Death on the River of Doubt

by Samantha Seiple

  Armed with guns, Rondon, Lyra, Kermit, Cherrie, and nine of the camaradas were traveling in a single-file line, as close to the river’s edge as possible. Three camaradas were assigned the difficult task of clearing the path of vines and dense foliage. The extra work made it impossible for them to keep up with the canoes.

  On the river, the canoes were tied together in pairs to form a balsa, or raft. Roosevelt was in charge of one pair of canoes, and Dr. Cajazeira was in charge of the other. There were six camaradas traveling with Roosevelt since three of them were unable to walk. The insects had made a meal out of their feet, causing them to swell up painfully.

  The canoes had traveled only three miles down the river when they were faced with rapids. Fortunately, they were able to unload the cargo, carry it, and run the canoes empty down the river without a problem. But ten minutes later, when Roosevelt’s canoes came around a sharp turn, they were unexpectedly swept into another series of rapids.

  Panicked, everyone tried to paddle and push the canoes away from the boulders. But the canoes were too big and clumsy. The water shoved them toward the boulders. Above the din of the rapids, the men could hear the wooden canoes scraping and thumping into the rocks. After mooring the canoes safely to the bank, the men began to unload the canoes for another long portage.

  “We got through by the skin of our teeth … It was a narrow escape from a grave disaster,” Roosevelt wrote.

  While they were setting up camp at the foot of the rapids, Rondon and Kermit found a deep and narrow stream entering the River of Doubt. After Rondon measured its width and depth, he determined it was the largest tributary they had encountered so far.

  “There was no longer any question that the Dúvida (River of Doubt) was a big river, a river of real importance … But we were still wholly in the dark as to where it came out,” Roosevelt wrote.

  The following morning, on March 18, Rondon spent extra time setting up a large post near the newly found tributary. Afterward, everyone gathered around it. Rondon read his Order of the Day, which was to officially name the tributary. An oval-shaped wooden sign was nailed to the post with the name “Rio Kermit” carved into it. He continued to tell them that the River of Doubt was now officially named the Rio Roosevelt.

  From left to right: Cherrie, Lyra, Dr. Cajazeira, Roosevelt, Rondon, and Kermit stand near the post marking the newly named Rio Roosevelt.

  When Rondon finished, he led everyone in giving three rounds of cheers in honor of the United States, Roosevelt, and Kermit. The camaradas “hip-hip-hurrahed” with enthusiasm.

  “I had urged, and Kermit had urged, as strongly as possible that the name be kept as Rio da Dúvida [River of Doubt]. We felt that the ‘River of Doubt’ was an unusually good name … But my kind friends insisted otherwise, and it would be churlish of me to object … I was much touched by their action, and the ceremony itself,” Roosevelt wrote.

  So Roosevelt responded by leading everyone in three cheers for Brazil, and then for Rondon, and Lyra, and the doctor, and finally the camaradas. After the shouts died down, Lyra called out that everyone had been cheered but Cherrie. So the group gave three wholehearted cheers for Cherrie, and everyone’s spirits were lifted briefly.

  After the ceremony, the canoes were heading back down the river while the rest of the men continued to walk along the river’s edge. Everyone was feeling happy as they were making good time that day.

  The men who were walking found themselves on an old Indian path, so they didn’t have to spend valuable time and energy carving out a trail. But the threat of an attack weighed heavily on their minds.

  Sometimes they could hear voices. But when the expedition looked around, they couldn’t see anyone.

  When the group suddenly came upon an Indian village, their minds were somewhat eased when they saw that it had just been abandoned. They figured the natives had fled to avoid a fight. But Rondon wasn’t taking any chances. He left them gifts—an ax, a knife, and a string of red beads.

  “There is no doubt that there are many Indians on all sides about us,” Cherrie wrote. “If they are to prove friendly or hostile remains to be seen.”

