WEBVTT - S04 Episode 4: Always Already (Pt.1 of 2) 0:00:00.240 --> 0:00:03.400 Nothing's better than feeling comfortable in your own shoes. Maybe 0:00:03.400 --> 0:00:05.800 you're a parent raising a little rock star, or a 0:00:05.840 --> 0:00:08.640 technomad working from anywhere. All birds wants you to be 0:00:08.640 --> 0:00:12.520 comfortable in your actual shoes too. They're wool runners, pipers, 0:00:12.640 --> 0:00:15.720 and loungers are so cozy you might forget you're wearing them, 0:00:15.760 --> 0:00:18.599 and they're crafted from natural materials that tread lightly on 0:00:18.640 --> 0:00:21.759 our planet. So get comfortable in your shoes. Get to 0:00:21.840 --> 0:00:25.800 know the wool runners, pipers and loungers at Alberts dot com. 0:00:25.840 --> 0:00:40.720 That's alll bi rds dot com. It is nineteen eighty seven, 0:00:41.120 --> 0:00:43.920 a few miles from the mouth of the mighty Amazon River, 0:00:45.320 --> 0:00:48.559 as a light mist hangs over its muddy waters, a 0:00:48.680 --> 0:00:52.600 hulking six hundred passenger river cruiser is making its gentle 0:00:52.720 --> 0:00:57.680 journey toward the sea. Ensconced in one of its rudimentary cabins, 0:00:58.360 --> 0:01:03.920 three men no straight as to adventure. Environmentalist Jean Michel Custoau, 0:01:04.720 --> 0:01:10.560 writer Petru Popescu, and photographer Lauren McIntyre are enjoying each 0:01:10.560 --> 0:01:16.000 other's company. Together, they trade tales and make toasts to 0:01:16.120 --> 0:01:19.680 some of the early European explorers who traveled those same 0:01:19.720 --> 0:01:26.280 waters many years before, in somewhat less comfortable conditions. Before long, 0:01:26.959 --> 0:01:29.679 as they gaze out at the inscrutable mass of thick 0:01:29.800 --> 0:01:33.840 jungle passing by, the men start to wander about all 0:01:33.840 --> 0:01:37.880 the Indian tribes that still lived deep within it, whose 0:01:37.880 --> 0:01:43.400 existence might still remain unknown to the outside world. They 0:01:43.440 --> 0:01:46.480 begin to ruminate on how one might communicate with such 0:01:46.520 --> 0:01:49.760 a tribe, or how any two people, for that matter, 0:01:50.240 --> 0:01:54.480 could successfully communicate with no apparent and linguistic frames of reference. 0:01:55.640 --> 0:01:59.560 As Popescu and Custou debate the merits and possibilities of 0:01:59.600 --> 0:02:04.000 grunt and sign language, they stumble ultimately at the question 0:02:04.080 --> 0:02:09.840 of just how though, to convey more abstract thoughts. At this, 0:02:11.000 --> 0:02:14.840 Lauren McIntyre falls silent for a moment and takes a 0:02:14.880 --> 0:02:19.560 sip of wine. What if there was a way, he says, 0:02:20.320 --> 0:02:26.040 looking sheepishly at his two friends. A communication so direct 0:02:26.880 --> 0:02:30.880 no power could find words for it. As Pobesco would 0:02:30.919 --> 0:02:36.200 later write, what followed was the telling of a story 0:02:36.360 --> 0:02:41.560 that McIntyre had never shared with anyone before, something even 0:02:41.600 --> 0:02:46.320 to that day he wasn't entirely sure had ever really happened. 0:02:48.280 --> 0:03:00.960 You're listening to unexplained and I'm Richard McClane smith. The 0:03:01.080 --> 0:03:04.280 plain banked suddenly to the right, following the path of 0:03:04.320 --> 0:03:07.679 the river, as the pilot Mercier kept his eye out 0:03:07.760 --> 0:03:12.120 for a good spot to land. In the back, Lauren 0:03:12.240 --> 0:03:16.519 MacIntyre kept his eyes fixed on the jungle below, while 0:03:16.600 --> 0:03:21.040 up front in the passenger seat, Carlitos, the guide Macentyre 0:03:21.080 --> 0:03:25.880 had hired a few days before in Ladisia, Columbia, mopped 0:03:25.880 --> 0:03:31.560 his brow while he also scoured the