by Michael Cole
Phillip had a look of superiority that Eric had seen before. He was not bad looking, and apparently very rich. Eric knew the type. He would want to run things.
Phillip was the first to walk away from the table. "I have to use the restroom. Don't wait for me. I'll join you on the tarmac in a few minutes."
Once he was out of earshot, Eric said, "Friendly guy, isn't he?"
Catalina's cheeks flushed. "He is really not that bad once you get to know him."
Eric wanted to tell Catalina he had no interest whatsoever in getting to know Phillip Nash, but he held his tongue. He forced himself to keep any further opinions to himself. There was time enough. Once they were on his turf, he would set this Phillip Nash straight.
They boarded the Bonanza. Phillip, whose seat was next to Catalina's, looked around for a flight attendant. "I think I need a glass of champagne. Would you like one, Catalina?"
Before Catalina could answer, Eric butted in, "This is a private charter, and there is no flight attendant nor is there any champagne. I have a flask on me." Eric extended it to Phillip. "Care for a shot of whiskey?"
Phillip winced. "No. I don't believe I do."
Eric took a swig from his flask, threw his head back and laughed. "Are you sure? I don't think you want to be sober where we're going."
CHAPTER 17
Once they landed in Confresa, Eric and Chris picked up the two jeeps that were already on the tarmac. Upon transferring their gear from the plane to the jeeps, Eric said, "We'll take the jeeps as far as Cerro Negro. That's a small village about sixty kilometers from here. It's the last civilized place we'll see until we return from Muela Del Diablo."
Eric glanced at Phillip. "You and your fianc?e can follow Chris and me. Once we get to Cerro Negro, we'll have to do without the jeeps. I hired an Indian I know to keep an eye on them. We need to travel light, so I hope you didn't bring more than one pair of extra clothes. You'll always be able to wash them-either in a river or a lake. Since Chris and I are used to lugging a heavy load, we will be carrying most of the supplies in our packs: ropes, carabineers, flashlights, and a first aid kit." Pointing at Phillip's shorts, Eric added, "I'm afraid those will have to go."
A sneer appeared on Phillip's face. "I don't need you to dictate to me what I can and cannot wear. I'm not some neophyte, you know. I've been in the jungle before."
Chris shot Eric a look; less than this had set him off in the past. Instead, Eric surprised him. He calmly walked up to Phillip, and in a barely audible voice, said, "Let's get something straight. You are not on an African safari where someone is hovering nearby, catering to your every need. You are paying me to keep you safe, to keep you alive. Believe me, after one day of trudging through the rain forest in those shorts, you would be done for. The insects would literally eat you alive, not to mention the leeches. Just to let you know, those parasites carry all kinds of infection. You wouldn't go a mile before some creature would crawl up your ass."
Eric turned away only to face Phillip again. "I may only be a guide, but when I'm your guide, you need to look at me much as you would a ship's captain. Either you are going to do exactly as I say, or you can go look for that mirror yourself."
Phillip just stood there, his face drained of color.
After a few minutes, Eric said, "Make up your mind, Nash. What's it going to be?"
Catalina knew Phillip was not accustomed to being spoken to in that tone of voice. She saw the involuntary muscle in his right cheek twitch, a sure warning sign. Please God, she thought, don't let this be a tug of war for dominance. Not wanting the two men to get off on the wrong foot, she pulled Phillip aside and tried to smooth things over.
"Eric is just looking out for our best interests. I know you are still upset over last night's accommodations, but please don't take things out on our guide." Picking up Phillip's backpack, she placed it in their jeep. "Would you like me to drive?"
Phillip ignored Catalina's question. Instead, he continued to glare at Eric. "All right, Shade. I'll do as you say, but only because Catalina thinks you and Chris are the best men for the job."
* * *
The dirt road leading to Cerro Negro was narrow and winding, and to make matters worse, it was full of chuckholes just as Eric had warned them it would be.
