Chapter 5 CHAPTER 5 THE CAPES

Is this an island or a piece of land connected to the mainland?It's a question that has plagued Bryant, Gordon and Donagan.The personality and intelligence of the three of them have made them leaders in this small kingdom.When other children only see the present, they often think of the future.The three always talked about it, but whether it was an island or a land, the land must not be in the Tropic of Cancer, as can be seen from the native vegetation--oak, beech, birch, pine, fir.This place seems to be closer to the northern tip of New Zealand.If this is the case, then the winter here is estimated to be very cold.The woods on the edge of the cliff were covered with a thick layer of fallen leaves, only the leaves of the pine and fir trees were still green.

"That's why on the morning of the grounding I thought it best not to be stationed around here," Gordon explained. "I think so, too," said Donagan. "It's too late to wait until the worst of the season to find a place to stay. We'll be walking hundreds of miles." "But it's only halfway through March," Bryant retorted. "This good weather can last until April, so in six weeks we're on the road," Donagan said, "if there's a road here." "How do you know there is no way?" "If there is," Gordon said, "do you know where the road leads to?"

"I only know one thing," retorted Donagan, "that it would be foolish not to leave the sailboat until the cold and rainy winter set in. It would only make things difficult for us." "Facing difficulties is better than trying to cross a land of ignorance like a fool!" "Are all people who think differently from you fools?" If Gordon hadn't intervened, Donagan's words would have sparked a row. "It's no use arguing, let's understand each other. Donagan thinks that if there are people living near us, it's best to find them right away; and Bryant wonders if there's such a place around us, and it doesn't hurt." .”

"But Gordon," argued Donagan, "whether you're going south, north, or east, it's going to take time." "If we're on the mainland, you're right," Bryant said, "but maybe we're on an island, maybe a deserted island." "That's what we're going to find out," Gordon said. "After leaving the sailboat, we have to find out if we're to the east of the sea." "It's the sailboat that's leaving us," Donagan corrected. "It won't survive the winter's wind and rain on the shore."

Gordon nodded, then added: "But before we abandon ship and head inland, we have to figure out where we're going." "I'll go find the way!" Bryant volunteered. "Me too!" said Donagan. "Let's go together!" said Gordon decisively. "But don't take the children with you. There are two or three of us." "It's a pity!" said Bryant. "There is no high mountain here that we can climb up and look at. The terrain here is too low. Looking along the coast, there is no high place. The highest point is probably this high mountain. The cliff Over there, I guess forests and plains and swamps. The river winds through it."

"Before we climb over the cliff where neither Bryant nor I have been able to find the cave, we should take a look at the land." "Well, let's try to go north," Bryant said. "If we can get to the distant headland, we may see farther." "That headland," Gordon pointed, "is two or three hundred feet high, and should be able to look over the cliff." "I'll go!" Bryant offered. At the end of the bay is a mass of rocks, like a peak rising from the shore.It's about seven or eight miles along the winding shore.But as Americans often say, if you go straight, you will not exceed five miles.Gordon wasn't exaggerating when he said the mountain was 300 feet high.

Is it really possible to overlook the whole land from there?Will the land extending eastward be blocked by mountains?But at least they can figure out whether the coastline continues north. So everyone unanimously decided to start some exploration.Before finding out whether this is an isolated island or a mainland, the sailboat still cannot be lost.However, in the next five days, due to the rain and fog, the expedition was delayed.If the weather turns bad and the wind doesn't blow the fog away, even if you climb up the cliff, you won't see anything, so it's not worth it. But these days are not in vain.Everyone is busy.Bryant took care of the younger children.There seemed to be an element of paternal love in his nature.Under his care, the children did as well as circumstances allowed.As the weather turned colder, Bryant gave the children some modifications to the thick clothes he found in the sailor's chest—such modifications often required only cutting with scissors, not sewing with a needle.Moko showed his unique skills.Costa and Evanson wore trousers and tight sweaters that were so baggy that they had to roll up their sleeves and pant legs for a comical look.

The others were not idle either.Led by Garnett and Baxter, they collected shellfish among the rocks at low tide, or fished with rods and nets in the estuary.A little gain will make them smile.Such busy and happy days made them almost forget their own situation and the serious situation in front of them.They also feel very sad when they think of their parents and friends.But fortunately, they never felt the feeling of farewell. Gordon and Bryant rarely left the boat.Sovis followed them most of the time.Sauvis has a good temper and is a good helper; he likes Bryant and has never joined Donagan's camp, and Bryant also cares about his loyal supporter.

