From Robinson Crusoe

Chapter 18 A Night on the Island

The return journey was more difficult than Chen Zhou had imagined.

The tide was like a naughty child, constantly fiddling with the raft, pushing it sometimes to the south and sometimes to the north.

Chen Zhou's efforts were often in vain due to the influence of the tide, but he had no choice but to paddle hard and get closer to the sailboat little by little.

The speed of the raft was sometimes fast and sometimes slow. Although it was unstable, the distance between it and the boat was always shortening.

Before the tide went out, Chen Zhou finally returned to the gap.

After tying a long rope to the raft, he dropped his oars, climbed into the gap, and collapsed in the cabin from exhaustion.

After resting motionlessly for a while, Chen Zhou stood up again, ate two pieces of white bread with some cold water, and without stopping for too long, he immediately began to organize the next batch of supplies.

In his spare time in the mornings and evenings during the days of raft-building, he toured the entire boat.

There are several rooms in the cargo hold, which contain several boxes of axes, several barrels of grease and salted meat in the kitchen, several compasses in the captain's room, and several paintings hanging in the first mate's room...

He recorded all the resources, important or unimportant, in his notebook, and waited for the maiden voyage to be successful before transporting them to the gap and shipping them ashore in different categories.

The seemingly tedious work in the early days paid off. When sorting supplies, his mind was particularly clear, which greatly improved his efficiency.

Soon, about 200 kilograms of supplies were prepared, and Chen Zhou began to make new oars.

Before participating in the challenge, he knew nothing about carpentry. Not only could he carve mortise and tenon joints, but even hammering nails would make them crooked.

But there is an irrefutable truth in the world: practice makes perfect.

I work with various carpentry tools for more than ten hours every day, chiseling and carving wood blocks until I feel dizzy and my whole body aches.

By continuing this work and accumulating experience, Chen Zhou gradually mastered the use of tools such as chisels, hammers, and saws, and became more and more skilled in the process of making rafts.

Even today, although we cannot make furniture with complex structures, we can easily make a straight oar.

Chen Zhou had already prepared a plan in mind, and he was confident that he would just pick up the wooden board and start chopping it violently with the axe.

In no time, wood chips flew everywhere and the board gradually took on the shape of a paddle.

On this basis, use a chisel to trim the edges and corners, use a flat shovel to remove the uneven surface, remove the wood splinters, and perfect the details, and the long-handled paddle is completed.

Practice makes perfect, and soon, both long-handled oars were installed on the raft.

I loosened the long rope and tried rowing a few times. It really saved a lot of effort and it was extremely easy both forward and backward.

If you increase the paddling frequency, the raft will be so fast that it will seem like it is flying, and it will be completely different from before.

At this time, the tide has turned from high to low, slowly retreating to the depths of the sea, but the wind direction is still southwest.

Chen Zhou paddled the raft against the tide a few times and felt that if the sails were hoisted, the speed of landing on the island would not be slow even at low tide, and it would be enough to transport another batch of supplies to the island.

As for whether the raft would be out of control and rush into the sea when returning to the ship, he thought that could be solved by raising the sail.

At sea, the effect of wind on ships is usually greater than that of water power. As long as a ship does not accidentally enter an undercurrent, the wind is enough to escape.

“But sea breezes are changeable and don’t always blow southwest.”

Chen Zhou frowned, weighing the pros and cons.

Finally, he made up his mind to transport the goods. If the wind turned east after landing on the island, he would not risk returning, but stay on the island for one night and return to the ship when the tide rose tomorrow morning. This way he could ensure both efficiency and safety.

The afterglow of the sun shines across the sky, and the dusk deepens.

The sun was setting quickly, and a sunset glow rose on the top of the distant mountain.

The dense dark forest was shrouded in red mist, and its outline was blurred.

"Morning glow doesn't let you go out, but evening glow can travel a thousand miles. It looks like tomorrow will be a good day as well."

Chen Zhou quickly loaded the prepared supplies and the axe and machete onto the raft, put on his coat, put on the tool belt for the musket, slung the musket over his shoulder, raised the sail, and sailed towards the island.

The long-handled raft sank into the sea water, and with just one stroke, the raft rushed out several meters. Combined with the sea breeze, the entire raft was like a sharp arrow that split the waves and flew away.

This speed was really beyond Chen Zhou's expectations. It seemed like the island was right in front of him in just a breath.

As he was about to reach the rocky beach, he lowered the sail, used a single long-handled oar as a pole, and paddled into the river.

Although the tide had just receded, the water in the rocky beach had become much shallower, and the tops of many towering rocks were exposed. Chen Zhou had to adjust his direction frequently and avoid obstacles before he arrived at his destination safely.

From a distance, Chen Zhou saw the supplies at the edge of the woods at the bottom of the slope, and a golden block next to the supplies bathed in the light of the setting sun.

Lai Fu was huddled beside a canvas-covered shack. When he heard the sound of oars paddling in the water, he suddenly stood up and tilted his head to look at the raft.

Soon, it recognized Chen Zhou and rushed over barking happily, splashing up mud as it approached the river.