  While the men walked, they were not only keeping an eye out for Indians but also for trees that would be suitable for making two new canoes. They had made a crucial mistake the last time. The wood from the tatajuba tree proved to be too hard and heavy, and its lack of buoyancy contributed to the canoe’s demise.

  “The wreck of the canoe … left us seriously embarrassed,” said Rondon.

  Several hours and one set of rapids later, they came upon an area dotted with araputanga trees. Rondon believed this wood would be perfect for making the new canoes. The araputanga tree is similar to red cedar and almost as light as cork, making it better suited for a light canoe.

  Although there was still a threat of an Indian attack, Rondon believed this was their best chance to build two small canoes. As a precaution, he had guards posted throughout the night. Rondon also got up at 2 a.m. to make sure everyone was safe.

  The next day, the camaradas began chopping down two trees. They had a bad start when the first tree fell, knocking down several smaller trees into Franca’s kitchen area. But nothing was badly damaged, and the camaradas continued to work hard.

  Two days later it looked like the canoes were nearly finished. But something else occurred to set them back once more.

  “It was discovered today,” Cherrie wrote in his diary on March 20, “that someone or one of the camaradas has been stealing our emergency rations! Fifteen of the boxes have disappeared!”

  CHAPTER 13

  True Colors

  March 21, 1914

  Day 23

  In the wilderness, stealing food from other people is a major offense, especially when provisions are already scarce and the threat of dying from starvation is a real possibility.

  “On such an expedition the theft of food comes next to murder as a crime, and should by rights be punished as such,” Roosevelt wrote.

  No one knew for sure who was stealing, but there was one person on the expedition who wasn’t getting thinner. It was the same person they wouldn’t assign the job of gathering palm tops because he would eat them all for himself. Their number one suspect was Julio.

  They didn’t have any proof or witnesses. All they knew for certain was that the deteriorating conditions had brought out the worst in Julio.

  “There is a universal saying … when men are off in the wilds … they show themselves as they really are … A man may be a pleasant companion when you always meet him clad in dry clothes, and certain of substantial meals at regulated intervals, but the same cheery individual may seem a very different person when you are both on half rations, eaten cold, and have been drenched for three days—sleeping from utter exhaustion, cramped and wet,” Kermit wrote.

  For now, there was nothing the men could do but wait to see if more food disappeared and try to catch the thief in the act. In the meantime, Rondon placed guards near the food rations. He also told Paixão Paishon to keep a close watch of Julio.

  On March 21, the day following the discovery of the theft, Roosevelt expected the new canoes to be launched and back on the river. When that didn’t happen, Roosevelt became further alarmed when he learned that Rondon had not only told the camaradas to take their time working on the canoes but had also hidden this fact from him. Rondon had created the delay so he could use the time to explore and map another newly discovered tributary.

  Rondon reported that, based on the new information he had collected, the River of Doubt wasn’t as long as they originally guessed. Although everyone thought this was great news, Roosevelt knew this didn’t change the fact that the food was still going to run out before they finished.

  The next day, on March 22, the new canoes were finally launched. By 8:30 a.m., all six were back on the river. Even though they needed to make up time, Rondon began mapping the river again with the time-consuming fixed survey method since they now had more canoes.
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  The rapids were also slowing them down. The last set was so rough that it took six hours to empty the canoes, lug their cargo, and run the canoes down the river using ropes. They decided to camp at the foot of the rapids, and after the tents were pitched, Roosevelt called a meeting with Rondon.

  The former president told Rondon that a detailed map was costing them too much time. He strongly urged their leader to abandon the fixed survey method once and for all. A less-detailed map would still be a valuable contribution, allowing other explorers to follow in their footsteps and fill in the details. Roosevelt firmly believed that it was in everyone’s best interest to get down the river as quickly as possible, especially with the ongoing threat of hostile Indians.

