Chapter 19 Chapter Four Adventures in Skating

Bryant was selected mainly because of his relentless efforts to help others and his unflappable courage, which everyone can see.Since the sailboat started from New Zealand, Bryant has never bowed his head to danger since he served as the sailboat commander along the way.Although his nationality is different, everyone likes him very much.Whether it was a big boy or a little one, especially the little ones, they chose him without any objection.Only Donagan, Cross, Wilcox, and Webb were blind to Bryant's good qualities.But in all fairness, they also realize that they are not doing justice to the merits of their fellows.

Gordon congratulated Bryant on his election, even though he had foreseen that the election results would deepen the rift between Bryant and Donagan.He also fears that Donagan and his band of followers will take action, which is regrettable.But he cannot but accept the election result.He was very glad now that he had nothing to do but keep the Frenchman's den. Obviously, although Bryant was not prepared to give Donagan and his three friends any chance to provoke violence, Donagan and others were determined not to accept the fait accompli of Bryant's succession as Colonial Governor. When his older brother accepts the election, Jack feels very strange.

"You really want to?" he asked. "Yes," Bryant said softly, "Yes! This way we can do more than before to make up for your mistakes." "Thanks," said Jack, "don't forget me when you're up to something." The next day was another hellish day, full of the dullness of a long winter's day. Before the severe cold prevented them from exploring the bay, Bryant did something very useful.They once set up a flagpole on the top of Oakland Hills, but the flag on the flagpole is now only a few rags, and the rest has been blown away by the wind and gone with the wind.To replace the flag, at Bryant's suggestion, Baxter made a more permanent marker—a basket of rushes growing in the swamp.This thing is strong enough to withstand any high wind.Because when the wind blows, it will be blown dry. On June 17 they made an expedition to the bay.The tattered flag was taken down and replaced with the rush marker, which was visible on the flagpole even from miles away.

It wasn't long before the activities of Bryant and company had to be confined within the Frenchman's Den.The temperature is slowly dropping, the snow keeps falling, and the long cold is about to come. Bryant hauled the small sailboat to shore, and the waves lapped the boat on the edge of the cliff.He covered it with a piece of tarpaulin.That way it won't rot from over drying.Baxter and Wilcox then hung nets near the pens, dug new traps in the trap woods, and they also hung nets on the left bank of the Zeeland River to catch all the flying sea turtles. bird.At the same time, Donagan and his two or three friends also put on stilts and went exploring in the southern suburbs.While Bryant was as frugal as Gordon was before, they came away with a full load every time.

During the first week of July, the river starts to freeze over.Ice on Family Lake flows downriver.Soon they piled up little by little under the Frenchman's cave, forming a large ice floe, which was covered with a thick ice film by the slow flow of the lake.It was still cold and the lake was frozen.Only after a brief blizzard did the freezing stop a bit.The wind turned to the southwest, the sky was cloudless, and the temperature dropped below freezing. They are still using last year's program of work.Bryant did not abuse his power during his tenure.The boys happily obeyed him.Gordon helps him by setting an example of obedience.Donagan and his supporters have also shown no signs of disobedience.A few of them consciously find some traps and pull nets every day.The few of them always stayed together and whispered something, and seldom participated in everyone's conversations.Are they plotting something?You'll know when the time comes.But it's too early to accuse them of anything, and Bryant has no reason to interfere in their private affairs.He's always been fair to them and has taken on more of the load with his brother.His younger brother is now as enthusiastic as he is.Gordon also quickly noticed a change in Jack's personality, and Moko was relieved by it.Since Jack talked to his brother, the boy has been involved in the activities of his companions.

The severe cold forced them to stay in the cave for a long time.They just use this time to learn.Jinkens, Evanson, Toney and Costa have made rapid progress in their studies.While teaching them, the big boys couldn't help but start teaching themselves.They passed the long dark nights with adventure books, and Sauvis thought he could never find a more interesting book than Robinson Crusoe.Every now and then Garnett took out the accordion and played and sang for a while, which often made annoying noises because the bellows of the accordion were about to burst.Then the boys would sing together, reaching a climax with the chorus.Finally the concert was over and everyone went to bed.

