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scattered about. The water was placid, and I decided that this couldn't be the pass after all.

‘The sight of all those logs made me think about putting a raft together. I set about that task quickly and just as swiftly gave up on it. The logs were so big and heavy that I couldn't budge them. Some of them were stuck deep in the sand, and others were rotten. Only one big, sturdy one was of any use. I dragged it into the water and straddled it with both legs.

‘The current carried me downriver. Once, the river broadened and became so shallow that my feet stubbed against the rocks on the bottom, and another time I was washed up against a rock and took a good hard knock. Another time I got caught in a whirlpool, but finally the log got free, taking me with it.

‘I floated on with the log, and after a few hours I saw a shore with two thatched huts on it. I started calling out, “Yossi! Yossi! Yossi!” but there wasn't any answer. The place looked deserted, and I knew that it must be Curiplaya, and that the village of San José must be only thirty miles farther on. I didn't expect to find you on my way; I thought that you must already be there.

‘The river grew quite calm. I drifted along. I may even have dozed. I dipped my face in the water, struggling to stay awake. Then suddenly I noticed two men walking through a stream that fed into the right bank of the river. I called out frantically, “¡Ayuda! Ayuda (help)! I can't walk.