replicate its natural environment. And
look how slowly and stiffly it moves, almost like the branch itself
in a gentle breeze."
"Wait until you see some of the epiphytes,"
Sam said. "The world's largest flower grows from the rafflesia
epiphyte, and blooms for only three days a year. It has the most
beautiful maroon and yellow flower, but releases the most horrible
stench to attract flies for pollination. And there are butterflies
you have to see to believe."
"And hoatzin hatchlings are born with two
claws on the end of each wing that allow them to climb around in
the canopy until they're able to fly," Galen said. "The spatuletail
hummingbird has two long tail feathers that end in large turquoise
discs that it has developed the ability to control
independently."
"Jay!" Dahlia called.
"I'm coming, I'm coming." Jay held the
camera in one hand and his backpack in the other. He tried to swing
it up over his shoulder at the same time that a section of the bank
fell away from his foot. There one moment, gone the next, Jay slid
down toward the raging river.
Sam ran to the edge and fell to her knees.
Jay had managed to stop himself halfway down, his legs buried in
the mud nearly to the knees. With one hand he clung to a tangle of
roots, while he reached toward the water with his other, where his
backpack rested in the trench carved by the hulls of the boats,
inches from being washed away by the current. Branches and whole
tree trunks raced downstream. One particularly dark trunk with
thick, ridged bark even appeared to be heading straight toward the
bag as Jay finally took hold of the shoulder strap.
"Leave it!" Sam screamed.
"I've got it," he said. The expression on
his face was that of embarrassment, not concern. He shook his head
as if silently chastising himself, and began to drag himself
upward.
"Let it go! Hurry! Get up here!" Sam grabbed
his wrist and pulled as hard as she could.
Two of the men dove to her side and seized
Jay by the forearm and elbow right as the trunk reached the river's
edge and exploded out of the water in a blur of wide jaws and sharp
teeth.
The caiman snapped down on the backpack and
nearly yanked the cameraman out of their grasp. It shook its head
violently from side to side and jerked away. There was a flash of
its yellowish belly, and then it disappeared with a splash,
dragging its prize to the bottom of the river where it could pin it
against the soft bed and wait for it to drown before consuming
it.
Fortunately, all the beast had stolen was
the backpack, and Sam was able to help Jay up over the lip. He fell
to all fours and retched. His face had gone a deathly shade of pale
and one of his boots belonged to the mud for the time being, but at
least he was alive.
"Are you all right?" Merritt asked from her
right. He and Sorenson had been the ones to rush to her aid.
"Jesus Christ," Jay said, rubbing his hand
as though to confirm it was still there. "I saw it coming the whole
time. I thought it was just a tree trunk."
"You have to be more careful," Sam snapped.
"Out here, nothing is ever what it seems."
III
2:28 p.m.
They ate and lounged at the edge of the
rainforest until the torrent waned to a patter. The river had risen
nearly to the banks, but the amount of debris had diminished
substantially. Large branches and broken trunks still sped
downstream, although in nowhere near the same numbers as before,
and the current had slowed just enough to provide suitable notice
to dodge them. There were sections where the limbs had tangled to
form impromptu barricades, which were fairly easily skirted. All in
all, they had only lost two and a half hours, and were again making
excellent time. Barring any further delays, they should reach their
point of debarkation shortly after nightfall.
And from there the real trek would
begin.
Merritt hunkered down in the boat with his
poncho over his head, using the man in front of him as a screen
from the brunt of the rain, now more of a blowing mist then
look how slowly and stiffly it moves, almost like the branch itself
in a gentle breeze."
"Wait until you see some of the epiphytes,"
Sam said. "The world's largest flower grows from the rafflesia
epiphyte, and blooms for only three days a year. It has the most
beautiful maroon and yellow flower, but releases the most horrible
stench to attract flies for pollination. And there are butterflies
you have to see to believe."
"And hoatzin hatchlings are born with two
claws on the end of each wing that allow them to climb around in
the canopy until they're able to fly," Galen said. "The spatuletail
hummingbird has two long tail feathers that end in large turquoise
discs that it has developed the ability to control
independently."
"Jay!" Dahlia called.
"I'm coming, I'm coming." Jay held the
camera in one hand and his backpack in the other. He tried to swing
it up over his shoulder at the same time that a section of the bank
fell away from his foot. There one moment, gone the next, Jay slid
down toward the raging river.
Sam ran to the edge and fell to her knees.
Jay had managed to stop himself halfway down, his legs buried in
the mud nearly to the knees. With one hand he clung to a tangle of
roots, while he reached toward the water with his other, where his
backpack rested in the trench carved by the hulls of the boats,
inches from being washed away by the current. Branches and whole
tree trunks raced downstream. One particularly dark trunk with
thick, ridged bark even appeared to be heading straight toward the
bag as Jay finally took hold of the shoulder strap.
"Leave it!" Sam screamed.
"I've got it," he said. The expression on
his face was that of embarrassment, not concern. He shook his head
as if silently chastising himself, and began to drag himself
upward.
"Let it go! Hurry! Get up here!" Sam grabbed
his wrist and pulled as hard as she could.
Two of the men dove to her side and seized
Jay by the forearm and elbow right as the trunk reached the river's
edge and exploded out of the water in a blur of wide jaws and sharp
teeth.
The caiman snapped down on the backpack and
nearly yanked the cameraman out of their grasp. It shook its head
violently from side to side and jerked away. There was a flash of
its yellowish belly, and then it disappeared with a splash,
dragging its prize to the bottom of the river where it could pin it
against the soft bed and wait for it to drown before consuming
it.
Fortunately, all the beast had stolen was
the backpack, and Sam was able to help Jay up over the lip. He fell
to all fours and retched. His face had gone a deathly shade of pale
and one of his boots belonged to the mud for the time being, but at
least he was alive.
"Are you all right?" Merritt asked from her
right. He and Sorenson had been the ones to rush to her aid.
"Jesus Christ," Jay said, rubbing his hand
as though to confirm it was still there. "I saw it coming the whole
time. I thought it was just a tree trunk."
"You have to be more careful," Sam snapped.
"Out here, nothing is ever what it seems."
III
2:28 p.m.
They ate and lounged at the edge of the
rainforest until the torrent waned to a patter. The river had risen
nearly to the banks, but the amount of debris had diminished
substantially. Large branches and broken trunks still sped
downstream, although in nowhere near the same numbers as before,
and the current had slowed just enough to provide suitable notice
to dodge them. There were sections where the limbs had tangled to
form impromptu barricades, which were fairly easily skirted. All in
all, they had only lost two and a half hours, and were again making
excellent time. Barring any further delays, they should reach their
point of debarkation shortly after nightfall.
And from there the real trek would
begin.
Merritt hunkered down in the boat with his
poncho over his head, using the man in front of him as a screen
from the brunt of the rain, now more of a blowing mist then