Catalina drove while Phillip complained about the road. For the third time he looked at his watch. "We've been on this stupid cart path that Shade calls a road for almost two hours, and we've only gone thirty kilometers. I don't know if I can take another two hours of this. Why the hell doesn't the Brazilian government build some decent roads?"
Catalina ignored Phillip, knowing he didn't really expect an answer. She was more interested in looking at the scenery than listening to him complain. The sounds of the jungle and density of the foliage fascinated her. She recalled Eric telling her that over the centuries people have tried to overcome the dominance of the jungle. He'd said no matter how much of the jungle was cleared for habitation, sooner or later the Amazon always reclaimed the land.
Catalina was pleased she had chosen Eric and Chris as their guides. They seemed experienced and knowledgeable. If anyone could lead them safely in and out of Muela Del Diablo, it would be them. She hated to admit it, but she was glad Eric had stood up to Phillip. It was the first time she had ever heard anyone speak harshly to him. His constant complaining created no sympathy in her. Here they were, starting out on an adventure of a lifetime and all he could think of was how bad the road was.
Phillip's next comment placed her on the defensive. "Where is your engagement ring?"
"Eric strongly recommended I leave it at home. He said there are Indians in Brazil who will kill a person for such a ring."
Phillip mumbled an expletive under his breath. "He's really starting to get on my nerves. Did you hear how he talked to me earlier? I'm not a child who has to be told what to do. You'd think I didn't know how to handle myself in the wilds. I've been on three African safaris. I guarantee you the jungle in Africa is every bit as inhospitable as the Amazon."
Catalina wanted to tell him he had it coming. She wanted to tell him to crawl out of his introverted shell and start interacting with people in a pleasant way. Instead, she merely said, "His main concern is making sure we leave the Amazon in one piece. If we want him to lead us to the treasure, we have to do what he says."
"Bull," Phillip retorted. "He could care less about me. He has you and only you on his mind. Don't think I can't tell. It's obvious-the way he looks at you. He practically devours you with his eyes!"
Surprised by Phillip's comment, Catalina countered, "I don't know what you are talking about. He has absolutely no romantic interest in me whatsoever."
"Give me a break. I may be somewhat naive in these matters, but I can read his body language loud and clear."
"I truly think you are imagining things."
"Maybe I am, but I still don't like him, and nothing you say is going to change my mind."
Catalina knew it would be counterproductive to continue the conversation. "Just please try to get along with him. Promise me?"
"Oh, all right, but he'd better not get in my way."
* * *
Chris was driving the lead jeep. "Are they still behind us? I don't see them in my rearview mirror."
"They're there all right. Where else would they be? This is the only road that leads to Cerro Negro."
"I can't believe our luck," Chris said. "Just based on the per diem rate of pay, even if we don't find that mirror, we should earn around two thousand five hundred, maybe as much as three thousand euros a piece. That will be more money than I've ever had at one time."
"That's because there aren't any bars where we are going," Eric joked.
"Did she give you the derrotero?" Chris asked.
"Yes. Only a copy, but she did include the last set of instructions, which in the beginning were purposely omitted. She told me she brought the original with her. I told her I may want to take a look at it."
"She
seems to trust us."
"I sure as hell don't know why. She doesn't really know us. What's to prevent us from stealing the derrotero and killing them both? No one would ever know."
Chris smiled. "Catalina's a good-looking woman, don't you think? I've seen how she looks at you; I think she likes you."
Eric hit Chris playfully on the shoulder. "In my wildest dreams. Why would she be interested in someone like me when she's engaged to that egotistical bastard? You should have seen the rock on her finger when we first met." Eric quickly changed the subject. "And would you please drive slower? You've managed to hit every chuckhole. I need to give my liver a rest."
"I don't think she's one of those spoiled, rich bitches," Chris said. "I mean, she may be rich and all that, but she is nothing like him."
"That's the first intelligent thing you said in the last two hours."
"Hang on." Chris swerved to avoid some deep ruts in the road. Once the driving demanded less of him, he continued the conversation. "I'm excited at the prospect of finding the Golden Disk of the Sun. Aren't you?"
