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‘I don’t know, Marcus,’ I said. ‘I don’t know what Kevin has in mind.’

Later, when I told Kevin that Marcus wanted to join us, he objected vehemently.

‘He can’t come. He would ruin everything. There’s no getting around it, we’ll just have to tell him that we don’t want him along.’

‘We can’t do that. He gets his feelings hurt so easily. We’ll have to find some other way.’

Dissuading Marcus turned out to be rather simple. Marcus hadn’t given up on catching a fish. He sat on the bank of the Ipurama trying to hook a minnow. I went over to him.

‘You were right, Marcus,’ I told him, ‘Kevin really does intend to go on with the raft. It would be too big of a disappointment for him to just turn around and go back to La Paz. He told me just now.’

‘Does he intend to do it alone?’ Marcus asked, marvelling.

‘Yes,’ I answered, ‘and I think it’s crazy, a good way to get killed, but he’s just plain stubborn, and nothing will change his mind. If he tries to do it alone, he doesn’t stand a chance. He’ll never make it alive. So one of us has to go along to help him.’

‘Only one of us?’ Marcus asked. ‘Why not both of us?’

‘Well, I’d just as soon go back with Karl. I’ve had enough walking in the jungle and enough of this river. I’m ready to head back, but if I have

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