Chapter 11 Chapter Eleven

Flip spent the next few days improving conditions for Mrs. Clifton's family.Since the land provided almost everything the group needed, the problem was basically solved. For a week, Flip had been scrambling to stockpile fuel.The problem of fire had become his greatest worry.In order for the fire not to go out, and to keep it burning forever, someone had to keep feeding the stove, and it was impossible for Mrs. Clifton and her two little children to leave the cave with them.In order not to leave them alone in the cave for a long time, it was impossible for Flip to make further surveys into the depths of the land.The thought that the fire might go out made Flip, who is not easily excited, shudder. He will never forget the nervousness and fear he felt when he struck the last match.So far he has not found a pure vegetable substance that can replace tinder, and he does not know how to drill wood to make fire in the way of a savage, so he can only keep the stove burning continuously.As a precaution, the sailors even tried to use pine wood as a torch at night, stick it on the ground and let it burn for several hours as a backup kindling.

Due to the limited time, in the second week after going ashore, I still only did some exploration around the camp.In order not to leave Mrs. Clifton and the children to spend the night alone, so as not to be in danger of being attacked by wild animals, Flip had to return to camp every night.Therefore, it has been impossible to find the answer to the question of whether the land under their feet is a continent or a small island. Thanks to Flip's deft, creative hands, and the help of Mark and Robert, the small group's vessel was more or less satisfied.They can use bamboo to make containers of various sizes.Mark also found a kind of tree on the north shore of the lake, which produced ready-made bottles. This is a kind of gourd-bearing tree.The tree grows very commonly in tropical continents, but is rare in temperate climates.

"Look, Flip," said Mark, telling Flip to watch, "you see that this side of the shore is not as high as we thought." "Really," replied Flip, "the distribution of the coconut's growth confirms that." "But, Flip," asked Mark, changing the subject, "haven't you got a clue as to what happened to the Vancouver and the gang of thugs who abandoned us at sea?" "No, Mr. Mark, this is the captain's business. We crew members only need to steer the ship. We need to know the course of the ship." Flip was unwilling to discuss this issue, and he shirked and brought the topic back. "I think the same as you, Mr. Mark. The altitude of this piece of land is not as high as we imagined, but it is about the same altitude as the Spanish Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea, or French Algeria."

"But," said Mark, "the weather here in March is cold enough for this low altitude." "Young sir!" said Flip, "don't forget that in some years the waters of Africa freeze over! I was in Réunion, in February, 1853, at the Saint-Denis, I have seen the phenomenon of freezing. You also know that New York, which is at 40 degrees north latitude with Madrid and Constantinople, is still very cold in winter. The climate is largely determined by the local physical geography Environment. Although this coast is not high in altitude, it may be very cold in winter.”

"It's annoying that we can't determine the altitude here," Mark said. "It's disgusting enough, Mr. Mark," replied the seaman, "we don't have any instruments to measure it, but people must be content. Anyway, look at this gourd that grows on the coast, it can't choose where it grows, Since it was grown here, it was grown for us, so we should use it." Mark and Flip talked as they walked back to the cave, and they brought back a dozen gourds that could be used as bottles.Since there was neither a table nor a cupboard, Flip put the gourds in a corner.Although there is no partition wall, Mrs. Clifton still kept the cave in an orderly and clean manner, as if drawing invisible lines on the ground, dividing the cave into bedroom, dining room, kitchen, pantry...

Though Mrs. Clifton was filled with sorrow at every moment, she ran the house for the little company with great zeal.In short, this is a hard-working mother who can forget herself for her children.So she always restrained herself and kept her sadness from showing.Flip saw it all, he understood her, he tried his best to encourage her, and advised her not to be disappointed.He was the only one who really guessed the pain in the mother's heart.Mark, the brave boy, probably knew a thing or two, for sometimes he would hold his mother's hand, kiss her, and whisper to her: "Be brave, mother, be brave!"

