Chapter 6 Chapter Six

After the victims fell from the clouds on this seemingly uninhabited coast, they quickly took an inventory of all their belongings.At this time, they had nothing but their clothes.However, it must be stated that Gideon.Spilett also had a notebook and a watch, no doubt preserved by neglect.They had no weapons, no tools, not even a pocket knife.While in the gondola, they threw everything out to lighten the balloon.Even Daniel.Nor are the imaginary heroes of Defoe and Weiss' novels, and Selkirk and Rayner, who were wrecked at John Fernand and Oakland Islands, less penniless.Those people either received a large amount of supplies food, livestock, tools and ammunition on the stranded ship, or found the necessities of life on the seashore.But there are no tools or furniture here.They had to create everything for themselves with their bare hands.

However, if Cyrus.Smith was with them, and perhaps the engineer would not have been helpless if he had used his practical science, put his brains to work on their situation, and developed his creative genius.However, they would never want to see Cyrus again in this life.Smith!These victims can only pin their hopes on themselves, and hope that God will pay off, and there is no other hope.Which continent does this coast belong to? Is there anyone there? Is the place where they are located a deserted island? Can they find a way to find out and settle down like this? This is an important issue that must be resolved without delay, so that they can decide what to do next.However, in Pencroft's opinion, it would be better to wait a few days before starting the exploration.They must prepare some dry food, find something better than pigeon eggs and molluscs, and the explorers must first recover their physical strength before undertaking new heavy work.

The grotto is still enough for shelter for the time being.The campfire was made, and it was easy to keep some charcoal.There are pigeon eggs in the crevices of the rocks, and there are a lot of clams on the beach.There are hundreds of wild pigeons hovering on the high ground, and it is easy to shoot a few with sticks or stones.There may also be edible fruit in adjacent forests.One final plus: fresh water nearby. They decided to stay in the grotto for a few days, get ready, and then go exploring either along the coast or further inland.Neb particularly agreed with this plan.His thoughts and premonitions remained the same, and he did not want to leave the shore where it had happened.He didn't believe it, it could be said that he didn't want to believe Cyrus.Smith is dead.No, he didn't think a man like Smith would ever die in a daze, never be swept away by the waves and drown on the shore not more than a few hundred feet from the shore.Unless the waves washed the engineer's body ashore, and he saw and touched his master's body, he would never believe that his master was dead!This idea seemed to have taken root in his heart, and it became more and more firm.Perhaps this is an illusion, but it is an illusion worthy of respect, so the sailor is reluctant to say it.The sailor himself had lost all hope, but he knew it was useless to argue with Neb.Neb was like a dog that lingers by its master's grave, and mourned so much that he could scarcely live.

On the same day, on the morning of the twenty-sixth of March, Neb walked north along the coast, and he came to the shore where the accident happened, and he remembered well that the unfortunate Smith had disappeared from this place. They ate nothing but pigeon eggs and crabs that morning.Herbert found in the hollows of the stone some salt left over from the evaporation of the sea, and this mineral came at just the right time. After dinner Pencroft asked the correspondent if he would go hunting with him and Herbert in the forest.As a result of their consideration, they decided that it was necessary to leave some one in the cave to tend the fire, and that, though Neb had little chance of finding Smith, it was necessary that some one should be at hand ready to help him.The correspondent then remained at home.

When we go hunting, Herbert, we shall get some hunting gear on the road, and some weapons in the woods.said the sailor.But when he was about to set off, Herbert suggested another matter. He said that since there was no tinder, it would be better to find some substitutes. What are you looking for?asked Pencroft. Char cloth, replied the boy, might be used as tinder. The sailor thought it was a good idea.But then a handkerchief had to be sacrificed.It was worth it, however, and Pencroft tore a piece from his large check handkerchief, and baked it at once to a half-burnt rag. They put this piece of charred cloth, which is easy to catch fire, in the depths of a small hole in the nave of the cave to prevent it from being blown by wind and damp.

