Tommy's Amazon Adventure

Tommy, fortunately, had saved his duffel bag when the train was wrecked and had clean clothes for himself. He also had

saved his camera; he had slung it around his neck on a strap. When he observed the correspondent taking pictures it

occurred to Tommy that he should also. They would be a lifelong reminder of this memorable trip. While Uncle Mike made

another helicopter flight to Manaus for supplies Tommy walked around the camp taking pictures of everything in sight. He

included some of the train in the water and the collapsed trestle.

One group of soldiers was examining the wreckage, trying to determine if it could be salvaged. The rain had stopped, at

least for a while, and the river was no longer a raging torrent. They lined themselves into the water and approached close to

the locomotive.

Uncle Mike returned early in the afternoon and informed Tommy his mission was completed. He and Tommy could leave

as soon as they got their gear together.

They took the tent down and rolled up the sleeping bags. Tommy made the rounds of all his new friends, shaking hands

with the men and hugging the women. He and Uncle Mike gathered their gear, waved goodbye, and crossed the ravine to

the waiting helicopter. Uncle Mike introduced the pilot as Dave.

As the helicopter rose above the clearing Tommy viewed the entire accident site from the air. As close as he had been

to the actual scene on the ground, it was nothing compared to how it looked from the air. Tommy uncased his camera and

took many more pictures while the helicopter circled to gain altitude.

This was Tommy’s first flight in a helicopter and he was enthralled. He had flown several times with his parents in a

commercial airplane, and also had flown to Manaus, but that was like sitting at home watching TV. This was different,

airplanes were so smooth you hardly knew you were moving. The helicopter was anything but smooth, it was constantly

buffeted by wind currents and when the rain began again it was even worse. For a while Tommy was sure he was going to

lose his breakfast, and all the other meals he had eaten recently. Then, things began to settle down as the craft reached its

cruising altitude at 3000 feet and Tommy was able to sit back and relax.

Views from the helicopter were limited by the heavy cloud cover but occasionally Tommy saw vast expanses of jungle

and a section of the Amazon. The river was very large and swollen from the rain. Several times Tommy saw huge logs and

islands of turf being swept along by the tumultuous flow.

As they were flying Uncle Mike asked Tommy about his trip, and about the crash.

“Well,” said Tommy, “Until the crash things were going real smooth, except for one thing. I forgot to bring any food on the

train with me; so I bought some tortillas from a man. They tasted good but then he gave me some green peppers. When I ate

one of them I thought my mouth was on fire. I rushed to the bathroom and drank gobs of water to put out the fire. Right after

that the train crashed and I was knocked out.” At this Uncle Mike raised his eyebrows.

“When I came to this man I bought the tortillas from was kneeling over me and I had a big bump on my head. Everything

looked like it had been turned upside down. Then I realized we had crashed. I never did hear how it happened or how many

people got hurt. Do you know?”

“Apparently the trestle collapsed just as the train started to cross,’ said Uncle Mike. “Whether it was the weight of the

locomotive or the force of the water that caused it is uncertain. Probably a combination of both. As far as anyone could

figure out at least four people were killed. The engineer and fireman were trapped in the locomotive, their bodies had not

been recovered when we left. Also, a young woman fell overboard and was swept away by the river.

“The only dead body recovered was that of a tiny baby who was killed in the crash. The baby was the daughter of the

woman who drowned. You probably saw the grandmother sitting and rocking the baby. She wouldn’t believe her

granddaughter was dead. What a tragedy, she lost both her daughter and granddaughter at the same time.”

As they were talking the helicopter continued on its journey to the plantation. The rain stopped in about two hours and the

sun came out. After about three hours in the air Uncle Mike pointed down toward the ground. When Tommy looked he saw

what appeared to be an endless strip of cleared, cultivated land bordering a small river.

