Chapter 15 Chapter 15 You're Good, Baxter!

Two hundred yards from the creek, there was a hill fifty feet high.This hill can be used as a lookout.From there Gordon and his companions could see far away.So they climbed up the hill just as the sun was rising. They looked straight north with binoculars.According to the map, if the sandy desert continued to extend, it was difficult for them to determine its edge, because the sea level was only twelve miles to the north and seven miles to the east, so it was useless to continue going north. So, asks Cross, what do we do? go back.Gordon made a decision. Come back after breakfast!Sauvis asked.

Spread the tablecloth and eat.Webb said. If going back, Donagan asked if we could go the other way. Let's try it out.Gordon said. Donagan suggested: In my opinion, if we walked back along the other side of the lake, our expedition would be complete. That was too far, Gordon reminded him, and the map showed at least thirty or forty miles.Even if there is no delay on the road, we will still have to travel for four or five days.Our fellow Frenchmen will worry about us. But, Donagan reminded him, sooner or later we're going to explore that area. That is, Gordon agreed, I had planned to send a party.

"In any case, Donagan was absolutely right in not going back the same way," Cross said. By that, Gordon said, I mean going along the lake to the River of Stay, then turning from there to the cliff, and from there back to the cave. Then why not walk along the river?Wilcox asked. Why?Donagan said, why don't we cut across the desert and go straight into Trap Woods, which is only three or four miles to the southwest. Because we have to cross the Stay River, said Gordon, we can cross the river where we crossed it yesterday; but further down we will encounter rapids, and crossing the river will increase our troubles.If we entered the mountain forest from the left bank of the river, we would surely have a clear path.

You were always so timid, Gordon!Donagan said with a hint of sarcasm. The more cautious you do things, the better!Gordon said. So everyone went down the river and came to the camping place again.Had some biscuits and some cold venison there.Then they rolled up their bedding and returned to the road they had walked the night before. The sky was blue, and the breeze gently puckered the surface of the lake.It looked to be another fine day, and Gordon would be content if the weather cleared for thirty-six hours, for he reckoned they would be back in Frenchman's Cave the next night. At eleven o'clock the boys returned to the riverside.It went very well.Donagan also shot two bustards with beautiful crested feathers.Their plumage was black and shiny, with red feathers on top, making Donagan and Sauvis laugh a lot as they walked.Whatever the bird, Sauvis plucks it, disembowels it, and then roasts it.

An hour after the boys had crossed the river in a Howcott rubber boat, Sauvis plucked and gutted two bustards. We're in the woods now, said Gordon, and I hope Baxter puts his lasso and bola to good use. He hasn't had much use for those things yet.Donagan said.He had always thought that weapons other than muskets were of little use. So how do we deal with birds and animals?asked Baxter. Bird or quadruped, Baxter, I don't think any of your stuff will work. I think so too.Cross interjected.He always supports his cousin. Don't make fun of these things, just wait and see!Gordon said, I bet Baxter those things will come in handy.His lasso and bola won't fail us when we run out of ammo.

But only some birds can be shot.Donagan said. We'll see, Gordon said, let's have lunch first. Since Sauvis wanted to overcook the bustard, the preparation time was extended for a while.This bustard is so big that one is enough for them to eat.Weighing up to thirty pounds and three feet long from beak to tail, these bustards are among the largest feathered birds.However, the whole bustard was also eaten by the boys, and even the bones were eaten by the owner. After lunch, the boys began to turn into the unexplored forest in the Trap Forest.The Stay River, which flows into the Pacific Ocean, runs through the Trap Woods, and the map shows the Stay River winding northwest, around the cliff.Its mouth is on the other side of Mihai Point.Gordon therefore decided to leave the river which led them in the opposite direction to Frenchman's Cave, take a short cut to Oakland Hills, and then follow Oakland Hills north.

With a compass in his hand, Gordon led the group westward.The woods to the west were not as dense as those to the south, so they encountered no obstacles, not even bushes on the ground. The sun's rays shone through the gaps in the birch trees.The green leaves and grass are dotted with colorful wild flowers from time to time.In some places foxtail blooms on stems as high as two or three feet.Sauvis, Wilcox, and Webb picked some wildflowers to put in their coats. Then, Gordon discovered a very important phenomenon.His vast botanical knowledge is too useful for this small colony.His attention was drawn to a low shrub.This shrub has ugly foliage and thorny stems bearing red, pea-sized fruits.

If I'm not mistaken, this thing is Tesco fruit, he said, this thing is a kind of fruit commonly used by Indians. Since we can eat it, Sovis said, let's eat a little, anyway, we don't eat for nothing. Before Gordon could stop him, Sauvis had already picked a fruit and put it between his teeth and bit it.He quickly grimaced.The partners couldn't help laughing loudly, because the fruit was too sour, Sovis spit a lot of saliva. Didn't you say that this thing can be eaten!He groaned. I didn't say it was edible, Gordon replied that the Indians often fermented the fruit to make wine.This thing will come in handy when our brandy runs out.As long as we pay more attention to the things around us, we will always find something.Let's bag a bag and go home, then we can do experiments in the French cave.

