Tommy's Amazon Adventure

Tommy, 12, was amazed at how different everything was in the jungle from what it was back home in Michigan. When he

left his family yesterday it was a bright, sunny day. A light breeze was blowing, creating a gentle flutter among the leaves on

the elm trees in his back yard. Now, in Brazil, the air was heavy with moisture and the 105 degree temperature made his

shirt stick to his back.

No one else in his family had shown the slightest interest in making the trip with him. Jerry, who was 15, said Tommy was

being stupid. Why leave a beautiful, safe place to travel in a jungle full of snakes and other wild creatures? Nosirree, Jerry

wanted to be home where he could play baseball and go fishing with his friends.

Margie, Tommy’s younger sister, said the same thing. She loved the swimming pool in their back yard. That was where

she wanted to spend the summer.

Today Tommy was in South America, traveling in an ancient steam-driven train deep in the heart of the Andes. His Uncle

Mike had invited him to spend most of his summer at a coffee plantation miles from civilization up the Amazon River. After

flying from Chicago to Manaus, Brazil Tommy could have flown all the way to an airstrip at the plantation. But he had

convinced his uncle that it would be more fun to take this rickety old train, so here he was, by himself, on a three day journey

up the river.

The jungle all around was thick and lush. Green foliage grew right to the edge of the track, cutting off all vision except

along the track itself. Occasionally Tommy got a brief glimpse of the Amazon as the train crossed a trestle close to the

verdant bank. At this point the river was about a mile wide and made up of many channels. Floating logs and other

vegetation made navigation difficult. This made Tommy glad he had chosen the train instead of one of the many steamers

that plied the river for much of its length.

Once or twice an opening in the trees showed him a dull, gray sky. It wasn’t raining at present but soon would be. Also,

the heat was oppressive. Tommy’s t-shirt and jeans were soaked with perspiration, they clung to him and stuck to the old,

faded leatherette cushions. An old woman sitting across from him had three chickens in a cage tied to her seat. Elsewhere,

in the coach other animals: pigs and dogs and goats and even a small monkey, squealed and grunted as the train rocked

dangerously back and forth on the sinuous track it followed. Even with no glass where the windows were supposed to be the

animal smells were strong. If there had been glass in the windows the odors would have been suffocating and perhaps

nauseating.

Tommy hadn’t eaten anything since 6 that morning in Manaus. It was now after 2 o’clock and he was hungry. There was

no dining car and it hadn’t occurred to Tommy to bring food with him. The train’s next stop was late tomorrow morning and

wouldn’t arrive at the station near Uncle Mike’s plantation until the day after tomorrow. He would need to eat before then.

Looking around Tommy noticed other passengers on the train, who appeared to be local Indians, had brought food with

them. Would one of them sell him something?

With that in mind Tommy got two dollars out of his wallet and approached a man sitting on the other side of the coach.

Holding the money in front of him he gestured with his hand toward his mouth and then toward a package of tortillas lying on

the bench next to the man. The man shrugged his shoulders indicating he didn’t understand what Tommy wanted. Tommy

repeated the gesture then reached down and exchanged the money for the food. At this the man showed he understood and

nodded his head to let Tommy know it was okay.

The tortillas were tasty but very dry and difficult to swallow. As he was eating one the man walked over and handed him a

newspaper wrapped package of small green peppers. Tommy thanked him, using one of the few Spanish words he knew,

“Gracias,” not knowing what language the man spoke. He then popped one of the peppers in his mouth and began to chew

on it.

In only a few seconds Tommy’s mouth was on fire and his eyes filled with tears. He realized then he had been given

some hot chili peppers. Tommy looked around desperately for something to drink to cool off his burning palate but nothing

was in sight. Then he remembered that the small bathroom at the end of the coach had running water. He rushed there and

drank and drank until his mouth felt normal again. He followed this by washing his face and running his fingers through his

long, blond hair. Whatever hunger he had felt had abated.

When Tommy returned to his seat the weather was worse. He looked out his window and could see nothing but sheets of

water. It was raining so hard nothing else was visible. He wondered if it rained like this all the time along the Amazon; if it did

it would make his visit with Uncle Mike less enjoyable. Tommy liked to be outdoors and rain such as this certainly did not

encourage outdoor activity.

