We followed the curve, trotting in a tight group. Our mud-covered shoes thudded on the hard ground.
We made the turn and came out in a wide clearing of tall grass and swaying reeds. The river split in two here. Two narrow channels of water ran through the tall grass.
“Where are we?” Erin moaned. “You said—”
“I was wrong,” I said softly.
“Does the river end here? How come it gets so tiny?” David asked.
“This doesn’t look right at all. We’ve never been here before,” Charlotte said.
“So where should we go? What should we do?” Erin cried, her voice shrill with panic.
I dropped wearily onto the grass and crossed my legs in front of me. Then I rested my head on my hands. “We’re lost,” I said. “We’re totally lost.”
17
Should we keep walking? Or should we wait here to be rescued?
We talked and argued and finally decided not to move.
“Ramos will be searching up and down the river for us,” Marty said. “He’ll probably find us before dark.”
I wasn’t so sure Ramos was still nearby. I guessed he had taken the supply canoe back to camp to tell everyone what had happened. And to gather a rescue party.
If I was right, he wouldn’t be back for at least another day.
Luckily, the low clouds rolled away, and it didn’t rain. When night fell, we gathered firewood and built a campfire. I lit it with my plastic lighter.
My stomach kept growling. We were all hungry. But we couldn’t figure out a way to get food.
David and Marty tried fishing in the river. Theydidn’t have strings or hooks or anything. They planned to grab the fish in their hands.
But the river was so dark and muddy at this point, they couldn’t see any fish. After half an hour or so, they trudged back to shore, wet, cold, and unhappy.
As the night grew cooler, we huddled around the campfire. We tried singing songs for a while to take our minds off how hungry we were. And then David suggested we take turns telling jokes.
But no one felt much like laughing.
Before we went to sleep, we piled sticks and logs on the fire and hoped it would keep burning and keep us warm all night.
I folded myself into a tight ball on the ground. Staring at the tall, dancing flames, feeling the fire’s warmth, I quickly fell asleep.
I was awakened sometime later by the soft thud thud of drums.
I pulled myself up slowly. My body ached from lying on the hard ground. My left hand had fallen asleep. The fire still burned, but the flames were low and purple.
I listened….
Yes. The soft, steady beat of Indian drums.
Trying to shake the pinpricks from my left hand, I sat up and gazed around the fire. Did anyone else hear the drums?
David and Marty were sound asleep, curled on their sides close to the fire. But I could see that thetwo girls were awake.
I crawled over to them. “Do you hear them?” I whispered. “The drums?”
They both nodded.
I let out a sigh. I’m not going crazy, I thought. The girls hear them, too.
Erin shivered. “Where is it coming from?”
Charlotte tilted her head, listening hard. “It seems to be coming from all around us.”
“But there are no Indians in these woods,” Erin insisted. “Who would be playing Indian drums?”
Thud…thud…thud…thud…
My heart pounded with each drumbeat. I turned and saw that David and Marty were still asleep.
And behind them…something caught my eye behind them in the woods. A flicker of orange light.
“What’s that?” I asked Erin and Charlotte, pointing.
The light glowed dimly through the dark trees. “Is it a fire?” Charlotte asked. “It’s very far away.”
“Yes. Maybe it’s a campfire,” Erin said, squinting hard. “Maybe someone else is in the woods. Someone who can help us.”
I stared at the flickering dot of light. “It could be Ramos,” I said. “He might still be here, searching for us.”
Charlotte climbed to her feet. She brushed herself off quickly. “We have to go see.”
Thud…thud…thud…
The steady
We made the turn and came out in a wide clearing of tall grass and swaying reeds. The river split in two here. Two narrow channels of water ran through the tall grass.
“Where are we?” Erin moaned. “You said—”
“I was wrong,” I said softly.
“Does the river end here? How come it gets so tiny?” David asked.
“This doesn’t look right at all. We’ve never been here before,” Charlotte said.
“So where should we go? What should we do?” Erin cried, her voice shrill with panic.
I dropped wearily onto the grass and crossed my legs in front of me. Then I rested my head on my hands. “We’re lost,” I said. “We’re totally lost.”
17
Should we keep walking? Or should we wait here to be rescued?
We talked and argued and finally decided not to move.
“Ramos will be searching up and down the river for us,” Marty said. “He’ll probably find us before dark.”
I wasn’t so sure Ramos was still nearby. I guessed he had taken the supply canoe back to camp to tell everyone what had happened. And to gather a rescue party.
If I was right, he wouldn’t be back for at least another day.
Luckily, the low clouds rolled away, and it didn’t rain. When night fell, we gathered firewood and built a campfire. I lit it with my plastic lighter.
My stomach kept growling. We were all hungry. But we couldn’t figure out a way to get food.
David and Marty tried fishing in the river. Theydidn’t have strings or hooks or anything. They planned to grab the fish in their hands.
But the river was so dark and muddy at this point, they couldn’t see any fish. After half an hour or so, they trudged back to shore, wet, cold, and unhappy.
As the night grew cooler, we huddled around the campfire. We tried singing songs for a while to take our minds off how hungry we were. And then David suggested we take turns telling jokes.
But no one felt much like laughing.
Before we went to sleep, we piled sticks and logs on the fire and hoped it would keep burning and keep us warm all night.
I folded myself into a tight ball on the ground. Staring at the tall, dancing flames, feeling the fire’s warmth, I quickly fell asleep.
I was awakened sometime later by the soft thud thud of drums.
I pulled myself up slowly. My body ached from lying on the hard ground. My left hand had fallen asleep. The fire still burned, but the flames were low and purple.
I listened….
Yes. The soft, steady beat of Indian drums.
Trying to shake the pinpricks from my left hand, I sat up and gazed around the fire. Did anyone else hear the drums?
David and Marty were sound asleep, curled on their sides close to the fire. But I could see that thetwo girls were awake.
I crawled over to them. “Do you hear them?” I whispered. “The drums?”
They both nodded.
I let out a sigh. I’m not going crazy, I thought. The girls hear them, too.
Erin shivered. “Where is it coming from?”
Charlotte tilted her head, listening hard. “It seems to be coming from all around us.”
“But there are no Indians in these woods,” Erin insisted. “Who would be playing Indian drums?”
Thud…thud…thud…thud…
My heart pounded with each drumbeat. I turned and saw that David and Marty were still asleep.
And behind them…something caught my eye behind them in the woods. A flicker of orange light.
“What’s that?” I asked Erin and Charlotte, pointing.
The light glowed dimly through the dark trees. “Is it a fire?” Charlotte asked. “It’s very far away.”
“Yes. Maybe it’s a campfire,” Erin said, squinting hard. “Maybe someone else is in the woods. Someone who can help us.”
I stared at the flickering dot of light. “It could be Ramos,” I said. “He might still be here, searching for us.”
Charlotte climbed to her feet. She brushed herself off quickly. “We have to go see.”
Thud…thud…thud…
The steady
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