How Teddy Roosevelt Slew the Last Mighty T-Rex by Mark Paul Jacobs Page B

sarcasm. “And yet something else lies ahead beyond the Wide Belts that is equally dangerous and yet may actually be more exciting to our esteemed naturalists, Mr. Cherrie and Mr. Roosevelt.” Martin turned once again to Chahknu, speaking a few sentences in the chieftain’s native language before turning back to the others. “I can very well explain everything that I know at this moment, but I thought the full effect of what I’m about to reveal would best be served coming from the mouth of a local inhabitant.”
    The Navaïté chieftain started the exchange with Paishon slowly. “The Wide Belts are a very strong tribe, and their warriors are fearless,” he said. “They have many rites-of-passage when their men become of age, like drinking hoasca made from the sap of cipó vine that will force you to listen to the voices of dead ancestors for many days, or withstanding the beatings of the tribe’s females using a whip made of thin tree branches. But to become a true leader amongst the Wide Belt warriors, you must pass a test called the Kariati . You must travel downriver several days accompanied by other experienced warriors and enter the land inhabited by the ferocious Arawuua . Once there, you must stalk and slaughter one of its kind and consume its flesh. Many warriors—young and old, strong and weak—are lost in this pursuit… many.”
    “What manner of beast is this Arawuua ?” George Cherrie asked.
    Chahknu motioned upward with his hand. “My ancestors told me they can grow three-warriors high and that they have large grinding teeth, but their bite must be avoided at all costs—even a small scratch from the Arawuua can result in a long drawn-out death where even the bravest afflicted will beg the elders to quickly end their suffering.”
    “Is it a serpent?” Cherrie asked.
    “Or perhaps some large species of caiman?” Roosevelt added.
    Lieutenant Martin laughed. Theodore Roosevelt was somewhat taken aback by Martin’s rudeness, yet almost everything the Englishman did was a tad off-putting.
    Paishon relayed the questions to Chahknu, and the chieftain shook his head. “No, the Arawuua is a creature like no other. My ancestors told me they were once plentiful but their numbers have slowly dwindled since ancient times, and now they live only within a small valley just beyond the Wide Belts and downriver. That is all I know.”
    And with a few utterances and a nod from Martin, Roosevelt watched the Navaïté chieftain and his assistant rise to their feet and quietly exit the camp like the rustling of fallen autumn leaves on a gentle breeze. Roosevelt immediately sensed the eyes in the surrounding forest slip away with them. A moment later, Roosevelt felt alone in the wilderness once again, and he sighed deeply.
    Martin said, “I assure you that a few of Chahknu’s warriors will shadow us until they are assured we are long gone.”
    Cherrie rubbed his chin. “A new, large species… How exciting!”
    “Yes, exciting is an understated word in this regard,” Martin replied matter-of-factly. “But ‘new’ is laughably inappropriate as you will soon find out.”
    “It sounds like you know more about these creatures than you have led us to believe?”
    “Indeed, Mr. Cherrie, indeed I do. But first I must explain a bit more about myself and my companion Julio before we continue onward.”
    Theodore surmised from the stern look on Colonel Rondon’s face that the Englishman had to do more than a bit of explaining before he got even close to being back in Rondon’s good graces.

CHAPTER 10
     
     
      “Several years ago,” Martin began, “I was assigned to Commander Fawcett’s expedition by Her Majesty the Queen to map the Rio Verde River which runs to the southwest of here along the Bolivian border. I was pleased with this assignment and proud to be a part of a mission led by a man of Fawcett’s stature, which appeared to be a good fit owing to my background as both a field anthropologist and