Chapter 21 Chapter 6 The Boat on the Beach

The first thing Donagan did was make his way down the river to the mouth.At the mouth of the river, he and his friends saw the sea for the first time. They stared at the sea intently, and the vast sea was empty and deserted. "However," said Donagan, "we have reason to believe that if Chaman Island were not far from the American continent, some of the ships going to Chile and Peru across the Magellan Strait should pass to our east. That's why we Another reason to make a home at Deception Cove. Even though Bryant named it 'Deception Cove,' I thought, hopefully we won't be deceived again."

In saying this, Donagan was perhaps looking for a justification, at least an excuse, for his split with his friends in the French cave; The idea of ​​Mian instead of Xi Mian makes sense. As Bryant said, there is a small harbor at the mouth of the river that cannot be hit by wind and waves.If their sailboat had docked on this coast, nothing would happen to the sailboat, and they could even go home on the sailboat. Behind the rocks around the small harbor is a large forest.The woods there stretch down to the family lake and to the north to the horizon.For the granite on the shore, Bryant is not exaggerating.There are plenty of rocks from which they can pick and choose.But Donagan thought it wise not to stray too far from the river.He suddenly thought of a place covered with fine sand.There, guys can feel as comfortable as a French cave.The cave is so big that it can accommodate everyone.Because there are many small caves connected to it, some independent small rooms can be formed, not just halls and storage rooms.

They spent the day exploring miles and miles along the coast.Donagan and Cross shot some (common)birds.Wilcox and Webb went fishing in the East River and caught six of the same fish as in the Zeeland River.Among them were two very large perch.Thousands of aquatic shellfish form a breakwater in the northeast harbor in the densely packed uneven reef crevices of the reef group.There are plenty of fish in the nearby seaweed, so there is no need to go four or five miles to find them. Everyone will remember that Bryant once climbed a huge rock that was shaped like a bear.Donagan, too, was fascinated by the striking resemblance.So he named the hidden bay under the rock Bear Rock Harbor.

In the afternoon, Donagan and Wilcox climbed Bear Rock to get a good view of the bay, but neither ships nor land could be seen to the east.Nor did they see the white blob that had caught Bryant's attention.They believe that the reason for the white dot was either that the sun was too low on the opposite horizon, or that Bryant had a momentary optical illusion. In the evening, Donagan and his companions ate their supper under a thick nettle bush.The lower parts of the hemp trees cover the creek and cast a shadow.There they discussed whether it was time to return to Frenchman's Cave so that they could get some things they needed to make a home in Bear's Cave.

"I think," said Webb, "that we shouldn't waste time. It takes days to travel around the lake." "But," said Wilcox, "when we get back, wouldn't it be better to sail up the East River like Bryant did?" "That would save some time," agreed Webb, "and save us a lot of trouble." "Donagan, what do you think?" Cross asked. "Wilcox, you're right," he replied, "if we have a schooner, Moco can manage to get one?" "But will Moko agree?" Webb looked dubious. "Why not?" Donagan asked rhetorically. "Can't I order him like Bryant? Besides, all he has to do is ferry us across the river."

"He must obey," said Cross, "if we were to bring everything by land, the work would be endless, and I don't think wagons can go through the forest, we must have a four-sail boat." .” "What if they refuse to give it to us?" Webb insisted. "No!" cried Donagan. "Who would say no?" "Bryant, isn't he the governor of the colony?" "Bryant will refuse!" Donagan said. "Does the little sailboat belong to him alone? If he dares to refuse, Bryant, will I agree?" Donagan didn't finish his sentence, but it was clear that he would not bow to his opponent's orders.However, as Wilcox said, there is no need to discuss this matter.He thinks Bryant will be there to help his buddies in whatever way they can in the move to Bear Rock.Therefore, there is no need to worry about this at all. The only question they have to consider is whether they should rush back to the French cave immediately.

