187 Trouble in paradise 



Back aboard the launch we set off on a hot and frustrating 

 afternoon of aimless wandering. The tide was running out, and 

 the farther upstream we pushed the less water we had under our 

 keel. We wandered into the Rio Jucaro, but were soon aground. 

 The two youngsters pulled off their clothes and hopped naked into 

 the mud, waist-deep. To lighten the load, Arturo and I clambered 

 aboard the piragua and paddled about, searching for a channel. 

 Old Julio was now overboard too, heaving and sweating. Late in 

 the day we reached a great open place in the river, with high cut- 

 banks to one side. The ground above the banks looked firm and 

 dry, and it was proposed that we camp there for the night. All 

 hands were more than agreeable, so we ran the launch ashore and 

 carried our cooking gear to the top of the bank. 



The place was known as "the Canes" (Las Canas), and had for 

 some time past been used as a pit by charcoal burners. There was 

 also an old, long-abandoned cane patch, but the site was domi- 

 nated by a great blackened area where many tons of charcoal had 

 been burned. Julio had a fire going at once, right in the middle 

 of the pit, where there was a plentiful supply of first-rate fuel, 

 and Rafael set to work preparing an excellent supper of fish and 

 rice, boiled together in a big iron pot, with chopped onions and 

 green peppers that I had brought from town thrown in. As we 

 were sitting down on the blackened ground to eat, it started to 

 rain. 



There were no tents, tarpaulins, or blankets, and none of us 

 had even so much as a jacket with us. For more than an hour it 

 blew and rained very hard, a regular sea squall, and we could 

 only huddle by the remains of the fire and wait it out. When the 

 sky cleared it was quite dark, and the rising wind was cold. Julio, 

 a sorry sight like the rest of us, built up the fire, and shortly, with 

 the wind to help, had a nice glowing bed of charcoal. I reminded 

 Arturo that Julio had told us to bring no equipment with us, that 

 everything would be provided. Arturo looked sheepish and said, 

 "Our idea of equipment and Julio's mus' be two deefferent 

 theengs." I agreed. 



The night was very cold. We lay down on the damp charcoal, 

 as close to the fire as we could crowd, and dozed off and on until 