He put those negative thoughts aside and began concentrating more on the train he was on and the people he was

traveling with. Tommy often tried to guess what his traveling companions were like and how they lived. In this situation he

would have no way of knowing what life was like for his fellow passengers. Their life style was so different from his and

beyond his imagination.

As he was trying to visualize what life was like for these people he heard a loud screeching sound from the front of the

train. Tommy was flung forcibly against the seat in front of him. His head was in a whirl. He experienced a sudden flash of

light in his head along with a feeling of upheaval and then passed out.

He awoke to a strange notion that everything was upside down. The man who had sold him the tortillas was bending over

him pressing a damp cloth to his head. When Tommy glanced around he noticed that the train was stopped and from where

he was lying he could see the train’s windows. Only then did he realize that the train had crashed and everything thrown

topsy-turvy. He also realized there was a large lump on his head and the beginnings of a headache to go with it. Somewhere

a baby was crying; elsewhere, bodies were lying in various positions as if they had been scattered by the wind. An old

woman sitting near Tommy was cradling an infant in her arms and croon-ing softly as she rocked back and forth.

As Tommy was observing all this the conductor staggered into the coach through the now horizontal doorway. His

uniform was awry and he was wiping at a large cut on his forehead. At the same time he was shouting at the passengers in a

language Tommy didn’t understand.

Some of the passengers responded immediately to the conductor’s haranguing. They gathered their belongings and

slowly worked their way to the door. The man who was tending Tommy motioned for Tommy to do the same. From this

Tommy assumed they were being ordered to leave the train as there was some danger in staying on board.

Tommy grasped his duffel bag and made his way forward in the coach. When he reached the doorway he noticed that the

train was on its side and that the engine and one of the coaches were in the river, partly submerged. Also visible a short

distance ahead was what remained of a wooden trestle. Apparently, the pelting rain had weakened the trestle causing it to

collapse when the train tried to cross it. Quickly, Tommy jumped from the coach door and scrambled up the banking to a

sheltered place under a large, broad-leafed tree.

As he watched, the coach shifted slightly and slid a foot or two toward the river. There were terrified screams from

people still in the coach, followed by their sudden exodus. Three of the group brought with them two goats, a dog, and the

cage of chickens. As the last of these people made their exit the coach gave another lurch and then, slowly and gracefully,

slid all the way down the steep bank and into the river. Tommy and the others stood there horrified as they watched the two

coaches sink further until only a foot or two was visible above the water.

Tommy’s first reaction was to rush to the train to see if anyone was trapped inside. When he moved to do this he was

instantly seized by the man who had helped him. This man shook his head and pointed to the foaming torrent of water that

raged between the shore and the train. Any attempt to enter this cauldron would have been suicidal.

Something had to be done. If there were any survivors they would drown or be washed away. Tommy saw several fallen

tree trunks near the edge of the forest; if they were long enough they could be used to make a bridge between the river bank

and the train. He pointed to these fallen logs and then to the train, hoping to communicate what he thought could be done.

He then ran to one of the logs and tried to lift it, only to find he didn’t have the strength. By this time several men had been

alerted to the situation and came to help.

With much exertion the men moved a dozen of the logs to a location from which a bridge could be attempted. The next

step was to devise a plan to get the logs across the span. After considerable chatter, none of which Tommy understood, one

of the men got the idea to stand a log upright and topple it over onto the train. A few of the stronger men lifted one of the logs

and then let it drop in the direction of the train. On their first two attempts the logs slipped and fell into the river. On the third

attempt they succeeded in getting the log to bridge the gap. After six more tries two more were in place. These were bound

together with a long, vine-like material from the forest. Tommy then insisted he would crawl over to the train and bind the logs

at the other end.

Two of the men walked across to the train and peered into the windows looking for survivors. They had to crawl on their

hands and knees, holding on to a molding above the windows so they wouldn’t slide off and be swept away. Tommy,

beginning now to feel the effects of the bump to his head, crawled back across the logs to shore, where he joined the other

survivors. The men inspecting the train returned shortly; from what Tommy could understand no other survivors were found.