“That’s my home,” said Uncle Mike, “all 4000 acres of it. It stretches along the Arabella River for almost six miles. It took

almost two years to clear the area and another year to get the crops started. Altogether now the company has more than six

years invested in the place. I haven’t been here that long, this is only my second year. I’m what’s called the overseer here,

what most people would call the manager. It’s my job to see that all the other jobs get done. Besides that, Dave and I fly to

Manaus about once a week for supplies. It won’t take you long to get to know the place.”

By the time Uncle Mike finished explaining all of this the helicopter had landed next to a small building where a jeep was

parked. Tommy could see a small airplane parked on the other side of the building.

They climbed into the jeep and drove to a complex of buildings a short distance from the airstrip. Uncle Mike led Tommy

to a small cottage and showed him the room he would use during his stay. There was one other bedroom, which Uncle Mike

used, also a modern bathroom, a living room, and a tiny kitchen. Uncle Mike was a bachelor and, except when he had

guests, lived alone in the cottage.

“We eat all meals in the dining hall,” said Uncle Mike. “Dinner in about a half hour, so why don’t you take a shower now,

then I will too. By then it will be time to eat.”

After his time in the jungle a shower was a special treat to Tommy. He scrubbed himself well, washed his hair and

brushed his teeth. He then had a few minutes while Uncle Mike showered to familiarize himself with his room.

The room was small. It consisted of a double bed, a chest of drawers, a night stand, two chairs and a wardrobe instead

of a closet. Also, Tommy noticed that lining one wall were several packing boxes being used as book shelves and that the

cases were filled with books. On closer examination he discovered some of his favorite books and authors in the case:

Robinson Crusoe, Swiss Family Robinson, several by Robert Louis Stevenson and one whole section of Hardy Boys. This

was seventh heaven for Tommy. He loved to read and realized that without TV, or movies, or sports to participate in, he

would probably do a lot of reading, especially if it rained a lot. When Uncle Mike finished his shower Tommy asked about the

books.

“I’ve been collecting since I was your age,” he replied. “They are one collection I won’t give up, so they go with me every

place I go. I guess I’m still a boy at heart. I probably enjoy reading boys’ adventure stories as much as you do.”

The dining hall was at one end of a log building fifty feet from Uncle Mike’s cottage. When they arrived about twenty

people were already eating, including the helicopter pilot. Uncle Mike introduced Tommy to the group by announcing, “This is

my nephew Tommy, he will be visiting for a few weeks. You’ll all get to meet him sooner or later.”

They sat at a long table at which four men were already seated. Three of the men were Indians, apparently from a

different tribe than the one Tommy had seen on the train as they were much taller and stockier. The fourth man was a blond

giant, perhaps the hugest man Tommy had ever seen. It was impossible to tell how tall he was in a sitting position but he was

at least a head taller than Uncle Mike, and Uncle Mike was over six feet tall. He also appeared to be as broad as he was tall.

Uncle Mike introduced him as, “Olaf, my assistant.”

“I heard you ver in da train crash,” said Olaf after the introduction. He spoke with a very strong accent. Tommy assumed

from his name that the accent was Swedish. “I vas in vun too, ven I vas young. Many people killed in da vun I vas in, a head-

on crash vid anudder train. Werry tragic,”

Uncle Mike was surprised to hear Olaf talking so much; most of the time he rarely said a word. Perhaps having a young

boy around had loosened his tongue.

“What do you do around here?” asked Tommy.

“I help your uncle. Ven he has too much to do, or ven he forgets something, dat’s ven I come in,” was the laughing reply.

“Do you fly the plane or helicopter?”

“Sometimes I fly in dem, if dey can get off the ground vid me on board.” With this, Olaf roared with laughter, as did others

at the table.

Tommy was happy to be in such pleasant surroundings. He knew he was going to enjoy his visit. He liked the giant, Olaf,

too. Also, the meal was very satisfying, plain but tasty, which was the way he liked it. Uncle Mike explained that they varied

the diet so they could provide what the Indians were used to as well as the non-Indians. He was sure Tommy would enjoy all

the food.

