply of game. Flip returned to the camp to find the fire in good order, for Mrs. Clifton had added more wood before she went out.The hind feet of the capybara were being smoked by the smoke from the profusion of green branches.Flip immediately proceeded to skin one rabbit, and then, with a stick, threaded it from head to tail.Then cross four wooden sticks into two forks and insert them into the ground, put the stick covered with rabbit meat on top, and light firewood underneath.Jack had been assigned the job of taking care of the roasts, because kitchen dogs never leave their posts. Seeing that his son Robert's clothes were covered with mud, the mother just looked at him a few more times without saying a word. The boy immediately understood the silent condemnation, and he carefully brushed off the dried dirt on his clothes. sludge.As for his bone-crowned bird, he did not want it to be neglected, so he plucked it hastily himself, and took a large piece of meat with him, and he took the bird's crop with him under the pretext of removing the meat. Throw it away.Then thread the bird on a stick and grill it on the fire. Soon, the rabbit meat has been grilled just right.Dinner is placed on the stone table in front of the cave.The spices collected from the "natural rabbit farm" are added to the rabbit meat to make it more delicious.As the owner, in a short while, a group of people gnawed it up like a storm, leaving only a pile of bones. Those who feel a little bit hungry still have more than a dozen bird eggs to satisfy their hunger.As for Robert's bone-cream, it was half burnt, and it was cut into portions to share.Only little Jack decided to try it, but spit it out immediately after taking a bite, and made a face, indicating that the food so beloved by his brother should be thrown away whole.The bone-top bird meat smells muddy and unpleasant, and it is really hard to swallow.But Robert was stubborn. In order to maintain his self-esteem, he bravely swallowed all the bird meat. The next day Flip and Mrs. Clifton devoted all their time to making quarters, and the seamen worked all day long making vessels out of bamboo.He deftly cuts the tough bamboo that should be sawed with his knife.He made more than a dozen bamboo vessels, and the hostess placed them in a corner of the cave. The largest one was immediately filled with fresh water, and the smallest one was used as a cup.Mrs. Clifton was very pleased with the bamboo cups. "It doesn't get any better," she said, "because you don't have to be afraid to break them." On this day, Mark discovered an edible fruit, thus adding a twist to the daily menu.This kind of fruit is actually some kernels, which are pine cones that Mark found on the edge of the grass, and there are many delicious pine nuts in it.In tropical America and Europe, the nutritive value of this pine nut is highly valued.The pine nuts that Mark brought to his mother were ripe.The children immediately ran to the meadow to help their older brother retrieve a large number of pine cones.As a labor reward, my mother allowed everyone to eat several pine cones. Since then, the life of the small group has improved day by day, and hope gradually returned to the heart of the unfortunate woman who had been so cruelly beaten.But how long has the family been left on this island?It must be admitted that neither Mrs. Clifton, nor Flip, nor any of the children probably knew the question.That night, Jack suddenly asked, what day is it today?Thus aroused the memory of the date. "What day of the week?" said Flip. "I have to admit I have no idea." "What's the matter, we don't know how many days we have been ashore." Robert said. "I can't answer it," admitted Mrs. Clifton. "I don't know much more than my mother," Mark went on. "It's me, I know!" Little Bell said. Everyone turned their eyes to the little girl, and watched as she fumbled in her pocket for a while, took out some small stones, and put them in a shell. "Little Bell," asked his mother, "what do these little stones mean?" "Mother," Bell replied, "I have put a pebble in my pocket every day since we landed, and now I just need to count how many pebbles there are." The little girl's words drew cheers.Flip raved about her mineral calendar and gave her a hug for thanking her for her hard work. People counted the stones, and there were six in total.The abandoned family members have been on this land for six days.It was Monday, March 25, when the boat left the Vancouver, so it was Saturday, March 30. "Very well," said Jack, "tomorrow is Sunday." "Yes, March 30th," said Mrs. Clifton. "It's Sunday. It's Easter Sunday, my children." Then the next day should be a day of rest, a day of prayer.Everyone thanked God for protecting them all the time, and everyone also prayed for the father who was not here and whom they missed every moment.