"Good dog, good dog~"

Chen Zhou put down the long wooden board, pressed Lai Fu's head, and pushed it away from him calmly - he was wearing a new coat.

Ha~ha~
Lai Fu was very proud of the praise. He raised his tail, tilted his head back, and proudly led the way for Chen Zhou, as if he was the owner of the island.

The mountains blocked the little remaining sunlight, and before we knew it, dusk had slowly covered the earth.

Chen Zhou swung his axe and chopped off the river willows, startling a flock of flying birds.

Lai Fu clumsily followed the flock of birds, leaping and biting the air, and occasionally falling on the grass, groaning, rolling over, getting up and continuing to run.

The thicker trunk had been cut off. Chen Zhou pulled out a long knife and began to clear the thin branches.

A bunch of messy branches and leaves were thrown aside, and the fresh fragrance of green sap diffused, attracting a group of flies and insects, which greedily squatted on the wounds of the trees to suck the juice.

The riverside hunter - the dragonfly, also joined the feast, spreading its transparent wings and flying among the insects like a fighter jet, hunting fiercely.

The space was quickly cleared.

It was already very dark. Lai Fu was tired from playing, so he lay down on the river and drank a few sips of water. He then lay on the grass to rest, shaking his tail from time to time to drive away the numerous small flying insects on the river bank.

Wiping the sweat off his forehead, Chen Zhou looked at the leaves that were blown to the east by the wind. Knowing that he would not be able to return to the boat tonight, he used a long knife to dig a shallow hole in the grass, preparing to build a fire and boil some hot water to drink.

He then reorganized the first batch of supplies, took out the planks and nails, nailed a simple triangular frame, and covered it with canvas.

During this time, he looked back at the raft parked by the river bank from time to time, worried that the unanchored raft would be washed away by the river.

The river water was not as strong as the sea tide, and the ditch here was quite wide, with a relatively gentle flow. The raft did not move at all, which made Chen Zhou feel relieved.

After the shack was built, Chen Zhou loaded in the supplies that were afraid of rain and began to unload the raft.

The distance of one hundred meters back and forth is not far, but the supply box is very heavy.

As he moved things so many times, Chen Zhou couldn't help but want to make a cart. That would not only save energy, but also allow him to move two or three boxes at a time, thus improving efficiency.

He initially wanted to use the lid of a wooden barrel as a wheel, drill a hole in the center of the lid, insert the axle, and install the body of the cart on the axle, thus making a simple flatbed cart.

But after observing the lid of the wooden barrel, Chen Zhou gave up the idea.

The wooden barrel cover on the ship was not very thick, and because it had been placed on a humid sea ship for many years, its structure had been corroded by water vapor and was not strong enough.

If we use barrel lids as wheels, they are not durable at all, and we need to replace the wheels frequently, which wastes a lot of time. After careful consideration, the most convenient way is to find a sturdy large wooden board, punch two holes in the front end, and then tie a rope to it and drag it.

There is a lot of mud on the river bank and a lot of grass on the hillside, so the friction is not that great. Although dragging like this is not as labor-saving as using a cart with wheels, it can still pull several wooden boxes at a time, and the results are almost the same.

As for where the sturdy wooden board was, Chen Zhou already had a suitable candidate.

The Robinson door that was removed when the corridor wall was demolished was sturdy and heavy. It had been idle for several days and now it was finally put to use.

He will use this simple flatbed cart for a few days. After all the important materials are moved to the island, he will look for a sturdy tree, cut the trunk and make a few wheels for future use.

Digging foundations, digging holes, cultivating land, making pottery...

There are many areas where carts can be used. If Chen Zhou has enough time, he would like to dismantle a few muskets and use the gun barrels to make some wear-resistant axles to extend the service life of the cart.

Chen Zhou works harder when he thinks of a bright future.

However, the light in the forest was getting dimmer and dimmer, and the wooden boxes blocked his vision while he was moving. In order to avoid injury, he could only slow down his pace and move forward tentatively.

The evening breeze cooled his sweat. Controlling the strength in his hands, Chen Zhou stuffed the last box of goods into the shack and sat on the grass.

At this moment, the sun has lost all its light, and the stars and the bright moon have joined it, hanging high in the sky and shining on the riverside.

The croaking of frogs and the calls of some insects echoed among the weeds.

Chen Zhou inserted two long oars into the riverbed in front and behind the raft to prevent the river water from carrying the raft away at night, and walked towards the shack under the moonlight.

"We can only sleep outdoors tonight."

Chen Zhou took out a flint from his arms and collected the drier dead branches and leaves in the forest while talking to himself.

He is a thoughtful person and always thinks more than others.

When he was working in the cement factory, the only people around him were his leaders and his fellow workers. He was not familiar with them and did not understand their personalities. He usually seldom took the initiative to speak, for fear of inadvertently offending others.

Because of his taciturn appearance, even the workers in the neighboring dormitory were not very close to him, and he was always missing when they gathered their friends to eat in the cafeteria.

The factory was filled with smoke and dust. Old workers often quarreled with their superiors over their salaries, while young people could not stand the seniority bossing them around.

The blue-gray work clothes that people hurriedly passed by and the tiny floating objects that never landed made the factory look like a dying machine, exuding a sense of death.