Bryant still dreams of returning to New Zealand.In this one matter he was quite different from Gordon.Gordon was concerned only with perfecting the organization of the Isle of Charman colony.The goal of Bryant's tenure: He's trying to get off the island.He kept thinking of the white blob he'd seen in Deception Bay.Does it belong to some land not far from the island?If so, can you make a boat and row to that piece of land?But when Bryant brought it up, Baxter just shook his head because he knew it was beyond their reach. Bryant would say, "Huh! Why are we all just kids? Why aren't we adults?"

This is what hurts him the most. On winter nights, there are always several alert incidents in the French cave.Little Mi is always barking.Because several packs of wild animals, mainly jackals, would come to feed near the enclosure.Donagan and the others ran out to throw some burning logs at the herd.Then the jackal will run away.A couple of times a small pack of cougars or leopards came and they just shot at them and drove them away.In short, in order to ensure the safety of animals in captivity, there must be someone guarding them at all times. On July 24, Moko got a chance to show off his culinary talents on a new quarry.Wilcox and Baxter, who were always happy to help Moko, had no desire to set traps or snares for small birds and small animals.They pulled down the saplings in the trap woods, fitted them with moving lassoes, and they prepared to catch larger animals.They generally set traps in places where deer come and go in the forest.But this time he did not catch a deer, but a beautiful firebird.It stuck its head in the noose and was still there.When Wilcox went to check there the next morning, he found the flamingo had been suffocated, hanging precariously from a tree.Wilcox let go of the trigger, and the branch sprang.Then he dragged the little prey back by the tight knot around its neck.

After eating a lot of fragrant and delicious wild vegetables, if you want to change the taste, flamingo meat is undoubtedly the best.There is nothing more delicious in the world than there is enough meat on the wings and shanks of a bird, and a small piece of tongue for each. Four days in the first two weeks of August were freezing cold.Bryant watched with concern as the thermometer plummeted to minus 34 degrees.The fresh air is very comfortable, but in these low temperature days, there is often no wind blowing.During this period of time, no one could stand the biting cold wind and walk out of the French cave.The little ones were ordered to stay in the cave, and the older boys only went out for a while when they had to go to the stables and yard to get wood.

But the severe cold did not last long. On August 6, the wind direction turned to westerly again, followed by a week of heavy rain.Temperatures will slowly rise to around minus 7 degrees this week. The last two weeks of August were very pleasant.Although there was no fish to catch outside, Bryant resumed working outdoors because of the thick layer of ice covering the creeks and lakes.The nets along the shore caught many fish that swam by.They are all game from the opposite swamp, which makes the stored food more abundant.A lot of poultry have also been added to the poultry yard, with nests of small ostriches and guinea birds.The vicuna gave birth to five more vicuñas.Both Sovis and Garnett took care of them very seriously.

