Chapter 62 - 22: Plans (Part 2)
Robinson first observed the natives practicing cannibalism in December of the twenty-third year after he arrived on the island.
At that time, the natives arrived on the island’s northwest beach in canoes, where they held a cannibal feast.
Two years later, in December of the twenty-fifth year, the natives once again landed in the same location,
That time, there were as many as over thirty cannibal tribesmen, and while they were roasting meat, a captive managed to escape, dodged the arrows from behind, swam across a creek, and was rescued by Robinson.
That captive was Friday, who later accompanied Robinson for half of his life.
About a year after Friday was tamed, around the same December, another large group of natives came with captives to hold a cannibal ritual on the island.
From these three observations, it can be seen that:
1. The cannibal tribes have fixed locations for their rituals. They usually land on either side of the island’s mountain, whether it’s the northwest or southeast corner.
2. Unless something unexpected happens, the cannibal tribes don’t venture deep inland; they hold feasts on the coastal beaches and return after enjoying their spoils.
3. The ritual is generally held every other year, most likely in December. This isn’t because the natives are choosing an auspicious day, but because December is during the dry season with calm seas, making long journeys safer.
Additionally, from information provided by Friday, it’s known that the island the cannibal tribes reside on is not far away; it should be an archipelago.
The tribes on the island are still in a very primitive and barbaric stage, with continuous battles between the new and old kings.
Between victory and defeat, women are probably taken as spoils of war, and some loyalists of the defeated parties are taken to the island to be consumed.
Compared to the wars waged by the Hua Xia Tribe with tens of thousands of people, the native conflicts are petty, with the number of combatants rarely exceeding a hundred.
When Robinson rescued Friday, the more than thirty cannibal tribesmen were almost all the new king’s elite.
These natives had not yet developed armor, but were physically strong, skilled in close combat and hunting, and accurate with bows and arrows. However, they were very superstitious, and the sound of gunfire would scare them into fleeing in all directions, with their morale collapsing.
While summarizing, Chen Zhou pulled out a notebook and a feather pen and recorded these patterns.
"If the natives really land on the island once every two years, will they land this December?"
"The twenty-third year is an odd number, and if they land every other year, that means they land on odd-numbered years, albeit in different locations at most.
If they indeed follow this pattern, then ascending the coastal mountaintop this December should allow a sighting, or at least traces of the cannibal ritual."
Flipping further, Chen Zhou recorded on the book the patterns of the rainy and dry seasons.
According to Robinson’s 28 years of experience living here, the island is divided into two rainy seasons and two dry seasons annually.
The first rainy season starts in mid-February and ends in mid-April.
From mid-April to mid-August is the dry season, with little rain, while from mid-August to early October, it’s rainy, and from mid-October to mid-February, it’s less rainy.
But this pattern is not always accurate, as it’s influenced by monsoons, causing the rainy season to sometimes be longer or shorter.
For instance, this year, the rainy season was noticeably a few days longer than usual.
But once the last heavy rain ends, the island will enter the dry season, where continuous sunny days might dry up the river and wither the grass.
However, the dry season here isn’t as extreme as the African savanna.
Being near the coast, moisture never completely vanishes.
Moreover, in the book, Chen Zhou found the most inhabitable place on the island—Fruit Tree Valley.
Robinson once explored the island and discovered a river. Following it upstream, the river became narrower and shallower.
Going further in by more than three kilometers leads to another riverbank.
This riverbank is wider with clearer water, making it a better freshwater source than the river Chen Zhou was near at that time.
The banks of the small river deep within the island are grassy, good for grazing, with a richness of plants like tobacco, aloe, wild sugarcane, wild melons, and wild grapes.
Starting from the wild grapes, heading more than six kilometers north, through the mountain ridges on the north and south sides, leads to "Fruit Tree Valley."
The northern and southern mountains form two natural barriers, blocking the monsoon winds from the sea.
At the mountain’s foot lies a wild plain.
The plain is densely wooded, with sturdy Brazilian Ironwood, as well as cocoa trees, wild citrus trees, wild lemon, and wild orange trees yielding fruits.
There are also massive cedar trees—in the Bible, used for building Noah’s Ark.
Apart from the pleasant climate and the secluded location with abundant resources, Fruit Tree Valley offers springs, allowing freshwater drinking without needing to dig a well.
Compared to the island’s edges, this place is practically paradise.
Looking at the book, Chen Zhou had already planned the basic infrastructure for the valley area.
Plant grains on both sides of the riverbank, raising or grazing goats along the road to the valley.
The fruit trees in the valley should be selected for excellent taste and large fruits for transplantation, while the valley serves for building houses...
The settlements, farms, and pastures are not far apart for convenient access. To diversify the diet, a section of the river could be modified for a fishpond, breeding some delicious, non-toxic fish and crabs.
Such a life, can only be described with one word—beautiful!
As the pastoral idyll and fields full of fruits appeared in his mind, Chen Zhou suddenly patted his head and sighed.