Pauhacutec grinned broadly, he had wanted a chance for a little payback after the humiliating incident at the canyon and now he was going to get the chance. Plus killing this strange yellow hair in front of everyone would add to his “reputation” around the village.
He grabbed his spear and an extra one. He shoved the extra spear at Dr. Anderson and then walked back a few paces. They stood facing each other about fifty feet apart with the villagers in a circle around them another ten feet further back.
Dr. Anderson looked at the spear in his hands. It was about six foot long with a big razor-sharp head on it. It was designed for stabbing and thrusting and Dr. Anderson wasn’t sure how he was going to fight this man with such a weapon. But he had little choice.
The Chief barked out something and Pauhacutec assumed his fighting stance and began slowly moving around Dr. Anderson in a circle. Dr. Anderson moved with him, each man making false charges and thrusting his spear at the other. Both men were looking for an opening and building up their fighting nerves.
Pauhacutec was fairly confident that he could take this strange yellow haired man–he was a brave and well known warrior and one of the best fighters in the village. He had won many battles with other tribes and had captured and killed several enemy warriors. Dr. Anderson appeared weak and scared (which he undoubtedly was) and Pauhacutec looked for an easy victory.
Suddenly, he let out a mighty war cry and charged Dr. Anderson with his spear raised high. Pauhacutec ran full speed at the white man and Dr. Anderson stood awaiting the spear and certain death. But at the very last minute, Dr. Anderson thrust the spear point into the ground and ducked out of the way, holding the shaft of the spear in his hand.
Pauhacutec missed with his spear and his charge was halted when he tripped over Dr. Anderson’s canted spear shaft. Pauhacutec tumbled onto the ground, but rolled back up to his feet. He grabbed his spear again and looked at Dr. Anderson with sheer hatred in his eyes now.
This yellow hair was making a fool of him and he was going to kill the man! He charged again, screaming wildly as he rushed him, spear in hand. This time Dr. Anderson swung his spear low and caught the warrior across the shins.
Pauhacutec howled in a mixture of pain and rage and stood once more ready to charge. He wanted to run Dr. Anderson clear through and this time he was not going to be fooled again! He ran full speed at Dr. Anderson with his spear at waist level ready to impale him when suddenly he stopped short.
He stood there for a minute dumbfounded. He looked down at the spear sticking out of his chest and then looked at Dr. Anderson as if to figure out what happened. He collapsed in a heap as the rest of the village gasped. Dr. Anderson had hurled his spear at the man and killed him–apparently, none of them had ever thought to throw the spears; they just used them as stabbing weapons!
The whole village had to take a couple of moments to process what had happened. No one had ever seen anything like it and they were all looking at Pauhacutec like they expected him to get back up! Finally, though, the realization that he was gone sunk in and the villagers began whispering amongst themselves.
Finally, Chief Acahuana spoke, trying to settle the crowd: “You have won. You have bested Pauhacutec, my warrior. As agreed you are free to go. Now leave my village and never return!” he said, pointing the way out of the village.
Two other warriors used their knives to cut the ropes holding their wrists and the Americans gathered up their belongings and headed out of the village quickly before the Chief changed his mind. This time they took the path that led them back to the Juruá River and their boats.
Tika led them and they all moved as fast as they could, wanting to get as far away from the Yupanqui as they possibly could. They didn’t stop until it was just too dark in the jungle to travel safely and they laid down, posting a guard so that they wouldn’t be caught unaware again. As soon as it was light enough to travel again they were off once more, again moving as fast as possible.
Near the end of the second day out of the village, they reached the Juruá and quickly found that their boats were still hidden and safe. They brought them out, loaded the boats with a few supplies and got ready to head back downriver. Dr. Anderson turned to Tika to thank her for all her help.
“Are you going back to the village after this?” he asked.
“No, I cannot go back. I would be killed the same as you if I returned. I have been banished,” she said sadly.
“What will you do? Where will you go then?” he asked.
“I do not know,” she said.
Dr. Anderson was stunned. This woman who had done so much–had risked so much to help him and the others now had no place to call home and no one to help her. She would be at the mercy of the jungle and a woman–or man–alone had little chance against the jungle predators.
“Tika, you can come with us. We are going back downriver to Macapá where our ship will take us home to Boston,” he said. Tika had never heard of Macapá and had only heard him talking about this Boston a couple of times, but she knew she couldn’t stay here alone in the jungle.
