The Ark's Cargo

Soon we were off and paddling with all of our might. After about an hour and one-half of paddling deep into the jungle we ported our boats/canoes and followed a well established path into the interior. The canopy of trees was massive, the undergrowth was dense, the sound of life was abundant and the colors, textures, and fragrant smells given off by the various plant species were overwhelming to the senses. This is truly one of America’s richest wildernesses and yet if we are not careful, it could be destroyed. One could tell this path had been used for many generations in that it had been worn deep into the ground. The visual, the sounds and the smells were ever so refreshing and yet stimulating at the same time. It was far better than any ride at Disney World and yes, this was for real! Having been given the honor of leading the pack, I was soon introduced to another experience I will cherish for all time. For at that instance a Jungle Native scared the “begebees” out of me. He jumped out of the thick jungle brush on to the path, a few yards out in front me. He was jumping up and down whooping and hollering with all his might. He was wearing a dark colored loin cloth. His arms, legs and face were painted black with designs some might describe as that of a warrior, a well trained warrior intent on doing some serious harm. You see, he carried a big shield in his left hand and was jabbing with his right arm, in a flexed position, a pointed spear with an obviously freshly sharpened point; directed for my heart. For all I knew, he was probably highly skilled as a hunter and better prepared than any boy scout, having freshly applied a lethal prepared paste to assure the spears point would accomplish its intended purpose! Was I scared? You bet I was! I was panic stricken! I knew he was not a happy man and he did not like my presence in this part of the world and especially my presence on land controlled by his tribe and his tribe only. His countenance and the look in his eye said it all. That stern, controlled stare daring me to take another step forward, was clear and forthright! No doubt about it! It was obvious he was committed to do whatever he had to do. That glare of intent said it all! From his perspective, unannounced strangers were not welcome and especially those whose attentions might be harmful to him and those he loved. You see, our visit had not been announced and as such was not well received! As you may already realize, there are no phones or other means of communication to advise such tribal villages of an upcoming visit or for that matter the purpose of such a visit as ours. Furthermore, there was no way to call home to say good-by to my wife and family, life has been good, I love you, and oh by the way I am about to be speared by an angry man and yes you won’t see or hear from me again, my life is over, no time to explain! Punto! Oh, yes, all I could envision was a Big Black Pot of Boiling Water at the end of the path waiting for this agile (Young Buck) hunter’s catch of the day. Who knows if they were cannibals or not? In my scheme of things to come, my life was over and if they could make a good soup out of their catch, so be it! Well, for some reason my colleagues were screaming in Spanish for him to stop as they tried to explain the purpose of our visit! Was I ever relieved when I found out he knew Spanish or at least knew enough to understand what we were saying! Fortunately, his village had been visited by missionaries who had taught him and several others in his tribe the Spanish language. I will never forget the relief on the Native’s face as he dropped his shield and spear; wiping the sweat from his brow while looking me directly in the eye; and saying, “Wow, I bet I was more scared than you were”! Oh, Boy! You know it! I didn’t hesitate in the least and said with greater fervor and emotion, “No sir, I know I was far more scared than you were or would ever be!” Just think of it. This young man had to have a lot of courage to face six of us on his own. As we were to later learn, he was the only male left in the village to protect all of the women and children. All of the rest of the men were out in the jungle hunting for food etc. to bring back to their families. Little did they expect outsiders paying them a visit and when this young man detected us coming their way for who knows what reason, he was willing to step up to the plate no matter how dangerous the situation. He faced his fears head on to protect the future of his village and those he loved. How many of us would have that kind of courage? Indeed I was impressed!