Free Medicine Cup by Bill Clem

were visible, although no inhabitants could be seen. They passed a narrow inlet where water entered from the nearby Caribes River, a small tributary of the larger Amazon. A small herd of deer waded through the water nibbling at green vines, oblivious to the noise from the trail.
    “There’s a small trading post a few hours away,” Drake said. “We should get there before dark.”
    “What are we shopping for?” Paul asked.
    “A small boat to rent. The only way we can get to the Yohagi is by boat. Twenty miles up river. We can camp at the trading post tonight and head up the river in the morning.”
    *   *   *
    An hour later, they were trudging across a marsh a couple hundred yards wide. Drake stopped and checked his compass. Paul came up next to him.
    “What’s with all the marshland? I thought this place was mostly dry.”
    “They have a rainy season and a dry season. After the rainy season, it leaves the open land flooded like this. It’s a bonanza for the wildlife here. They have more species of animals here than any place on earth. Tapers, deer, panthers, snakes, gators, you name it.”
    “That’s comforting, maybe we better keep moving.”
    Jennie smiled. “What’s wrong, Paul, aren’t you a crocodile hunter?”
    “See that lump in the water there?” Drake said. “That’s an anaconda. A big one, too. I’d say about thirty feet.”
    Paul swallowed hard. “Let’s go, please. I’m nervous enough.”
    In another hour, they arrived at a clearing where cocoa was being grown. A crude wooden building stood in the center, with pale smoke billowing from a chimney and laundry on a line, flapping in the gentle breeze. But no one seemed to be around.
    “This is it,” Drake said.
    “Where is everyone?” Paul asked.
    “Wait here,” Drake said.
    A few minutes later, Drake came out of the building with a small dark-skinned man wearing a Motley Crew t-shirt and cut off jeans. Drake motioned for Paul and Jennie to come up to the porch.
    “This is Remi,” Drake said. “He has a boat we can use. It’ll cost two hundred dollars, plus an extra hundred deposit, in case we don’t bring it back.”
    Paul looked at Jennie. “I’ve got a hundred and fifty.”
    “I’ve got the rest,” Jennie said. “Where’s the boat, Findley?”
    “He says it’s up river about a half mile. He’ll take us there.”
    “Has he heard of the Yohagi?” Paul asked.
    “Yes, unfortunately he has. They ate his brother .”

Chapter Thirty-Five
    T he small boat was tied to the base of a rubber tree next to the river. Remi wished them good luck, turned and trotted back up river toward the trading post.
    The first signs of dusk descended on them. Paul Grant peered up into the leafy canopy of trees and wondered what kind of aberrations would burst forth from the pitch-blackness that was sure to arrive soon. They sat near the riverbank and ate. Dinner was canned beef stew and crackers and they all chewed slowly, not sure when they might eat again.
    “Tell me, Findley,” Paul said, “when the natives eat someone, do they prepare them like this beef stew here, or do they just eat them raw?”
    Jennie rolled her eyes. “Paul, really .”
    Drake finished chewing and took a long drink from his canteen. “No, actually they like to slow roast their meat over a spit. Just like the old Tarzan movies.”
    Paul set his food down and heaved a sigh. “Do we actually know where we are? Or are we lost?”
    “I know exactly where we are,” Drake said.
    “Where?”
    “We’re in Paratuba. This river empties right into the mouth of the Amazon. Then it’s ten miles down river to where the Yohagi have their village.”
    Paul heard a rustling coming from a weedy marsh along the bank of a converging stream.
    “What the hell was that?” he asked.
    “Probably a leopard. They start hunting around dusk.”
    “And you’re not worried?’
    “They won’t bother us. Unless, of course, you interrupt them while they’re feeding.”
    Paul