At nine o'clock in the morning, the weather was gloomy and the wind was blowing from the southeast.Herbert and Pencroft rounded the bend of the grotto, looking from time to time at the wisp of smoke curling up from the steeple.They walked to the left bank of the river. When they entered the wood, Pencroft first broke two large boughs from a tree, and fashioned a stick, which Herbert sharpened at both ends on a stone.If they could have a knife, they would pay any price for it! The two hunters walked along the bank in the tall grass.The river turned a bend and flowed to the southwest, and then the river bed gradually narrowed.In order not to lose their way, Pencroft decided to walk along the river, so that they could always return to the point of departure.But there were too many obstacles on the shore, where the boughs of the trees brushed low, and where they had to cut their way with sticks between the brambles and creepers.Herbert ran up and down among the stumps as nimbly as a kitten, and disappeared in the undergrowth.On such occasions Pencroft immediately called him back, and begged him not to get lost.At the same time, the sailor carefully observed the surrounding terroir and terrain.The left bank of the river is flat and swampy, rising gradually and gently inland.From here it looked like a network of water, which undoubtedly flowed from underground springs to the river.There are also small streams that can be crossed without trouble in some of the undergrowth.The opposite bank of the river was more rugged, and a canyon through which the river flowed stood out.A hill with layers of trees growing on top of it like a curtain blocking the view.It must have been difficult to walk on the right bank of the river, for the terrain was steep and the trees that bent toward the water were held by their roots.

It is needless to say that this forest, like the coast they had already inspected, was as unexplored by man.Pencroft found only the tracks of beasts, those recently left by animals, but he did not know what animals they were; There was some trouble; but they found no ax marks on the trees, no embers from campfires, and no human footprints.This is something they should be thankful for. You must know that on any island in the Pacific Ocean, someone is more terrifying than no one.On account of the difficulty of walking, and the slow progress, Herbert and Pencroft gave up talking.After an hour of setting off, we managed to walk more than a mile.So far the hunt has been fruitless.Fortunately, there are small birds flying and screaming among the branches, looking very timid, as if they only know how to be afraid when they see people.In a swampy part of the forest, Herbert saw a kind of bird that looked like a fish dog, with a long and pointed beak. Although the feathers had a metallic luster, they were not beautiful.

That must be a woodpecker.said Herbert, intending to come nearer. This time there will be a chance to taste the meat of the woodpecker, said the sailor, and see if it will let us roast it! While they were talking, Herbert slyly threw a stone, which struck the woodpecker's wing, but did not knock it down, and in an instant it was gone without a trace. My method is really not clever!cried Herbert. No, no, boy!The sailor said, you throw it very accurately; others may not even hit it!Come on, don't get discouraged.Sooner or later we'll catch it! The hunters went on, and the trees became thinner and thinner. There were many trees that looked beautiful, but the fruit they bore was inedible.In all Pencroft's search and search he could not find a palm tree which is very useful in everyday life; it is found in the northern hemisphere up to forty degrees north latitude, but in the southern hemisphere only to thirty-five degrees south latitude.The forest consisted only of conifers, of which Herbert had already recognized: the Himalayan fir, which resembled the western pines of North-West America, and the great fir-trees, which reached a height of one hundred and fifty feet.

At this time, a group of beautiful little birds flew over, with long glorious tails, and they stopped one by one on the branches, their feathers fell down one after another, as if the ground was covered with a layer of fine duck down.Herbert picked up some feathers, looked at them a moment, and then said: This is golden pheasant. I still like grouse and guinea fowl, said Pencroft, but if they were delicious. The golden pheasants are very tasty, and their flesh is very tender, replied Herbert, and, if I remember correctly, they are not afraid of people, and we can approach them and kill them with sticks.

The sailor and the boy climbed from the grass to the base of a tree whose branches near the ground were covered with golden pheasants.They're just waiting to eat insects that crawl over, because that's what they eat for a living.These birds use their feathered claws to climb the twigs and settle in the trees. The hunters got up and knocked them down one after another from the trees with their sticks like scythes mowing grass. The golden pheasants didn't want to fly away at all, and just let them be knocked down to the ground.By the time the remaining golden pheasants were about to fly away, there were already about a hundred of them piled up on the ground.

