Chapter 74 Shelter
There is a greater possibility of finding water source under the cliff.
Generally speaking, water sources are likely to emerge in mountain streams, depressions and under cliffs, but the two have not discovered any yet as they walked along.
In addition to the terrain, there is also the direction in which vegetation grows.
The two walked forward in the direction with the most lush vegetation, keeping their ears alert for the croaking of frogs and their noses busy either. If they could smell the fishy smell of earth, it meant they were not far from a water source.
Mu Xi walked in front and discovered a few traces first.
The further we walked, the more we noticed moss growing under many large rocks.
At first glance, Zhao Yeqing thought it was a lichen, but after a closer look he found that it was indeed a moss.
Both lichens and mosses grow closely attached to the stone surface and tree trunks. From a distance, they do look very similar, both are green. The difference is that lichens are cold-resistant and drought-resistant, while mosses prefer humid and hot environments.
Just like plants are attracted to light, the moss on the ground grew like arrows, pointing in the direction of the water source. The two walked less than two hundred meters forward and heard the sound of water hitting rocks.
The plants near the water source were dense, and the two men cleared weeds taller than people along the way, and finally saw the water source after pushing aside a patch of reeds.
The water source gushes out from the cliff, and falls vertically to the ground like a faucet. There is a round pit at the point where it falls, about one meter deep and two or three meters wide. It is thought that it was formed by water dripping through the stone over the years.
The water flow is not strong. The stream formed by the overflow of the puddle is flowing slowly forward. The width of the water flow is less than a palm. It may be because it has been too hot recently. Judging from the depression of the stream, the normal water volume should be more than ten times what it is now.
This place is upstream of the water source and the water quality is the cleanest, so you don’t have to worry about drinking the animals’ bath water.
Zhao Yeqing held up the kettle to catch the water falling from the cliff, and refilled the half-empty kettle.
Mu Xi looked around the area and found no traces of animals. "Let's stay here tonight."
He marked the entire route so that he could find the way when he returned.
If two people want to spend the night, it is best to build a simple shelter. Otherwise, no one can guarantee that there will not be caterpillars, spiders or bird droppings on their faces and bodies while they are sleeping.
The shelter only needs to be large enough for one person, and one of the two people must sit outside to keep watch, because there are blind spots when sitting in the shelter.
Mu Xi's tools included a portable knife and a small axe, and he chopped down two trees in just a few strokes. Zhao Yeqing recognized that they were the same ones used to make bows last night, but they were only as thick as his arms. He chopped two trees on each side with the axe and broke them off with his hands.
It is not difficult to make a temporary shelter. My grandfather used to make one with fallen branches when he spent the night in the mountains.
The ground in this area needs to be cleared of weeds to prevent snakes from crawling over and to avoid forest fires when the fire is started later.
Mu Xi was responsible for mowing the grass, while Zhao Yeqing collected the dead branches and leaves on the ground to use as fuel later.
When everything was almost done, Mu Xi started to build a shelter, while Zhao Yeqing looked around to see if there was any food.
Split the trunks of the two trees into four sections, and stick them diagonally into the ground to form two triangles. Secure the tops with ropes, which were leftover from rubbing the bark to make bowstrings yesterday.
There is a two-meter gap between the triangles, with a beam across the top.
Some wood will be needed on the edges of the beams to support the leaves before the wall can be built.
Mu Xi cut down another tree, split it vertically in the middle, then split it into four long strips, and then cut it into eight sections. He placed them on both sides and inserted them into the soil to fix them. It was just to make a leaf wall so it didn't need to bear too much weight, so it could be thinner.
After the frame is set up, you need to build the walls.
Use local materials. There is water in this area, the climate is warm and humid, and there are many palm plants growing nearby. The palm leaves are very broad and are one of the most suitable materials for building shelters.
The leaves of palm plants are like feathers, with a thick stem in the middle and many slender leaves growing on both sides.
Split two or three large leaves in the middle and overlap them. After several layers are stacked, the gap in the middle will be filled. This is considered a tile. Then cover the frame of the shelter with the leaf tiles.
Using this method, most of the leaves of each palm tree were plucked off, and the shelter was finally built.
Zhao Yeqing took out his bow and arrow and went out to look for food. He did not dare to go far and just followed the path where Mu Xi had just checked for animal footprints.
When the two leopard cubs saw Mu Xi start working, they stopped sticking to him and immediately followed behind Zhao Yeqing.
There will always be animals coming to drink water near a water source, especially when the weather is abnormally hot.
There were no footprints, probably because there was grass on the ground and the animals that drank water nearby were small creatures, such as snakes, pheasants and rabbits, which would not leave many traces.
After walking more than ten meters away, Zhao Yeqing stopped moving forward. She searched around ten meters around Mu Xi to ensure that they could support each other, but the two little guys had already jumped onto some tree.
She is afraid of snakes and always keeps her eyes on the ground under her feet. Some small green snakes will not be scared away even if the grass is hit with a stick. They will swim slowly and will not bite people unless they are stepped on. Their color blends into the grass, so special attention needs to be paid.
She kept staring at the ground and didn't see any animals, but she did find other food.
Zhao Yeqing caught a glimpse of a vine winding along the ground near the cliff. The leaves were heart-shaped and had withered a little. There were also a bunch of green seeds growing on the vine.
Her eyes lit up. It was a wild yam.
The leaves of wild yam will begin to wither in September and October, which is the best time to harvest.
Zhao Yeqing grabbed the vine and followed it to the root. He found a thin stone the size of his palm from the ground and used it as a shovel. He then started digging at the root.
The roots of yam are not particularly deep. If you dig up the soil only ten centimeters, you can see the head of the yam.
Zhao Yeqing did not rush to pull it out, but instead moved away the surrounding soil, trying not to break it and getting the whole thing out intact.
But this took longer than she had imagined. After digging for a while, she would turn back to be alert to whether there was any danger around her, and then dig for a while longer after confirming that it was safe.
She called out the names of Huhu and Xuebing a few times. She felt more at ease knowing they were by her side.
This yam is quite old. She conservatively estimated that it is more than four years old, otherwise it would not have grown so big.
Only when she heard Huhu and Xuebing returning behind her did she feel relieved and no longer had to be alert about her surroundings and could concentrate on digging it out.
The entire tree has not been peeled off yet, and the exposed part is already thicker than her arm.
Even if she dug more, they wouldn't be able to finish eating them. Zhao Yeqing reached out and pulled the yam, which was thicker than her arm, out of the mud.
The yam that was pulled out was not complete, and a piece of it was broken off and stuck in the soil.
But even if only a part of it was pulled out, it was still very large. This section was as long as her forearm and thicker than her upper arm. It weighed about six or seven kilograms.
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