"It's incredible!" he said. "The boat must have been gently pushed ashore by fairies of mercy. Robinson Crusoe and the Swiss Robinsons had no such luck!" Little Jack became more unpredictable every day.Although he also helped his brother a lot, he never answered a single question.He always looked away when someone was looking at him.Bryant was extremely disturbed by this.As the older brother by four years, Bryant had a huge influence on Jack.Ever since he got on the boat, he felt like his younger brother had fallen into deep self-blame.Had Jack done something wrong that he was afraid to tell him?On several occasions, Bryant noticed that Jack's eyes were red from crying.Is he sick?It's pretty tricky if you're sick.How should they care for him?So Bryant whispered to his brother what happened.

"Nothing happened," Jack replied.From his mouth, can only get such an answer. From March 11th to 15th, Donagan, Wilcox, Webb, and Cross all went to shoot pigeons. They were inseparable, and it was obvious that they deliberately formed their own small circle and alienated everyone.Gordon was deeply disturbed by this.He had a premonition that something would happen if this went on.He talked about it many times, trying to make the divided people understand how important unity is to a collective.But Donagan reacted so coldly to his overtures, saying that such persistence was unwarranted.This did not stop Gordon from trying to stop the possible consequences of discord.He believes that the development of the situation will always make everyone understand each other.

