The Mysterious Island Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Captain Grant's Children

Chapter 123 The Mysterious Island (8)
It was noon, and the sailor asked the engineer if he could set off for the Chimney.Cyrus Harding rose to his feet with all his strength, and this seemingly difficult movement was the sailor's best answer.This is enough to prove the strong will of the engineer.However, even when he stood up, he had to rely on the sailor, otherwise he would fall down.

"Okay! Mr. Smith, you get on the stretcher first!" said the sailor.

Cyrus Harding lay flat on a stretcher covered with dry grass and twigs.Pencroft and Neb carried the ends of the stretcher.They set off and walked towards the coast.

From here to the "chimney", the distance is about eight nautical miles. Because the stretcher is carried, we can't go too fast, and we have to stop and rest from time to time, which takes about six hours.

The engineer was lying on the stretcher, but supported his upper body with his arms. He wanted to observe the terrain of the coast, especially the opposite coast.The rugged topography and landforms of this region, including forests and properties, have been imprinted in the engineer's mind.Although the rain had stopped at this time, the wind was still strong.After marching for about two hours, the engineer was so exhausted that he fell asleep on the stretcher again.

At around 05:30, they passed the broken wall. After a short rest and adjustment, they walked for a while and came to the "chimney".But the "chimney" in front of him surprised the sailors.They put the stretcher on the sand while the engineer was still asleep.The storm has ruined the place, and it is completely different from before.It seems that the terrible storm caused the collapse here.Rocks rolled onto the sand, and the shore was covered in thick seagrass and seaweed.It can be seen that the sea water once crossed the island and rushed under the granite cliffs. The entrance of the "chimney" has been scoured into a deep ditch.

Suddenly, an idea flashed in the sailor's mind, and he quickly ran into the "chimney".Almost at the same time, he ran out again, staring blankly at his companions without speaking.

The fire is out!Job is gone too!The ashes in the stove had been soaked into a heap of mud.The sea water went into the depths, and the "chimney" was almost destroyed.Everything is messed up!
The sun makes fire
The sailor only said a few words, and even from his expression, the companions almost knew what was going on.It's just that Jardin Splane, Hubbert and Naboo each reacted differently.Sailors believe it was a serious accident.They have no fire, and the consequences are disastrous.But Neb was still immersed in the joy of finding his master back, and he didn't care about the fire at all, and he didn't even hear the sailor's words.Of course he didn't want to worry about it.Hubbert, like the sailor, was a little worried.As for journalists, the answer to the matter is simpler.

"Pencroft, I don't think it matters much."

"But, don't you hear me, the fire is out!" said the sailor.

"Yes, so what?"

"We've got to find a way to start a fire!"

"Forget it!"

"But, Mr. Splain, we..."

"Well, Pencroft, isn't Mr. Cyrus back? He's still alive, don't forget, he's our engineer, and he must have a way of lighting our fire!"

"Then what do you use to light the fire?"

"No need!"

Pencroft said nothing, for he had as much confidence in Cyrus Harding as his companions.For these few, an engineer is simply a combination of science and wisdom, and his small universe can overcome all difficulties.There are engineers here, and their life on this uninhabited island is no different from living in a developed industrial city.This is the engineer, with him, nothing will be lacking, let alone make these companions feel hopeless.At this time, these brave victims no longer worried. Even if someone told them that the volcanic eruption would destroy the island and the whole land would sink into the Pacific Ocean, they would not be in a daze, but would reply calmly:

"There's Cyrus Harding! Don't worry, just watch him!"

But now the engineer's condition is not very good, and he fell into physical failure again, which may be caused by the bumps on the road.The creativity of the engineer is not at all available at this time.They carried Cyrus Harding into the middle aisle, and spread some dried algae on the ground, so that a rough bed was ready.The engineer lay on it in a deep sleep, which was very good for his recovery, and sleep was more effective for him than any rich food at this time.