jungle below. It 0:03:31.639 --> 0:03:36.120 was October eighteenth, nineteen sixty nine, and the river was 0:03:36.160 --> 0:03:39.720 the Rio Javari, a south bank tributary of the Amazon 0:03:40.000 --> 0:03:43.840 that wriggled along the Peruvian Brazilian border for nine hundred 0:03:43.840 --> 0:03:47.320 miles before coming to a head at the intersection of 0:03:47.320 --> 0:03:52.440 the three nations of Columbia, Peru, and Brazil. For the 0:03:52.480 --> 0:03:55.360 past four hours, the three men had been flying in 0:03:55.400 --> 0:03:59.320 the opposite direction toward the river's source in search of 0:03:59.400 --> 0:04:03.320 the Maya ua An Amazon tribe that were thought to 0:04:03.360 --> 0:04:07.160 have been wiped out more than fifty years before after 0:04:07.200 --> 0:04:11.800 becoming victims of rampant deforestation in service to the rubber industry. 0:04:13.080 --> 0:04:16.520 That was until nineteen sixty seven, when a Peruvian woman 0:04:16.920 --> 0:04:20.000 who had been kidnapped by the tribe but then later escaped. 0:04:20.800 --> 0:04:25.160 Came to the attention of two Peruvian based missionaries from America, 0:04:25.279 --> 0:04:30.360 Harriet Fields and Hattie Neeland, after working with the escapee 0:04:30.360 --> 0:04:34.039 for two years. Fields and Kneeland had flown into the 0:04:34.120 --> 0:04:37.960 jungle only a few months before and apparently located the 0:04:38.080 --> 0:04:43.640 tribe to Fifty two year old McEntyre, a successful national 0:04:43.640 --> 0:04:47.720 geographic photographer, was hoping to be the first to photograph 0:04:47.800 --> 0:04:51.560 these people, who some believed had not had any contact 0:04:51.600 --> 0:04:57.320 with the outside world since nineteen ten. McEntyre lent out 0:04:57.360 --> 0:05:00.400 the open door of the plain and raised his to 0:05:00.480 --> 0:05:05.440 his eye, then paused, there it is, he shouted, spotting 0:05:05.480 --> 0:05:08.480 a circle of huts within a small break in the trees. 0:05:09.880 --> 0:05:14.040 Seconds later he lost sight of it. Mercier pulled hard 0:05:14.080 --> 0:05:16.560 on the control wheel and brought the plane round for 0:05:16.600 --> 0:05:23.120 another look. Moments later, they spotted the clearing again, only 0:05:23.120 --> 0:05:28.000 this time there were people there too, almost thirty of them, 0:05:28.080 --> 0:05:31.960 gazing up at the plane in the sky. Turning round 0:05:32.000 --> 0:05:35.440 from the front seat, Carlitos gave a thumbs up to 0:05:35.520 --> 0:05:41.839 McIntyre they had found them. Mercier eased the control wheel 0:05:41.880 --> 0:05:45.560 forward and seconds later they were touching down onto the 0:05:45.600 --> 0:05:58.680 water and edging toward the river bank. McIntyre leaped ashore 0:05:59.560 --> 0:06:04.000 and together with Klitos, began unloading the six rubberized sacks, 0:06:04.520 --> 0:06:07.960 stuffed full of equipment and survival gear, as well as 0:06:07.960 --> 0:06:10.880 a number of small gifts that the photographer hoped to 0:06:11.000 --> 0:06:16.600 use for mediation with the Maya Runa. Suddenly, Carlitos doubled 0:06:16.640 --> 0:06:23.600 over in pain, clearly in some distress, Malaria, asked Mercier, 0:06:24.279 --> 0:06:28.000 who had now joined them on the bank. Klitos shook 0:06:28.000 --> 0:06:33.800 his head, not all convincingly. Mercier looked worryingly to McIntyre 0:06:34.160 --> 0:06:37.880 as he handed the guide some food and water, suggesting 0:06:37.880 --> 0:06:40.320 he rest for a moment and see if it passes. 