“Now that we’ve started upriver,” decided Mr. Brewster, “there is no need to go back. We sent our luggage on to Santa Isabel by air, and we intended to take a plane ourselves. But now we may as well keep on with you.”
All that day, the Xanadu sped swiftly up the Rio Negro. Biff took his turn at the wheel and was pleased by the way the cruiser handled. At intervals, the river became so thick with islands that it reminded Biff of the famous Narrows that he had seen from the air above the lower Amazon. But here on the Rio Negro, the channels were shallow as well as twisty. Still, Biff found no difficulty in guiding the sleek craft through the maze.
“The Xanadu was built to order for this river,” Nara told Biff. “That’s why I bought her. Be careful, though, when we reach that island dead ahead. The channel appears to split there—”
The Xanadu thrummed upriver
As Nara spoke, the palm-fringed island vanished. The whole sky had opened in one tremendous downpour. Biff couldn’t believe that it was only rain. He thought for the moment that the Xanadu had come beneath a tremendous waterfall. Adding to the illusion was the sudden rise of steam from the heated jungle that flanked the channel. Instantly, the speeding cruiser was shrouded in a mist that swelled above it.
“Swing her about!” shrilled Nara. “Our only chance is to turn downstream before the flood hits us!”
Mr. Brewster stepped up and took the wheel. Instead of taking Nara’s advice, he sped the boat straight upstream, picking his course in an amazing fashion. Somehow, he must have gauged the exact position of the threatening island, for he veered past it. New channels seemed to open with each swerve of the cruiser’s bow.
Biff’s father had seen Navy service in the South Pacific and was familiar with jungle waterways as well as tropical storms. As a Lieutenant, Junior Grade, he had been trained specially for jungle fighting and had won medals for bravery, finally leaving the service as a Lieutenant Commander.
“It’s better to buck the current,” Mr. Brewster declared, “than to let it carry us into something we can’t avoid.”