On shore, people began to take stock of their situation. Some tended to the injured. One woman grasped Tommy by the

hand and sat him down under a large tree where other injured passengers were being helped. Tommy could see others

more seriously injured than he, including one man whose leg was broken. Two men were tending to this man, fastening

bamboo splints to his leg with vines. The conductor had a large bandage on his forehead and his right arm in a sling. In spite

of this he still insisted on trying to be a leader to his “charges.” The old woman still sat rocking the baby, tears streaming

down her face, but the baby appeared to be lifeless.

The woman tending Tommy gave him a cloth which had been soaked in mud and motioned for him to hold it to his head.

Amazingly, it had a cooling effect and he soon felt some of the pain leave. Others, with minor scrapes and bruises, were

using a similar type bandage on their wounds. Tommy remembered a word that his grandmother had used was “poultice.”

The headache which had begun when Tommy first regained consciousness was now like a hammer beating against his

skull. He felt lightheaded and dizzy, as he had a year ago when he fell off his bike and bumped his head on a curbstone.

The doctor at that time told his mother Tommy had a mild concussion. Nothing serious, bed rest would take care of it.

Several of the uninjured men were digging holes in the ground, using large branches as their shovels. As there were

many tree roots digging was difficult. In no time these holes filled with brown, muddy water that flooded in from the

surrounding area. When the mud settled two women began scooping this water into large clay pots salvaged from the train,

using large fern leaves as their scoops.

It was still raining hard but the trees overhead were so thickly matted they provided more than adequate cover for those

underneath. Other workers, gathering wood and collecting water, had to work out in the rain and were soon soaked from

head to toe. They continued working and paid little attention to their discomfort.

Tommy was amazed at how quickly these people adjusted to their misfortune and took immediate steps to start

providing the necessities of life. A few men went into the forest and soon returned with two large javelinas, carrying them

suspended from a long pole. Others collected coconuts and used machetes to cut them in half, or in some cases poked a

hole in them to salvage the milk. They knew automatically which ones contained drinkable milk and which ones did not. Still

others collected bananas and other wild plants.

In the meantime, several men gathered wood and tried to start a fire. One of them even had a cigarette lighter. The

wood was so wet it took a great deal of patience before they got it to burn. Once started, it burned readily, giving off dense

white smoke. Tommy hoped the smoke would draw attention to their plight, but with weather conditions as they were and the

dense foliage overhead he doubted the smoke could be seen any distance away from the clearing.

Two men walked to the river’s edge and stared at the locomotive, lying on its side 20 feet from shore. They shook their

heads in disappointment. There was no way they could breach the gap between the shore and the engine without subjecting

themselves to mortal danger. One of the men noticed Tommy watching and made a motion with his hand to his ear to

indicate there was a phone or radio in the locomotive, if they could reach it. They shrugged and walked away.

The chickens which had been rescued were suspended, still in their cage, from a high branch on one of the trees.

Tommy assumed this was to protect them from wild animals. The two goats were tethered to a stake in the center of the

activity. What would protect them from animals Tommy didn’t know. The dog was allowed to roam freely until it stole

someone’s food, then it too was tied up. Apparently, food and drink would be no problem. Tommy’s only concern, besides

getting rid of the bump on his head and the other effects of the concussion, was how long it would take for someone to come

looking for them. Surely the next station on the railroad line would soon realize they were over-due and initiate a search.

With this comforting thought Tommy decided his only problem would be communicating with the others sharing his temporary

misfortune. Hopefully, sign language would take care of that.

In late afternoon the rain stopped, but only for a few hours and then resumed at an even more torrential rate. For the next

three days the group continued in this way. The men hunted and gathered wood. The women collected plants to use in their

cooking and scooped water into the pots. Tommy helped wherever he could and soon was able, in a primitive way, to

communicate with the others. He soon discovered that if he kept busy his aches and pains seemed less. After the second

day he had no more dizzy spells.