Well, said Pencroft, the game is well suited to our hunters.Just reach out and grab them! Sailors strung them on flexible twigs like a line of larks in flight.Once dressed, they move on.The river turned a bend to the south here, but this bend probably won't extend very far, because the source of the river must be in the deep mountains in front, and the river water is formed by the melting of snow from the main peak. The main purpose of their expedition has already been mentioned, which is to find more game for the residents in the grotto to eat.It must be admitted that this goal has not been achieved so far.So the sailors aggressively continued their search forward.Suddenly an animal ran into the grass, and before he could see what it was, he exclaimed, "If only Top were here!"But Top disappeared at the same time as his master, and they presumably died together. About three o'clock, another flock of birds flew among the trees, and they were pecking at the fragrant pine nuts on the juniper in the forest.Suddenly, there was a long blast like a trumpet in the forest.This strange, loud call is made by a plumed grouse common in America.They soon saw several pairs, and these grouse had bright chestnut plumage with dark brown spots in the middle, and tails of the same color.Some of the partridges had two flaps of flesh like wings on their necks, and Herbert recognized them as males.This quail fowl was about the size of an ordinary fowl, but tasted more delicious than a domestic chicken, and Pencroft made up his mind to catch at least one of them.Catching them is difficult, however, because the grouse are not easily accessible.I tried several times, but I didn't catch any of them, but they were frightened and flew around for a while.Then the sailor said to Herbert: Since they can fly, we can't catch them, so we have to fish with a line. Like fishing for grouse?exclaimed Herbert in amazement at this proposal. Yes.replied Pencroft gravely.He had found six grouse nests in the grass, each with three or four eggs.The sailor took great care not to damage the coop, for he knew the grouse would return.He was going to set the lines beside these nests not as snares but as real lines.He took Herbert a few paces from the hen-coop, where he carefully arranged a curious contraption which only Isaac.Walton's disciples will use it.Herbert watched him work with interest, but was not quite convinced of his success.The lines were joined by thin creeping vines, each fifteen or twenty feet long, to which Pencroft drew thick, strong barbs from a dwarf locust tree, and fastened them to the ends of the vines for hooks.Use large red caterpillars crawling on the ground as bait. Having arranged this, Pencroft walked quietly through the tall grass, and placing the hooked end of the rope near the hen-coop, took the other end of the rope and went back to the place where he and Herbert hid behind a tall tree. Waiting there patiently.It must be stated that Herbert felt that Pencroft's invention might not be successful. After a full half hour, there was still no movement, and after a while, as the sailor expected, several pairs of grouse came back to the nest.As they walked, they looked for something to eat on the ground, and they had no doubt that there was a hunter nearby. It turned out that the hunter had thought carefully and hid to the downwind. Herbert was so amused now that he held his breath.Pencroft stared, opened his mouth, and pursed his lips as if he were about to eat partridge, and scarcely dared to breathe. Now the grouse walked up and down near the hook, paying no attention to the bait on the ground.Then Pencroft gave the line a few light tugs, and the bait moved a little, and the worm seemed to be alive. The sailor is obviously more anxious than the fisherman, because the fisherman can't see the fish in the water.As soon as the rope moved, the grouse were attracted, and they pecked at the bait on the hook with their beaks.Almost at the same time, three greedy grouse swallowed the bait with hooks and worms.Pencroft deftly gave the rope an artful flick, and the three grouse flapped their wings and were caught. Ha ha!As he shouted, he ran to the wild birds and caught them at once. Herbert clapped happily, it was the first time he had seen a bird fishing with a rope, but the sailor said modestly that this was no longer his invention, and the honor of the invention did not belong to him. In any case, he added, in the current situation, we have to find more tricks. They tied the grouse's paws with string.Pencroft was glad that now he could not go back to their companions empty-handed, and, as it was getting late, he thought it best to go at once. The river was their direction, and they had only to follow it, and Herbert and Pencroft, exhausted, returned to the Grotto about six o'clock.