0:06:42.520 --> 0:06:45.039 As Mercier and Carlitos took a seat on the bank, 0:06:45.760 --> 0:06:48.479 MacIntyre wandered up the river to get a measure of 0:06:48.480 --> 0:06:52.080 his surroundings, snapping liberally with his camera as he went. 0:06:53.720 --> 0:06:57.280 Seeing it so concentrated from behind the lens, he couldn't 0:06:57.320 --> 0:07:00.080 help but wonder at all the secrets that lay on 0:07:00.400 --> 0:07:04.600 the jungle edge and its mesh of thick palms, mahogany 0:07:04.720 --> 0:07:09.640 and vines. He stood for a moment letting the sound 0:07:09.680 --> 0:07:12.200 of the river wash over him. As he raised his 0:07:12.240 --> 0:07:17.320 camera again for another shot. Zooming into a gap between 0:07:17.360 --> 0:07:20.800 two rubber trees, he was startled to find a child's 0:07:20.800 --> 0:07:25.120 face peeking out from it, its mouth ringed with a 0:07:25.200 --> 0:07:32.360 distinct blue lined tattoo worn only by the Maya Runa Indians. 0:07:32.360 --> 0:07:36.280 He whispered to Mercier and Carlitos moments later, as he 0:07:36.360 --> 0:07:39.880 grabbed some pocket mirrors from one of the bags, they're 0:07:39.880 --> 0:07:45.480 watching us from behind the trees. Returning to the same spot, 0:07:45.880 --> 0:07:49.320 he was excited to find more young faces peering out 0:07:49.360 --> 0:07:53.800 at him. Careful not to move too fast, he placed 0:07:53.800 --> 0:07:56.680 the mirrors in the mud at the water's edge, then 0:07:56.720 --> 0:08:00.600 slowly made his way back to Mercier and Carlitos, who 0:08:00.640 --> 0:08:03.520 by now was in absolutely no state to carry on. 0:08:05.960 --> 0:08:10.000 McEntyre watched as a small naked child burst from the 0:08:10.080 --> 0:08:13.640 jungle and collected the mirrors before disappearing back into the leaves. 0:08:15.600 --> 0:08:19.440 Emboldened by this first encounter and not knowing how long 0:08:19.440 --> 0:08:22.680 the tribe might stay there, there was no question of 0:08:22.880 --> 0:08:26.880 McEntyre giving up now, and since it was too dangerous 0:08:26.960 --> 0:08:30.560 to leave Carlitos there, there was only one thing for it. 0:08:32.120 --> 0:08:35.480 Mercier would fly the guide back and their return for 0:08:35.559 --> 0:08:39.959 McEntyre in a few days time. Though the pilot was 0:08:40.040 --> 0:08:43.959 reluctant to leave McEntyre, they at least agreed that should 0:08:43.960 --> 0:08:46.640 he feel it necessary to venture away from the camp, 0:08:47.920 --> 0:08:49.880 he would leave a clear note where he was going 0:08:50.640 --> 0:08:53.280 and would stick close to the river at all times. 0:08:55.960 --> 0:09:00.400 Minutes later, McEntyre watched as the light says air craft 0:09:01.080 --> 0:09:04.280 lifted up from the water and disappeared into the clouds. 0:09:05.679 --> 0:09:17.840 He was now entirely alone. For the next hour, McEntyre 0:09:17.920 --> 0:09:21.640 littered the surrounding area with more gifts, hoping that by 0:09:21.720 --> 0:09:24.800 now the children he had seen earlier had informed the 0:09:24.880 --> 0:09:29.560 adults of his arrival. Then, after making a quick check 0:09:29.559 --> 0:09:34.080 of his kit, he pulled out his notebook. But just 0:09:34.200 --> 0:09:37.040 as he was about to put down some thoughts, he 0:09:37.080 --> 0:09:41.360 heard a rustle in the trees. Grabbing his camera, he 0:09:41.440 --> 0:09:44.520 looked about for any sign of movement, but saw nothing. 0:09:46.440 --> 0:09:52.840 It was only then that it really hit him the isolation. Now, 0:09:52.840 --> 0:09:56.480 with Mercier and Carlitos gone, there was nothing but the 0:09:56.520 --> 0:09:59.400 possessions in front of him to rout him to the world. 