Chen Zhou only talks more when he returns home and is with his parents.

Coming to the isolated island, he no longer had to worry about what others thought, he could shout when he wanted, yell when he wanted, and say whatever he wanted, but he had nothing to say.

I heard that if a person does not speak for many years, his tongue will become rusty and he will forget how to make sounds.

Thinking about the next 28 years, Chen Zhou often told himself -

Even if no one pays attention to you, you should still try to communicate.

These mountains, these seas, the morning and evening, the wind and rain, the sun, the moon, and the stars, are all willing to listen to your voice.

Hey, hey...

The edge of the flint flickered red, and bright sparks dropped from time to time.

The moist earth pit was covered with twigs and fallen leaves, and dry sawdust tinder was kneaded into a ball and placed in the middle of the fuel.

Sparks fell, sawdust flickered, and a thin, almost invisible smoke rose.

Chen Zhou was squatting on the ground. When he saw the thin smoke, he quickly lay down, like a greedy toad, put his head close to the sawdust, and carefully blew air with his mouth.

The riverside woods were extremely humid, and with the wind blowing through the forest, the difficulty of making a fire increased sharply. Even with the most advanced fire-making tools of the era, Chen Zhou still tasted the bitterness of failure.

I can’t remember how many times the flame went out, but with air flowing out of my mouth, the faint flame finally did not die in its cradle and grew up tenaciously.

The dead branches soaked by rain were burned by the flames, emitting thick gray-black smoke and spreading warmth.

Seeing that the fire was stable, Chen Zhou walked towards the shack while adding thick branches he picked up in the forest to the fire.

The firelight illuminated the supply boxes in the shack. He squinted his eyes to identify the marks on the boxes, moved out a wooden box engraved with the word G5, and took out a large iron kettle from it.

After preparing himself mentally to spend the night on the island, Chen Zhou specially brought two loaves of bread and this iron kettle.

After building a fire and filling a large pot with river water, Chen Zhou made a simple wooden frame, hung the iron kettle on it, and began to boil water.

The firelight was so bright and dazzling compared to the surrounding darkness that I couldn't see anything far away. I could only smell the smoke from the burning wet wood and hear the noises coming from deep in the forest.

Lai Fu was lying on the river bank the whole time. He was annoyed by the frogs' croaking and roared angrily twice.

At first, the loud barking of the dog could scare away the ignorant frogs, but after doing it many times, these noisy creatures no longer took it seriously. Even if Lai Fu stood up and barked with all his might, they pretended not to hear him.

The chirping sounds that came one after another not only did not weaken, but became louder, as if mocking Lai Fu for being unable to do anything to them.

Wang!
Lai Fu became furious and jumped into the water with a splash, showing his canine teeth to look for frogs.

However, these clever little creatures were well prepared and they dived into the water plants and the riverbed, disappearing without a trace.

This happened several times, and Lai Fu was almost on the verge of collapse. He squatted on the river bank and howled like a wolf.

But the tone did not have the heroic spirit of a wolf, instead it sounded like the howling of a wronged child.

Chen Zhou watched from afar as Lai Fu battled wits and courage with the frog. In the blink of an eye, the water had boiled.

Taking out a piece of white bread from his arms, he called out to Lai Fu: "Come back soon, it's time to eat."

Woo~
Lai Fu reluctantly moved slowly to the fire, put his big head next to Chen Zhou and licked his face.

Maybe he drank a lot of water while biting the non-existent frog in the river just now. Lai Fu's tongue was cold and fishy, and he licked Chen Zhou with disgust.

"Fool!
Look at all the mud you're covered in. You don't look like a puppy at all!"

Chen Zhou pretended to scold Lai Fu, but when he saw it put away its playful expression and looked around guiltily, as if appreciating the scenery, he couldn't help but feel a little soft-hearted.

"Okay, I'll make time to teach them a lesson for you some other day. I'll catch dozens of them and roast them for you to vent your anger."

As he spoke, Chen Zhou rubbed Lai Fu's head, broke off half a piece of white bread and handed it to him.

Wagging his tail, Lai Fu shook his head and leaned towards his owner's shoulder. He gently bit the bread in his mouth, and regardless of Chen Zhou pushing him away, he moved closer, as if apologizing for making his owner angry.

The night was quiet and the flames gradually died down. After dinner, Chen Zhou curled up beside the fire pit and fell asleep.

Lai Fu lay on the side, squinting his eyes and pretending to sleep, listening to the strange sounds in the forest. Sometimes he would look fierce, stand up and patrol the area, warning any wild animals that dared to approach.

The rustling chirping of insects gradually drowned out the croaking of frogs.

The mountains lie in the moonlight and the sea is sparkling.

There are only a few wisps of clouds in the empty sky, like lone geese that have left the flock, floating there like smoke and dreams.

　Thanks to crtcy, Xingkong Xuanqi, Too Silence, Muyi 306, This Book is So Difficult to Understand, Jiang Ji Buzhiwei Bu Sui and others for their monthly tickets. Thank you!

　　Especially to the old readers who read the previous book, I am very touched. You are the best readers!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)