burning well. They'll make plenty of pale smoke which will stand out against the forest. At night, when we want good, bright flames, we only use the dry wood.'
'OK,' said Paulo. 'Let's get going.'
They worked quickly, gathering green wood from the fringes of the forest and piling it next to the wood from the boat wreckage. Alex made a nest of kindling in the base of the dry woodpile and, finally, covered the whole thing with the plastic sack which had held the boots. Although it was officially the drier season in the archipelago, there were still evenings when hours of monsoon-heavy rain fell after the humid heat of the day. If the dry wood and kindling became soaked, they would not be able to light the fire quickly when they needed to signal, and that could prove to be disastrous.
'Good,' said Alex, stepping back and mentally ticking one task off his list.
'What now?' asked Li.
'Shelter, water, food,' said Paulo, simply. He pointed to the rainforest. 'We should find everything we need in there.'
After a short discussion about who was to do what, Alex showed Hex how to use the flint from his survival tin and they left him on Watch Duty on the beach, ready to light the signal fire if necessary. The other four changed into their walking boots and arranged to meet back at the signal fire in three hours' time.
Li and Amber struck out along the beach to climb the headland that lay beyond the eastern end of the lagoon. They had Alex's compass and were planning to map out as much of the island as they could from a higher vantage point. They also carried a can of lemonade, a rucksack for storing any food they managed to find, the coil of nylon rope and the empty plastic water bottle in case they came across a fresh water stream.
'Remember,' called Alex. 'If you find water, bring it back to camp! No matter how fresh and clear it looks, we need to boil it first!'
Li lifted her hand, acknowledging that she had heard him, but neither of them looked back.
'Perhaps I should go with them, for protection?' said Paulo, gazing after Li.
Alex watched the two girls striding away from them along the beach, each carrying a stout stick. They looked much fitter than he felt and very capable of looking after themselves.
'Listen to me, Paulo,' he sighed. 'Li is trained in martial arts, she could climb a greasy pole if she needed to and she can probably put a name to every plant and animal on this island. And Amber – she can navigate and read maps better than any of us. What could you add to that?'
'My strength,' said Paulo, sticking out his chest and flexing his muscles.
Alex laughed. 'Yeah, well I need your strength more than they do. We'll be doing the heavy work. Come on, let's go.'
N INE
Paulo and Alex walked to the other end of the lagoon and started a systematic search of the fringe of rainforest which edged the beach. For nearly two hours, they worked their way along the forest fringe, moving in a series of small squares which always started and ended on the beach.
The trees were smaller and more widely spaced at the edge of the forest and sunlight penetrated through their branches to the forest floor, where dense undergrowth grew in the rich covering of leaf mulch. Alex and Paulo had to fight a way through and progress was frustratingly slow. The undergrowth was full of thorns and they kept a constant look-out for snakes. It was hard going, but it was also very successful. Because the trees were smaller and draped with vines, it was easy to climb up to the level where fruit or leaves grew and, every time they emerged from the forest, they brought something out with them.
When they took a rest after two hours, Alex and Paulo had gathered a good selection of supplies, which were laid out on the beach beside them. There was a bunch of small, green tropical bananas, a pile of enormous, glossy banana leaves, a few yams and mangoes, some cut vines and a big stack of green bamboo canes. It was a good result, but still Alex was
'OK,' said Paulo. 'Let's get going.'
They worked quickly, gathering green wood from the fringes of the forest and piling it next to the wood from the boat wreckage. Alex made a nest of kindling in the base of the dry woodpile and, finally, covered the whole thing with the plastic sack which had held the boots. Although it was officially the drier season in the archipelago, there were still evenings when hours of monsoon-heavy rain fell after the humid heat of the day. If the dry wood and kindling became soaked, they would not be able to light the fire quickly when they needed to signal, and that could prove to be disastrous.
'Good,' said Alex, stepping back and mentally ticking one task off his list.
'What now?' asked Li.
'Shelter, water, food,' said Paulo, simply. He pointed to the rainforest. 'We should find everything we need in there.'
After a short discussion about who was to do what, Alex showed Hex how to use the flint from his survival tin and they left him on Watch Duty on the beach, ready to light the signal fire if necessary. The other four changed into their walking boots and arranged to meet back at the signal fire in three hours' time.
Li and Amber struck out along the beach to climb the headland that lay beyond the eastern end of the lagoon. They had Alex's compass and were planning to map out as much of the island as they could from a higher vantage point. They also carried a can of lemonade, a rucksack for storing any food they managed to find, the coil of nylon rope and the empty plastic water bottle in case they came across a fresh water stream.
'Remember,' called Alex. 'If you find water, bring it back to camp! No matter how fresh and clear it looks, we need to boil it first!'
Li lifted her hand, acknowledging that she had heard him, but neither of them looked back.
'Perhaps I should go with them, for protection?' said Paulo, gazing after Li.
Alex watched the two girls striding away from them along the beach, each carrying a stout stick. They looked much fitter than he felt and very capable of looking after themselves.
'Listen to me, Paulo,' he sighed. 'Li is trained in martial arts, she could climb a greasy pole if she needed to and she can probably put a name to every plant and animal on this island. And Amber – she can navigate and read maps better than any of us. What could you add to that?'
'My strength,' said Paulo, sticking out his chest and flexing his muscles.
Alex laughed. 'Yeah, well I need your strength more than they do. We'll be doing the heavy work. Come on, let's go.'
N INE
Paulo and Alex walked to the other end of the lagoon and started a systematic search of the fringe of rainforest which edged the beach. For nearly two hours, they worked their way along the forest fringe, moving in a series of small squares which always started and ended on the beach.
The trees were smaller and more widely spaced at the edge of the forest and sunlight penetrated through their branches to the forest floor, where dense undergrowth grew in the rich covering of leaf mulch. Alex and Paulo had to fight a way through and progress was frustratingly slow. The undergrowth was full of thorns and they kept a constant look-out for snakes. It was hard going, but it was also very successful. Because the trees were smaller and draped with vines, it was easy to climb up to the level where fruit or leaves grew and, every time they emerged from the forest, they brought something out with them.
When they took a rest after two hours, Alex and Paulo had gathered a good selection of supplies, which were laid out on the beach beside them. There was a bunch of small, green tropical bananas, a pile of enormous, glossy banana leaves, a few yams and mangoes, some cut vines and a big stack of green bamboo canes. It was a good result, but still Alex was
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