The paradise Island (open, players need)

[landiek]

Aiya tapped some of the different trees. She was listening for the sound of the hollowness of a particular type she knew that she could make dishes from them or preferably some form of pot or pan to cook with.

 

[Hard_Rom]

Sitting eating my mango, I think of home. It'll be winter soon. I like winter. Cold, clean, healthy and no bugs... time to build a boat!

Dugout or built? A dugout will take months, I think. What to cover a frame with? No birch bark or pitch. A reed boat? No idea on how to build one. Leather! A canoe frame covered in pigskin. Four skins like the one Jay and Aiya bagged would do. More if smaller. Waterproofed with pork lard. Do I need to tan the hide? Probably. The first one came off okay. Shit! The brains. I need the pigs head.

Finishing my mango I heft my load of fire wood on my shoulder, I set out back to camp.

 

[Jay_P]

As we return to camp I think that I have to remember to get rom to help me cut down the tree to use for the outrigger canoe. Once burned hollow it should suffice for a strong hull. "Aiya, do you remember if anyone has a watch?" I'd like to try and figure where we actually are.

 

[landiek]

"No not really. I just been telling time using the Sun and a shadow." Aiya replied..

Aiya looked to her right and noticed some tan stalks. Knowing they need food she went to check out this new discovery. She found a dozen small wheat looking plants. Aiya glanced around for tracks to see what feeds off these plants and only noticed bird tracks.

"Jay! Look at this.... it might be oats or a type of wheat." Aiya was getting excited as are scouting skill were coming to good use.

 

[Jay_P]

I need to be able to get the exact time and then we can work out where we are.

" Are you thinking of being able to make flour?"
Using my knife I slice off a few stalks. And the stalks can be woven for mats etc. Remind me when we get back to see if Rom will help me take down that tree we went by earlier. I want to see i we can build an outrigger canoe." I will want to get that started once we get the camp moved.

 

[landiek]

" Yeah that's what I'm hoping." Aiya replied as Jay cut them down. " We will have to watch for more of these types of plants. If you're planning to build a raft with them."

Thinking about it bulrushes would probably make a good firm type of a raft. Aiya knew where to look for them too. She has to find where the stream met with the ocean where the water was brackish.

 

[Jay_P]

I slice several more down and using one of the smaller flexible stalks i tie a nice bundle. I don't know about the raft, but mats will be good for the cave floor.

 

[landiek]

Aiya walked back into the camp and was picking up the net and making sure the rows were holding together. The cage was still sturdy holding two fowl and as Aiya predicted were laying eggs.

Aiya waves at Rom and Steph entering camp.

 

[Hard_Rom]

Dropping my load of fire wood, I wave back to Aiya. Scrambling around I retrieve the pigs head and the skin. Fucking flies everywhere. I sit and stare at it for awhile, remembering how to tan a hide.

"Hey guys I got another idea, I want to put to you. Build a leather covered boat. Basically a big canoe with a small sail and outriggers. With a good camp and fresh water, we can switch focus and maybe try get someone out of here."

 

[Jay_P]

I agree we need a canoe or other boat, and Outrigger is the best for this area, but I am not sure leatherbound would work well in salt-water. There is a reason the natives used to hollow out the trees. Salt water is very destructive to leather, not to mention the various things that would chow down on it.

 

[landiek]

Aiya waves at Rom. "Hey we found wheat and sugarcane."

Aiya gathered the eggs and then looked at the fire. Surely she could use something to be a.fry pan. Aiya looked over her options and realized she has few choices. The shells would only work once twice depending on what she made in it. Aiya knew with what little she had she could make a johnny cake but how to mix the ingredients.

 

[Hard_Rom]

"I disagree. The Inuit have caribou and sealskin kayaks. The ancient Irish and Scots had leather boats. Both in Great White Shark waters. The natives here needed boats built to last. Ours need only last a week at most. I am sure it will hold up much longer though. With stone tools it will take us a week to fall a suitable tree. Plus I doubt we can shift a multi ton tree trunk. I don't think we could build a seaworthy dugout in under four months. A leather boat frame can be done in a week. The only real issue is killing enough pigs to cover it. Six big ones should do it." I state my argument.

"If we had a means to carry much more water than two liters, we could build a boat big enough for all of us. That might be putting all our eggs in one basket though. Plus I've done repair work on only small canoes." I continue.


ooc: went fishing for a few days short notice.

 

[Jay_P]

You have a point, but I admit I would feel better in a dugout. On the other hand the construction time is a fair point, as is moving the tree to the beach. I guess I had better make sure I am proficient with my spear, and try not to poke too many holes in what will become the hull.
WHat I wouldn't give for a good rifle right now.

 

[landiek]

''My brothers used tanned horse hide to make a canoe once. It worked pretty good all summer. It would be pretty efficient as long as we had some form of grease to weather the skin. Plus it will take time to acquire that many pigs and we have to go about the kill less terrifying than before.'' Aiya was mindful of her promise to Steph.

