Chapter 17 Chapter Seventeen

After a burst of impulse, the seaman patted himself on the head and condemned himself with the harshest metaphors, blaming himself for how much time he had wasted, how many tricks he played, and how many tricks he used to hide the problem that the stove was extinguished, but Unexpectedly, the solution to this difficult problem was easily found in the pocket of the wounded.Perhaps Mr. Clifton prolonged the "difficult hour" by not bringing out the tinder as soon as Mrs. Clifton spoke of the fire accident, but who could blame him for that? When everyone calmed down, Uncle Robinson started to light the fire.A broken knife can be used as a sickle, and a stone and tinder can be added to light the fire without any auxiliary.

The tinder the engineer brought was the size of a playing card and was very dry.Uncle tore off tiny pieces from it and treasured the rest.He walked out of the cave and built a pyre with dead leaves, small wood chips, and dried seaweed, ready to strike sparks and light the fire.Then Robert said to him: "Uncle Robinson!" "What is it, Mr. Robert?" "Can my pistol help you?" "How to do it?" "In the place where the gunpowder is placed in the barrel, put a small piece of velvet, and then fire it, won't the velvet ignite?" "That's a way, young gentleman, yes, let's try it."

Uncle took the pistol and put a small piece of tinder on it. Just as he was about to fire it, Robert waiter said: "Let me pull the trigger." The seaman gave the gun to the child.The latter pulled the trigger, and the tinder was ignited.Uncle Robinson immediately put the burning tinder into the dry woodpile, and a puff of blue smoke rose.Uncle was first like a bellows for cooking, and then like a bellows for an iron-smelting furnace, puffing out his cheeks, blowing vigorously and carefully on the fire.The dry wood crackled, and the merry flames blazed up.A burst of cheers followed.

Immediately the great pot was filled with fresh water, hung over the fire, and Mrs. Clifton cut into pieces the frogs which the seaman had skinned neatly. At noon, the broth in the hanging pot was overcooked, giving off bursts of tempting aroma.Uncle personally roasted a hare on the fire; there are also pigeon eggs, shellfish and other foods, none of which are raw, they are all cooked, and even the pine nuts are roasted in the fire.Everyone happily sat around the table and enjoyed this festive feast.The frog soup is especially appreciated by everyone.Mr. Clifton gave everyone a piece of frog soup, but the seaman refused for a long time, thinking that the wounded should be given more to drink.But in the end, he couldn't stand everyone's repeated persuasion, and he also tasted his own share.Although Uncle Robinson has repeatedly claimed that he is well-informed and has eaten bird's nest in China and fried grasshoppers in Zambia, he now thinks nothing can compare to their frog soup.Because this is the tonic that Jack caught specially for his father.

After taking his many tonics, Mr. Clifton wanted to go for a walk with his wife and children.Mrs. Clifton, however, intends to tidy up the household.So the engineer, the three boys, and the sailor walked along the foot of the cliff to the lake.Robert and Jack also had their fishing tackle.They walked through the woods to the river, and my father sat down on a stump, admiring the view.Dense green forests, snow-capped mountains, rolling yellow sand dunes, against the background of a clear, pale blue lake... This lake is like the Ontario of Chambran in North America described by Cooper in his melancholy poems. The homesick waters of the lake.

Uncle Robinson again briefed Mr. Clifton on the surroundings and the explorations they had made.He said: "Let's go on exploring together, Mr. Clifton, and you'll see how much treasure is hidden here. We can explore the island in the middle of the lake, and if I'm not mistaken, there are more than just webbeds on it. Besides , I have been there before, and then I met you in that wetland where there are many aquatic animals, and there are all kinds of quadrupeds in the forest, with just one blow, it doesn’t need a very flexible blow, you can move They hunt, making them a delicacy on our table."

"And by what means are these game to be caught?" asked Mr. Clifton. "We can make some bows and arrows, Mr. Clifton, we can find suitable wood here and there, and as for bow strings, we can get them from quadrupeds." "Okay," Clifton replied, "but first we should build a farm and domesticate the wandering wild animals." "Good idea," said Uncle Robinson, "and then we can start a vegetable garden and turn the weeds into vegetables, so Mrs. Clifton won't complain." "Indeed, my venerable friend," replied the engineer, smiling, "nothing is impossible for you. Do you know, Uncle Robinson, indeed I like to call you that, you Have you ever wondered how beautiful it would be if we could build a house in this grove between the lake and the sea!"

