Chapter 21 Chapter 21
Before the explorers returned, Mrs. Clifton had prepared her lunch from the remains of the previous day's kill.At half past twelve, the whole family started to go down the mountain after eating.After going straight through the woods, they came to the head of the creek, the head of the waterfall.The current here is turbulent, and the river hits the black rocks with white foam, spinning and rushing downstream.The banks of the river were extremely desolate.After passing through the tangled forest of thorns and tangled branches, the explorers arrived at the place where the boat was moored.They loaded the boat with various plants and useful substances they had found during their travels, and then sailed down the river.At three o'clock the boat reached the mouth of the lake.Raising the sails, the boat sailed down the river under the force of the wind.At six o'clock in the evening, the whole family returned to the cave.The fence clearly showed signs of damage, but thanks to the fence posts the impact damage was contained.So the first thing my uncle said was a loud exclamation:
"It must have been done by those dreadful monkeys," said he. "They visited us when we were away, and they are a dangerous neighbourhood. Mr. Clifton, we must be careful of them!"
After a long journey, travelers feel very tired and need a good night's sleep.Everyone lay down in their sleeping places.Without rekindling the fire, there was no need to guard it.The night was uneventful.The next day, June 2nd, Uncle Robinson and the Engineer woke up first.
"Well, Mr. Clifton!" asked the uncle in a cheerful tone.
"All right, my dear friend," Clifton replied. "It's time for a plan because we've definitely become islanders and we have to live here. So we have to organize our lives according to that reality."
"That's right, Mr. Clifton," replied the uncle, in a tone of confidence. "We'll live just fine, and we'll make our island a Garden of Eden. I say our island because it belongs to us. Didn't the scouts find no one else? Which means we have nothing to lose." Scared. Will Mrs. Clifton adjust to this new situation?"
"Yes, Uncle, this is a brave woman whose fierce devotion to God will never be lessened."
"God will not forsake us," said the uncle. "As for the children, I am sure they will be very happy here."
"And you, Uncle Robinson, don't you have any regrets?"
"No, or rather, the only regret."
"What is it?"
"Should I say it?"
"Of course uncle."
"Tobacco. You know I'm a big smoker. I can smoke even my ears."
Hearing the sailor's regret, Clifton couldn't help smiling.He did not smoke, and therefore could not understand the strong desire for cigarettes in a person with such a habit.He already knew Uncle Robinson's needs, and one day, he would meet him.
Mrs. Clifton had hoped to build a poultry fence.Her husband decided to start building this useful structure to signify their permanent residence on the island.On the right side of the fence surrounding the opening, they built another fence covering an area of 100 square meters; there was a small communicating gate between the two fences.It only took two days to build the fence wall.I also made a few small cages made of branches.Everything is ready, just waiting for their master to come. The first pair to enter the poultry fence are two pheasants.They are hunted alive on excursions.Mrs. Clifton has snapped their wings off.Presumably they should be easier to domesticate, right?Later, several wild ducks hunted from the lake were put in.Considering that ducks like water, my uncle used bamboo utensils to fill the water and put it into the poultry fence.This is a type of Chinese duck whose wings spread out like a fan and whose plumage is as brightly colored as a pheasant.
In order to enrich the variety of poultry fences, the family held a week of hunting activities.The children caught a pair of turkeys with long arrow feathers on their tails: they belonged to the chrysalis family and were very easy to domesticate.The members of this newly formed small group have gone through some struggles, and soon they will adapt to each other, and they will develop steadily and gradually expand their team.
Mr. Clifton also dug holes in the easier rock and housed a dozen pairs of rock pigeons, whose eggs became a staple food for the family.These rock pigeons are easier to tame than the pine pigeons, and they fly out during the day and return to their new home at night.Now, the Clifton family can hear a happy movement of cooing, clucking and chirping every day.
During the first half of June, my uncle has been working on pottery production, the material is the clay suitable for making stoneware that they brought back by boat.Since there was no turntable for pottery, my uncle had to make it by hand.He appeared a bit clumsy and produced many deformed products.But after all, these are some pottery!When firing pottery, my uncle broke a lot because he didn't know how to adjust and control the fire.Fortunately, there was enough clay, and finally he succeeded in producing seven or eight pots and the like, and one of them was a very large pot, which should be regarded as a pot.
Mr. Clifton went out sometimes with Mark, sometimes with Robert, while his uncle was making pottery;They frequent prey-rich swamps, hare fields, and oyster reefs.In their search, they always want to find cryptogamous plants that can replace tinder, but they have not been able to achieve their goal.By chance, however, they found Mrs. Clifton's long-requested, most satisfying soap substitute.Mr Clifton had tried to make soap from things like grease, fat, and a salty substance extracted from burned seaweed, but the process was too complicated and time-consuming.So he had to give up this idea.And now he stumbled across the soap tree and was very happy.Engineers know that the fruit of this tree can produce a lot of foam when it meets water, and it can be used to wash various things. Its cleaning effect is sixty times that of soap.They brought the soap fruit to their mother and it proved to be very effective.