'' on top of those ideas would be cooking. We need a mixing bowl, a pot, and a fry pan.'' Aiya sighs wishing she could remember how Deacon and dFelix made those dishes her last tomboy summer.

 

[Jay_P]

Frying pans might be harder to do, but a bowl and a few simple dishes could be made of baked clay. I doubt we can get the fire hot enough for true pottery, but a long session in good hot coals should make serviceable baked clay dishes. Or maybe we will be lucky and some dishes or something we can use will wash up.

 

[Jay_P]

A far as less terrifying? I am all for that, but I think if we are prepared and go on the hunt, as opposed to just reacting, it should go much better. I have a stronger idea and feel for how they move and react now that I have seen them first hand.

 

[Hard_Rom]

"You can boil water in a leather pot. Just don't let the flames get over the water level. Use a flat rock for a griddle. Done that many times. Come to think of frying things, I saw plantains somewhere here abouts. Wood is good enough for plates and stuff. May take awhile to burn out a dugout but a bowl or cup would be easy. Bake under a fire. We can build a rock oven and roast stuff." I say to Aiya.

"And as for hunting pigs, I was thinking of maybe dropping heavy rocks on their heads from trees. Good point being you're already up a tree should you miss. I can also make a bow in about three days, four with three arrows. I can kill a pig at twenty yards. Done it also many times. I was in Australia just before this wreck of a trip on business. Got a chance to hunt feral pigs." I tell Jay.

"But I am shit at making bowstrings. I know the technique. Its making string or rope. You twist one group one way. The other the same the way. Then twist them both together the opposite way. So the two twists in different directions holds it together." returning to Aiya, "Could you do a nice job? You're way better at cordage and such than me. I got some of that cheap blue twine, like you get at HomeDepot exits. I saw a guy on Youtube use it."

 

[landiek]

Aiya listens to Rom's suggestions concerning cooking items. ''With what. I have on me, we could make sweet cake pancakes for dinner.''

Aiya remarked, ''My brothers hunted razorbacks in Arkansas. I did a few times at my grandma's near Little Rock. Deacon, my brother would snort like a hog to lure them in.''

''I could give a try on cording. We could use twisted pig gut like tennis racket strings.'' Aiya took the stuff he had and started to thin the blue twine. She sat down and began to stretch it out with her bare feet.

 

[Jay_P]

That might work... Still we have to be careful.. I am guessing they didn't hunt the boar's with a spear and obsidian knife.

 

[landiek]

Aiya sought Steph's help making the new cording and working on finishing the lines for the guys.

 

[Hard_Rom]

I strip naked to stay cleaner and tackle the pigskin. Using a chert flaking I start to scrape off the remains of meat, fat and outside hair. Filthy job. I move closer and downwind of the fire. The smoke helps somewhat to keep the flies away. I use a log as a base to scrape on.

"I was thinking I will make rawhide strips from this skin. Use them to help lash the boat frame together," I say, "With move inland, tanning this won't happen. We're too busy. But maybe rawhiding it will work before it rots. Hate to waste it."

All sorts of uses for rawhide come to mind.

"They probably hunted boar with stone weapons. Mammoths and Sabre-toothed Tigers were around after the glaciers. Mammoth was certainly killed. They knew what they were doing though. We will be making it up as we go along. Plus I think a boar spear is really long, really heavy and has a cross bar to stop pig from just charging up the spear impaled as it is. I've seen them in museums. Made of iron though."

 

[Jay_P]

Cross-bar might be useful. but we don't have much iron and.. I wouldn't want to make it too long, then I'd have trouble wielding in the jungle. Too much undergrowth to get caught on. We co ld try building a pit trap as well. Put stakes at the bottom. Or just leave it a pit and then we can deal with it once its trapped.

 

[landiek]

Aiya thought and even chuckled. "You.know it would be weird but we could thorn a log to drop on.a pit."

Aiya pulled the braided string tighter. Aiya looked at the possible curved stick and attempted to wield the newly made bow. The braid was too loose and it took several trys to make it the best tension.

 

[Hard_Rom]

"Actually Aiya your supposed to start with a straight stick. About three to four inches longer than your bow," I say to her as she makes her first attempt, "You might want to try bamboo. Lashing together a bunch of small ones will let you build a bow stiff in middle for handle and less so on the ends. Try one about five foot long, two at four foot, four at two. Or something close as you want or can get."

"Ooh! Hey! We could use rawhide. Let it shrink over your lashings and make a handle," I exclaim with a laugh, "I'm brilliant."

I get most of the fat, meat and hair off the skin. Then cut it into one inch long strips about 3 feet long. I get twenty of them. Tackling one inch strips is far easier, I think. Still hard fucking work. I collect the scrapings and rebury them. Now I have to stretch and dry them.

But first, I filthy, stinky and pure fly bait.

"I'm going for a swim and clean up," I say standing up.

 

[landiek]

Aiya realized Rom has a great idea. She works on getting the bow set right before letting Rom adhere the rawhide.

Aiya worked for another hour before opting another refreshing bath.