Chapter 23 Chapter 8 Reunion

The colonies were united again.The children will live in peace and harmony in the French cave in the future.This rapport is the fruit of friendship born of two or three days' separation.Donagan had repeatedly asked himself how stupid he was to be stubborn, though he hadn't confided in anyone, and others thought similarly.Under the influence of Bryant's practical actions, Donagan finally changed his aloof personality, and this change was permanent. But the French Caves are now in extreme danger, they will be attacked by armed gangsters.It was obvious that Walston's best option was to get off the island as soon as possible; but if he found that this small colony offered all he needed, he would not hesitate to attack, and the chances of success were almost one hundred per cent.As long as he was on the island, the boys had to be very careful not to stray too far from the Zeeland River or the family lake.

Donagan was asked if he had seen any of the crew on the way back to Bear Rock. No, he answered, we came back by a different road than we had taken earlier. But we can be sure that Walston is heading east.Gordon said. Yes, replied Donagan, but he walked along the river bank and we came back through the beech forest.From the map it could be seen that there was a clear bend above Deception Bay, where there was a flat area where people could take refuge without being too far from the ship.Maybe Kate can tell us a little bit about what's going on around Charman Island? Gordon and Bryant had asked Kate, and she couldn't say anything.When the Severn was on fire, Mr. Evans set his course on the American continent, so that Charman Island would not be too far from the mainland.But from the beginning of the storm to the time he was thrown onto the island, Evans never mentioned the name of the island.There are countless archipelagos within a short distance along the coast.It's also possible that Walston will try to go there, or just stay on the East Coast, and there's every reason to do so.As long as he repaired the boat to withstand the wind and waves, he could reach the coast of South America without difficulty.

Unless, Bryant pointed out, after he reaches the mouth of the East River and finds traces of your camping, Donagan, he will decide to search the depths of the island. What trace?Donagan said it was just unburned charcoal.What does that tell them?The island is inhabited!If so, these gangsters will only think about how to hide themselves. That was true, Bryant went on, until he discovered that the island's inhabitants were nothing more than a bunch of kids.We had to do our best not to let him find out who we were, which reminds me, Donagan, did you shoot on the way back to Deception Bay?

No, that's too weird to say, Donagan laughed, I'd rather use dynamite.When we left the coast, we had enough game, and we didn't shoot a single shot, so we didn't give away our whereabouts.Last night, when Wilcox was about to shoot the jaguar, you arrived just in time to save my life at the risk of death. Donagan, you don't have to keep talking about this anymore, Bryant said solemnly, we must not shoot indiscriminately, and stay away from the trap woods.Live on just a few spare supplies. After returning to the Frenchman's cave, Bryant made the necessary treatment for the wound.After a few days, the wound healed, and there was still some discomfort in the arm, but it disappeared quickly.

October was drawing to a close, and Walston had not yet appeared near the Zeeland.Has he repaired the ship and left the island?It's possible.He had a chopping ax, Kate recalled, and was able to make good use of the large knives that sailors carried in their pockets; besides, there was plenty of wood on the island.However, because of the ignorance of Walston's activities, the Frenchman's way of life in the cave has changed drastically.Except for one time when Baxter and Donagan climbed the top of Oakland Hill to bring down the flagpole, they never traveled far. On the top of Oakland Hill, Donagan scanned every verdant grove to the east with binoculars, and though he could only see the sea very quickly, there was not a single wisp of smoke along the way to indicate that Walston and his companions had encamped on the island. .No matter in this direction or the direction of Sailing Bay, he didn't find anything suspicious.

All expeditions are now cancelled.Guns were also left unused.Colonial hunters had to give up hunting they loved.Thankfully, hunting nets and traps provide the Frenchman's Den with abundant prey.There were so many geese and ostriches in the cages that Sauvis and Kanai had to kill many.They picked a lot of tea leaves and collected a lot of maple syrup.This bran pulp is easily made into sugar.Therefore, there is no need to go to Xiaobaxi to replenish the stored grain.Even if winter came before the boys were free, the boys had enough oil to light and food to fill their bellies.The only thing they had to do was to chop more firewood and bring it back from the swamp forest along the river bank.