"If I were you, I'd curb your exuberance. We don't really know for sure that her derrotero is genuine. It could be a fake."
Chris took his foot off the accelerator. "What do you mean? I thought you said it was the genuine article."
"I said it appears to be real. Who knows? There are so many of these fake derroteros floating around that the one she has could end up leading us nowhere."
* * *
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to Catalina, the jeep ahead of them turned onto a secondary road and stopped in front of a church. No sooner had they parked than an Indian walked over to greet Eric.
"Make sure you watch the jeeps, Eduardo," Catalina heard Eric say in fluent Portuguese.
Approaching their jeep, Eric asked, "Does anyone want to change their mind? This is your last chance. Once we enter that jungle, we will become just like the four Musketeers. You know, all for one and one for all."
When neither Phillip or Catalina responded, he motioned toward the back of the jeep. "Okay then. Grab your gear. We walk from here. I hope you took my advice and lightened your load. Every additional pound you carry will come back to haunt you once we start climbing the mountain."
Catalina watched Eric and Chris each place a gun into their shoulder holsters. Eric was also carrying a rifle and a cartridge belt.
Phillip picked up his and Catalina's backpacks. "Let's go. I'm ready."
Eric put out his hand to stop him. "Hold on a sec. I think it's gallant of you to carry Catalina's backpack for her; however, chivalry is something we don't have the luxury of in the Amazon. Everyone, and I mean everyone, pulls his own weight."
While Catalina was strapping on her backpack, Eric pointed to Phillip's pistol. "What do you have there?"
"It's a nine-millimeter German Lugar," Phillip said proudly. "It once belonged to a German general."
Eric handed Phillip a magnum revolver. "I need to remind you that unlike an African safari, you won't have a vehicle to protect you. If you are going to arm yourself, at least do so with something that's a little more effective. If a large animal like a cougar were to attack and you shoot it with that thing, all you'll do is make it mad." Eric took out another magnum revolver and placed it in his holster. "The magnum I just handed to you is an effective weapon. Even if your aim isn't on the mark, it will stop a large animal dead in its tracks."
Eric turned to face Chris. "You take the lead." Then he looked at Phillip. "I want you to follow him. Catalina, you stay in front of me, and I'll bring up the rear. We walk single file. Is that understood?"
Catalina glanced at Phillip, worried how he would react to being the receiver of orders for a change, but, thankfully, he held his tongue.
"One more thing," Eric said. "The lead person will use his machete to cut through the underbrush. All of us will follow in the footsteps of the lead man-or woman. We will rotate positions every fifteen minutes. This means the person using the machete will have forty-five minutes to rest in between the difficult job of cutting a path through the wilderness. I'm going to say this now, because I don't want anyone to complain later. I won't tolerate slackers."
They had walked for about an hour when it started to rain. The downpour was so heavy that by the time Catalina put on her poncho, she got drenched. When it was her turn to use the machete, she found the poncho got in the way-and although it was still raining, she was forced to take it off. She was slashing away at the underbrush when Eric stopped her.
"You're exerting far too much energy," he said. "Let the momentum of your swing do the work for you." He took the machete out of her hands and swung it slowly in a wide arc. "Like this."
It was harder to do than she realized, particularly since she was walking on wet ground, and it was difficult to maintain traction.
After walking for another hour, Eric told the group to take a fifteen-minute breather. Catalina looked toward Muela Del Diablo. "Beautiful, isn't it?"
Eric's voice came from behind her. "It's all of that, but don't let its beauty lull you into complacency. Believe me, sooner or later the mountain will extract a pound of our flesh."
"It looks surrealistic from this distance," Catalina said. "Are those cloud formations?"
"That's condensation," Eric replied. "You're looking at the point of transition between the general coldness of the mountain and the wet heat of the Amazon. It's the shock of these two climates virtually colliding with one another that causes the almost permanent cloudiness around the mountain. The zone where we're heading is called Rio Napo. Of course, it didn't have a name during Valverde's lifetime. As you will probably recall, Valverde's directions stated that a person had to head northeast to the spot where the clouds met the forest. The area where we are heading is covered with trees. Some call it the Virgin Rain Forest, probably because it's the least explored area of the Amazon."
