Island Survival: Starts by chopping a tree-Chapter 61 - 62 Ground Peg Method
[Mass release]
As the last pieces of yam were cooked on the hot stone, Jeff used a small stick to push one to the edge, allowing it to cool a bit before picking it up.
He gently blew on it, watching the steam rise, and then took a bite.
The moment the soft, and starchy sweetness hit his tongue, his expression soften in appreciation.
"Perfect," he murmured to himself.
The slow roasting greatly enhanced the yam’s natural sweetness, and the slight char on its skin added a smoky depth to the flavor. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂
It was both filling and comforting if you want to ask. Seeing him already digging in, they also took some of it in the heat, stoned.
Ariana leaned forward, picking up a slice. She then took a small nibble, and her eyes showed that it tasted good.
"This yam tastes good," she said, taking a bigger bite.
"It’s sweet but not too much. And it’s soft on the inside but crispy on the outside." Ariana finished.
Jessica also wanted to taste if it was true, so she selected a slightly smaller piece. She took a bite and chewed thoughtfully, and she agreed with her.
"Hmm, it’s like eating a sweet potato, but it’s... just good, I think. And for the roasted edges, really give this a nice texture" she commented.
"It would taste even better if it’s turned into a soup," Jessica muttered as she reached for another piece.
Jeff hearing it looked at her and responded, "Don’t worry; we are close to that. When the clay pot is dry, we can finally make some soup and get a taste of some broth."
Jessica nodded her head at his words as she ate her piece. Layla also grabbed one of the slightly larger slices. She blew on it quickly and took a bite, savoring the taste.
"It tastes good, and it’s not too bitter. It will literally taste good if made into soup," she said.
Charlotte took her piece as she relished the taste, "I didn’t expect it to be this good," she admitted quietly.
Emma, sitting close to Jeff, was the last to try. She selected a small wedge, her fingers brushing against Jeff’s as she picked it up.
Feeling the touch he glanced at her, and he saw that it was just an accident.
She hesitated for a moment, then took a bite. Her expression turned thoughtful before softening into a smile.
"Hm, taste good, I guess," Emma gave her point of view.
"Well, it’s nutritious, and the taste is not bad, but it’s still edible. Do you also want to have some rabbit liver?" he asked the group as he placed it in the heating stone. He also picked some large branches to keep up the fire.
Hearing that it was a liver and not meat or fat, all of them shrugged their shoulders in denial, as they knew that it must taste bad.
Seeing their reactions, he muttered to himself. "All for me then," as he waited for a moment and tasted the liver of a rabbit.
The liver had already turned rich brown, its surface slightly charred from the direct heat from the stone.
He blew on it briefly to cool it down before using some sticks as he took a bite. The texture was soft, but with a slight graininess that was a bit unfamiliar to him.
The flavor hit him quickly, a strong mineral tang that was both bitter and rich. It wasn’t exactly pleasant, but it wasn’t totally unpleasant either.
Jeff chewed slowly, his expression neutral as he processed the taste. "Hmm," he muttered in a low breath.
"It’s not bad," he said, though his tone lacked enthusiasm.
"A little metallic and a little bitter," he said, talking to himself. When they were done with the meal.
Jeff saw the moon in the sky and thought it must have already struck 7 pm. As he plans to build the ground peg frame for the rabbits’ hide.
"All of you should go and sleep early to conserve your energy. If you need something, I’ll just be over there," he said to them, pointing at the staked-out frame on which the hide was being stretched.
It was located in a tree, and they wondered what he was going to do. "What are you going to do this night, captain?" Layla asked.
"Just going to build a frame to stretch the rabbit’s hide since it will be useful," he replied, as they heed their words.
Jeff then stood up, took some large branches radiating with fire, and walked over there to serve as his light on this night.
The girls did not leave but just sat down for a moment since the food in their stomachs was still not fully digested.
They then drank some filtered water using the coconut cup they have made as a mug.
Jeff then made a small fire camp so he could see his surroundings and began to start his work. The materials were already there, like bamboo, the remaining ones from what he had built.
"So let’s estimate that about 9 pegs per hide, and I have four, I will need about 36 pegs or stakes. This bamboo is a good one for this, and each peg should be about 1.5 feet long(45 cm) to provide enough stability on the ground," he calculated in his mind.
"The ropes are already good in length, so I should just start, " he said, beginning his work.
"So because each rabbit size is about 1.5 feet tall or above and let’s say 1 feet wide after after being skinned. I now have around 3 inches(7cm) of extra space around this edges so the hide can be properly stretch."
Using the fire axe to clear away the small patches of grass and shove those rocks and debris, he leveled the area to make it easier to drive in the pegs.
He then made around 36 pegs since that is what is needed. When that was done, he drove those pegs into the ground and around the edges of each hide, spacing them evenly about 6 inches (15cm)
Because he had four hides, he arranged the pegs in a grid formation, leaving enough room to move between each hide.
When that was done, he attached each hide to the pegs using the bark rope. He made some small holes near the edges of the hide to thread the cordage(rope) through.
He pulled the hide tightly and tied the rope to secure each peg. He made sure that the tension was even to avoid wrinkling or warping during drying.
When that was done, he stepped back for a bit as he watched his work. He checked all of the pegs that were firmly driven into the ground.
He nodded his head since it was good. After that, he checked the hide and saw that it was evenly stretched, so there was no problem.
"Now I’m just going to leave it for 1-2 days, and then it’ll be good," he muttered, finally done with his work.
[You just made a ground peg for drying. You have gained 15 experience points, 7 points, and 4 level up points]
[80/100 exp. Remains to unlock a skill]
Seeing that he was very close to unlocking the skill, he smiled lightly. If he keeps being productive, it will be unlocked in no time.
Jeff then took a minute to rest and saw that the girls had already gone to sleep since they were no longer at the campfire.
Walking towards his shelter, he saw them resting. He went inside his shelter and picked up the bow and arrows since he left it there.
He needs to practice archery, since their are no guns in here.
Since this is what he is going to do to fight the comodo dragon, he needs to unlock the skill and gather some beginner experience to increase his chances of winning.
Jeff then stepped back out from the camp and walked back to make no sound. When he turned his back and was about to go to begin his training.
He saw Emma right in front of him, which shocked him.
Glancing at the shelter, he saw that only Charlotte was there, which made him wonder how he had not noticed her.
Her eyes were serious as she crossed her arms, looking at him. He had stepped a bit far from the camp, so if the both of them talked in a low voice, no one would hear.
"Where do you think you are going, young man?" she demanded an answer.
"I’m just going to practice shooting arrows. Why?" He asked, feeling dumbfounded about why he was being interrogated.
"Are you sure you’re just practicing?" she questioned him again with a scrutinizing gaze.
Jeff could not help but sigh. "Yes, there is nothing more. I just want to train my archery skills to gather experience," he responded.
"Oh yeah, didn’t I see everyone sleeping just now? How come you are still awake?" he asked, scratching the back of his head.