By the time the meal ended the sun was low in the sky. Tommy was amazed at how brightly it could shine here, when it

wasn’t raining that is. As before, as soon as the sun set it was almost instantly dark.

“We don’t have the brilliant sunsets here that you are accustomed to,” explained his uncle. The sunsets you see at home

are possible because of pollution in the air. Those impurities refract, or bend, the light rays and cause the frequent, beautiful

sunsets. Here there are few impurities in the air; therefore, no colorful sunsets.”

Tommy had never heard this explanation before and found it quite fascinating. Also fascinating was the bed he was

going to sleep in, a real bed, with a real mattress. Who could ask for anything more? As soon as his head hit the pillow he

was asleep. The next thing he knew it was morning and he heard his uncle stirring in the next bedroom.

That morning Tommy stayed with his uncle as he made a tour of the plantation. Uncle Mike had several days of catching

up to do because of his rescue mission at the time of the train wreck. The morning was spent driving around in the jeep,

talking to each of the foremen the fields, in the warehouse and in the shop where they maintained all the equipment.

As they drove around Uncle Mike explained, as simply as possible, how coffee was grown and the steps involved in its

preparation for market.

“First, the plants have to be at least four years old before they start producing ripe berries, so there’s a long term

investment before any profit is made. We’re lucky here that the plants produce year-round. There are always blossoms,

green berries and ripe berries on each tree. In some areas there is only one harvest a year, usually in the Fall.

“The fruit is picked by hand, very selectively. The berries must be completely ripe when they are picked. You’ll see some

of the workers with baskets on their shoulders, they are the pickers. When they fill a basket they attach a flag to it so that

collectors can pick it up as they make their rounds with a tractor and trailer.

“These collectors tote the baskets to what we call the warehouse but is actually a combination of mill and warehouse.

Here, the berries are washed in a sluice box which cleans them and separates the good berries from the bad ones. Next is

a pulping machine which separates the beans from the pulp. They are washed again and dried, then spread out to cure for

two weeks. The last step in the process we do here is passing the beans through a machine that removes the skin and

separates it from the bean. At the end of the process a large machine bags the beans in 140 pound sacks. From there they

are stacked on pallets ready for shipment.

“We don’t do any of the roasting here, that’s done by the distributor in the country where the distributor is located.

“The train you were on is very important to us. We have two box cars of beans waiting to be picked up and transported to

Manaus. Now, they will have to wait until the track is repaired. If it takes too long we’ll have to call in several large cargo

planes, and they cost too much.”

The first two foremen Tommy met were Indians who spoke only a few words of English. Uncle Mike introduced them as

Potah and Insul. Tommy shook hands with each and said, “Hi.” The third foreman was Dave, the pilot. He was in charge of

the maintenance shop and had two Indians working for him.

When Tommy and his uncle arrived at the shop all three men were on top of, or leaning into, a large tractor. Cowling and

parts from the tractor were spread out on a workbench nearby.

“The dang thing blew a head gasket while we were gone,” explained Dave. “My men weren’t sure what the problem was

so they let it go until I returned. We may have to order a few parts for it before we can put it back together. Fortunately, it’s

one piece of equipment we can get along without for a few days. Next time we go to Manaus we can pick up the parts.

Everything else is fine. Our next job is a tuneup on the chopper.”

For the last hour of the morning Tommy and his uncle drove through the fields so Uncle Mike could see how the crop was

doing. Tommy was surprised to see that the plants were as large as some tree. His uncle explained that they could grow to

25 or 30 feet but they were pruned constantly to a height of 6 to 8 feet. “Otherwise the pickers wouldn’t be able to reach the

berries.”

In the afternoon Uncle Mike had to work in his office, catching up on paper work that had accumulated during his

absence. Tommy was left to wander around on his own with the caution not to go near the river. “There are crocodiles there,”

said Uncle Mike.