The fruit is difficult to pick because of the thorns on the tree.Baxter had no choice but to knock the fruit from the tree to the ground, and quickly picked up a bag, and then continued on his way. Later, they picked some pods from other bushes.These are the pods of a mesquite tree native to South America that are also used to make a rich wine.Sauvis didn't taste it this time, and luckily he didn't, because the mesquite pods taste sweet at first, but quickly dry the mouth. In the afternoon, within a quarter of a mile of reaching Oakland Hills, the boys made another very important discovery.They found a marked change in the character of the woods.In these shady places the vegetation grows luxuriantly, with branches extending from sixty to eighty feet, and numerous chaffinches twittering; Although the growth of clusters of beech trees is not high, they are very magnificent, and the branches emit a fragrance similar to cinnamon.

As he got closer, Gordon recognized a tea tree that resembled a lingonberry.Common in high latitudes, the tea tree is steeped for a health drink by infusing the fragrant leaves. This thing can be used to replace our tea leaves, Gordon said. We will pick a few bags first, and we will pick some more for winter use later. It was past four o'clock when we reached the northern part of the Oakland Hills.Although Oakland Mountain does not look as high as the French Cave, it is impossible to go up the mountain because of the steep slope.It didn't matter much, for they had decided to follow the foothills all the way to the Zeeland River.