At this time, Mrs. Clifton also took her beloved son, Mark, to her breast, embraced and kissed him.Mark looks very much like his father, a copy of his father.His appearance already shows that he has the same character as his father, Engineer Clifton: bright and intelligent. Also this week, to the cheers of the children, Flip finally made some fishing gear that was hard to judge whether it was good or bad!He was lucky enough to find a species of Acacia acacia, which had very long thorns.Flip plucked a few thorns, bent them over the fire, and used the fibers of the coconut-bark for hook-lines, with the thorns tied at one end and a stick at the other, so that their rods All right!Then hang a small piece of meat on the hook.Surrounded by the children and Mrs. Clifton, Flip led the crowd to the lake, and he threw the hook into the water with a smart flick.

Flip had full confidence in his gear, and his experience had not deceived him, for there were plenty of fish in the lake.A large school of fish came to bite the hook. Although most of the fish escaped from the hook, there were still a few that were pulled ashore by Flip decisively and skillfully. Mark was very patient and had hooked a few similar Red squat fish, the sides of the fish are silver-gray, covered with small yellow spots.Although the flesh of this fish is black, it is delicious when grilled over charcoal fire.Because these fish were extremely greedy and always took the bait recklessly, people continued to catch many of these fish in the following days, and they also caught a lot of smelts.Thus, the members of the small group enjoyed a lot of food.

Meat: water guinea pig, rabbit; fish: red squat fish, smelt; eggs: pine pigeon eggs; shellfish: razor clam, lobster, crab; fruits: pine nuts, these constitute a small group that is both hygienic and rich Nutritious daily food, but lack of vegetables and bread.Little Bell never forgets to eat donuts at every meal. "The baker hasn't arrived yet," good Flip always answered her. "He's late, my pretty lady. The baker is an abomination, and if he treats us badly like this again, we'll dismiss him." "Well, let the baker do it!" said Jack. "We're all right now, aren't we?"

"But you ought indeed to have bread to eat." "Excuse me, when will it be available?" "We will have it when we have it." At this point, Mrs. Clifton cast a questioning glance at Flip.The brave sailor who is confident that he can do anything certainly has no doubt that he can make bread. A week passed like this, and April 7th was another Sunday.According to religious customs, it is a day of rest.Before supper the family took a walk together, and they returned along the cliff to the first camp near the sea, from which there was a view of the Pacific Ocean, which always attracted Mrs. Clifton's eye.The brave woman wasn't completely disappointed.Flip always reassured her that the rebels on the Vancouver did not want Clifton's life, according to his surmise.Or the engineer has escaped from the Vancouver and landed on some nearby island, and his first thing to do is to look for the shore where his wife and children have been abandoned. A clever and brave man like the engineer, he Loving his wife and children, he would not fail to find some clue, and then he would follow it from island to island in the Pacific in search of his loved ones.