  Rondon disagreed. From his perspective and years of experience exploring the Amazon jungle, the low rations and hardships were typical. Starvation was something to be endured. He viewed the delays as an opportunity to spend time detailing the map. His priority was to get as many details for his map as possible, no matter what the cost. Besides, unlike the others, he believed that, overall, the expedition was going well.

  “Were it not for the annoyance resulting from the delay, everything else was going favorably,” said Rondon. “The sanitary condition of the expedition was good, and the quantity of provisions still existing was sufficient to assure us the termination of the voyage without scarcity of food.”

  Food Rations per Person (measured in ounces)

  This chart lists the rations that Roosevelt, Kermit, and Cherrie brought for their trip down the River of Doubt. They ended up stretching their daily ration to last a day and a half and gave over half of their daily bread portion to the camaradas.

  Rondon’s view was in sharp contrast to Roosevelt’s. Although Roosevelt could appreciate the importance of Rondon’s work, lives were now at stake—which included his son’s. He wasn’t about to back down.

  “Kermit was extraordinarily lucky to escape alive from the accident in which Simplicio perished,” said Roosevelt. “I cannot accept seeing my son’s life threatened every moment by the presence of Indians, more than that of any other member since his canoe goes at the head of the expedition.”

  Rondon knew that the Brazilian government had asked him to guide the ex-president of the United States and his men through the Amazon jungle to give them the best possible chance of making it out alive. So Rondon reluctantly agreed. But that didn’t mean he had to like it.

  CHAPTER 14

  A Death Sentence

  March 27, 1914

  Day 29

  For the past several days, it had been one series of treacherous rapids after another—about every fifteen minutes. That meant there had also been one long portage after another, eating up hours of their time.

  “We are getting ahead very slowly,” Cherrie wrote in his diary. “The frequent bad rapids making so many portages necessary. Our position every day grows more serious; the food supply less.”

  Despite catching two big piranhas that were divvied up with the previous night’s dinner, along with two spoonfuls of wild honey and a handful of the ever-elusive Brazil nuts, the men woke up hungry.

  Roosevelt had more than just hunger paining him. He was still attempting to fend off the flu-like symptoms of malaria that had been trying to overpower him since the first two canoes were smashed. Plus, he was suffering from dysentery, an infection of the intestines.

  Cherrie, himself suffering from painful tick bites, was standing at the foot of the rapids and watched as three camaradas held on to a rope tied to two canoes that were careening down a narrow channel. When the canoes came around a sharp bend, jagged rocks unexpectedly grabbed a hold of one while a tangle of vines and fallen trees ensnared it. Before Cherrie could blink, the fierce current yanked the outer canoe loose and knocked it on its side. Within moments, the roaring rapids had sunk both canoes.

  Refusing to let go of their ropes, the camaradas rushed into the river, fighting against the current. But instead of ripping the ropes out of their hands and smashing the canoes against the rocks, the force of the current kept the canoes pinned underwater.

  Worried that it was just a matter of seconds before the canoes were swept away and wrecked, the camaradas screamed for help.

  Cherrie ran toward them and charged into the river to lend a hand. But the force of the current was too strong. Knowing they needed more help, he ran down to the foot of the rapids.

  “Two boats are capsized and held against the rocks by the current,” Cherrie shouted. “If they wash loose, they will be crushed among the boulders!”

  Everyone ran to help. True to form, Roosevelt was the first one in the river. Kermit and six of the men positioned themselves on a small island of rocks in a little waterfall right above the canoes. They dropped a rope down, and Roosevelt and the others, up to their armpits in water, tied it around the outermost canoe. Then they pushed and heaved while Kermit and the men above tried to pull the canoe free. For three hours the men labored anxiously in the water.

  Finally, their hard work paid off: They were able to save the canoes.

  But Cherrie noticed that Roosevelt was limping and bleeding. He had bashed his leg against the slippery, sharp rocks. Dr. Cajazeira carefully cleaned and dressed Roosevelt’s bloody wound before the expedition got back in the canoes and headed down the river.