After walking another two miles, the boys heard the sound of a brook babbling through a cliff valley, and they waded across the river with ease. Donagan suggested that this might be the same river we encountered on our first expedition. Is that the river with the stones?asked Gordon. Yes, said Donagan, the river we call Little Dam Creek. Well, let's camp on the right bank of the river!Gordon said it was exactly five o'clock, and if we were going to spend the night in the field, we'd better spend the night in the shade of these tall trees, and hopefully we'll sleep in our comfortable beds in the hall tomorrow night. Sauvis was busy preparing dinner with the remaining bustard.He also roasted the bustard as he did last time.It's also time to not be too critical of Sauvis for making the same dinner. Gordon and Baxter wandered into the woods while Sauvis prepared dinner.Gordon wants to find some fresh plants, and Baxter wants to use his lasso and bola.He wanted to put on a show that would impress Donagan. They walked about a hundred yards in the bushes.Then Gordon beckoned Baxter to come, and he pointed to a group of animals that were prowling the grass. That's a goat, right?Baxter asked quietly. Yes, or something that looks a lot like a goat, Gordon said, try to get one. Want to live? Yes, to live.Luckily Donagan wasn't around, otherwise he would have shot one and let the others escape!Let's get closer and be careful not to disturb them. There were six goats in all.They were not disturbed at all.One of the female goats may have vaguely sensed danger.It took a breath through its nose, looked around, and prepared to lead the flock to escape. Suddenly, only a whistling was heard, and Baxter, who was less than twenty yards away from the flock, threw a meteor hammer.The meteor hammer thrown from his hand drew an arc.Because of the precise aim and quick throw, the meteor hammer tied up one of the goats, and the rest disappeared into the bushes.Gordon and Baxter hurried past.There was no way the goat could escape.Because it was a female goat that was tied up, the two kids instinctively guarded the mother goat, so they were also captured by Gordon and Baxter. Long live!Baxter couldn't restrain his inner joy, long live!Is this a goat? No, said Gordon, I think they are vicuna. Do they produce milk? Um, milk production. Long live the vicuña! Gordon was absolutely right.Although the vicuña Xiangzi resembles a goat, the vicuña has longer claws and shorter wool, but the milk it produces is just as tasty.Vicunas have small heads and no horns.They mainly live in the pampas or countries around the Strait of Magellan. When Gordon and Baxter returned to camp, one was leading a vicuna on a bola rope, and the other was holding a baby llama in each hand.You can imagine how happy they would be.Since the ewe is still nursing, raising a vicuna to adulthood will not present much difficulty.These three vicunas will develop into a large herd.That would be too useful to the colony.Needless to say, Donagan regretted not firing a shot; when he heard about the catch, he had to admit that the bola was more effective than the gun. The boys ate their supper happily.The ewe was tied to a tree, but she hadn't refused to nurse as the baby alpaca jumped around her. But the night was not as calm as their night in the sandy desert.Beasts more ferocious than jackals often visit the woods in this area.Because the jackal's bark is a bit like a dog's bark, and a bit like a wolf's howl, you can tell it at once.Around three o'clock in the morning, the children were startled by roaring noises nearby. Donagan sits by the campfire with a gun in his hand to keep watch.Although he did not think it necessary to wake his companions, the roar of the beast woke them up. what happened?Wilcox asked. Some beasts howled nearby.Donagan explained. Maybe it's a puma or a leopard barking!Gordon said. Both animals are scary. Not necessarily, Donagan, the cougar is not as dangerous as the jaguar.But in groups, they can be dangerous. We are prepared.Donagan put on a defensive stance as he spoke.The companions also drew their revolvers. Never shoot without aiming, Gordon told them, I think shooting them would scare them away. They are nearby.Cross said. Judging by Xiaomi's angry expression, the beast is getting closer.It was with great difficulty that Gordon called the little fan back.In the dark woods, it was difficult to see the beast clearly. Apparently, these beasts are used to coming here to drink at night.Seeing that the place they used to come to was occupied, they had to roar loudly to vent their dissatisfaction. Suddenly, a moving point of light appeared about twenty yards away, and a shot was immediately heard. After Donagan fired a shot, the beast roared even harder.The buddies held revolvers in their hands, ready to shoot any beast that charged into the camp. Baxter grabbed a piece of burning wood and threw it towards the shining place, and the roar stopped immediately.All the animals disappeared deep in the booby-trapped woods, and one of them might have been shot by Donagan. They escaped.Cross said. Count them lucky.Sauvis said. Will they come back?Cross asked. Unlikely, Gordon said, but we'll have to watch until dawn. They added more wood to the fire, which burned till daybreak.The children tore down the small tents, and some ran into the bushes to see if any wild animals had been killed. They found a pool of blood on the ground.The beast must have escaped after being wounded.The wounded beast could easily be found if a follower had been sent at this time, but Gordon thought it was not worth going so far.They want to find out whether these beasts are mountain lions, jaguars, or other dangerous animals.But the main thing is that the children are all safe and sound. Around six o'clock they started off again.If they wanted to cover the nine miles from here to Frenchman's Cave by day, they could afford to lose no time. Solvis and Webb looked after the baby alpaca, while the ewe followed happily behind Baxter, who was leading her on a rope. Not much has changed along the way.On the left side of the road are clumps of woods, some dense, others sparse;The limestone gets taller the further south the kids go. Around eleven o'clock, the children stop for Chinese food for the first time.In order not to waste time, they only ate some dry food in their pockets.When they got back on the road, they walked faster, and there were no obstacles along the way.It wasn't until after three o'clock in the afternoon that there was another gunshot in the woods. Led by Mimi, Donagan, Cross, and Webb walked a hundred yards ahead, out of sight of the rest of the gang, when they heard someone yelling Beware! Suddenly, a huge thing rushed out of the bushes.After Baxter spun the noose a few times over his head, he threw the noose so quickly that the noose slipknot just caught the neck of the behemoth.The strength of the Beast was such that it might have killed Baxter and his family if Gordon, Wilcox, and Sauvis had not held tightly to the other end of the rope, and tactfully wound it around the stump. People dragged away with ropes. After wrapping the rope around the stump, Webb and Cross emerged from the base of the tree shortly after, with Donagan close behind.He was complaining: Why didn't I notice this damn beast at first? It was Baxter who found it, Sauvis told him, and this time we took them all alive. What's the point?Donagan asked. You still have to kill it. kill it!Gordon objected that it couldn't be killed, that it was an animal we used to carry loads. What?Can this animal be used for weight bearing?Sauvis said loudly. It was a wild llama, Gordon said, and it was the largest of the South American load-bearing animals. Whether it was useful or not, Donagan regretted not firing a shot at it.But he didn't say anything, just walked over to check out the fat Charman Island animal. Although from a zoological point of view, this wild alpaca belongs to the same category of animals as camels.But at first glance, wild llamas look nothing like camels.The neck of the wild camel is not big; the head is very beautiful; the four legs are slender and ugly, so that it can bear weight; the golden hair is dotted with a few small white hairs, and it is not inferior to the birds and animals in America. .It can also be used as a mount if tamed.On ranches in Argentina, these llamas are easy to tame.This camel horse has a very docile temper and never runs away.When Baxter undid the slipknot, he could easily lead it away with a noose, as if he were leading a horse by the bridle. For the colony, this expedition to the north of Home Lake was rewarding.Because they captured a wild alpaca, a female alpaca, and two vicuna cubs, and also found tea trees, teke fruits, and mesquite pods.The other mates will surely praise Gordon and Baxter.Baxter is not as hypocritical as Donagan, and he is not complacent about his achievements. Gordon was delighted to find that the bola and the noose could come in handy.Donagan is a sharpshooter, but his skills cost some ammo, which the colony desperately needs.Therefore, Gordon is determined to encourage his partners to practice using the bolas and lasso. The map showed they were still four miles from the Frenchman's Cave.Gordon gave the order to hurry.Sauvis couldn't help thinking of riding home on the camel again, but Gordon insisted that he wait until the camel was tamed. I don't think it's going to kick, Gordon said, and while he won't let you ride on his back, he'll be willing to pull.Wait patiently, Sovis, let us not forget the lesson the ostrich taught us last time. Around six o'clock, they could finally see the Frenchman's Den. Young Costa is playing on the flat ground outside the cave.He reported the news of the expedition's return, and Bryant and the others ran out cheering and cheering to meet Gordon and them.