Mrs. Clifton did not answer Flip's reasoning. Even if the seaman was right, how many difficulties had to be overcome, and how many things had to be left to fate.In short, how many more days would she and her children have to live on this strange shore, away from her family, away from her father? But, Mrs. Clifton asked, if the bandits of the Vancouver didn't want the Engineer's life, why did they separate him from his family, and why didn't they take him into the boat together, and let them go ashore together to be rescued here? To Mrs. Clifton's question, Flip hoped to find a reason to answer her, but he was incoherent, stammering and saying nothing. During the week commencing on April 8th the stockpiles were again increased, and we seemed to expect that hunger would no longer trouble this little company. In labor, Flapp practiced training the children he wanted to teach them to be as flexible and creative as himself.He also promised to make bows and arrows for them whenever suitable wood was available.But for now he can only teach them how to trap and trap small birds and animals.He used three small sticks to form a figure 4, then tied them with coconut fibers and tied them with ropes.On hare farms, their nooses are of great use, and they can often catch caught rabbits.Mrs. Clifton also frequently reminded Flip of the rabbits and rock pigeons he should keep.To do this, however, a captive farm must first be established, a problem that Flip has so far had no time to tackle. In addition to teaching children how to make nets and traps, Flip also taught children how to bait birds.He folded a leaf into the shape of a trumpet, put it on his mouth and blew it, imitating the song of a female bird, imitating the singing of a male bird, and then put the leaf flat on his lips, and the sound he blew was like a group of birds singing happily.He can also imitate the flying sound of fluttering birds.The children learned very quickly, especially Robert, who was the most gifted in this area. He was the first to master this skill flexibly, and little Jack also got good grades.When he puffed up his cheeks and blew on the leaves, he looked very much like a chubby little angel.In this way they lead birds into their traps, often to their delight and success. Of all these facilities, Chief Flip's greatest concern was his fire.He couldn't let their stove fire be exposed to a little wind and rain. He wanted to set the stove in the cave, but the smoke would choke the cave and make it uninhabitable.If a chimney is installed to exhaust the smoke, it is another arduous project.Without a drill and a pickaxe, how could it be possible to make a hole in the granite rock?Is there a gap in the cave wall that can be exploited?But the cave is full of thick rocks, without a single crack.Nothing can be done with only a knife.Under these conditions, Flip had to temporarily abandon the plan of installing a chimney in the cave, and had to place the stove outside the cave.But the seaman is not discouraged, he has many plans in his mind, and once the plan is mature, it can be implemented, and he often discusses his various plans with Mark. This is the start of the third week, Monday, April 11th.Flip, Mark and Robert prepare for an important reconnaissance in the forest.They intended to go to the right bank of the river first.Without boats and bridges, it was difficult for them to cross the lake to the source of the river.So they planned to follow the lake from west to south, and then go around east to the right bank of the river.But the journey is twelve kilometers away. For the legs of two young men, Robert and Mark, this is not a big problem. The rest is just a matter of time.So the three hikers set off early in the morning with all the food they could get for the day, expecting to return after dark.Mrs. Clifton urged them again on their excursion. At six o'clock in the morning, the group of three had reached the east bank of the lake, where it borders the forest.The terrain here is extremely uneven.The trees are staggered high and low, forming a huge green arcade.The leaves are dense and layered, and the sunlight can hardly penetrate.The forest is dark and damp, with juniper, larch, conifer and other trees growing. Flip, accompanied by two young companions, went into the woods.The big trees in the forest are intertwined, the vines are coiled, the thorns are overgrown, and there is no road.They had no choice but to cut off the vines and move forward slowly while pushing aside the branches.From time to time, frightened birds flew up and hid in the shade of the trees, and frightened four-legged animals jumped out of their holes and hurriedly hid in the tall grass.To Robert's great regret, he could neither see what the animals were nor catch them, but watched them slip away without a trace. After walking for half an hour, Mark, who had always been walking in front, suddenly stopped and let out a cry of wonder. "What's the matter, Mr. Mark?" Flip hurried to the young man. "River, Flip." "Already reached the river!" The sailor was also surprised. "Look!" said Mark. Indeed, before their eyes, a river was flowing quietly, black and apparently deep, sixty feet wide at most.The two banks are steep and covered with tall and sturdy trees, which seem to be the huge green cradle of the river.The river is inlaid between cliffs and mountain streams, winding through narrow valleys and turbulent.Looking at