On 1 March 1914, the expedition was on their third day on the River of Doubt. Camping that night, Cherrie (the expedition's naturalist) had shot a woolly monkey. In their haste to prepare the meat, the men weren't very careful where they stepped, and a coral snake awaited. Of all the creatures in the Amazon Rainforest, the most reliably lethal are snakes. To be sure, they are hard to find, but as a result they strike from seemingly nowhere.
The most infamous of the poisonous snakes in the Amazon are the ringed coral snake and the pit viper (a relative of the North American rattlesnake). A coral snake isn't as aggressive, nor does it have the large fangs as a pit viper, but its venom is just as lethal, causing excruciating/irreversible paralysis leading to a total collapse of the respiratory system. The victim of a coral snake bite slowly, knowingly, suffocates to death. In 1914, those bitten by the coral snake were simply given up for dead.
A camarada finally noticed the agitated coral snake, and swung an ax to kill it, but TR was in the way of the ax. TR nimbly jumped up-and-out of the way, but landed on the body of the coral snake. The coral snake dug its fangs into TR's tough leather boot . . . a quarter-inch of leather spared TR from a horrible death.
The most infamous of the poisonous snakes in the Amazon are the ringed coral snake and the pit viper (a relative of the North American rattlesnake). A coral snake isn't as aggressive, nor does it have the large fangs as a pit viper, but its venom is just as lethal, causing excruciating/irreversible paralysis leading to a total collapse of the respiratory system. The victim of a coral snake bite slowly, knowingly, suffocates to death. In 1914, those bitten by the coral snake were simply given up for dead.
A camarada finally noticed the agitated coral snake, and swung an ax to kill it, but TR was in the way of the ax. TR nimbly jumped up-and-out of the way, but landed on the body of the coral snake. The coral snake dug its fangs into TR's tough leather boot . . . a quarter-inch of leather spared TR from a horrible death.
So far, even though the River of Doubt kept twisting and doubling-back, it had been as calm as a lowland stream. By the middle of 2 March 1914, the paddlers sensed that the current had started to quicken. Milky (murky) rivers such as the Amazon and the Madeira originate west from the Andes Mountains. But "black" rivers, such as the River of Doubt, come from the highlands in the north. The soils that these black rivers contain are nutrient-poor and don't contain decomposing organic material, which stains the river black like tea.
During the rainy season, the River of Doubt is nearly as black as the Rio Negro AND as murky as the Amazon. The River of Doubt mixes with blackwater and murky tributaries, which literally clouds the picture. An additional problem was that the River of Doubt flowed over various types of soil and rock formations which led to a perfect breeding ground for waterfalls/rapids. TR and the others heard the roar of waterfalls/rapids in the distance, a sound that would be the most alarming thing they would hear in the coming weeks.
During the rainy season, the River of Doubt is nearly as black as the Rio Negro AND as murky as the Amazon. The River of Doubt mixes with blackwater and murky tributaries, which literally clouds the picture. An additional problem was that the River of Doubt flowed over various types of soil and rock formations which led to a perfect breeding ground for waterfalls/rapids. TR and the others heard the roar of waterfalls/rapids in the distance, a sound that would be the most alarming thing they would hear in the coming weeks.
After dealing with a small series of rapids, the expedition turned in a bend on the river and saw a huge amount of white water, the guaranteed prelude to a series of major rapids. The expedition drove their dugouts to the banks of the river in order to figure out what to do next. TR, Rondon, Cherrie, Kermit, and a few others hacked their way through the vegetation along the river in order to see what was up ahead. The saw a series of rapids that went for nearly a mile, including two six foot waterfalls; the velocity of the rushing water was impressive-yet-depressing. Then, after the river split and went around an island, the river churned through a passage that was only about two yards wide. At that point, the river turned into a large water cannon; no dugout could ever fit through that opening.