The days were pleasant enough, even getting wet when he had to go out in the rain for a chore didn’t bother him. The

nights were a different story. There was no place to lie down. The ground away from the trees was too wet for comfort, and

near the trees there were too many surface roots to leave enough space for Tommy to stretch out. As a result he spent the

nights leaning against a tree.

Also, as soon as the sun went down it was instantly dark and the temperature plum-meted. From dusk until first light in

the morning the jungle came to life with a clamor of sound Tommy never dreamed possible. Some noises were identifiable

as monkey sounds, including a screech that Tommy later was able to identify as a howler monkey. Other sounds were birds

or frogs, much louder than the frogs at home. Once there was a shrill, blood-curdling scream that Tommy was told was “El

Tigre,” a panther. The nights were frightening and uncomfortable, and almost sleepless.

Two men left on the first day to find their way to the nearest village. It would take them at least two days to hack their way

through the jungle. Two others crossed the ravine where the trestle had fallen, picking their way carefully across the swollen

feeder stream in the ravine. It would take them about two days to reach the next railroad station.

On the fourth day they heard the sounds of a helicopter above the trees but were not able to see it. They hurriedly piled

wet wood on the fire in hopes that the smoke would penetrate the dense foliage enough for the pilot to see it. This must have

worked as a short time later the helicopter landed in a clearing across the ravine. Everyone gathered at the edge and

cheered loudly when a member of the helicopter party waved to them. To Tommy’s surprise it was his Uncle Mike.

“Tommy,” called his uncle. “How are you?”

“I’m okay Uncle Mike,” Tommy replied. “I’m sure glad to see you.”

The group from the helicopter worked its way across the ravine to Tommy’s side where his uncle gave him a hug and

then began conversing with one of the Indian men in his own language. After several minutes Uncle Mike turned back to

Tommy.

“We’ve been discussing the rescue situation,” said Uncle Mike. An army platoon is on its way by train with medicine and

supplies and should be here soon. In the mean- time, while the weather holds up, I’ve been asked to transport the seriously

injured to Manaus. I’ll have to leave you here with the rest until all that is taken care of.”

“That’s okay,” said Tommy. “Let me know what I can do to help.” When this conversation ended Tommy’s uncle turned

back to the same Indian man, who apparently was one of their leaders.

Stretchers fashioned from vines and bamboo were used to carry the injured and other needy members of the party

across the ravine to the helicopter, four men carrying each stretcher. This was a difficult process. They carefully negotiated

the ravine, taking a long roundabout route so they could cross with the least discomfort to those on the stretchers. This

procedure took more than two hours.

Tommy helped gather materials for the stretchers and to assemble them while others gathered the injured members’

belongings and carried them across to the helicopter.

About three that afternoon the train carrying the army contingent pulled up near the clearing and began to unload

supplies. They moved with the efficiency of a well-trained unit. In no time a tent was set up and a hot meal prepared.

Members of Tommy’s group anxiously lined up for their first real meal in several days.

The helicopter returned shortly before dusk carrying more medical supplies and a high ranking army officer to supervise

the rescue team. Tommy was surprised to see another man get down from the helicopter carrying a large video camera.

Uncle Mike introduced him to Tommy as a correspondent for a major news network from the States. The crash apparently,

had created worldwide interest.

That night was much more comfortable for Tommy than any of the nights since the crash. Uncle Mike set up a small tent

for him and Tommy to sleep in. He also provided light weight sleeping bags which they used as mattresses, sleeping on top

of them rather then inside. Tommy slept a dreamless, undisturbed night. Not even the clamorous night sounds of the jungle

disturbed his deep sleep. He awoke refreshed.

The next morning was busy. The army unit organized its camp duties. They cooked another filling meal and took over the

wood gathering and fire tending. For water, a generator was set up with a pump near the river. The water was pumped

through a huge filtration system into large tanks.

One platoon tended to the individual needs of the train party still in camp. Some of them, Tommy included, needed clean

dressings on the minor wounds they had sustained. Others had lost all their personal belongings and had only the clothes on

their backs. The soldiers remedied this problem by handing out surplus army clothes.

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