"Speaking of condensation," Phillip asked, "is it ever going to stop raining?"
Eric was curt in his reply, "Don't count on it."
"In the Amazon, there are basically two seasons," Chris elaborated. "There is a rainy season, and a not-so-rainy season."
"Then this must be the rainy season," Phillip grumbled.
Chris shook his head. "Actually, the weather is fairly mild this time of the year."
Eric pointed toward the mountain. "If you think the weather is lousy here, wait till we get closer to where we're going. According to Valverde, we have to climb to a planalto, which, as you know, is a plateau. It is near a ridge that separates the jungle from the rough terrain of the mountain. Once we reach it, we'll start our ascent. Fortunately, we don't have to climb all the way to the top of the mountain. It will be colder where we are heading. That's why I had all of you bring a warm jacket. I know it's a bitch to have to carry the additional weight, but believe me, you'll be glad you did. Regardless of the time of year, bitter winds blow in from the north."
"Now that you've given us all this encouraging news, is there anything else you'd like to add?" Phillip failed to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.
"One more thing," Eric said. "Once we reach an elevation of five thousand feet, I suggest you take the safety off your gun."
"May I ask why?"
"Because that's where the white leopards are. They are extremely difficult to see because they blend in with the snow. There's not a lot for them to eat so we would be fair game. I've encountered several. They'll stalk you and pounce when you least suspect it. Their jaws are lethal. They have a bite strong enough to crush a human skull."
Chris, overhearing Eric's warning, whispered, "Why did you tell him that? You know perfectly well white leopards are an extremely rare species. We might run into a cougar, but a white leopard?"
"I just want the guy to be aware of his surroundings," Eric whispered back. "He has no business being in the Amazon. He should have stayed in Los Angeles where he could sip his martinis. Mark my words, Chris. Phillip Nash is a time b
omb waiting to explode!"
CHAPTER 18
Eric decided to quit early as it was their first day in the jungle. He established designated duties to everyone, including Phillip. They all pitched in to clear the campsite of vines and bushes. Eric would hunt for food. Chris would gather enough firewood to last the night, and also help Phillip dig a trench around the perimeter of each tent. Catalina was to put up the pup tents in the evening and dismantle them in the morning. Only Chris and Eric would take turns standing guard. Catalina wondered if they would be able to stay awake after a full day of hacking a trail through the dense underbrush.
Eric handed a pair of gloves to Phillip. "Come with me so I can show you what you need to place in those trenches." It didn't take him long to find what he was looking for. "Do you see this plant with the oval leaves and red fruit the size of plums?"
Phillip walked closer to the plant and then backed away. "It has a very unpleasant smell. What is it?"
"It's a strychnos plant. It's best known for its use in creating poisonous arrows. You see, in large amounts, the alkaloids in the flowers can be deadly to humans. The plant's resin has been used in hand-to-hand combat, by coating fingernails so a scratch on an opponent could prove to be fatal."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"The Amazon is not only infested with scorpions, but it also has spiders that can kill you. Fortunately, insects won't go anywhere near the fruit of this plant, because they don't like the way it smells. What I want you to do is pick some of the fruit, crush it with your feet, and spread it around each trench you and Chris dig. That way none of us will end up with scorpions for bedfellows. Believe me, a sting from a scorpion is-"
Phillip cut Eric off. "I know. A scorpion's sting can be deadly."
Later that day, Eric was able to trap several grouse for dinner. He plucked off their feathers and spitted the birds expertly. He was turning them over a fire when Catalina sat on the ground next to him. "I've never eaten grouse. What do they taste like?"
"A lot like a wild duck, but gamier," Eric replied.
"This is changing the subject, but I was wondering if you had a chance to study the copy of the derrotero?"