Mr. Clifton also thought of extracting sugar from sugar-cane, or from some tropical species of its kind, or from the maple or some other sugar-bearing tree.This is also one of the goals he searches for in the woods and grass every time he hikes.But this wish is more difficult to realize. However, when he went out with Mark, he found a plant that could fully satisfy Uncle Robinson's strong wish.This made him very happy.
It happened on June 22, when he and Mark were out on a field trip.That day, they came to the right bank of the river, which was full of trees, flowers and plants just like the northern region.When Mark was running in the grass, he was suddenly attracted by the fragrance of a plant.He saw that the tube-shaped stem of this plant was straight, and the upper part was hairy.The plant is still sticky, and its flowers come in clusters with tiny seeds inside.Mark picked a few bunches, brought them to his father and asked him what plant it was.
"Where did you find it?" Dad asked back.
"Over there, in a clearing," replied Mark, "that grows a lot of it, I think I've seen it; but..."
"Very well," said Mr. Clifton, "you have made a great discovery, my boy, and now Uncle Robinson has everything he needs, and he is perfectly happy."
"It's tobacco!" said Mark.
"Yes, Mark."
"Brilliant!" exclaimed the boy. "Uncle is going crazy, the brave and happy man! But don't tell him yet, will you, father? You'll make him another beautiful pipe filled with Tobacco leaves, and then give it to him."
"That's it, Mark."
"Is it difficult to make smokeable tobacco leaves from these tobaccos?"
"It's not difficult, my son. Although it's not a first-class tobacco leaf, it is tobacco leaf after all. Uncle doesn't ask too much."
Clifton and his sons harvested large quantities of the plant.If the uncle is compared to the strictest customs inspector, it can be said that the father and son carefully avoided his attention like smugglers, transported the tobacco into the cave, and hid it.Secondly, When good sailors go out, they immediately take out the tobacco, dry it in the sun, cut it finely, and roast it on hot stones.
All this while Mrs. Clifton was busy sewing.She now has ample supplies of seals and blue foxes.But, the difficulty was without the needle, how could she hold the skins together?
When the issue of needles was mentioned, the uncle started talking again. He said that he "accidentally" swallowed a box of needles, and he regretted that these needles were gradually excreted from the body.Otherwise, Mrs. Clifton would have had a needle, and now she had to use a long thorn as a needle, and thread made of coir for her clothes.With little Belle's help, she sewed some crude leather garments.As a sailor, my uncle can also do some needlework, and he often gives some good advice to his wife and gives her a lot of help.
When these tasks were completed, it was already the end of June, and the poultry pen was thriving, with new members being added every day.Children often shoot agouti and capybara in nearby hunting grounds.The mother made these prey into bacon and stored them as food for the winter, so that people would not have to worry about famine.Mr. Clifton also plans to build another four-legged livestock farm, where he wants to domesticate blue sheep and the like.For this reason, Mr. Clifton decided to go on a further excursion to the north of the island on July 15th.He also hoped to find the bread tree at the same time, as he thought it might grow at this latitude.Indeed, in the daily diet they had no bread, which Jack had repeatedly professed to have.
However, in the near or distant future, these islanders may have wheat flour.One day, when Little Bell took out his pocket, a grain of wheat fell out of it, but it was only one grain.The little girl ran into the cave immediately, just as the whole family was inside, and she proudly showed the wheat grains to everyone.
"Excellent," said Robert, always with a contemptuous air, "what do you want us to do with it?"
"Don't laugh at her, Robert," said Mr. Clifton, "this grain of wheat is as valuable as a nugget of gold."
"That's right, that's right." Uncle agreed.
"One grain of wheat," continued the father, "can grow one ear of wheat, and one ear of wheat contains more than eighty grains of wheat. In this way, one grain of wheat of our little Bell can fill a whole room."
"But why is there a grain of wheat in your pocket?" the mother asked the girl.
"Because I fed the hens several times while on board the Vancouver."
"Well," said the engineer, "we will carefully preserve your seed, and when the season is right, we will plant it. One day it will bring you sweet treats, my boy. "
Bear was so proud of this promise that she walked away with an air of triumph, as if she herself were Celeste, the goddess of the harvest.
It was time to go hunting in the northeast of the island. After negotiation this time, it was decided that Mark would stay at home with his mother, Jack and Bell.Mr. Clifton, Uncle, and Robert were out hunting, and they resolved to return early that afternoon.At four o'clock in the morning on July 15th, the hunters were on their way.They first took boats to the end of the northern cliffs, where they disembarked, and instead of rounding the marshes to the beach, they went straight to the northeast.
This place is no longer a forest, because the trees here are sparse and growing alone, but it is not a plain either, because its terrain is very rugged, with thorns and weeds growing everywhere.Among these trees Mr. Clifton discovered a new species, the wild lemon tree.Of course, it cannot be compared with the lemon in Normandy, but it contains a lot of citric acid after all, which has a calming effect.Uncle Robinson picked a dozen wild lemons, which he believed Mrs Clifton would like.