"You should definitely go back immediately." Cross urged. "So we're leaving tomorrow?" Webb asked. "No," said Donagan. "I'd like to walk around the end of the bay before I go, so that I can find out what's going on in the north of the island. We can reach the north shore and back in two days. Maybe there's something in that direction." What about some land that Bodin didn't see and didn't show on his maps? It would be unwise to settle there without knowing even that." The next day, October 14, Donagan and his friends headed north along the coast early in the morning.The rock formations dotted between the forest and the sea extend for three miles, and at the foot of the rocks there is a strip of sand about 200 feet wide.It was nearly noon when we reached the last rock.Everyone stopped for a break and had lunch.

Not far away, a small stream thumps into the bay. Although its flow is from northeast to northwest, the source of water does not seem to come from a lake. The water flowing from the north of the island flows into the sea along the narrow valley.Donagan named the creek "Little North Creek" because it was too small to be called a river. After only a few paddles, the rubber boat reached the opposite bank.Then the boys made their way along the bank.It was about three o'clock, and as they walked down the creek, Donagan felt more and more that they should go northwest.So they were about to give up the idea of ​​going north, when Cross yelled, "Look! Donagan, look!"

He pointed to a huge red creature that was moving under the tall trees among the tall grass and reeds by the creek. Donagan gestured to Webb and Wilcox to hold still.Then they loaded their guns and, together with Cross, crept forward quietly in pursuit of the moving behemoth. It was a bulky animal that would have looked like a rhinoceros if it had had an extra horn and a slightly longer lower lip. First there was a shot, and then another.Donagan and Cross each fired a shot.But at a distance of about 50 yards, the bullets had no effect on the thick hide of the animal, which burst through the reeds and quickly disappeared into the forest.

Donagan saw clearly that it was a very gentle animal, a huge membranous animal often encountered in the vicinity of some South American rivers.It wasn't too frustrating that the guy escaped, though the hunters weren't too happy.After all, there was nothing they could do to deal with such animals. This part of the island is extremely forested.Because of the thousands of beech trees here, Donagan named it "The Beech Forest" and marked it on the map next to Bear Rock and Little North Creek. By nightfall they had covered nine miles, and a few more miles would bring them to the northern tip of the island.But that's for tomorrow.

