Chapter 16 Chapter Sixteen

May 6th is equivalent to November 6th in the northern hemisphere.The weather has been gloomy and gloomy for several days in a row, and now it is necessary to prepare for winter.But the current temperature is not too low. If there is a thermometer on Lincoln Island to measure it, the average temperature must still be around ten to twelve degrees above zero.This is not surprising, since Lincoln Island is roughly between the thirty-fifth and forty degrees south latitude, and its climate is exactly the same as that of Sicily and Greece in the northern hemisphere.But Greece and Sicily also have severe cold and snow, so in the coldest winter, Lincoln Island will definitely freeze, so it is best to prepare in advance.

In short, even if there is no threat of severe cold, the rainy season is coming soon.This desolate island is alone in the ocean, despite the invasion of wind, frost, rain and snow, the weather here often changes and often becomes a serious disaster.The problem of finding a lodging more comfortable than a grotto, therefore, must be seriously considered and must be settled at once. Naturally, Pencroft had some preference for the lodging he had found, but he also knew that another place must be found.The sea water has already come to the grotto once, and everyone knows the situation at that time.If there is another similar incident, it will be out of control.

And, Cyrus.When Smith talked about these issues with his partners that day, he added that we still need some defensive equipment. Why?There is no one on the island.said the correspondent. We haven't visited the interior yet, said the engineer, and there may be no people, but even if there are no people, I think there will be plenty of beasts.We must be prepared for possible attack so that there is no need for nightly vigils or fires.Also, my friends, we must have a vision in everything.Where we are is a place where pirates in the Pacific hang out What!Herbert said, so far from the land they will come?

Yes, boy, said the engineer, pirates are brave sailors, and a formidable enemy at the same time, and we must take proper measures. Well, said Pencroft, we must be on our guard against two-legged savages and four-legged beasts; but, Mr. Smith, shall we not search the island first, and then decide what to do? Nothing could be better.Ji Ding.Spilett added. We searched here and there but couldn't find a cave, maybe there is one on the other side of the mountain, who knows? Yes, replied the engineer, but you forget, my friends, that we must live near the water.There was neither creek nor river to the west, as seen from the top of Mount Franklin.On the contrary, our place is between the Mercy River and Grant Lake. This advantage cannot be ignored.Also, the trade winds in the southern hemisphere are blown from the northwest, and this is facing the east, unlike other places facing the wind.

Then, said the sailor, let us build a house by the lake.Now there are bricks and tools.We bricklayers, potters, metallurgists, and ironworkers have done their jobs well, and bricklayers must be even better at their jobs! Yes, my friend.But no matter what decision we make, we must go through a comprehensive consideration.If we could find a natural dwelling, it would save us a great deal of work, and it would be safer, for a natural dwelling would serve as a defense against enemies from the island as well as from without. Yes, Cyrus, said the correspondent, but we have inspected the whole granite wall, not a single hole, not a crack!

Indeed, nothing!Well, added Pencroft, if we could carve a shelter high on the cliff, out of reach of any danger!Facing the sea, there are five or six rooms There are still windows in the room!Herbert laughed. There are also stairs to go up and down!Nab added. What's so ridiculous about that?cried the sailor, is it impossible to do what I propose?Don't we already have pickaxes and shovels?Can't Mr. Smith make us gunpowder to blow up caves?Mr. Smith, whenever we need gunpowder, you can make it right away, can't you? Pencroft was exuberantly playing with his fantasies, Cyrus.Smith listened.It is very difficult to explode the granite, even with explosives, and if nature cannot help them solve the problem of living, this is indeed a troublesome thing.The engineer did not answer the sailor's question, but suggested that the turn from the mouth of the estuary to the northern end of the cliff be carefully examined again.