"I've thought about it a long time ago," replied the sailor. "You see, the clump of hackberry trees on the right is really prepared for us by nature. We can cut off the middle ones, and leave the surrounding trees for walls and pillars." , covered with tree branches, covered with a thatched roof, and left out doors and windows, a well-ventilated house will not be completed.” "The slope of the terrain should also be used to bring the lake water into the house," continued the engineer. "It would be nice to bring water into the house!" said the uncle happily. "Look how many plans we have to accomplish! We should also build a bridge where the river flows from the lake. This will make it easy to get to the other side." Went to investigate."

"Yes," Clifton replied, "but a drawbridge is to be built. Because if I understand your introduction correctly, the coast is exactly between the sea, the cliffs and the lake, and the river divides the lake from the sea. Connected." "Yes, sir." "On the north side," continued the engineer, "from the mouth of the river to the place where it flows out of the lake, just forms a waters impenetrable to wild animals, like a ditch to defend the northern part of the cave; think, Robin Uncle Xun, if we build a hedge or a wide ditch on the south side to let the lake flow in, then our caves, water forests, and the lake will not be completely surrounded, so that wild animals cannot enter, and our domesticated livestock cannot exit. Did you go?"

"Ah, Mr. Engineer, I wouldn't trade this natural garden for a cottage on the Mohawk River!" said the seaman hastily. "Then let us begin." "It's a matter of urgency, urgency, urgency, Uncle Robinson," said Clifton, grabbing the sailor who was already up and holding the axe, "before the great garden is fenced in, and the new house is being built." Before that, let's build a defensive fence for our cave." "Sir," replied the seaman, "I'm ready. If you like, you and Robert and Mr. Jack will stay on the shore and catch some trout for us. Mr. Mark and I will go to the forest at once to cut down trees." .”