A long portage would have to be made, and it lasted two-and-a-half days. Block and tackle allowed the camaradas to get the dugouts out of the river. A corduroy road had to be built from the trees for the dugouts to be moved overland. Hundreds of thick six foot long poles were created, placed at two yard intervals in order to act as rollers for the dugouts . . . the physical labor was beyond-arduous. Also, there simply wasn't any game, and the expedition had rolled snake-eyes fishing. But, there were plenty of insects to torment the men, and they became more bold and aggressive the deeper the men plunged into the rainforest. Virtually every animal hid from the men as they moved through, and the only wildlife the men would usually see were the dangerous/lethal ones.
A long portage would have to be made, and it lasted two-and-a-half days. Block and tackle allowed the camaradas to get the dugouts out of the river. A corduroy road had to be built from the trees for the dugouts to be moved overland. Hundreds of thick six foot long poles were created, placed at two yard intervals in order to act as rollers for the dugouts . . . the physical labor was beyond-arduous. Also, there simply wasn't any game, and the expedition had rolled snake-eyes fishing. But, there were plenty of insects to torment the men, and they became more bold and aggressive the deeper the men plunged into the rainforest. Virtually every animal hid from the men as they moved through, and the only wildlife the men would usually see were the dangerous/lethal ones.
TR and Kermit had expected to be able to hunt big game (as they did in Africa), but in the Amazon ecosystem, there simply wasn't any game for them to hunt on-or-near the river. This was in part due to the fact that South America was the last continent (not named Antarctica) to be populated by people. Thousands of years before, large animals were easy prey, and most were driven to extinction. Of the remaining mammals, the jaguar was the undisputed king. Earlier in the expedition, Cherrie heard horses scream, which was a very rare occurrence . . . a jaguar was nearby, stalking them. Thankfully, the jaguar was too wary and elusive to pose much of a threat to the expedition. Peccaries (wild pigs) were also dangerous, but scarce.
As Rondon well knew, the real threat was from insects, both physically and psychologically. Ants make up 10% of the biomass in the Amazon Rainforest, and the coordinated actions of colony/hive insects could be deadly. A single tree in the Amazon can be home to 40+ different species of ants. Virtually every growing thing teemed with insects; termites were especially active during the Rainy Season. "Fly Dope", the first insect repellant, helped quite a bit, but TR had only brought a small amount. All of the men on the expedition were clumsy, easy prey for countless animals/insects in the Amazon region.
As Rondon well knew, the real threat was from insects, both physically and psychologically. Ants make up 10% of the biomass in the Amazon Rainforest, and the coordinated actions of colony/hive insects could be deadly. A single tree in the Amazon can be home to 40+ different species of ants. Virtually every growing thing teemed with insects; termites were especially active during the Rainy Season. "Fly Dope", the first insect repellant, helped quite a bit, but TR had only brought a small amount. All of the men on the expedition were clumsy, easy prey for countless animals/insects in the Amazon region.
The long portage ended on 5 March 1914, and by early afternoon the expedition was back in their dugouts; TR had no idea of how much longer they would be on the River of Doubt (e.g. 100 kilometers? 800 kilometers?). On 6 March 1914, at 3 pm, the men again felt the current quicken and heard the ominous roar of rapids. Ahead were two waterfalls followed by very treacherous rapids, and another portage loomed. That portage took 3 full days to go 750 yards, and hauling the dugouts overland caused some damage to the boats, and the expedition was losing rations related to time.
During the portage, Kermit killed a large bird that resembled a turkey, and his companion had a large monkey, which was great news. Then Kermit delivered the bad news: there was another series of nasty waterfalls/rapids ahead of the already-scouted rapids. On 10 March 1914, the expedition relaunched their dugouts, and just a mile later, they reached the waterfalls/rapids described by Kermit. The idea of another nightmarish portage was rejected, so all agreed to go over the rapids in the dugouts. Camaradas were assigned to haul supplies on land so the dugouts were empty. The dugouts were paddled through by brave, intrepid men, and were undamaged; however, the smaller of the two balsas didn't make it through. After twelve days on the River of Doubt, the expedition had only traveled 75 miles downriver.