However, tonight's dinner is destined to be very simple, and it can even be called crude.All the grouse chicken had been eaten before, and now there is no fire, and even the bunch of chicken in reserve is gone.There was no game now, and no fire to cook it.What to eat has become a problem that must be considered.

Hubbert and Neb picked up a large pile of razor clams on the sand.Before that, they had already eaten a lot of razor clams, even today's dinner.However, Hubbert picked up a lot of seaweed on the high rocks.This is left when the sea water soaks the rock wall at high tide.This seaweed is a species of Sargassum, which belongs to the Carrageenaceae family.After drying, it can provide a nutrient component, which is equivalent to a gelatinous substance.The victims ate a lot of razor clams and then started eating the sargassum.To be honest, the taste of sargassum is still acceptable, and people in the coastal areas of Asia often eat this kind of food.

"Never mind, Mr. Cyrus can help us!" said the sailor.

As night fell, the wind direction suddenly changed, and a northeasterly wind blew up, and the temperature dropped accordingly.The weather at this time was very cold, and the partition walls that Pencroft had built in the aisle had already been washed away by the sea water, and drafts followed, making the "chimney" unsuitable for living.The engineer's companions took off their own clothes and covered him, otherwise his situation would be worse.

The sailors did everything possible to regain the source of the fire.For this matter, he was also very annoyed.It turned out that the sailors found some dry moss.With the help of Neb, when two pebbles were hit, some sparks did appear, but not enough to ignite the moss.Moreover, these sparks are very unstable, just flint sparks, which cannot be compared with the sparks emerging from the steel block in the lighter in daily life.Afterwards, Pencroft tried to make fire in the savage way, in which he himself did not have much confidence.He found two pieces of dry wood and rubbed them together.He and Neb tried their best, and theoretically the converted energy was enough to boil the water in the ship's boiler, but at this time it was ineffective.The wood is very hot, but the heat is probably not as hot as the person rubbing the wood!

The two of them worked for more than an hour, sweating profusely.Pencroft threw away the wood in a fit of anger.

"I can't believe it, and I can't believe it when I'm told again that savages used to make fire that way. Rub like that, and my arm's going to catch fire!"

The sailor was unsuccessful, but he denied the inadvisability of this method of making fire.Barbarians did use this method to make fire, but there were some tricks in it. For example, not every kind of wood was suitable for making fire by rubbing, and there were also some tricks in the process of rubbing.Pencroft just didn't know these tricks.

Harbert picked up the piece of wood that Pencroft had thrown away, and continued to rub it vigorously.The bad mood of the sailor also disappeared, and he, who was strong and strong, couldn't help laughing out loud when he saw Harbert's appearance.

"Hold on, lad!"

"I'm working hard! But I know I can't start a fire at all, I just want to use this method to keep myself warm. I'm shivering from the cold, and I want to get hot like you!"

Sure enough, but tonight, I'm afraid I have to give up making fire.Jardine Splane repeated no less than twenty times that Cyrus Harding would never be troubled by such trifles.He fell asleep on a bed of sand in one of the corridors.Harbert, Neb, and the sailor were like him, and Top slept at his master's feet.

Early the next morning, that is, at eight o'clock on March 3, the engineer woke up with his companions by his side.Just like the day before, the first thing he said when he woke up was to ask:
"Is it a mainland or an island?"

It can be seen that this stubborn idea has always been in his mind.

"We don't know anything about that, Mr. Smith!" replied the sailor.

"You don't know yet?"

"I think this question will be resolved after you take us to investigate this place," said the sailor.

"Okay, I think I can try it now." With that said, the engineer stood up, this time without much effort.

"That's great!" said the sailor excitedly.

"I'm weak now! Friends, is there anything to eat? Eat something and I think I'll be all right! I remember you saying there's a fire here?"

The question was not immediately answered, and Pencroft said after a while:
"Yes! But now we're out of fire, Mr. Smith!"

