TWO PLANS 
diabolical river, in an almost uncontrollable canoe, with 
an insufficient and absolutely incapable crew. Then 
would come the crossing of the virgin forest on foot, for 
some hundreds of kilometres — nobody knew how many. 
The least number of men necessary in order to be able 
to carry provisions sufficient to execute either plan was 
thirty. I had only four, yet I started. The second plan 
was successfully carried out, but necessarily at the cost 
almost of all our lives, and with sufferings unimaginable. 
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