0:09:59.440 --> 0:10:03.840 He knew it was common in such moments as the 0:10:03.920 --> 0:10:07.360 mind fought to adjust to its new surroundings, for a 0:10:07.440 --> 0:10:14.920 sense of anxiety to rise, to feel the jungle closing in. Suddenly, 0:10:14.960 --> 0:10:21.440 every distant rustle, insect buzz, or strained animal screech seemed 0:10:21.520 --> 0:10:27.120 unusually amplified out there alone and exposed. This was the 0:10:27.160 --> 0:10:33.720 effect of his body adapting to calm himself. Macentyre grabbed 0:10:33.720 --> 0:10:38.800 a machette and concentrated on preparing the camp. After hacking 0:10:38.800 --> 0:10:42.320 away some leaves, he hung up the sacks, hoping to 0:10:42.320 --> 0:10:47.080 make himself more visible for Mercier's return. Next, he placed 0:10:47.120 --> 0:10:50.000 some colored wool around the camp to serve as way 0:10:50.040 --> 0:10:55.000 points should he venture out any further. After stringing up 0:10:55.000 --> 0:10:58.240 a hammock and building a fire, he checked his watch 0:10:58.440 --> 0:11:03.320 to find it was six pm. Feeling suddenly tired and 0:11:03.440 --> 0:11:07.360 with the light fading fast, he checked his bed for ants, 0:11:08.160 --> 0:11:12.720 and then slipped into its tort embrace, and there he 0:11:12.800 --> 0:11:16.320 lay for a moment, listening to the flowing waters of 0:11:16.400 --> 0:11:20.360 the Rio Javari and the distant croaks and trills of 0:11:20.520 --> 0:11:34.199 unseen things, before finally drifting off to sleep. At daybreak, 0:11:34.720 --> 0:11:39.000 McEntire was startled awake by movement above his head. Soon 0:11:39.080 --> 0:11:41.800 realizing he was staring up at the long and languid 0:11:41.840 --> 0:11:47.680 torso of a three toed sloth. Not wanting to waste 0:11:47.720 --> 0:11:50.880 any time, he took down his hammock and quickly washed 0:11:50.960 --> 0:11:53.840 himself in the river. Then, after a quick meal of 0:11:53.880 --> 0:11:58.240 camp fire, Porridge packed a small bag of gifts, placed 0:11:58.240 --> 0:12:01.800 the camera around his neck, and stepped into the jungle. 0:12:03.840 --> 0:12:07.120 Before long, having just noticed that some of the wall 0:12:07.240 --> 0:12:10.960 he had left out earlier was missing, he felt the 0:12:11.000 --> 0:12:16.280 hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Glancing up, 0:12:16.960 --> 0:12:20.400 he saw standing directly in front of him a man 0:12:21.000 --> 0:12:25.600 roughly five foot tall with shiny black hair, wearing nothing 0:12:25.679 --> 0:12:31.280 but a small sheath of fabric covering his penis inked 0:12:31.320 --> 0:12:35.360 around his mouth with that same distinctive tattoo he had 0:12:35.400 --> 0:12:39.959 seen on the children the day before. Both his cheeks 0:12:40.160 --> 0:12:43.720 were coated in red paint, while above his top lip 0:12:43.960 --> 0:12:47.960 were pierced a series of long, sharp pine needles in 0:12:48.000 --> 0:12:52.520 the manner of whiskers, thus emulating the jaguar from whom 0:12:52.520 --> 0:12:57.640 the Mayaruna believed they were descended. These piercings had also 0:12:57.679 --> 0:13:02.880 earned them the nickname The cat. Slung over his shoulder 0:13:03.440 --> 0:13:08.680 was a dead howler. Monkey. The man stood completely still, 0:13:11.400 --> 0:13:14.800 knowing the Mayaruna to be fiercely defensive of their territory, 0:13:15.440 --> 0:13:19.480 while also rumored to be cannibals. It was little wonder 0:13:19.600 --> 0:13:23.640 that McEntire's heart thumped so hard in his chest, then 0:13:23.679 --> 0:13:26.480 beat a little harder when he saw a second man 0:13:26.760 --> 0:13:30.080 stepping out from behind the first, with a long bow 0:13:30.080 --> 0:13:35.000 and arrow in his hand. There were four in total, 0:13:35.760 --> 0:13:38.720 each carrying bows and arrows, except for the one with 0:13:38.800 --> 0:13:44.080 red cheeks, whose hand was tightly gripping a club bomb. 0:13:44.120 --> 0:13:49.560 Dea shouted McEntyre in Portuguese, holding up his bag of gifts, 0:13:50.640 --> 0:13:55.560 but there was no response. Wanting desperately to capture this moment, 0:13:55.960 --> 0:14:00.680 but