In the Heart of the Jungle
"Now what?" asked Joe, as the party passed on down the gangplank.
"Better get our belongings together first," said Mr. Lewis. "Then we
can make inquiries about the leaving of a boat that'll take us to our
destination."
"But what about finding a place to stay overnight?" asked the
professor.
"You needn't worry about that."
All looked around, to see that Captain Crowell had moved up behind
them.
"I heard what you said," he remarked. "And let me say that you are
welcome to your berths on the _Empire_ until we leave for New York.
That may be tomorrow, or it may be the next day. Go on up and make
yourselves at home."
The party accepted the invitation with warm thanks. Then they moved on
up to the boat.
"Pretty soft," smiled Bob, as they sat on deck. "We might have hunted
for hours before finding rooms."
It was late that night when the party retired, but all slept well and
awoke the next morning ready for any plans that might be made.
After breakfast Mr. Lewis and Mr. Holton left for the dock, where they
would make inquiries about the leaving of a boat for farther upstream.
Bob and Joe followed a road out of town to see the country.
They hiked for perhaps two miles, looking sharply about. Then, as
there was not much new to see, they turned and went back to town,
desirous of finding out what information, if any, their fathers had
gained about the leaving of a boat.
By luck the boys met their fathers in the main street, and there were
smiles on the men's faces.
"Pat us on the back," smiled Mr. Holton, so overjoyed that he could
hardly keep his composure.
"What!" cried Bob. "You've found a boat so soon?"
The naturalists nodded.
"By chance we met the captain of a small freight vessel that happens
to be going up the Purús to Acre, on the Bolivian frontier," said Mr.
Holton. "Sheer luck, I calls it. Any other time it would have been
necessary to wait three or four weeks before finding such an
opportunity. Of course we wouldn't have waited that long, though. We
would have found it necessary to take two boats, one to Manáos, and
one on up the Purús. But the way things are now--" he smiled
broadly--"we're all set for a pleasant voyage, with no stops till we
reach our destination."
"When does the boat leave?" inquired Joe.
"In less than three hours," his father answered. "That means we'll
have to hurry and get packed."
They walked on down the dock to the _Empire_ and found Professor
Bigelow in the library. He looked up smilingly and placed his book
back on the shelf.
"What did you find?" he asked.
Mr. Holton told of obtaining passage on the boat to the Purús, and the
anthropologist was delighted beyond words. The delay was maddening to
him, even though he was able to keep his time occupied.
It did not take the party long to get their possessions together, and
after locating Captain Crowell and thanking him for the use of the
berths, they left for the newly chartered boat, which was anchored
farther down the pier.
"Small but staunch-looking," commented Bob, as they came to it.
"Built on rather speedy lines, too," added Mr. Lewis.
They lugged their baggage up on deck, to be met by the burly captain,
who in his rough attire was a strange contrast to Captain Crowell. He
was good-natured, however, and readily showed the explorers to their
sleeping quarters.
"Hope you have a jolly voyage," he boomed, leaving for the cabin.
"I told you boys wrong when I said we don't stop till we get to our
destination," Mr. Holton corrected himself, as the party started out
to the rail. "The boat stops at Manáos, but only for a couple of
hours. We'll have time to go about the city."
A little later the boat's whistle sounded, and then came the faint
chugging of the engines.
"We're off!" cried Joe excitedly. "Off on the last stretch of our
journey."
Soon the waterfront of Macapá was left behind, and the _Selvas_, for
that was the vessel's name, steamed out to the middle of the mighty
Amazon.
The explorers did not move from deck until one of the crew announced
that the noon meal was ready.
"Wonder what we'll have to eat?" asked Joe, as they went into the
dining room.
"Probably salt pork and a few other dishes of cured food," returned
Mr. Lewis, and he was right.
"It's all right for a change, anyway," said Bob.
The boys spent the remainder of that day in exploring the boat and
were impressed by everything they saw. Aside from the fact that it was
rather old, it was worthy of the great river on which it steamed.
"Let's hear something about Manáos," Bob said to his father that
night. "If we are to see it soon, I'd like to know what to expect."
"It's a wonderful city," Mr. Holton replied. "Large stores, office
buildings, hotels. If what I've heard is correct, we will be
astonished."
