As for the taste of this bear paw, I can only say it's similar to meat, and it doesn't feel much different from eating stewed pig's trotters.
Adding a little wine masked the gamey smell considerably, leaving a subtle fruity aroma. However, the experience I had with this stuff exceeded my expectations.
If I had to choose between grouse and bear's paw, I'd most likely choose the grouse. Maybe that's just the world of the wealthy; we country bumpkins will never understand.
After eating the two bear paws that looked like pig's trotters, I felt that my previous decision was a bit hasty. I should have brought back more pure bear meat.
There's nothing we can do now, it's too late to sigh. A whole day has passed, and that short-faced bear has probably been eaten to pieces long ago, leaving not even a bone fragment.
That's how people are; sometimes they think they've found a big watermelon, only to discover when they get home that the inside is white.
I felt a little annoyed, but Top didn't seem to care. After finishing the big meal, I simply lay down on the bed, closed my eyes, and went to sleep.
The next day, I vitrified and fired a large crucible and the T-joint component in a high-temperature kiln. After checking the dimensional accuracy, I found it to be quite good, with virtually no error.
Next, I need to smelt some iron. When I met Pat earlier, I noticed some crimson water flowing out of a rock crevice.
I suspect there is hematite nearby, because the high humidity and severe oxidation in the jungle are what cause the reddish water to flow out through the cracks.
When I left my hometown, I brought several pieces of magnetite with good magnetic properties. Using this method to collect iron powder with a high iron content is much more efficient than directly refining iron ore.
I brought my equipment to the area where I had previously discovered what might be hematite, and used the magnet in my hand to attract it. I found that the red water contained a good amount of iron.
With just a slight pull, the magnet was covered with a thick layer of red and black powder particles, which were high-purity iron oxide powder.
These high-purity iron oxide powders only need to be dried and then mixed with charcoal in a crucible for refining. The charcoal will reduce the iron oxide to carbon dioxide and iron.
I lined up several magnets and, like a minesweeper, searched back and forth in this rusty, wet area.
An hour later, I had almost completely scavenged the land near the rusty water, and I obtained about five or six kilograms of wet iron powder.
After wrapping the iron powder in banana leaves, I went back to the peatland area where I had previously discovered the taro field.
I found that the taro I transplanted were growing very well because they received plenty of sunlight.
I remember when they were transplanted, their stems were only the size of my little finger, but now they are as big as corn cobs, with lush and verdant leaves.
I dug up quite a few taro roots, or rather, I pulled them out by hand. This peat soil is very soft; you can easily pull the taro out by simply grabbing its stem and pulling upwards.
After pulling up the large clumps of taro, the low-lying taro seedlings next to them finally saw the light of day. I transplanted them evenly, separating them from their original locations as before.
Actually, the taro I transplanted earlier was ready to harvest, but I wanted to wait a little longer.
When small seedlings sprout around them, the taro will be ready for harvest. At that time, the smallest taro is estimated to weigh about one ounce, and a large clump of taro can yield at least eight or nine pounds, or even more than ten pounds.
By the way, I can also separate the taro seedlings nearby and transplant them back to their original locations.
In this way, this taro field can provide Top and me with a continuous supply of taro, a high-carbohydrate food.
I only pulled up a dozen or so taro plants of varying sizes, and the basket on my back was already full.
Top, who is recovering from his injury at home, would be very happy to see that I brought him so many taro.
Seeing that it was almost done, I decided to go back to my place to continue making my self-defense tool.
Just as I was about to leave, I was unintentionally drawn to a plant about twenty meters away from me. It was a panicle composed of multiple cymose inflorescences, up to 16 cm long, covered with grayish-white soft hairs, and had small green flowers.
These trees are taller than the eucalyptus trees I've seen; the tallest one I estimate is over 30 meters.
The tree in front of me, which is only about the thickness of an arm, is over fifteen meters tall.
Its leaves are palmately compound with three leaflets, and the petioles are up to 15cm long.
The leaflets have a short-pointed to acuminate apex and a wedge-shaped base. They are leathery in texture, glabrous, and have clear reticulate veins.
I've seen this tree before; it's an economic tree species mainly used for industrial purposes: the rubber tree, commonly known as the rubber tree.
The rubber tree is a species of the Euphorbiaceae family, known as the "weeping tree" because it is valuable in every part and is an economically important tree species with a wide range of uses.
Natural rubber can be obtained from the natural latex produced by the latex ducts of its bark after coagulation and drying.
Natural rubber possesses elasticity, insulation, plasticity, water resistance, gas resistance, tensile strength, and abrasion resistance, making it widely applicable in various fields.
The rubber tree's ellipsoidal capsules are relatively large and have a high oil content, which can be processed into a high-grade woody plant oil rich in nutrients.
Rubber tree wood is relatively easy to process and can often be made into high-end furniture, pulp, plywood, etc.
This is a peatland area, conveniently located in a sheltered spot. It's the perfect environment for rubber trees – hot, humid, and fertile soil.
Encountering this tropical industrial tree species here fills me with more than just excitement. Before, I was worried about what to use as a substitute for the sealing material inside the pneumatic gun.
My final idea was to use wild boar leather to make the sealing material. This method would work, but it would be completely different from seals made of natural rubber.
In short, with the natural rubber available, the power of my pneumatic weapon can be increased by at least three times.
Furthermore, natural rubber is thermoplastic, and it can be used to process some precision gas seal components by molding, which is a capability that is difficult to achieve with other natural materials such as leather.
I didn't bring the right tools with me today, so I'll have to bring them tomorrow and make another trip.
It was already noon when I got back to my place, but the weather was gloomy and the air was so stuffy that it was hard to breathe.
It looks like it's going to rain again, and the rainy season in this rainforest is just around the corner.
I need to speed things up, make some equipment, and then explore the unknown area in the eastern hills once Top has recovered.
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