Just then, another new discovery was made.This discovery made life in the French cave much more comfortable.The discoverer was not Gordon, but Kate.Although Gordon has a profound knowledge of botany.There is a certain number of trees growing on the edge of the swamp forest.The tree is about fifty to sixty feet tall.Such trees cannot be felled with an axe, as they are fibrous and woody, and not ideal fuel for halls and enclosures.The leaves are oblong and change shape with the location of knots on the branches.No more leaves will grow above a point of tough cortex. It was October 25th when Kate saw the trees for the first time.She cried out loudly, oh!Look there, there's a cow tree!Tori and Costa, who were with her, burst out laughing.

What cow tree?one of them asked. Is it for cows?Another asked too. No, baby, no, said Kate, it's called the cow tree because it produces milk, and it's much better than your vicuña's milk. Once back in the French Den, Kate told Gordon of her discovery.Gordon immediately called Sovis and Kate to the swamp forest.After observing the tree carefully, Gordon thought it might be a type of latex tree widely distributed in North America, and he was not mistaken. This is a discovery of extraordinary value.They only need to make a cut in the bark, and the milk will flow out quickly, and this milk is as delicious as the milk produced by cows.If left to flow, the milk curdles to form a very tasty cheese.In addition, it can be used to produce paraffin, which, like beeswax, makes excellent candles.

Hey Sauvis says we can milk cows from cow trees or tree cows. He unconsciously used the same expressions as the Indians.They also say: Milk a cow from a tree. Gordon cut a gash in the trunk, and the sap gushed out, and Kate filled two pints in the mug she always carried. The sap is a white liquid, delicious to look at, as mouth-watering as cow's milk; and it is more nutritious, thicker, and more fragrant.When we got to the Frenchman's cave, the milk in the glass was drained all at once.Costa, like a kitten, still has a few drops in her mouth. Thinking of the use of this new product, Moko showed a satisfied look.He can easily reach the swamp forest to obtain plant milk.

All in all, Isle of Charman could provide the necessities of a large colony.Boys can live here for quite some time.Kate came among them to take care of them like a mother, and her motherly care touched each of them and made their lives more comfortable. Why should their previous sense of security be disturbed?Now how will Bryant and his partners figure out the unknown situation to the east?This is a matter of life and death for them!Can't they go on exploring again?They dreaded no danger save ferocious beasts, which were far tamer and friendlier than the empty-bodied outlaws they guarded against day and night.