Tommy decided to explore the area where the buildings were located. He was amazed to find a complete little village. In

addition to Uncle Mike’s cottage there were four other cottages and a dormitory to house the workers. The dorm and dining

room each occupied one half of a large building. At one end of the dining room was a small, well equipped kitchen. Another

small building had a supply room at one end and an infirmary at the other. A larger building was used as a workshop. The

“warehouse” was an even larger building. Next to the workshop was a large storage yard where all the machinery and

vehicles owned by the plantation were stored when not in use. The ware-house was close to the river in order to have a good

water supply to operate the sluice.

When Tommy walked into the kitchen he discovered that the cook was a short, bald black man named John. To

Tommy’s amusement John was a talker. He talked constantly about every subject one could think of: how he hated the rain,

his fear of the jungle, how he loved to cook, his nagging wife back in St. Louis, among other topics. When John stopped

talking for a moment to tend to something on the stove Tommy excused himself and left. Whew, he thought, what a

blabbermouth.

He next went back to the workshop to see what Dave was working on but found no one there. Maybe they went out to work

on the helicopter, he thought.

As Tommy wandered he saw a woman come out of Uncle Mike’s cabin. When he asked his uncle later who the woman

was he was told two couples lived in the end cottages. The wives were the only women in the compound; their job was to do

the day to day housework in the cottages and in the dormitory. The husbands worked in the fields along with the other

workers who lived in the dorm. One of the husbands was the field foreman Potah, who had been a chief of his village and

was well respected by all the workers. The warehouse foreman Insul, had a private room in the dorm, as befitting his rank.

The other two cottages were occupied by Olaf and Dave, who lived together, and John, who lived alone now that his wife was

back in St. Louis.

The days passed quickly for Tommy. Most days he went to one of the work areas, lending a hand where he felt he could

help. Some days he helped in the warehouse. He soon found that most of this was heavy work he wasn’t able to do.

When he wasn’t helping at one of the jobs he walked the fields or took short walks in the jungle surrounding the plantation

There were a few paths where some of the men hunted in their spare time. One day Tommy went with John, the cook, as

John hunted for wild pigs.

The jungle here was even more dense than in the area of the train crash. The heat also was more oppressive, one

aspect of jungle living Tommy didn’t like. He perspired constantly and had frequent problems with skin rashes and prickly

heat.

One morning, about two weeks after Tommy arrived at the plantation, Dave delivered a radio message to Uncle Mike.

An airplane had crashed in the jungle abot 100 miles from their location. All available aircraft were needed to help with the

search and rescue team. Uncle Mike asked Tommy if he wanted to go along.

“It may be a bit gory, especially if people have been killed or badly injured. Also, if I have to transport any injured, you may

have to stay at the site while that takes place.”

Tommy was glad Uncle Mike had asked him, he was ready for a change in the day to day routine he had been following.

“I’d love to go,” he replied. “Maybe I can do something to help.”

After loading emergency supplies in the helicopter they were airborne, flying in a northerly direction. Shortly after takeoff

they began following a back and forth pattern, flying ten minutes in one direction and then ten minutes in the opposite

direction.

“We’ve been assigned a section to patrol,” Uncle Mike explained. “Keep your eyes open for anything at all that looks

different down there, anything.”

They followed this pattern for two hours with no sign of anything out of the ordinary. Dave was constantly in touch by

radio with a coordinator who kept them informed of other craft involved in the search. So far, all the information had been

negative.

Without warning they suddenly found themselves in the middle of a torrential rainstorm. Dave immediately ascended to

get above the storm. He informed the coord-inator what he had done. This action suspended, at least temporarily, any

searching on their part.

“If this continues we’ll have to head back to camp,” said Dave. “We have about 90 minutes of fuel left.”

Thirty minutes later they decided to return to the plantation. Dave called the search coordinator and informed him of their

decision.

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