they 'd hit the mother lode in the kitchen : some twine ; a stub of candle ; an old , battered aluminum saucepan ; a can of sterno ; a jug of bleach ( nearly gone ) ; three empty water bottles ; four tins of sardines ; a third of a jar of mixed nuts ; a half jar of chicken-flavored bouillon cubes ; and four pouches of beef jerky that had somehow escaped the mice .