the water and mountains at a glance, the scenery is picturesque.But everywhere was wilderness again.In the forest, there was a place where several big trees fell down, forming a clearing in the forest. The sunlight poured into the forest like waves through the branches, as if embracing the forest.The forest is filled with the fragrance of pine resin; all kinds of green vines climb from one tree to another; under the dense trees, weeds are overgrown, which should be the best habitat for reptiles. Flip and the two teenagers admired the beauty in silence.Now, Flip wondered, how did they get to the river so quickly?According to his estimate, there should be another hour's journey to get there, and he couldn't explain all this.Mark and Robert couldn't figure out what was going on either. "This river," said Mark, "may not be the one we've surveyed." "Yes!" said Flip. "I see the color of the water, and the speed of the water. This river is black and fast." "You're right, Flip," Mark replied. "Well," said the sailor again, "let us go down the river, and we shall see that it does not flow into the sea." "But it's gotta go somewhere?" said Robert. "Yes," replied Mark, "and why can't it be a tributary of the river we've already surveyed?" "Come on, we'll find out," said Flip. The two teenagers followed their companions forward.But after walking a few hundred meters, something even more surprising happened to them: they had reached the west bank of the lake. "You are right, Mr. Mark," cried the sailor, "that the river does not flow out of the lake, but flows into it, and the other river flows out of it. The two rivers may be one, and the river across the lake and into the sea at a lower level than our first bivouac." "It seemed to me," says Mark, "that rivers in nature always flow through wide bodies of water and out to sea." "Yes," exclaimed Robert, "where the river flows out is where my capybara dived. It's there, three miles from here, and I can see that very well. If we had a raft, we could have gone straight to the right bank of the lake, and walked an hour or so to our home." "No doubt," replied Mark, "only you forgot one thing, dear Robert." "What's the matter, Mark?" "After crossing the upper reaches of the river, you have to cross the lower reaches of the river—the part that goes out from the lake and flows to the sea before you can get home." "Exactly," said Flip. "Since this is the case," said Robert, "we can only walk back the same way. There is still a long way to go, so let's have lunch first." Robert's suggestion was accepted.Flip, Mark, and Robert were sitting on the ground under the shade of a beautiful acacia tree on the bank. The sailor took out some pieces of cold meat, some boiled eggs, and a handful of pine cones from his pocket, and drank the clear water in the lake. of fresh water.They have a great appetite and finish their lunch in no time. Flip, Mark, and Robert rose to their feet, and they looked around one last time, the shadows of the trees on the lake. Four kilometers away, a little to the right, rose a precipice, and below that there was a cave, in which Mrs Clifton was supposed to be.But the cave cannot be seen from here, nor can the green smoke rising from the stove.There, the river changed direction and flowed into the forest.The mountains on both sides of the bank are undulating, the trees overlap, and the snow-capped main peak overlooks the hills...All these beauties filled the imagination of the two teenagers. "Mother should be allowed to enjoy the beauty of nature," Mark said. "If we use a boat, we can take her and Jack and Bell together to swim in the lake." "Yes, why can't we row up the river and into the lake?" "Good idea!" exclaimed Robert, "so we can see the upper reaches of the river. What a lovely trip on the water, Flip!" "All this will come to pass," replied the good seaman, who was very pleased to see Mark and Robert so enthusiastic about the future. "But please be patient, my young gentlemen. There are two rivers blocking our way back, so let's go back to camp early." That was the best advice, and Flip made a sign to go, and the three of them, sticks in hand, set out on their way back.They walked along the lakeside path, which was much easier than the forest road.The hikers have completed their mission of exploring today, and of course they will play the role of hunters again on the way home.Luckily Mark hit a half-asleep hedgehog in the hole with a stick, or they would have returned empty-handed. Compared with their European counterparts, this hedgehog has a longer head, shorter tail, and longer ears. Appears to belong to the Asian insectivorous hedgehog. This hedgehog is only a very inconspicuous prey, but it is still a prey.So Mark picked it up on his own stick.In addition, its quills were hard and sharp, which could be attached to arrowheads, and were very useful for making weapons, so Flip advised his young friends not to look down on this hedgehog. At three o'clock in the afternoon, Flip, Mark, and Robert arrived in front of the cave. They quickened their pace because the weather was about to change.Dark clouds covered the sky, and big raindrops were about to fall.It's starting to blow and a storm is coming. Mrs. Clifton made no complaints about the long absence of Flip and her children, and nothing unexpected and annoying happened in their absence, except that the howling of the beast could be heard not far