Donagan and his friends hunted several times while plans for an expedition north along the bay were hampered by fog.He's a real sharpshooter.He is also very proud of it.He dismissed Wilcox's enthusiasm for setting traps and setting traps.Webb is also good at guns, but not as good as Donagan.Cross was not good at hunting, he just praised his cousin's ability blindly, and he was quite satisfied.And "Little Mi", a showy puppy, always jumped into the water to find the prey shot by the gun when the gunshot fired. Moko didn't want to shoot small birds like cormorants and seagulls.But here, like geese and ducks, there were so many rock pigeons that he could shoot as many as he could.Goose is a type of black goose, and when the gunfire sounds, they will flee along the same route.So they must have lived inland. Donagan shot many of the birds that ate limpets, cockles, and scallops.Although Moko found it difficult to get rid of the fishy taste of these birds, he also found it difficult to satisfy everyone's taste.But after all, they can still eat and drink enough.Gordon said that you can't be too picky, because most of the food is to be stored on the ship. On March 15th, the weather finally improved.Plans for an expedition to the headland could be put into action.The question of whether this is an island or a land can be solved.At night, the sky is a little brighter.The fog that had accumulated some time ago was blown by the breeze and disappeared without a trace within a few hours.Around mid-afternoon, the bright sun shone on the cliffs, and the eastern horizon was clearly visible—the horizon on which they had pinned their hopes.If you can see endless sea water as far as the eye can see, then this place is undoubtedly a deserted island.Their only chance of being rescued will be by passing ships. It was Bryant who came up with the idea of ​​finding the end of the bay, so he decided to go it alone.He was glad to have Gordon's company, but he was uneasy at the thought that the little ones would be left alone. On the night of the 15th, convinced that the barometer had not changed, Bryant told Gordon to start early the next morning.It's about 10 or 11 miles round trip, not much for a fit, tireless lad.One day is enough for such a journey, and he must be back before dark. At dawn, Bryant quietly hit the road without telling anyone.The weapons he carried were a club and a revolver to defend against various beasts that did not appear in Donagan's expeditions, but could indeed appear.In addition to these he carried a pair of the ship's telescope, which was a fine thing for seeing far and clearly, and in a little bag which hung from his belt he carried some biscuits, bacon, and a small bottle of brandy, Just in case something happens and you can't return on time. Bryant strode along the reef.The shore below was still wet and the tide had just receded.An hour later, he had passed as far as Donagan had gone with his pigeons.The birds had nothing to fear from him now, and his purpose was to hurry to the foot of the headland.The sky was clear and cloudless.If it fogs up again in the afternoon, the trip will be in vain. For the first hour he walked as fast as he could, and ended up covering half the distance in one fell swoop.He estimated he would have reached the headland by eight o'clock, had not an obstacle barred his way.When the cliffs and reefs are closer, it is more difficult to cross.The road has become too narrow.So there was nothing he could do but to abandon the smooth riverside path and climb slippery rocks, scramble over slimy seaweed, skirt deep puddles, and cross treacherous pebble beaches.This section of the road was really difficult, and it took him two hours longer than he expected. "I've got to get to the headland before the tide comes in," he thought to himself. "The sea tide will come up on the beach, and the water will go down the cliff. If I go back then or stand on the rocks to avoid the waves , it would be a waste of time. I must desperately reach the headland before the high tide." This brave child tried his best to endure the fatigue spreading from his limbs, and walked towards the seemingly shortest road.There were many times when he had to take off his shoes and socks and wade through puddles.Although he is brave and quick, he still falls from time to time. There are many aquatic birds: large flocks of pigeons, oystercatchers, and mallards.A few seals were swimming leisurely in the huge waves, looking unafraid of people, and didn't seem to plan to dive to escape.They are so peaceful.Bryant figured they hadn't been hunted for years.From this, Bryant concluded that the latitude here is higher than he expected, and there is a certain distance from the south of New Zealand.The sailboat must have been drifting southeast along the Pacific Ocean.The speculation on this point was fully confirmed when he reached the headland and found a large colony of penguins that can only be found in Antarctica.Penguins walked around in groups, flapping their little wings from time to time.Their wings can only be used for swimming, but not for flying. It was 10 o'clock, and Bryant was tired and hungry.He thought it best to have something to eat before climbing the headland.The headland is so high that it rises three hundred feet from the sea.He sat down on a rock out of reach of the tide.The rising tide has gradually submerged the outer ridge of the reef.An hour later and he would have had to wade down to the edge of the cliff at the risk of being swallowed by the tide.But don't worry, because in the afternoon, when the tide goes out, the whole road will be exposed again. After eating, drinking, and resting, Bryant, who was far away from his companions, was alone and calmly analyzed the current situation.He made up his mind that he must use his best efforts to complete the work.Then he thought of his younger brother Jack, whose health was in dire straits.Jack must have done something wrong, perhaps before the sailboat left port.Bryant decided to have a good talk with his brother and find out why.Bryant sat on a rock, resting and thinking.An hour passed like this.Then he packed his pack, put it on his shoulders and started climbing up the rock. The headland terminates in a narrow ridge.The geology of this ridge is very special.It consists of a group of calcareous rocks, which are connected to the cliff, but have a completely different structure from the cliff.The cliffs are composed of layers of chalky rocks similar to those of the English Channel. Bryant found a narrow canyon separating the headland from the cliff.The coast stretches continuously to the north, stretching as far as the eye can see.The headland is at least 100 feet higher than any surrounding objects.Standing on it, you can have a panoramic view of everything. Such a climb is no easy feat.He had to climb from rock to rock, and some rocks were so big that it was difficult for him to climb them.However, he belongs to the kind of kids who are generally recognized as good at climbing mountains.Finally, he climbed to the top with all his strength. He raised the binoculars and looked east first.The endless plains and hills stretched forward, and in the distance there were a few insignificant hills, and a large forest. Under the golden fallen leaves, many trickles were running towards the sea.The horizon and the horizon are at the same height, but the sea that should be more than ten miles away doesn't seem to exist anymore. Looking north, Bryant saw a straight stretch of beach for seven or eight miles, and beyond that was another headland.The vast sandy beach looks like a desert, with a swamp to the south and nothing to the west except the horizon. So, is this an island or a land?He couldn't tell either.If it was an island, it must be a rather large one, and that was all he could conclude. He looked to the west, where the sea glistened in the setting sun. Suddenly, he raised the binoculars again and looked towards the middle of the sea. "Boat 2 boat! There's a boat!" he yelled. In the middle of the shining sea, about fifteen miles away, there were three small black spots. He was ecstatic.This can't be his hallucination!Are those little black dots really ships? He put down the binoculars, wiped the glasses misty with his breath again, and raised the binoculars again. The three ship-like black dots seemed to show only the hull, no flag, not even a smoking chimney to prove that the ship was sailing. Then he realized that the boat was too far away.It was impossible for him to see clearly.Also, it looks like his companions didn't spot the three ships.He'd better get back to the sailboat, then, and start a big fire by the sea.But then, as the sun went down, he stared at the three black dots, and began to realize that they were motionless. He held up his glass and gazed for a few minutes, and saw that they were but three small islands, where their sailboat must have passed, only that a thick fog had obscured them. It was already 2 o'clock, and the tide began to recede, revealing the bare reef under the cliff.Bryant started to walk slowly down the hill and decided to get back on the sailboat. He couldn't help looking east again.The sun was lower, and he might be able to see something he had been ignoring.He should really be grateful for his move.Beyond the woods, he saw a streak of blue.Stretching for miles from north to south, both ends disappear behind thick bushes. "What is it?" He thought hard. Bryant stared for another moment. "Ah, it's the sea, it's the sea!" The telescope nearly fell from his hands. To the east is the sea, there is no doubt about it.Then they landed, not a continent.This is an island, a huge island in the Pacific Ocean, an island they cannot leave! In an instant, all possible dangers came to mind.His heart almost stopped beating.But he soon overcame his involuntary timidity.He made up his mind that no matter how difficult the future is, he must persevere until the end. A quarter of an hour later, he had reached the coast.He returned to the sailboat the same way.It was about 5 o'clock when he arrived, and he saw his companions waiting patiently for his return.