The sailor then told the engineer what had happened the day before, and related all his attempts to make a fire with the only match he had made, and all his attempts to make it by rubbing yesterday.The engineer listened and was amused.

"Well, we'll have to think about it. If we can't find anything like tinder..."

"Then what shall we do?" asked the sailor impatiently.

"Then we'll make our own matches!" replied the engineer.

"chemical?"

"Yes, chemical!"

"It couldn't be more difficult than this!" said the reporter, patting the sailor on the shoulder.

But the sailor felt that things would not be that simple, but he didn't refute immediately.Everyone walked out of the "chimney".At this time, it was sunny outside, a round of red sun rose from the sea, and bright golden rays shone on the cliff.The engineer looked around, then sat down on a rock.Hubbert handed him some mussels and sargassum, and said to him:
"There's only food left, Mr. Cyrus!"

"That's enough! Thank you, boy! That's enough for this morning, at least."

Although the food was poor, the engineer ate it with gusto.The companions spooned water from the river with a large shell, and the engineer drank it.

After all, he was full, the engineer folded his arms on his chest, and his companions watched him silently.

"Whether fate has left us, my friends, on a continent or on an island. You still don't know that, do you?"

"No, Mr. Cyrus!" replied Harbert.

"We'll find out tomorrow. Until then, there's nothing more to do," replied the engineer.

"Something to do!" said the sailor.

"What's the matter?"

"Fire!" was the sailor's persistent thought.

"Yes, we will, Pencroft," replied the engineer. "Yesterday, on my way back, I saw a hill to the west, from which I could look down on the country. Is there such a hill?"

"Yes, that mountain is high," answered Jardine Splane.

"Well, let's go to that mountain tomorrow to see if this piece of land is an island or a mainland. But before that, there is no need to do anything."

"No, we must light a fire!" said the sailor stubbornly.

"We'll light the fire. Take it easy, Pencroft!" said the reporter.

The sailor stared at Splain as if to say, "If you make the fire, you'll never have a barbecue again!" But he didn't say it.

Cyrus Harding said nothing, for he seemed not to have thought of lighting the fire.After he thought for a while, he said:

"My friends, it may seem that our situation is very bad, but in fact, this is a very simple matter. There are two possibilities. Either we are on the same continent. In that case, it is a little bit harder. to reach a settlement; or we are on an island. If it is an island, there are only two cases. If the island is inhabited, then we can get their help and get out of trouble, otherwise, if it is a deserted island. Now, we can only rely on ourselves."

"Yes, it couldn't be easier!" said the reporter.

"But, whether this is a continent or an island, where are we? Mr. Cyrus, can you judge where this hurricane has taken us?"

"I can't be certain of the exact location," replied the engineer, "but I guess it must be some land or island near the Pacific Ocean. When we left Richmond, the wind was from the northeast, and was always strong, It hasn't subsided, so you know the wind hasn't changed. From northeast to southwest, we should have crossed North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, the Gulf of Mexico, Mexico, and part of the Pacific Ocean from northeast to southwest. I estimate , the journey of the balloon should be between [-] and [-] nautical miles. If the wind changes even half a bearing point, it may take us to the Mandana Islands or the Pamotu Islands. If the wind exceeds my expectations , I'm afraid it's also possible that it took us to New Zealand. However, if the last assumption holds, then our dilemma is easy to get out of, whether Maori or British, we can always find someone. But if the situation is the opposite , we are on a deserted island in an archipelago, so the problem we have to consider is that we have settled here. Looking down from the mountain just mentioned, we should be able to tell whether this is an island. I can't go back either!"

"No way back!" cried the reporter. "You mean we're going to stay here forever, Mr. Cyrus?"

"It's better to prepare for the worst first, so that what happens next will definitely be a surprise!"

"Well said!" said the sailor. "It had better be an island, and within the course. Otherwise, that's really bad luck!"

"In either case, wait until you have gone up to the hills," said Cyrus Harding.