fearful of making any sudden movement, McIntyre, whose hand 0:14:00.800 --> 0:14:04.040 was already on the camera round his neck, took a 0:14:04.160 --> 0:14:15.080 chance click. The men remained completely still. Amigos, say on amigo, 0:14:15.520 --> 0:14:19.320 he tried in Spanish this time, but again there was 0:14:19.360 --> 0:14:24.360 no response. Macenttyre now raised the whole camera to his 0:14:24.400 --> 0:14:29.480 eye and pressed the shutter button. At the sound of 0:14:29.560 --> 0:14:34.880 the click, read cheeks as MacIntyre thought of him, turned 0:14:34.880 --> 0:14:41.080 slowly round and walked back into the jungle. McIntyre turned 0:14:41.080 --> 0:14:44.680 to look at his camp just a few yards behind him, 0:14:44.800 --> 0:14:47.480 then turned back to the men who were now all 0:14:47.560 --> 0:14:51.840 walking away from him, and followed them deeper into the trees. 0:14:55.320 --> 0:14:58.120 Are you always taking care of your family? Do you 0:14:58.160 --> 0:15:01.040 often take care of others and not yoursel off? Now 0:15:01.080 --> 0:15:03.840 it's time to take care of yourself, to make time 0:15:03.920 --> 0:15:07.600 for you. You deserve it. 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Teledoc therapy is available through most insurance or employers. 0:15:47.680 --> 0:15:51.240 Download the app or visit teledoc dot com forward slash 0:15:51.320 --> 0:15:57.880 Unexplained podcast Today to get started. That's teladoc dot com 0:15:57.920 --> 0:16:08.200 slash unexplained podcast. McEntyre made sure to keep a respectful 0:16:08.200 --> 0:16:13.320 distance as he continued to photograph them. Although the tribesmen 0:16:13.360 --> 0:16:17.360 seemed unfazed by his presence, he struggled to keep up 0:16:17.400 --> 0:16:21.960 in the sweltering heat as they pressed ever onwards, further 0:16:22.040 --> 0:16:26.800 and further into the jungle. Then suddenly the men broke 0:16:26.840 --> 0:16:30.360 away from the path, coming to rest moments later on 0:16:30.440 --> 0:16:33.920 the edge of a swamp, then, after laying their things down, 0:16:34.840 --> 0:16:40.800 jumped straight into the cooling waters. McIntyre checked his watch 0:16:41.080 --> 0:16:44.760 and felt a sudden rush of panic. He had been 0:16:44.760 --> 0:16:48.840 walking for over an hour and only now realized he 0:16:48.880 --> 0:16:53.720 had left his compass back at the camp. The men 0:16:54.000 --> 0:16:59.120 exited the water and approached the photographer, having handed them 0:16:59.160 --> 0:17:02.600 a machette. They were keen to see what else he 0:17:02.640 --> 0:17:07.600 was carrying. Sensing the mood had now shifted, he watched 0:17:07.600 --> 0:17:12.080 with concern as the men conferred quietly together, then promptly 0:17:12.440 --> 0:17:17.679 headed back into the jungle. McIntyre looked about him, but 0:17:17.800 --> 0:17:22.639 saw no sign of their previous path. Now completely lost, 0:17:23.160 --> 0:17:26.280 his only hope was to find the village and pray 0:17:26.680 --> 0:17:33.000 that somebody spoke Portuguese or Spanish. Without further delaying, he 0:17:33.080 --> 0:17:38.399 grabbed his things and continued on behind the hunters. After 0:17:38.480 --> 0:17:43.359 another hour of trailing them are greatly relieved but severely exhausted, 0:17:43.440 --> 0:17:54.919 McIntyre arrived finally at the Maya Una settlement. The camp 0:17:55.080 --> 0:17:58.480 was centered around the felled trunk of a large sumauma tree. 0:18:00.000 --> 0:18:03.359 Fourteen huts made of wooden poles and palm thatched roofs 0:18:03.640 --> 0:18:09.880 circled it, each in various stages of development. All about, men, 0:18:10.000 --> 0:18:13.800 women and children sat tending to fires or weaving baskets, 0:18:14.440 --> 0:18:18.119 as pet dogs wandered about, and