So they all went out, and made a very careful examination for a distance of nearly two miles, but the cliff was smooth and steep, and a cave could not be found.Many feral pigeons hovered over the cliffs, and their nests were on the summits, which were actually small holes in the jagged edges of the granite rock. This situation made people very embarrassing, and it was delusional to plan to dig a cave in this cliff that could be inhabited, whether with a pickaxe or dynamite.The present situation, therefore, was that, on the one hand, they had to abandon the grotto which Pencroft had discovered;

After the search was over, the settlers had come to the north corner of the cliff, which was the end point of the cliff, and then went down a long distance and fell flat on the coast.From here to the western extremity all that remains is a thick slope of rock, earth, and sand, dotted with vegetation, which inclines only forty-five degrees.The trees on the slope grew in clumps and were covered with thick weeds.But not far away, there was no vegetation, and there was a wide open sandy plain, which began at the end of the slope and continued to the seashore. Cyrus.Smith thought that the overflowing lake must flow here, and his idea was not without foundation.The Red River flows through so much water, of course it can only be exported through rivers or other waterways.But on the shore already explored, that is to say, from the mouth of the river west of Prospect Heights, the engineer had never been able to find this exit.

The engineer now suggested to his companions to climb up the ramp and return to the Grotto from Prospect Heights, so that they could explore the east and north shores of the lake.It was all agreed, and in a few minutes Herbert and Neb were on the heights.Cyrus.Smith, Keating.Spilett and Pencroft followed calmly. The sun was shining on the beautiful lake, and the glint was coming through the trees.This is a particularly beautiful place on the island.They covet the clusters of trees.The old, branched trees looked extraordinarily dark against the greenery.Bright cockatoos screamed from the branches, jumping from tree to tree like a spinning kaleidoscope.

The inhabitants did not go directly to the north shore of the lake, they rounded the edge of the plateau and walked towards the mouth of the river on the left.This section of winding road is more than a mile and a half.However, the trees are sparse and widely spaced, so it is not difficult to walk.The fertile land obviously ends here, and the vegetation between the Red River and the Mercy River probably wouldn't be so lush. Cyrus.Smith and his companions walked cautiously in this new land.Their only weapons were bows and arrows and sticks with iron points.Fortunately, there were no wild animals, which probably often haunt the southern dense forests, but the residents were surprised when they suddenly saw Top standing in front of a boa constrictor.The snake was fourteen to fifteen feet long, and Neb killed it with a single club.Cyrus.Smith looked at it carefully, and then told everyone that the snake was not poisonous, it was a ridge snake, and the natives of New South Wales often kept this kind of snake.But there may be other deadly snakes here, such as the forked-tailed adder, which often stands up from under the feet, or the flying snake, which has a pair of ears and crawls very fast.Top, who had just been frightened once, began to hunt another reptile, and it ran so fast that everyone was sweating for it.Its owner called it back right away.