When icing conditions permitted, Bryant decided to hold a skate.According to everyone's needs, Baxter made several pairs of skates out of wood and iron. At 11:00 am on August 25, the boys set off from the French Cave to find a wide area suitable for skating, and handed over Evanson, Thone and Costa to Moko and Xiaoshu.Everyone ate Chinese food before departure, which meant that they would not return to the cave until dinner. They walked nearly three miles along the coast to find the site they needed. The mouth of the lake at the edge of the Frenchman's Cave had been filled with accumulated ice, but they found a very good site on the opposite side of the trap woods.The ice stretches to the east, providing a natural arena for the group of skaters. Donagan and Cross, of course, had their guns on, ready to shoot any animal that might come along.Neither Bryant nor Gordon was much of a skater.They were responsible for keeping the little ones safe; and Bryant carried a trumpet with him, which might be useful when calling them home. In the entire colony, the best skaters were Donagan, Cross, and Jack.Jack, in particular, is known for gliding through the most difficult arcs with speed and precision. Before giving the signal to start, Bryant called all his companions together and told them some precautions, "I hope you all be careful and don't act recklessly for the sake of showing off. If you fall on the ice One fall and you'll break an arm or a leg. So be careful and don't go too far. If someone slips too far, remember me and Gordon are here for you. If I blow the horn, it's Remind you all to come back here." The skater then slides onto the ice.Bryant was very relieved to see that they all skated well.Occasionally someone fell, and it was just a burst of laughter.The best skater is none other than Jack.He swung forwards and backwards, sometimes slipping with one foot, sometimes with both feet; sometimes straight forward, sometimes bowed forward, and methodically drew arcs and circles.Bryant took great satisfaction in seeing his younger brother get involved with the rest of his peers. Possibly distraught by the applause Jack was getting, Donagan ignored Bryant's warnings and slid farther and farther away from the others, gesturing for Cross to skate with him. "There's a great flock of ducks over there," he said, "to the east, do you see that?" "I see." "You brought a gun! I did too! Let's go!" "But Bryant said not to go far." "Never mind what Bryant said, just skating!" Within minutes, Donagan and Cross were only half a mile away from the flock of ducks flying across the lake. "Where are they going?" Bryant asked. "They saw some birds over there," Gordon replied, "these natural hunters . . . " "Also people who are naturally disobedient," Bryant interrupted. "It's Donagan again..." "Do you think anything will happen to them?" "Who knew?" Bryant replied. "It's very dangerous to get away from other people like this. Look! How far they've slipped!" Because they were gliding so fast and so fast, Donagan and Cross were now just two tiny specks on the lake. It was still a few hours before dark.But even if they had time to make it back, it wouldn't be wise to slide that far.The sudden change in weather at this time of year is very scary.A change in wind direction at any time could mean squalls and fog.At about two in the afternoon, Bryant was horrified to discover that the ground level had been shrouded in a thick layer of mist.Before Cross and Donagan returned, the mist had gradually thickened and swept across the ice, covering the east coast. "That's what we're worried about," Bryant said. "Now how do they know the way back?" "Trumpet blowing! Let them hear the trumpet blowing loudly," suggested Gordon. The horn was blown three times in a row, and the shrill sound echoed on the ice.They expected to hear gunfire in response.In this way, they can know where Cross and Donagan are now. Bryant and Gordon listened in silence.But nothing was heard. The fog was thickening until a quarter of a mile from where they stood there was nothing but mist.The lake will soon be completely covered in fog. Bryant rallied the boys who were still within sight, and within minutes they were all safely on the river bank. "What's next?" Gordon asked. "Before Donagan and Cross get lost in the fog, we should do our best to find them. Send one of us to find them in the direction they are going. Try to send them some signal to come back on the trumpet .” "I'll go!" Baxter volunteered. "I'm going too!" Two or three other people said in unison. "No! Let me go!" Bryant said. "Let me go!" pleaded Jack, "I can skate to Donagana as fast as I can." "Just do it!" Bryant said. "Let's go, Jack! Listen for the gunshots. Take the trumpet so you can tell them where you are." After a while, Jack disappeared in the mist.The fog was also thicker than before.Bryant, Gordon, and others listened closely to the sound of the trumpet, which quickly disappeared into the distance. Half an hour passed.No one showed up, including Donagan and Cross who couldn't find their way back to the lake, and Jack who was sent to find them. What will happen to them if they don't return before dark? "If only we had firearms," ​​Sauvis said, "then we could "Firearms!" Bryant yelled. "The Frenchman's in the hole! Go get the firearms! Don't waste any more time!" It's the best they can do.The most important thing now is to let Jack, Donagan and Cross know the way home. Bryant and the