November began, and nothing suspicious had yet appeared around the Frenchman's Cave.Bryant even wondered if the survivors from the Severn were still on the island.But hadn't Donagan seen the dilapidated ship with his own eyes?Broken masts, torn sails, and damaged sides.If Charman Island is near a continent or archipelago, the ship can sail to the sea.There is no doubt about this, and Mr. Evans should know it.It is possible that Walston has left the island.Is that so?Things have to be cleared up. Bryant often tried to figure out what was going on east of Family Lake.Donagan, Baxter, and Wilcox would be more than happy to go with him.But doing so would risk falling into Walston's hands, and would only likely show him how easy his opponent was.Such words can lead to the most serious consequences.So Gordon persuaded Bryant not to venture into the beech woods, and his advice was always heeded. So Kate made a suggestion to avoid detection.One night, when all the boys were assembled in the hall, she asked Bryant if she could let her go early in the morning. leave us!Kate!cried Bryant. Yes!You can't go on without sure news whether Walston is still on the island!I would like to go again to the place caught by the storm, and see if the ship is still there.If he is still there, Walston is not gone; if he is not, you need not fear him any more. "That's exactly what Bryant, Baxter, Wilcox and I wanted to do," Donagan said. Yes, Mr. Donagan, said Kate, what is dangerous to you is not dangerous to me. But, Kate, Gordon persuaded, what if you fall into Walston's hands? Come on, Kate interrupts him, and I'll be right back where I was before I ran away, that's all! What if these gangsters kill you?Aren't they likely to do so?Bryant asked. I ran away before, why wouldn't I run away again?Especially since I knew the way to Frenchman's Cave.Besides, if I run away with Mr. Evans, and tell him all about you, think how much he will be of help to you! If Mr. Evans had had the chance to escape, Donagan said, wouldn't he have done so long ago?Did he even want his own life? Donagan was right, and Gordon agreed that Evans knew Walston's secret, and that Walston would kill him without hesitation if he didn't need his help to sail to the mainland.If Evans hadn't escaped Woolston's gang by now, it was because they were too closely watched. Maybe because he risked his life to escape, he was killed by Walston and the others, Donagan pointed out, if so, Kate, unless you want to be caught again. Don't you think I won't do everything I can to avoid getting caught? Of course you would, Bryant said, but we would never let you take that risk, absolutely not!We must find a better way to see if Walster is still on Charman Island. Kate's proposal was rejected.There is no better way than to continue to be careful.It was evident that if Walston could have left the island he would have done so before the wet season, and gone to a country that would welcome him and his mates, as all shipwrecked men do. Receive the same hospitality no matter where they come from. If Walston was still on the island, he seemed to have no intention of exploring the interior.Bryant, Donagan, and Moko often crossed the lake in small boats on dark nights, but they never saw a single fire, either on the other side or under the trees in the lower East River. However, it was too tiresome to live like this, locked in a small circle of the Sealand River, the Family Lake, the forest, and the cliffs.Bryant was always wondering how to find out if Walston had left the island or where he had made campfires. Maybe at night he can see it from some mountain?The thought flooded his mind.It is a pity that there are no other higher mountains on the island except for a cliff whose highest point is only two hundred feet above sea level.Donagan and the others had been to Oakland Hills, but from there they couldn't even see the other side of the lake, let alone fireworks or lights on the ground, and they'd have to go hundreds of feet higher to get to the lake. The view is wider and extends to the rock formations of Deception Bay. At this moment, Bryant had a dangerous idea, an even crazy idea, which had nothing to do with his previous idea, but it kept occupying his mind, and finally he adopted this method. Everyone should remember that the kite flying thing has been put on hold!Since Kate brought news that the survivors of the Severn were probably active on the east coast, the plan to fly the kite to be seen around Angel Island was cancelled. What if kites were not used as signals, but as a means of reconnaissance?This reconnaissance is vital to the security of the colony. yes!The idea fired all of Bryant's imagination.He remembered reading a report in an English newspaper.The report described a woman ascending to the sky in a basket lifted by a special kite.There is no doubt that what a lady can do, a boy can certainly do too!The slightly important thing is that there is a certain danger in this attempt, and compared with the results they can get, this danger is nothing at all.If all precautions were taken, wouldn't the attempt have a slight chance of success?That's how Bryant convinced himself.He figured that if he could just make the kite bigger and stronger, it could lift off, even though he couldn't yet calculate the lift needed to do so.Then he could be sent a few hundred feet up in the middle of the night and maybe spot a fire somewhere between the lake and Deception Bay. On the evening of November 4th he called the older boys together to discuss the matter. He told them he wanted to use the kite. how to use?Send it to heaven, Wilcox asked? Of course, Bryant said, the purpose of making a kite is to send it to the sky. Is it during the day?asked Baxter. No, Bryant replied, then Walston would find out, at night. But you hang lights on it, Donagan pointed out, and that gets their attention, too. I'm not going to hang up the lights. So what are you going to do?asked Gordon. I'm going to take it to the sky to see if the people from the Severn are still on this island. Bryant then took his time explaining his plan to avoid disapproval. His companions did not laugh.Gordon asked if he was serious, and the others seemed to agree with the idea.Such a lift-off is not impossible.They are willing to give it a try if all safety precautions are taken. But, Donagan pointed out, your kites weren't big enough. Yes, Bryant agreed, we're going to make it bigger and stronger. We'll have to see, Wilcox objected, if the kite can take it. That's nothing to doubt.Baxter said. Besides, there have been such precedents before.Bryant said.So he told the story of the lady who tried it for the first time. Everything depends on the size of the kite and the strength of the wind.he concluded. How high are you going to fly?asked Baxter. I reckon if we could get up to seven hundred feet, Bryant replied, we'd be able to see any fire on the island. Oh well!That's what we're going to do, Sauvis said, the sooner the better!Not being able to go where I love, I'm getting bored to death. We all want to get out and about and see our traps.Wilcox added. I'm tired of not being able to hunt.Donagan said. Let's do it tomorrow.Bryant said. A few minutes later he was alone with Gordon. Do you really want to fly high in the sky like this?asked Gordon. I mean serious, Gordon! It's too dangerous. Maybe not as serious as you think. So which of us would risk our lives to try it? Anyone can do it voluntarily. So you've made a choice? I think so. So Bryant held Gordon's hand tightly.