Logically, the humid climate here should be very suitable for the growth of ruby trees, so they shouldn't be hard to find.
Just as I was wondering about this, Dante, who had gone to find firewood to cook, exclaimed in surprise.
We were a little worried, so we rushed over to where Dante was. At that moment, Dante was stunned by a tree in front of him.
This tree is so old that it would probably take three people to hug it.
At first, I didn't react. It wasn't until I got closer to the tree and saw that there were many artificial cuts on it that I couldn't hide my joy.
This tree is the styrax tree I've been searching for. What delighted me even more was that Su Su also discovered a bamboo grove not far from here, which also showed signs of being cut down by humans.
The mature guar gum tree is already quite large, and this particular tree has probably been growing for even longer. The accelerants used in Haru's flammability testing were likely obtained from this tree.
Now that we have containers for fuel, even if we face those vampires again, we will no longer be afraid and can completely follow Haru's example and burn them all to ashes.
This tree is so big that with a little trimming of its canopy, we could easily use it as a nice shelter.
Perhaps because of the presence of giant dragonflies and those giant blood-sucking mosquitoes, we haven't found any warm-blooded animals larger than pheasants here, except for Haru.
It's likely that those wild animals were also afraid of the giant mosquitoes here. They would rather starve than risk their lives to come to this place where death could visit them at any moment.
However, I still dare not be careless; better safe than sorry. Subjective judgment is not necessarily correct; it's better to be safe than sorry.
I had Dante and Susu cut down some bamboo to collect some of the tree sap, while I went to the base of the tree to work on a plan to climb it.
The diameter of this tree is definitely beyond our climbing range; we'll have to use other methods to get up there.
Then I remembered the way the Congolese indigenous people climb baobab trees. The baobab tree is the largest tree species in the world, and its pods are rich in starch and various vitamins, making it a major food source for the locals.
However, climbing such trees is a major undertaking. The local indigenous people will find some sturdy hard shrubs, cut them into wooden nails of suitable length, and drive them into the tree two-thirds of the way in.
Then people climb up the tree by stepping on wooden nails and continue driving nails, and so on, until they reach the top of the tree canopy to pick the huge pods.
Hardwood shrubs shouldn't be hard to find here, and since this guarana tree isn't very dense, the same method should apply to it as well.
I don't recognize most of the shrubs here, but there's a quick way to identify hardwoods, which I learned from an outdoor blogger before I was born.
To determine whether a plant is hardwood, simply cut a section of its trunk and then pinch the woody part of the tree with your fingernail.
If you can easily poke into it, it's softwood; otherwise, if you can only leave a shallow mark, it means you've found hardwood.
Soon, I spotted some reddish hardwood among a clump of bushes.
This wood has some weight to it. I also tested the strength of these shrubs, and they can easily support the weight of a person.
Next, I started using a knife to cut these shrubs into wooden pegs about 30 centimeters long. I estimated the height and cut more than 40 such pegs in total.
After making the nails, I began to use the heavy back of a knife to hammer the wooden nails into the tree. More than 40 nails are not a lot, but they are not few either, and finishing them all is not an easy task.
Working at heights requires constant vigilance, as a single misstep could send you straight to your grave. The profession of harvesting baobab fruit in the Congo is one of the most dangerous, with countless people losing their lives in accidents there each year.
Because the tree was so big, the forked part of the trunk was estimated to be over twenty meters high. I collected all the ropes from everyone and hung them on my shoulders, then continued driving the wooden pegs upwards.
When I reached a distance of five meters, I first tied the rope around my body once, then wrapped it around the tree several times before tying a downward-locking icicle knot to prevent slipping.
The advantage of this knot is that it allows for free movement while climbing upwards, but in the event of a sudden fall, the knot will lock the tree firmly in place, protecting the person on the tree from falling.
This is like my seatbelt. Although I have to untie it and re-tie the icicle knot after hammering in the nails, it's essential for my life, so it's necessary to go through the trouble.
We are now fleeing for our lives on someone else's territory. We cannot afford any physical injury. If anyone gets hurt in this jungle, it will inevitably make our escape more difficult.
After doing all that, I drove all the wooden nails into the tree one by one. When I got to the fork in the trunk, I found a suitable branch, tied the rope together, and lowered it to the base of the tree.
I didn't stop until the rope at both ends of the branch was the same length and touched the ground.
Next, a retrieval knot was made on a tree branch using two ropes. This knot consists of a main rope and a secondary rope. When descending, the main rope is held, and after landing, the secondary rope is pulled to easily untie the knot and retrieve the rope.
However, there is a fatal flaw in this knot that must be mentioned: the main rope and the secondary rope must never be pulled in the wrong direction, otherwise you might end up flying to see your great-grandmother.
To avoid this problem, I first gathered up all the auxiliary ropes and hung them neatly in circles on the tree branch. This way, only the main rope remained on the branch for the time being, ensuring maximum safety.
Meanwhile, Susu and Dante below had already mixed the starch in their backpacks with water to make round cakes resembling glutinous rice cakes. These cakes, cooked thoroughly by the flames, emitted an enticing aroma.
Su Su called me down to eat something first, and then we could go back up to work together. I figured it wouldn't take the three of us long to build the shelter, so I used a stick to tie a knot around the main rope that could slide in stages.
During the descent, you can hold onto the wooden stick, which will prevent the rope from cutting you painfully and allow you to rest and recover your strength in mid-air.
Because I'm going to cut off all the wooden nails next. The reason is simple: I'm a person who doesn't feel safe.
We can climb up using the wooden pegs, and those Haru can also climb up using the wooden pegs.
Although no signs of Haru have been found yet, my good habit of taking drastic measures has saved me from the brink of death multiple times.
There will be no surprises this time either. I will try my best to eliminate anything that I feel may pose a safety hazard to everyone as soon as possible, so as not to leave myself any chance to regret it.
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