"Whatever we do," said the good sailor, "we always have our housekeeper in mind."
"Yes," said Clifton, "if I'm not mistaken, there's another plant that will please her."
"What's this?" put in Robert. "What's this little tree stump?"
"There is no doubt," said Clifton, "that it is of the Rhododendron family. It contains an oil, fragrant, invigorating, and antispasmodic, and which is also found in North America and is commonly known as the Dwarf Palm. Uncle Robinson, you should know this plant, right?"
"I should know about this plant, but I don't know about it."
"You may not know it's called Dwarf Palm, but do you know Mountain Tea or Canadian Tea?"
"Ah! Sir, you told me so many names," said the uncle. "Canadian tea, of course I know it. If you steep it, it can be compared with the tea of the Chinese emperor! Unfortunately, there is no sugar, but there will be some later, Let's pick some tea and go home. If the fields grow beets, we can start a sugar factory!"
Accepting my uncle's suggestion, everyone picked some camellia leaves and lemons and put them in the travel bag.Clifton and his two partners then continued northeastward.In this part of the island, there are countless flocks of birds flying around in the trees, but it is difficult for people to get close to them.Most of these birds are crossbills of the order songbirds.Their biggest feature is the two short mandibles on either side of the beak.From an edible standpoint, they're not worth a shot.Robert deftly shot several three-toed gallinidae.Their wings are long and pointed, and the upper part of their body is dark yellow with black and white stripes.This bird has difficulty walking but flies very fast.Despite their speed, they were unlucky enough to escape Robert's bow and arrow.
At nearly eleven o'clock, a group of three people came to a spring.They start eating lunch.Their lunches include guinea pig in cold water and rabbit pies rich in spices.Uncle took cool and sweet spring water, and added a little lemon juice to it, and made a delicious drink.Immediately after the meal they were on their way again.Mr. Clifton never forgets his tinder, but he is surprised that until now he has not come across a parasitic plant of which there are thousands of different types that grow everywhere.
At this moment, there was a rustling sound of flapping wings in the bushes not far away.Robert immediately ran to follow the sound, but Fido ran ahead of him, and immediately there was a sound of dogs biting.
"Come on, Fido, stop biting!" Robert yelled.If Robert hadn't arrived in time, Fido would not have obeyed the order.Fido's victim was a beautiful rooster, thanks to Robert who saved it alive from Fido's mouth.Clifton immediately saw that it was a medium-sized domestic chicken known as the Bunsay.The feathers on its tarsus are so long that it looks as if its feet are covered in feather sleeves.But Robert immediately discovered that it has a very special place:
"Look, there's a horn on the chicken's head!"
"A horn!" Clifton exclaimed, watching the chicken closely.
"It's true," said my uncle, "with one horn in place of his comb, this rooster must be very aggressive. Mr. Clifton, I thought I'd seen everything, but I still I've never seen a chicken with horns!"
Harry Clifton answered nothing, but studied the chicken intently, with an expression of indescribable amazement on his face, and concluded by saying:
"Yes, it's a Bunsa chicken."
Uncle tied up the chicken's two wings and he wanted to bring it back alive to be raised in a poultry fence.The hikers then began walking slightly east to reach the river.Along the way they found neither a mushroom nor a polypore as a substitute for tinder.But they found another plant that almost made tinder.This kind of plant also has a wide variety and belongs to the genus Artemisia, commonly known as Artemisia.Its main varieties are: wormwood, tarragon, muskwort, etc.Artemisia sinensis is a hairy plant that is often used in Chinese medicine.
Clifton knew that the stems and leaves of the plant were covered with hairs that, when dried, would catch fire at the touch of a spark.
"Found our tinder!" cried Clifton.
"Very well," continued the uncle cheerfully, "we have not lived in vain. The Creator has been as good to us as ever. We should ask no more. Well, let us go."
After collecting some wormwood, the group of three walked southwest.Two hours later they were on the right bank of the river, and at six o'clock the whole family was again at the bivouac.There was an extra dish of lobster on the dinner table, which Mark caught in the crevices of the rocks.Clifton recounted the details of their expedition.The Bunsay chicken was fed in the poultry fence and it became the most beautiful animal in the fence.
After dinner, Bell approached Uncle Robinson and handed him a bright red shell filled with tobacco.At the same time, Jack held him a coal.
"Tobacco leaf!" my uncle exclaimed, "Why didn't you mention it to me!" The eyes of the venerable seaman couldn't help getting wet, and tears of excitement flashed in his eyes.He immediately lit his pipe, and a scent of tobacco permeated the air, making the atmosphere more harmonious.
"You see, my venerable friend," said Clifton, "although the Creator has given us many, many things, he still reserves one of the most beautiful surprises for you."
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