“I will go with you,” she said. She didn’t know what would become of her once she got someplace else, but it had to beat being torn apart by a leopard or alligator or something! And so the American explorers and their beautiful Amazon guide headed back down the Juruá River toward home.
They didn’t have time to gather any supplies or water before heading out, wanting just to get some distance between them and the Yupanqui village, so after several hours of drifting downriver, they felt it safe enough to come ashore and hunt.
They had traveled two days on foot and most of another by boat so they were several miles from the Yupanqui territory. And there weren’t any more unfriendly villages close by so they could hunt in relative peace.
They got some meat courtesy of a couple of capybaras that they caught and killed and they got fresh water from a jungle brook. They caught some fish when they stopped for the night.
Back on the boats again they could sleep in the cabins instead of out in the rain which was a lot more pleasant for everyone. And the further downriver they got, the higher everyone’s spirits got. Everyone but Tika’s that is.
Dr. Anderson could tell that leaving her home–the only home she had ever known–was troubling her greatly. One day she was sitting alone on the deck at the front of the boat. All the other hands were working in the cabin or at the back of the boat. So Dr. Anderson went up front and sat down next to Tika.
“Would you like some company, Tika?” he asked. Tika was learning a bit of English but there was still a lot she didn’t understand. But he motioned to sit down so she understood and scooted over.
“Tika, I wanted to thank you again for all that you have done for us. And I know that leaving your home is hard on you but I am not going to abandon you alone in an unfriendly place,” he said.
“Tell me more about… Bos-ton,” she said.
“Well, Boston is a very large city compared to your village. We have buildings–you would call them lodges–that hold many families. More families in one building than in your whole village. And we have many buildings. We have buildings we work in and buildings we live in. It is a very large place,” he said.
Dr. Anderson found it hard to describe Boston to someone who had never heard of a building, never heard of horses or carriages, didn’t understand about roads or streets, and had no concept of numbers. Not to mention the language barrier that was still prevalent. Tika was slowly learning some words but there was still so much more to learn!
Then it was Dr. Anderson's turn to ask Tika something. “Tika, you said when you rescued us the first time from the village that you did it because you liked me and didn’t want me to get hurt. What did you mean by that?”
Tika looked at him for a moment then looked down at her fidgeting hands. Dr. Anderson put his finger under her chin and lifted her face so he could see her. “Tika?” he asked again.
“I... don’t know words…” she said, meaning she didn’t know how to explain her feelings.
“Show me,” he said, "Show me what you mean, Tika.“
Tika pulled his hand up to her lips and softly kissed it then rubbed it against her cheek. Her meaning was clear. Tika was very fond of Dr. Anderson!
“Tika, do you love me? Is that what you are trying to say? Do you…” Dr. Anderson asked making a heart shape on his chest showing her what he meant.
Tika nodded and smiled weakly. She hoped he would respond in kind but wasn’t sure. It was not the way of her people for the man to declare his affections like that, but Dr. Anderson seemed different and his ways were very different from her people’s. She needed to know somehow how he felt.
James Anderson looked into the eyes of the lovely Amazon maiden. But he didn’t see a primitive uncivilized, aboriginal woman. Despite the barbaric nature of her people, he didn’t see her as a woman so uncultured and brutish that she couldn’t possibly have such tender feelings.
Instead, he saw a beautiful, desirable young woman, pouring her heart out to him and hoping that he felt the same towards her, if only just a little bit. She was, once again, risking everything for him.
Dr. Anderson did, in fact, feel something for this woman. After all, the past few days had put them both together in some very dangerous and dramatic situations and they’d had to trust and depend on each other for their very lives. She had rescued him from almost certain death the first time they were captured and he’d risked his life to save her the second time.
He thought about what her life might be like now that she had no home and no people. He knew that she would not be welcome in Tamaniquá–the Yupanqui had raided that village many times.
And the village of Coari further downriver was also not accepting of her kind. Manaus and Santarém were too tightly knit and family-centered to allow her a decent life there–she would be a burden and a reject in their eyes with no people of her own there.
So that left only Macapá, the furthest city from her home and the largest of the villages and cities they had visited. There she could blend in and become just another face in the crowd. But then what? How would she survive there?
She wouldn’t be able to speak the language–there are so many different languages and dialects in the Amazon that she would be just as lost as if she were talking with James himself.