During the portage, Kermit killed a large bird that resembled a turkey, and his companion had a large monkey, which was great news. Then Kermit delivered the bad news: there was another series of nasty waterfalls/rapids ahead of the already-scouted rapids. On 10 March 1914, the expedition relaunched their dugouts, and just a mile later, they reached the waterfalls/rapids described by Kermit. The idea of another nightmarish portage was rejected, so all agreed to go over the rapids in the dugouts. Camaradas were assigned to haul supplies on land so the dugouts were empty. The dugouts were paddled through by brave, intrepid men, and were undamaged; however, the smaller of the two balsas didn't make it through. After twelve days on the River of Doubt, the expedition had only traveled 75 miles downriver.
Kermit thrived on the challenge of getting the dugouts through the rapids. Left on his own devices, he would often brood, but given a task, he shined. Overnight, after clearing the rapids, the river rose and had swept away two dugouts, and both were badly damaged after being smashed against sharp boulders. With only five dugouts, there was no way to carry both men and supplies . . . the men couldn't turn back, and they couldn't go forward.
Creating new dugouts would take time, time the expedition didn't have. It was quickly determined that the men would run out of food long before they finished their expedition. Also, the men knew they were being watched by unseen Indians. Rondon, after some discussion, decided that one dugout would be built to replace the two that were lost, so it had to be large. After measuring 26 feet from a suitable tree, the backbreaking work of hewing-out a log started, with only four days budgeted to finish the dugout. The camaradas worked around the clock under Rondon's direction. Only one camarada was worthless, lazy, and untrustworthy: Julio de Lima. If Rondon could have sent him back, he would have long ago done so.
Creating new dugouts would take time, time the expedition didn't have. It was quickly determined that the men would run out of food long before they finished their expedition. Also, the men knew they were being watched by unseen Indians. Rondon, after some discussion, decided that one dugout would be built to replace the two that were lost, so it had to be large. After measuring 26 feet from a suitable tree, the backbreaking work of hewing-out a log started, with only four days budgeted to finish the dugout. The camaradas worked around the clock under Rondon's direction. Only one camarada was worthless, lazy, and untrustworthy: Julio de Lima. If Rondon could have sent him back, he would have long ago done so.
While the dugout was being built, TR and Kermit did their best to find food in the rainforest. Kermit had some success, but TR came back empty-handed. The animals kept hiding in the dense rainforest, and the myopic TR didn't have a chance at spotting anything. TR's myopia had been a curse since childhood, and his glasses constantly fogged-over in the rainforest. And, when it rained, TR simply couldn't see much at all, yet he continued despite the significant handicap.
On 14 March 1914, the dugout was finished. It took all 22 men to drag the 26 foot dugout to the river. Once back in their dugouts, the further the men traveled down the river, the faster the current became, with shifting whirlpools trailing them like sharks. As a sign of their desperation, it had been decided that they would go through all the rapids they encountered; the threat of starving to death in the rainforest outweighed the dangers of the rapids. Also, to speed up the pace of the expedition, Rondon resorted to faster-but-less-accurate mapping techniques.
In just four hours, the men ran six rapids. TR's large dugout came close to being swamped after being sucked into a vortex (whirlpool) . . . it was a very close call, for both men and cargo. In half a day, they had traveled ten miles; little did they know that the next day would end in tragedy.
On 14 March 1914, the dugout was finished. It took all 22 men to drag the 26 foot dugout to the river. Once back in their dugouts, the further the men traveled down the river, the faster the current became, with shifting whirlpools trailing them like sharks. As a sign of their desperation, it had been decided that they would go through all the rapids they encountered; the threat of starving to death in the rainforest outweighed the dangers of the rapids. Also, to speed up the pace of the expedition, Rondon resorted to faster-but-less-accurate mapping techniques.
In just four hours, the men ran six rapids. TR's large dugout came close to being swamped after being sucked into a vortex (whirlpool) . . . it was a very close call, for both men and cargo. In half a day, they had traveled ten miles; little did they know that the next day would end in tragedy.