the smell of cooked 0:18:18.160 --> 0:18:25.000 fish hung heavy in the air. Within minutes, McIntyre was 0:18:25.040 --> 0:18:28.199 surrounded by other members of the tribe, many with the 0:18:28.280 --> 0:18:33.600 same tattooed faces and piercings. The children were the bravest, 0:18:34.200 --> 0:18:37.879 rushing forward ahead of the adults, but cautious enough not 0:18:37.960 --> 0:18:42.400 to get too close. McEntyre recognized one of them from 0:18:42.400 --> 0:18:47.679 the day before, holding a mirror in their hand. Looking 0:18:47.680 --> 0:18:50.600 at them now gathered in front of him, he couldn't 0:18:50.600 --> 0:18:53.919 help but noticing that although some of them looked blithe 0:18:53.960 --> 0:19:00.760 and powerfully built, it was clear that they were also starving. Then, 0:19:00.840 --> 0:19:05.080 looking again at the hurriedly constructed huts, he was gripped 0:19:05.160 --> 0:19:09.320 once more with panic. If this village had only recently 0:19:09.359 --> 0:19:12.600 been constructed, it wasn't the one they had seen from 0:19:12.640 --> 0:19:17.639 the air. His pilot, Mercier, would have absolutely no idea 0:19:17.760 --> 0:19:22.560 where to find him. Just then, a sudden burst of 0:19:22.640 --> 0:19:27.360 raised voices drew his attention. Standing off to one side, 0:19:27.960 --> 0:19:32.040 Red Cheeks was handing the various gifts around and gesticulating 0:19:32.080 --> 0:19:39.240 wildly toward McIntyre, mimicking the taking of photographs. McIntyre felt 0:19:39.280 --> 0:19:42.960 himself clutching self consciously at the camera around his neck. 0:19:45.080 --> 0:19:49.160 Suddenly feeling very thirsty, he mimed for a drink, and 0:19:49.240 --> 0:19:51.840 within seconds a bowl of water was brought to him, 0:19:52.560 --> 0:19:56.000 which he gratefully received, scooping it out with his hands. 0:19:58.080 --> 0:20:01.960 After conferring for a moment with the a man wearing 0:20:01.960 --> 0:20:05.080 a hat of leaves, who McIntyre took to be a shaman, 0:20:06.000 --> 0:20:09.240 hurried over to him and ushered him along the length 0:20:09.280 --> 0:20:12.480 of the fallen tree toward a hut stationed at the 0:20:12.560 --> 0:20:16.560 very tip of it, outside of which sat a much 0:20:16.560 --> 0:20:21.320 older man, somehow unlike all the rest, and wearing a 0:20:21.359 --> 0:20:29.359 grand crown of egret feathers, ah thought McEntyre. Finally, the 0:20:29.480 --> 0:20:39.199 chief The chief, who was busy constructing arrows from a 0:20:39.200 --> 0:20:42.400 small pile of materials on the ground next to him, 0:20:42.520 --> 0:20:48.439 regarded Macenttyre coolly as he was brought toward him. Looking 0:20:48.440 --> 0:20:52.280 at his legs, McEntyre couldn't help noticing that they were 0:20:52.320 --> 0:20:56.080 covered in a series of large white warts that reminded 0:20:56.200 --> 0:21:02.040 him of barnacles. The chief listened patiently as red Cheeks 0:21:02.040 --> 0:21:07.160 went over again how he had found Bacentyre's camp. Once 0:21:07.160 --> 0:21:11.800 he had finished, the old man smiled, revealing a mouthful 0:21:11.960 --> 0:21:19.359 of blackened teeth. Relieved, McEntyre smiled back. Bomb dea, he 0:21:19.440 --> 0:21:27.159 said hopefully, but once again there was no sign of recognition. Exasperated, 0:21:27.920 --> 0:21:30.639 McEntyre grabbed an arrow and drew a map of the 0:21:30.720 --> 0:21:35.800 river on the ground, shouting Javari repeatedly, but getting only 0:21:35.880 --> 0:21:40.640 permused looks in response. Then a sudden commotion drew their 0:21:40.680 --> 0:21:45.240 attention as eight more hunters carrying dead monkeys and peccaries 0:21:45.520 --> 0:21:49.479 appeared from out of the jungle. As the hunters were 0:21:49.520 --> 0:21:53.159 welcomed back into the village, the women rose