from the cave on the side of the cliff. cry. Are there any beasts haunting the cave?Mrs. Clifton thought it might be some monkeys.But Flip felt that it was necessary to strengthen the defense, and a protective door should be installed at the entrance of the cave.But with only one knife, how can you cut down trees and saw boards? During the week of April 16-21, no new survey work was carried out.The rain has been falling, and there is hardly a sunny day. Fortunately, the storm is blowing from the northwest. The storm beats like a whip on the rock wall at the back of the cave, while the front of the cave escapes the frontal wash of the heavy rain. , if you are still in the first camp, what will happen?Could the roof shelter of the boat withstand the onslaught of the downpour?Now, the cave is neither airtight nor rain-tight.Flip also dug a drainage ditch in front of the hole to block the flow of rainwater from the hole. The most difficult problem to solve is to keep the fire outside the cave from being extinguished by the rainstorm. The pine torches used as spares almost went out many times during the rainstorm.Several times, the wind and raindrops swirled and blew into the corner of the cliff, almost blowing away the coals of fire.Flip kept watch over the fire, with all his body and all his wits against the wind and rain, and kept the fire from going out.He was exhausted and anxious. During the brief intervals between the storms, Flip and the two boys hurried off into the woods, and returned with some dry wood, so that the stores of fuel were not appreciably diminished.But the storm brought great trouble to Mrs. Clifton's cooking work. The soup pot propped outside the cave was blown over several times by the wind, and Mrs. Clifton had to cook inside the cave.In order to avoid being choked by the thick smoke, she could only grill some meat and dried fish over charcoal to satisfy everyone's hunger.The clever little Bell is helping her to do some work within her ability, so she is constantly praised by Flip's father. Father Flip was never idle, and as a sailor he knew some rope-twisting skills.He twisted many ropes out of coconut husk fibers.With his omnipotent hands, this "ropemaker" managed to make a crude turntable, by which he could twist the rope more strongly.He soon made a lot of strong and durable rope.He planned to use the thin rope as a bow string, but after experiments found that the elasticity was not good, he had to give up the idea.But he intends to try again to make bowstrings with animal guts when the time is right.Then he started making tables and benches.He drove some stakes into the ground against the wall of the cave, removed the temporarily unused foredeck of the boat, put it on the stakes, and thus completed his bench.He also placed a "table" in the center of the hole in the same way.These pieces of furniture were highly praised by the hostess.For the first time, on this Thursday night, the whole family can finally gather around the table for dinner. The hazy weather has not passed, and the storm is still going on.Flip wondered: Is it the rainy season in this part of the world, and how long will the rainy season last at this altitude?What should they do when they cannot fish or hunt in this situation?All of these should be considered. On the night of April 21st and 22nd, the storm became even more unscrupulous.Flip put all his energy into protecting the fire.He thought that if the wind blows from the northwest, it is not too terrible, but if the wind changes direction or forms a cyclone, the problem will be serious.Normally, Flip would be on duty all night to keep watch over the fire so that Mrs. Clifton and the children could sleep.However, recently, because of Mark's repeated insistence, and because he really couldn't resist the long-term sleepiness, he had to agree to Mark's request whether he wanted to or not.So he and his trustworthy Mark each took turns guarding the fire every four hours. At midnight on the 21st of April, Flip put a good load of wood on the fire, which was in full swing.A lot of firewood was piled up at the entrance of the cave for backup, and he repeated a few words to the successor Mark, and then went into the cave and fell asleep on his sand bed.Mark huddled in a corner under the rock wall, fighting against the heavy rain. The first hour was safe and sound, although the wind echoed the roar of the sea, but the situation was not worse. At 1:30 in the morning, a sudden strong wind with never-before-seen rage, carrying sea water, raindrops and silt from northwest to southwest, formed a whirlwind and swept across the cliffs swiftly. Unprepared, Mark was blinded by the wind and sand, and was overturned by the storm and fell to the ground, but he immediately jumped up and rushed towards the stove. However, the stove was gone, and the storm destroyed the stove, blowing away the stones that supported the stove, and swept away the charcoal fire in the stove; The charcoal fire falling on the sand gave off a faint flame, which was also extinguished by the torrential rain in the blink of an eye. Poor Mark was desperate. "Flap, Flip!" he cried at the top of his lungs. The sailor was suddenly awakened, and immediately ran to Mark.In an instant, he understood everything.He and Mark also tried to retrieve a few coals, but all efforts were in vain.The two squatted in the corner of the stone wall in despair in the dark night.