others were back in the hole about a half hour later.No one wants to save ammo these days.Wilcox and Baxter loaded two old rifles and fired into the sky.But still there was no echo of gunshots or trumpets. It's half past three in the afternoon.The fog was also thickening as the sun set over the Oakland Hills.The surface of the lake was no longer visible. "Fire!" Bryant said. They had taken some shells from the sailboat.Now they dragged a small cannon in the embrasure of the hall door to the flat ground outside the cave, and pointed the small cannon in the northeast direction.When Baxter was about to fire a cannon ball, Moko suggested that a bale of grass be stuffed over the cannonball, which would make the cannonball louder.Fire!In such a silent space, the gunfire must have been heard from miles away, but there was still no response. For the next hour, they fired every 10 minutes.Donagan.It was impossible for Cross and Jack to misunderstand the meaning of the cannon.The sound of the guns could be heard all over the lake.Because the sound travels farther on a foggy day than on a clear day, and the thicker the fog, the farther the sound travels. At last, at a little before five o'clock, there were two or three distant noises from the northeast. "They're over there!" Sauvis cried. Baxter immediately responded with a shot. A few minutes later, through the thick fog that still hung over the lake, they saw two figures, Donagan and Cross. Jack wasn't with them. Bryant's anxiety was palpable.His brother failed to find the two deserters.They didn't hear the trumpet at all.In fact, Cross and Donagan were already making their way home from the middle of the lake when Jack began gliding eastward.If there hadn't been the sound of cannon from the Frenchman's cave, they might not have found their way back. Bryant was so concerned that his brother might have gotten lost in the fog that he didn't reprimand Donagan.If it weren't for his disobedience to organizational discipline, such serious consequences would never have occurred.If Jack had to spend the night on the lake in minus 13 degrees, would he be forced to come back alive? When Gordon and Baxter tried to comfort Bryant, he said guiltily, "I should have gone for him." A few more shots were fired.If Jack wasn't far from the Frenchman's den, he'd be sure to hear it.Then the trumpet will be blown in response.But nothing came back.Night is coming, and darkness will quickly cover the island. There is one good sign though.The fog seems to have a tendency to disappear.Like the sun rising, the breeze began to blow the mist away.The only difficulty now in returning to the Frenchman's Cave was the darkness of the night. There was only one thing they could do now—a big fire on the shore as a signal.Wilcox, Baxter, and Sauvis had begun to pile dry wood in the clearing when Gordon stopped them. "etc!" He picked up the binoculars and looked carefully to the northeast. "I think I see something," he said, "something is moving!" Bryant snatched the binoculars and picked them up to watch. "My God!" he exclaimed. "It's Jack! I can tell it's him!" They all shouted at the top of their voices, as if they wanted Jack to hear them from a distance of more than a mile. The distance is getting closer.Jack slid towards the Frenchman like an arrow from the string.In a few minutes, he will be home. "I don't think he's alone!" said Baxter with a gesture of surprise. The boys took a closer look and saw two other things following Jack a few hundred yards behind him. "What's that?" Gordon asked. "Is it a human?" asked Baxter. "No! It's a beast!" cried Wilcox. "Probably the Beast!" Donagan added. Without hesitation, he rushed up the lake and slid towards Jack.In a minute he was at Jack's.Then he fired a shot at the two stalking beasts, who finally escaped with their tails between their legs. It turned out that it was two bears.I really didn't expect that there would be such a new animal on Charman Island.If they had been prowling the island all this time before, how had they never seen their tracks?Could it be that they only spend the winter on this island?Did they drift here with the ice floes?Does this mean that there is a continent not far from here?And here is food that attracts them. But Jack escaped at last.Everyone was ecstatic for his smooth return.He blows the trumpet over and over without his partner noticing.They, like him, could not keep their bearings in the fog until they heard the gunfire. "That must be the cannon from the Frenchman's Cave," he said to himself, when he heard the cannon. At that time he was on the northeast side of the lake, a few miles away from the lake.He slid quickly in the direction of the sound.Suddenly, when the fog cleared, he saw two bears chasing after him.He wasn't intimidated, because he was skating fast enough to keep him and the two animals at a distance; but if he fell, it was over for him. As he and his brother were preparing to go back into the cave, he stood beside his brother and whispered, "Thank you for giving me this opportunity." When Donagan walked in, Bryant said to him, "I told you not to skate too far. You see, because of your disobedience, you have caused so much danger. On the one hand, Donagan, I have to criticize you severely. , on the other hand, I still want to thank you for helping Jack." "I just did what I had to do," Donagan replied dryly. He just walked through the door without noticing that his companion held out his hand to him.