As soon as the sun rose, the boys set off.They can no longer afford to waste time now, for a number of reasons.One is the sign of a change in the sky.The wind from the west had picked up, and large, heavy clouds were moving rapidly offshore, but they were still aloft and, hopefully, not bringing heavy rain.The explorers will march against the wind without fear, and although the wind may bring a heavy rain, they will not flinch.In fact, if it was going to be windy and rainy, they would have to go back to Bear Rock for shelter. So they quickened their pace, though the wind forced them to walk sideways.If it is so unsatisfactory during the day, it will make them even more uncomfortable at night.The wind came whistling, and at five o'clock there was thunder mixed with lightning. Donagan and his pals didn't back down.Seeing that they were approaching their destination, their morale was boosted.On the left is still the zelkova forest, they can go under the tree to hide from the rain at any time.Besides, with such a strong wind blowing now, there is no need to worry about rain for a while. At 8 o'clock, they faintly heard the sound of waves crashing on the shore.Apparently, there is a row of rocks along the coast of the island. The originally foggy sky became darker and darker.As long as there is a last ray of light, it is best to hurry.The edge of the grove is a sandy beach about 0.25 feet wide.The sand was churned with foamy waves by the breaking waves heading north. Although very tired, the boys still rushed forward patiently.They wanted to see even a fleeting glimpse of this part of the Pacific Ocean before dark.Whether it is the endless sea or only a narrow strait separating the island from some continent or another island. Wilcox, who was a few steps ahead, suddenly stopped.He pointed to a black mass on the edge of the coast. Was it a huge cetacean dead on the beach?Or a small boat swept ashore by a northbound wave? It was a ship without a starboard side.Farther away, near a line of seaweed that was being rolled up and down by the waves, Wilkes pointed to two people on the sand. Donagan, Webb, and Cross stopped first.After that, they didn't think about the consequences of doing things at all, so they walked straight towards the two people.They thought it was just two bodies. However, they were frightened again.They also didn't care whether the two people were still alive or whether they needed their help, so they ran under the tree to hide.The night became darker and darker, although the night sky was illuminated by lightning from time to time; the roar of thunder and the roar of the sea became louder and louder, and the surrounding branches began to snap off, but they did not hurt the children hiding under the trees.Pitching a tent on the beach is impossible because the wind blows the sand flying like shrapnel.All night, the boys stayed in the same place without closing their eyes.The cold tortured them cruelly; they could not light fires, lest they risk burning branches on the ground and the fire would be carried by the wind. It may be that fear keeps them from closing their eyes.They just meditated when the boat came?Which country do these people belong to?Did the ship come from nearby land?Did a ship sink in the storm?All of these assumptions make sense.During the moments when the storm died down, Donagan and Wilcox were discussing these issues in whispers. At the same time, they began to hallucinate.When the wind died down, they seemed to hear crying in the distance.Listening intently, they wondered if there were other shipwrecked wandering on the beach.No, this is nothing but a prank of the imagination.There is no desperate cry for help in a storm.Before long, they realize how ridiculous it is to start giving up out of fear!They should have run to the reef at the risk of being blown down by the wind, but in this dark night, the beach was constantly washed by the waves of the rising tide. How could they find the specific location of the boat or the body? They start to get exhausted.For a long time they let themselves go their own way, and felt that they had become great men.When they encountered human corpses on the seashore for the first time, they found themselves children again. After a while, they regained their composure and understood their responsibility.In the morning, as soon as it was light, they resolved to go to the sand and bury the two shipwrecked. But the night seemed endless, just as the dawn never came to drive away the fear.If only they could look at their watch to know what time it was! But striking a match was out of the question, even if they used mattresses to keep out the wind. Cross tried a few times to no avail. Before long, Wilcox thought of another way of knowing the time.Every time his watch runs for 24 hours, the mainspring on the watch will rotate 12 times.Since the mainspring is wound at 8 o'clock in the evening, the elapsed time can be determined by counting the number of turns of the mainspring.After four laps, he came to the conclusion that eight hours had passed and it was 4 a.m., almost dawn. Soon there was dawn in the east, the storm continued, the clouds were low over the sea, and they feared rain before returning to Bear's Rock Harbor. Before setting off, however, 'they had to show one last act of kindness to the shipwrecked.As soon as the morning light broke through the thick fog that hung over the little harbour, they went out onto the sand and fought hard against the gusts of wind.From time to time they had to huddle tightly to keep from being blown down by the wind.The boat had been moved closer to the low-lying sand, which could be seen by the row of weeds that had been swept by the rising tide. However, the two bodies were gone. Donagan and Wilcox walked about twenty yards across the sand. nothing!The tide left no trace of them. "Poor fellow!" said Wilcox, "if they're gone, doesn't that mean they're still alive?" "Where did they go?" Cross asked. "Where did they go?" Donagan replied, pointing to the turbulent sea. "Here, there it is. The receding tide took them." He climbed up the rock, scanned the sea with a telescope, and didn't even see a dead body!He rejoined his companions who had remained beside the boat. Maybe a shipwreck survivor can be found in the boat? The boat is empty. It was a very long merchant ship, deck forward, with a trunk about thirty feet.It could no longer stand the wind and waves, and when it was thrown on the beach, the starboard side below the waterline was damaged.The trunk of the mast was severed halfway up just above the deck, and pieces of canvas hung in tatters from the bitlings along the side of the ship.All that's left are some string joints.There is no food, utensils, or weapons left.Both the storage room and the small cabin at the bow were empty. Two names are written on the stern, indicating the owner of the ship and the name of the port of registry.Severn - San Francisco. San Francisco!A port on the coast of California!The ship is from America. In the distance is water and sky.