They soon came to the point where the Red River empties into Lake Grant.The explorers remembered that the opposite bank was where they had been after coming down from Mount Franklin.Cyrus.Smith thinks that the amount of water going to the lake is considerable.So nature must find an outlet for the excess lake water.And no doubt a waterfall would form, which would be of great use if one could find it. Immigrants move away from each other, but they do not lose contact with each other.They walked around the shore of the lake, which was so deep that it seemed to be full of fish.Pencroft decided to make some fishing rods, and try to catch some of them. They rounded the northeast corner first.From here the waters of the lake probably flow, for the shore is almost as high as the edge of the plateau.However, there was still no trace of any drainage.The settlers continued to search along the shore, and after turning a small bend, the shore of the lake lowered and remained parallel to the shore. The woods are sparser on this side of the shore, but clusters of trees here and there add to the beauty of the surrounding landscape, and from here one can see the panorama of Lake Grant, without a ripple on the water.Top searched the bushes, and brought out a great flock of birds of every description.Ji Ding.Spilett and Herbert saluted them with a few arrows, and one was shot by the boy and fell on the grass.Top ran over and brought back a beautiful water bird.It was bluish-grey in color, had a short beak, a well-developed forehead, webbed feet like lace, and a white line about its wings.It was a black duck, about the size of a larger partridge, a long-toed waterfowl somewhere between a wader and a web-footed bird.The taste of this bird is really not worth mentioning, it is far worse than the pheasant.But Top was not so fussy as his owners, and it was decided to keep the black duck for his supper. The inhabitants are now advancing along the eastern shore of the lake, and will soon be where they were last seen.The engineer was astonished to find no sign of the water flowing out of the lake.Nor could he conceal his astonishment when he spoke to the correspondent and the sailor. Top, who had remained quiet, suddenly grew irritable.The quick-witted beast ran up and down the bank and stopped suddenly to look across the lake.It raised a paw as if pointing at some invisible animal, barked a few times, and fell silent again suddenly. At first, Cyrus.Neither Smith nor his companions took notice of Top's movement; but it only grew louder and louder, which attracted the engineer's attention. What happened to Top?he asked. Top sprang towards his master, looking very disturbed, and then rushed to the bank again.Suddenly, it jumped into the lake. Come back, Top!Cyrus.Smith shouted that he was afraid the dog would be in danger in the water. What happened there?asked Pencroft, looking across the lake. Top smelled some kind of amphibian.replied Herbert. Maybe a crocodile.said the correspondent. I don't think so, replied Smith, crocodiles are found only in the lower latitudes. At this moment Top was stopped by his master, and ran ashore again.But it couldn't calm down. It lay down in the tall grass, dominated by intuition, and its two eyes seemed to be fixed on some invisible animal moving under the water.At this time, the lake was very calm, with no ripples on the water surface.Residents stopped on the shore several times to watch the water, but could see nothing.I don't know what riddles are hidden in the water. Engineers are also baffled. Let's get the probing to the end.He said. Half an hour later, they gathered at the southeast corner of the lake on Overlook Hill.So far the shores of the lake have been searched, but the engineer has not found where the water comes from.The exit must exist, he repeated, and since it was invisible, the lake must have flowed from the granite wall to the west! What good do you know where it comes from, dear Cyrus?Ji Ding.asked Spilett. Quite importantly, the engineer said that if the water flows out of the cliff, then there is probably a hole in the cliff, as long as the water in the hole is drained, people can live. But, Mr. Smith, asked Herbert, is it not possible for the water to flow from the bottom of the lake, and tunnel into the sea? It is also possible, said the engineer, that in that case, nature has not prepared a place for us to live in, and we will have to build our own houses. The emigrants were about to cross the plateau back to the cave when Top became impatient again.It screamed angrily, and before its owner could stop it, it jumped into the water again. Everyone ran to the shore together.Top had swum to twenty feet.Cyrus was calling it, when suddenly a big head popped out of the water, where the water didn't look very deep. It is an amphibian with a conical head, large eyes, and long soft whiskers around its mouth.Herbert knew its kind at a glance. manatee!he shouted. This is not a manatee, but a kind of cetacean called a dugong, whose nostrils are born on the upper part of the nose.The gigantic animal rushed at Top, who tried to run ashore.At this time its owner could not rescue it, Gideon.Spilett and Herbert did not think of bending their bows and nodding their arrows in their haste.The dugong grabbed Top and dragged him to the bottom of the water. Neb, with the iron-tipped javelin in his hand, intended to go to the hideous animal's territory and attack it, and rescue Top. No, Neb.The engineer stopped the brave servant. At this time, a struggle broke out under the water, and it was an incredible battle.It was too much for Top in his circumstances; the water was white-capped, and the struggle must have been terrible, and it seemed that Top must die here!Suddenly, however, Top emerged from another vortex.A force from nowhere threw it ten feet out of the water, where it fell again in the turbulent water, and a short time later it swam ashore.The strange thing is that it was not seriously injured and escaped the danger easily. Cyrus.Neither Smith nor his partners understood what was going on.Also amazing: the fight seems to go on in the water.Probably the dugong was attacked by some beast, so he put down Top to defend himself.The fight didn't last long.The water of the lake was stained red with blood, and the dugong floated up from the scarlet water around it, and soon ran aground on a small sandy beach at the corner of the lake.Migrants ran to it.Dugong is dead.It was a gigantic animal, fifteen or sixteen feet long, and weighed at least three or four thousand pounds.It had a wound on its neck that seemed to have been cut with a sharp knife. What amphibian was responsible for the horrific attack that killed the ferocious dugong?No one could tell, and Smith and his companions returned to the grotto with great interest in the matter.