"But do you have the strength to go up the mountain tomorrow, Mr. Cyrus?" asked Harbert.

"I hope!" continued the Engineer. "It will depend on you and Pencroft, my boy. You two will be clever and able hunters once more!" answered the Engineer.

"Don't worry about this, Mr. Engineer, I'm sure I can bring back the prey, but I'm not sure whether they can be cooked." Said the sailor.

"If you can bring it back, Pencroft!" replied the engineer.

Therefore, it was finally decided that the reporters and engineers would stay in the "chimney" to accumulate energy for climbing the mountain tomorrow.Neb, Herbert and the sailor went hunting in the forest again, and got some firewood back for preparation.They want to bring back some birds or beasts, as long as they are within their ability, it is best to bring them back.

At ten o'clock they set off.Harbert was full of confidence, Neb was in high spirits, and only Pencroft, with a hint of worry, said, "If there's a fire in the 'chimney' when I get back, I'm afraid it must have been lit by Thunder himself!"

The three of them made their way up the steep coast, and as they passed the bend of the river, the sailor stopped to confer with his companion:
"Should we hunt first, or gather fuel first?"

"Go hunting first! Look, Top is already hunting!" said Hubbert.

"Well, let's go hunting first. When we get back, we'll get more wood from here," said the sailor.

As soon as the words fell, Top was already bouncing forward in the deep grass.The three of them broke three sticks from a small fir-tree, and followed Top.

This time was different from the last time, the hunters did not just go up the river bank, but went directly into the depths of the jungle.This forest seems to be some similar tree species, all belong to the coniferaceae.In some places the fir trees grow very sparsely, in clumps, but not in groups, and the tree is of great size.From this point, it can be seen that the dimension here may be higher than the engineer expected.There are a few clearings in the woods. There are some tree stumps standing on the ground, corroded by the years, and the ground is full of dead trees. This is an inexhaustible fuel bank!Crossing the glade, the woods began to dwindle and were so dense that it was almost impossible to enter.

There is no road between the bushes, and it is very difficult to walk through them.Therefore, sailors had to break off branches at any time to set up road signs to prevent getting lost.Fortunately, these broken branches are easy to identify.The first time the sailor and Hubbert entered the woods, they went up the river, found prey, and gained a lot.But this time I'm afraid something went wrong.After walking for an hour, no prey appeared.Top ran under the low branches, scaring away the birds that were not easy to approach.As for those gurgling chickens, they didn't even see their shadows.It seems that the sailors may only return to the swamp in the forest, where they may be lucky enough to catch grouse.

"Ah, Pencroft, there is not even a trace of the game you promised to bring to my master. It seems that we don't need to be grilled at all!" Neb said with some sarcasm in his tone.

"There is no hurry, Neb! There will be no game left when we go back!" said the sailor.

"Have you no confidence in Mr. Smith?"

"Of course there is!"

"Then you don't believe he can light a fire?"

"As long as I see the wood burning in the furnace with my own eyes, I will believe it."

"Yes, you will see, my master has said it!"

"Well, we can only wait and see!"

At this time, the sun has not yet reached the commanding heights in the sky.Their mission of hunting and prospecting continued.Hubbert made a new discovery. He saw a tree with edible fruit.The discovery was all too timely.This is Italian five-needle pine. The fruit quality of this tree is very good, and it is well received in Europe and America.The point is, the fruit on this tree was just ripe, Hubbert pointed to the two companions, and they enjoyed it together, it was really delicious.

"Now, seaweed for bread, mussels for meat, and these nuts are the best dessert. This is the supper for them, and they don't even have a match!" Sailor Say.

"Stop complaining!" Harbert said to the sailor.

"Not complaining, lad!"

"Top seems to have found something!" cried Neb, and ran towards the bushes where Top had disappeared.There came Top's cry, mingled with strange grunts.The sailor and Harbert ran after Neb.If it is really prey, the important thing now is to catch it, not how to cook it.

(End of this chapter)