And she certainly didn’t have any “city sense”… she had never been outside her village except to go into the jungle surrounding it. Just the short distance they had already traveled amazed her; Tika had no idea that there was so much to the world and they hadn’t even come to the first village yet!
With no one to watch over and watch out for her, Tika would be at the mercy of whatever the city would bring. He shuddered to think about it; this wasn’t America where there were laws about certain things. Macapá was a port city and all manner of people came and went from there.
Regular Macapian citizens, as well as sailors from many different nations, used the city as a trading center. And they were pirates and criminals who found Macapá a safe place to hide when they were being pursued. Tika could fall prey to any number of unsavory fates at the hands of these fugitives and racketeers.
James knew what he had to do. He would not be able to live with himself if he left this woman who had done so much and risked so much for him to her own devices in a strange world. He would never sleep not knowing she was safe or not knowing whatever became of her. Not to mention the feelings she had for him and admittedly, he had for her.
“Tika, I can’t allow you to stay in Macapá alone. You would be lost and in danger all the time. So you are coming to Boston with me. There I can take care of you and teach you our ways. You can live with me so I can protect you,” Dr. Anderson said.
Dr. Anderson knew that in her culture, the man-made the decisions and the woman followed them. There was no argument, no discussion. And if he said she was going back to Boston with him, that was just the way it was going to be. Not that Tika felt like arguing with him–in fact, she was floored by his words
“You want me to come to Bos-ton with you?” she asked.
“Yes, Tika. You see I love you too,” he said. And to make sure his words were clear, he put his hand on his chest, then made a heart with his fingers over his heart, and then placed his hand on her chest. And by the way Tika put her hands to her mouth and her eyes teared up, Dr. Anderson knew she understood perfectly.
Dr. Anderson stood up and pulled Tika to her feet and into his arms. He kissed the young Amazon woman long and deep, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close to him. Tika responded by putting her arms around his neck and kissing him back just as hard.
After several beautiful moments in each other’s arms, Dr. Anderson pulled back to look at his new girl. “You can start calling me James now Tika,” he said.
“James,” Tika replied and kissed him again.
That night when they decided to go to sleep, Dr. Anderson decided that night to sleep on the small front deck of the boat. No one slept there usually and it was more private. He took Tika’s hand and led her upfront with him.
“We can sleep here tonight Tika,” he said.
Tika smiled and lowered her eyes. She removed her clothes and lay on her bed, her legs spread apart and her arms lifted to him. She covered herself with a blanket then lifted one side, holding it up for him.
Dr. Anderson took off his pants and shirt and slipped under the blanket and into Tika’s waiting arms. She guided him to where she needed him and they made love that night... a man claiming the woman he loves.
[img]https://images.lushstories.com/5137371c55e28a24f0ce6bc1/three-astericks.jpg[/img]
It was a faster trip back downriver to Macapá because the river current helped them along. They still stopped at the villages they stopped at on the way upriver–they wanted to say goodbye to the new friends they had made. But they were able to shave a full four days off their journey by going with rather than against the river.
At each village, Tika was amazed at the size they were getting to. Each village was bigger than the previous one but even Tamaniquá, the smallest and first village they stopped at, was twice the size of hers. And they got bigger and busier at each stop.
When they finally reached Macapá, Tika was flabbergasted. She had never imagined there were so many people in the world much less in one city! “James,” she said, shrinking behind his arm and peeking around it, “There are so many people!”
James laughed, “Oh, Tika, my dear, this is nothing! Wait till you get back to Boston! There are many, many, more people there than even here in Macapá!” he said.
“More than this?” she said. “How can that be? How do they hunt and feed all those people?”
“My sweet Tika, you have so much to learn!” he said. “You are about to go on an adventure like none other. But I will be by your side all the way, teaching you and showing you the wonders of my world. The wonders of OUR world.”
Dr. Anderson was no fool, he knew that there would be many challenges in what he was about to do. Tika would be as much out of her element in Boston as he was in the jungle. And while there were no big cats in Boston, it didn’t mean it was any less dangerous.
She would be totally reliant on him to teach her everything–from day to day tasks to how to act in public to how to get around the town. But he was more than willing to because he loved this jungle princess.
“As long as I am with you, James, I am not afraid,” she said, looking up at him and smiling.
He leaned down and kissed his Amazon sweetheart again. He had traveled half the world on an expedition to explore a lost world. And in the process, he found something he was not expecting at all. He found love in the jungle.
