Chapter 4

Antonio stared at his father.

“What are we going to do?” he asked in a small voice.

Franco and Lilia stood beside him. All three looked scared.

“Is there anyplace we can get some gas?” Lilia wanted to know.

Rafael shook his head.

“Not here. This fork leads deep into the jungle. There won’t be anywhere to get gas,” he said.

“So, what can we do? We have no gas. And we’re on the wrong river,” said Franco.

“Stay calm, kids,” Rafael said. “We’ll ditch the boat. We’ll go to the shore. Then we’ll hike back to the Melo’s village. We should be able to make it in two days. Three at the most.”

“But, Dad! That means we’ll be in the jungle at night,” Lilia said. She was afraid.

“Don’t worry. We’ll find a safe place. And one of us will guard,” said Rafael.

Slowly, the Amazon Queen crossed the wide river.

Franco was standing just outside the control room. “Dad, we’re going faster!” he yelled.

Antonio shouted, “Franco’s right, Dad! Our speed is really picking up!”

“Look!” Franco pointed at white water. “We must be heading for a waterfall!”

“Antonio and Lilia, come inside!” Rafael shouted. “I’m going to hit the shore!”

Next, everyone got in the control room.

They were very close to the shore. Franco pointed. There was a patch of ground. He called out, “There!”

Rafael turned the wheel. He turned it as far as it would go. He shouted, “Hang on tight!”

The Amazon Queen tilted. It hit the shore with a thud.

Franco rushed off the boat. He ran to a nearby tree. He tied a heavy rope around it. The rope held the boat in place.

“Now let’s pack what we can carry. Just take key things—food, water, clothes, knives, rope. No junk,” Rafael said.

Later, the shore was covered. There were a lot of things. Rafael chose only the most needed items. Then they loaded them into bags.

“Okay,” Rafael said. “Let’s get a fire going. We need to eat. And get some sleep. Then we’ll be ready. We need to start early.”

It was night. The Silvas heard a terrible sound. The water carried the boat away! It made a lot of noise.

They blinked. And they stared into the darkness. The Amazon Queen disappeared.