After the proposal was accepted, the uncle and his nephew Mark walked along the northern shore of the lake towards the forest.Junyu was left behind by his two younger brothers.Jack left the lake and went near the swamp where he hoped to catch some more frogs.A father and his two sons have been fishing.They were lucky and caught six or seven fat trout.And Robert always complained that the fish were too slow in the bite, and Mr. Clifton had to check his impatience several times. While fishing, the engineer kept thinking about his new situation.The serious events that took place completely changed the circumstances of his life.He has not lost confidence, he wants to use the existing conditions to create a comfortable and easy life for his family.But he also wondered very much whether it was still possible for him to return to his native country.To do this, he had to figure out whether the coast he was on was an island or some continent.This requires knowing the location of the land. But to know the location of this piece of land, astronomical instruments are necessary.How can you measure longitude without a chronograph, and how can you measure latitude without a sextant?Recalling the last measurement made by Captain Harrison on the Vancouver, unfortunately, a bloody incident occurred before he could make a precise measurement; therefore, the engineer only had a rough impression: the ship had deviated from the course to the north, but in the end It is difficult for him to know exactly what latitude line he has reached. In addition, there are two relatively simple ways to know whether the land under your feet is an island or a continent, that is: either climb the highest mountain for observation; or sail and explore along the coastline. The highest peak is about five or six thousand feet above sea level.If this is a medium-sized island with a circumference of about 40 to 50 nautical miles, from the top of the mountain, people can see the scene of the surrounding water and sky.But is this mountain easy to climb?Is it possible to go through forests and other mountains to get to the top? It seems that the second method is more feasible. Uncle Robinson is a good sailor, and the boat is not deep enough to sail along the winding and rugged coast. As long as you conduct surveys in June or July, when the day is longer than the night, you can Quickly determine the natural location of the land. If this is the mainland, that is to say, there is still hope to return to the motherland, then living here is only temporary. If this were an island, the Clifton family would be exiled prisoners on the island, waiting for an occasional ship to pass by to have a chance to rescue them back home.Then they would have to obey the will of God, perhaps to live here forever.Harry Clifton was a brave, strong man who was not afraid of being alone, but who wanted to know the truth and know it. While thinking, the engineer observed the lake water.He was suddenly surprised to find that there was a whirlpool on the lake more than 100 meters away from the shore.What is causing this phenomenon?Is it the expansive forces deep in the Earth's crust that herald volcanic properties?Or just what animals inhabit the lake?The engineer decided that he must figure out this doubtful point in the lake in the future. Towards the end of the day, and towards sunset, Mr. Clifton saw a gigantic object floating along the northern shore of the lake. "Is there any relation between this object and the eddies seen in the lake?" Harry Clifton asked himself. The engineer called his two sons, Robert and Jack, and pointed them to the moving object, asking if they knew what it was.One answered that it was a water monster, and the other said it was a large piece of drifting wood.At this moment, the object gradually approached, and they recognized at once that it was a wooden raft, and someone was driving it forward. Robert cried out. "It's them, it's Mark and Uncle Robinson!" The boy saw it right, it was his brother and the sailor who bundled the cut trunks into a wooden raft and drove it along the lakeshore to the shore closest to the cave.They should be there in half an hour. "Go, Jack!" said Mr. Clifton. "Run back and tell your mother we're going back..." Jack looked in the direction of the cave.It seemed a little too far for him, and he had to go through the dark woods in the middle, so he hesitated. "Are you frightened?" said Robert contemptuously. "Jack, what's the matter!" said the father. "Well, I'll go," said Robert. "No," his father said to him, "Mark and Uncle need your help." Jack looked at the ground and remained silent. "My child," said the engineer, drawing his son close to him, "you should not be afraid, you will soon be eight years old, and already a little man. Think about it, what we ask you to help is what you can do Yes. Be brave, don't be afraid!" "Okay, father, I'll go." The little boy replied, suppressing a sigh. Then, he turned around, took the frog he had caught, and walked quite firmly towards the cave. "You shouldn't laugh at Jack," Clifton said to Robert. "Instead, you should encourage him. He'll get over himself and everything will be fine, right?" Harry Clifton and his son walked towards the shore where the raft was to be anchored.Uncle and Mark are nimbly driving the raft to the shore with long poles. "How about it, it's all right!" said the uncle. "It's a good idea that you have come up with this raft for transporting wood," said the engineer. "It was Mr. Mark's idea," replied the uncle. "Mr. Clifton, your eldest son, who will soon be a distinguished lumberjack, was the one who came up with the idea, not only of bringing back our material, but of And shipped it back to ourselves!" The rafts are made of pine trunks and wild vines.The bottom diameter of each pine trunk is twenty or thirty long.The uncle and the two boys started to carry the wood to the shore, where they had stacked all the trunks before dark. "That's all for today," said the uncle. "Tomorrow we will bring the wood back to the cave," said the engineer. "If you agree, Mr. Engineer, we will first process the stumps here tomorrow into square logs, which will be easier to transport back," said the seaman. "All right, uncle. Come back now, supper is waiting for us. Look, what do you think of my trout?" "But look at our prey! Mr. Mark hit it." Uncle showed off their kill to Mr. Clifton, a hare, a rodent.Its coat is yellowish with dark green spots, and its tail is almost degenerate. "This animal," said Clifton, "is of the agouti class, but a little larger than the tropical agouti, and is a proper American rabbit. If, I am not mistaken, in the temperate regions of America, one may often see this Rabbit. You see it has five molars on either side of its jaw, and that's what makes it different from the agouti." "Can this be eaten?" Uncle Robinson asked. "Eatable and extremely digestible." Mark carried his quarry on the end of his stick, and Mr. Clifton leaned on his uncle's shoulder, and all, in good spirits, reached the cave at six o'clock.Mother has prepared a delicious dinner for her distinguished guests.In the evening, all go for a walk on the beach.Clifton looked around again.He and his uncle agreed that it would not be difficult to build a harbor here.But the most urgent solution at present is to build a fence.No further exploration can be scheduled until this project is complete. Then, Mrs. Clifton helped her husband; Uncle chatted with Mark and Robert; Jack and Bell picked up shells and pebbles while walking; they were like leisurely bourgeois walking in their own yard, happy and peaceful returned to the cave.More oysters were collected on the way through oyster reefs.Uncle and Mark took turns guarding the fire at night.Finding a flammable mushroom to replace tinder is also a problem that needs to be solved as soon as possible. The next day Mr. Clifton surveyed with his uncle and drew the construction lines for the fence.This is a semi-circular yard surrounding the cave, which can be used for many purposes.Then my uncle started digging holes in the ground and planting piles.Because it is river soil, it is not very difficult to dig, and he has been working until noon. After lunch, Clifton, Mark, and the seaman went to the place where the stumps were piled up by the lake. They cut up the stumps and processed them into long and short logs of roughly the same thickness. As the sailor himself said, he was very skillful and agile with the axe.Like a real carpenter, he stood in a figure of eight steps, and when the ax rose and fell, large and large pieces of tree chips were cut down, and he processed the wood quickly.They did that all day.The next morning, Tuesday, they began burying the stumps in the holes they had dug to serve as pillars.Some branches were tied horizontally in the middle, so that their fence was built.At the bottom of the fence, Mr. Clifton also planted an agave plant similar to American aloe, whose tough, spiny leaves form an impenetrable barrier. On May 6th the fence was all finished.The way to the cave is secured.Harry Clifton was thankful that a pack of wolves roamed the cave that night, howling menacingly.The burning flames kept them from approaching.However, there were a few daring ones who dared to come to the foot of the fence.Uncle threw them with burning coals, and they ran away screaming.

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