And they _were_ astonished. In fact, when they pulled into the busy
port, the boys' eyes almost popped from their heads. Even after
hearing about Manáos from their fathers, they could not believe that
they would find anything like this away out in the heart of the vast
wilderness.
"Has a rather impressive skyline," observed Joe, gazing ahead at the
outlines of the hotels and office buildings.
"Many of the structures are new," put in Professor Bigelow. "The
city's growth has been rather rapid. But now," he went on, "suppose we
get off the boat and take a short trip about town."
The adventurers easily procured a map of the city. Then they boarded a
street car for a ride down the principal business street.
"Modern is right," commented Bob, gazing out at the large buildings,
hotels, theaters, and stores.
They passed many points of interest, including the Theatre of Manáos,
the many parks and gardens, schools and colleges, and monuments and
statues. And to cap all this, they spent several minutes in one of the
most complete museums they had ever been in.
"Truly a great city in the heart of the forest," said Mr. Holton, as
they prepared to board the boat for the continuation of the journey.
They got to the _Selvas_ with barely five minutes to spare. Already
the crew were making ready for the long voyage that was to follow.
Shortly later they were again in the midst of the forest, after having
left Manáos behind.
"I see we're not the only passengers on the boat," said Professor
Bigelow, glancing across at two men who sat near the stern.
"Probably they're rubber gatherers who have a plantation farther
down," was the opinion voiced by Mr. Lewis, and his guess was right,
as they later found out when an acquaintance sprang up between the
Brazilians and the Americans.
That acquaintance was delightful and tended to relieve the monotony of
the trip. The men, Acmio and Piemo by name, took a liking to the
explorers and told of many strange sights of the jungle. They knew
nothing, however, of the region the expedition was going to penetrate.
"I bet we won't find anything, either," said Joe. "No one seems to
have been far in the interior."
At last the _Selvas_ came to the Purús River, and down this it
steamed.
"Considerably narrower than the Amazon," observed Bob. "But at that
it's a good many rods across."
"The Purús is noted for its crooked course," remarked Professor
Bigelow. "The sand bars occur with such regularity that the natives
reckon distances by counting the number of them."
At this time of year the water was rather high, for the rainy season
was barely over.
They steamed on for the greater part of that day before coming to a
settlement, and this was small and crude. They did not stop, although
several men came out to greet them.
As they steamed farther, the river became more crooked. In fact it was
often impossible to see more than three hundred feet ahead. And as
they penetrated deeper into the jungle, vegetation became more dense.
Great clusters of bright-colored flowers lined the banks, tall trees
showed themselves above the other growth, parasitic vines wound
themselves around forest giants. Ferns, high grass, small bushes,
oddly shaped stalks--all these caught the eyes of the explorers.
After a long journey they reached the mouth of the Tapauá, and at a
small town between the two rivers the boat stopped. Here the
adventurers got off.
It seemed strange to set foot on ground out here away from
civilization. Why, it was almost like another world! For some time Bob
and Joe could not realize that they were now in the very heart of the
great Amazon jungle.
The captain of the _Selvas_ had given the party a letter of
recommendation to a Brazilian who would be able to fit them out with
boats and Indian crew. He lived at the edge of the town, and to that
place they went, led by Mr. Holton.
They found the man sitting idly in his thatched house. He was very
tall and slender, but looked to be possessed of great strength.
"You are Senhor del Pereo?" asked Mr. Holton in the native tongue.
"_Sí_," the man replied.
Bob's father took out the letter and handed it to him.
He read carefully for several moments. Then his face lighted.
Sure he would help them. Anyone who was a friend of the captain was a
friend of his. It would be easy to get a boat--or boats, for that
matter--and he knew of several trustworthy Indians who would readily
act as guides. But he knew nothing about the distant country. Few
people did. It was a land of mystery.
Mr. Holton translated to Bob and Joe. Then he again turned to the
Brazilian.
"You will lead us to the boats and guides now?"
"Yes."
They started out, the Brazilian in the van.
He led them around the village to a large native hut, in front of
which sat several semi-naked Indians. They were on their feet in an
instant when they caught sight of Senhor del Pereo, and with friendly
greetings listened to what he had to say.
For several minutes he conversed with them in their native tongue, and
in the end they nodded in acceptance.
"They will go," he said to the explorers. "They will be your guides in
an unknown country."