  It was raining hard, making it difficult to see. Even so, within ten minutes, it was obvious that the rapids ahead were impassable. They would have to stop and set up camp in the rain.

  Everything was drenched. But Franca, the cook, somehow managed to make a cup of coffee for them—despite the wet wood for a fire. Even so, the good cheer was short-lived when they went to sleep that night under soggy blankets.

  The following morning, on March 28, the men moved their camp to the other side of the river, at the head of the rapids. Afterward, Rondon, Lyra, Kermit, and Antonio Correia scouted the area ahead to see how they could get the canoes down.

  Roosevelt and Rondon pose for a photo in front of a waterfall they encountered during their trip.

  The men discovered that the foaming white-water rapids ran through a deep gorge between steep, rock-strewn mountain chains. They were discouraged even more after counting a total of six waterfalls. Rondon was at a loss. The terrain and river looked too fierce and treacherous to cross. Feeling despair, the scouting party didn’t return to camp until midafternoon.

  With one look at the expression on Rondon’s face, the men braced themselves for bad news.

  “We shall have to abandon our canoes and every man fight for himself through the forest,” said Rondon.

  “His report,” Cherrie stated, “was practically a death sentence.”

  CHAPTER 15

  Dire Straits

  March 28, 1914

  Day 30

  Roosevelt didn’t flinch when he heard Rondon’s report. He knew it meant certain death for him—he was too sick and his leg was in too much pain to fend for himself in the jungle. But the former president didn’t complain; he wasn’t going to interfere if it was everyone else’s best chance for survival.

  Cherrie, however, did voice his concerns. He thought that abandoning their canoes and trekking through the jungle was a terrible idea. Even if they stopped to make new canoes, he didn’t believe anyone would make it out alive. They were surrounded by Indians, and it would cost them too much in time and physical labor.

  Kermit, too, was feeling panicked. His only concern was to get his ailing father out of the jungle alive. He was determined to do whatever it took to save his father’s life, even if it meant risking, or even sacrificing, his own.

  The young Roosevelt told Rondon that he had complete confidence in his own rope skills. Kermit believed that he would be able to transport some—if not all—of the empty canoes down the precarious rapids and waterfalls.

  It was a dangerous, if not impossible, proposition. Nevertheless, Cherrie and Lyra backed him up, believing Kermit’s plan was their best chance.
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  Rondon listened carefully and finally relented. But he knew it was going to be the toughest portage to date, and so he ordered everyone to leave behind what they didn’t absolutely need.

  “We thought we had reduced our baggage before,” Roosevelt wrote. “But now we cut to the bone.”

  Roosevelt put on his spare pair of boots and handed his old ones over to his son, who gladly accepted them. Kermit’s boots had been rotting off his feet from all the time he spent wading in the river trying to manhandle the canoes. The boots were just his size.

  Although Cherrie was left with just the clothes on his back, he held on to his collection of bird specimens for the museum. He knew it was now impossible to add to the collection, since it would just add weight to their loads. Yet he couldn’t help but notice four black vultures flying high above the forest.

  Cherrie knew that this type of bird, a scavenging bird of prey, didn’t live in the forest, so it was possible that once they traveled through this chain of mountains, they would reach open country, which would make their journey easier. Or so he hoped.

  That night, Roosevelt’s temperature rose. His leg was in worse pain, showing signs of infection, and the malaria was in full force. All through the night, Kermit and Cherrie took turns staying by Roosevelt’s side, watching over him.

  By daybreak, Roosevelt had only one thought on his mind. He loved his son, and Kermit had his whole life ahead of him and was engaged to be married. Roosevelt didn’t want to take that away from him. And in his weakened condition, the former president believed he was a burden to the expedition.

  Roosevelt called out to Kermit and Cherrie. When they reached his side, he said:

  “Boys, I realize some of us are not going to finish this journey. I know that I am only a burden to the rest of you. Cherrie, I want you and Kermit to go on; I want you to get out—I will stop here.”