to collect 0:21:53.280 --> 0:21:57.600 the game. One young girl approached a howler monkey that 0:21:57.800 --> 0:22:02.480 lay completely still, bleeding profusely from its head. When she 0:22:02.520 --> 0:22:06.840 grabbed its leg. However, it instantly came alive and tried 0:22:06.880 --> 0:22:12.040 desperately to get away. In one movement, she swung it 0:22:12.119 --> 0:22:16.080 in a circle, crashing its head against the ground, sending 0:22:16.119 --> 0:22:22.400 blood bursting out of its nose. It twitched momentarily, then 0:22:22.520 --> 0:22:26.920 was still again. As the rest of the village went 0:22:26.960 --> 0:22:31.359 about their business, paying him little heed, McEntyre tried to 0:22:31.359 --> 0:22:35.280 forget his predicament for a moment, then, remembering why he 0:22:35.320 --> 0:22:38.399 had come all this way in the first place, he 0:22:38.560 --> 0:22:41.679 raised his camera to his face and snapped a photo. 0:22:48.520 --> 0:22:52.320 By the afternoon, though McEntyre had succeeded in teaching them 0:22:52.320 --> 0:22:55.919 his name, he had got no further explaining his situation. 0:22:57.359 --> 0:23:01.400 But shortly after three pm, the community sat down to eat, 0:23:01.840 --> 0:23:06.000 inviting him to join them, Taking a seat beside them 0:23:06.000 --> 0:23:09.720 on the ground, McIntyre was handed a slice of baijeou 0:23:10.200 --> 0:23:13.600 smeared with fish paste, which he was grateful to receive. 0:23:14.920 --> 0:23:19.400 And then it really started to hit him how stupid 0:23:19.440 --> 0:23:24.400 he had been. He looked about at the distinctly unfamiliar 0:23:24.440 --> 0:23:27.639 surroundings and at the faces of all these people that 0:23:27.760 --> 0:23:31.960 he didn't know who only months before many believed no 0:23:31.960 --> 0:23:37.600 longer existed. Then his head began to spin, But just 0:23:37.720 --> 0:23:40.879 as things began to spiral away from him, he found 0:23:40.920 --> 0:23:44.840 his mind suddenly filled with a strange, humming sound that 0:23:44.960 --> 0:23:47.679 seemed to drown out the other noises in the camp. 0:23:48.920 --> 0:23:52.840 Trying hard to focus on something else, the sound eventually 0:23:52.920 --> 0:23:56.840 dissipated and the noise level of the camp returned to normal. 0:23:59.080 --> 0:24:03.399 Later before dusk, a family of four kindly offered up 0:24:03.400 --> 0:24:05.520 a hammock in their hut for him to sleep in. 0:24:08.080 --> 0:24:12.240 That night, McIntyre lay awake, listening to the sounds of 0:24:12.280 --> 0:24:16.440 the jungle mingling with those of the camp, the cracking 0:24:16.440 --> 0:24:21.159 and popping fire, and wandered silently to himself about the 0:24:21.240 --> 0:24:25.520 great gulf of understanding between his world perspective and that 0:24:25.600 --> 0:24:30.000 of the Maya Runa, before finally he drifted off to sleep. 0:24:31.560 --> 0:24:35.679 Moments later, he found himself floating high above the jungle, 0:24:36.840 --> 0:24:40.840 the greenness of it so intense it felt to him 0:24:40.960 --> 0:24:44.640 as though it were lit up from underneath, and though 0:24:44.640 --> 0:24:48.199 he couldn't tell exactly what it was, somewhere in it 0:24:48.320 --> 0:24:54.359 all was a message. Next, he found himself staring at 0:24:54.440 --> 0:24:57.800 the feet of an old man, scanning up to find 0:24:57.800 --> 0:25:02.159 those familiar wart covered legs, until finally he was looking 0:25:02.160 --> 0:25:05.879 into the eyes of the Maya Runa chief, his face 0:25:06.000 --> 0:25:13.520 breaking into a radiant smile. Macentire snapped awake in the dark, then, 0:25:13.640 --> 0:25:17.639 laying his head down again, fell once more to sleep. 0:25:24.720 --> 0:25:28.359 At first light the following morning, Macentire was shaken awake 0:25:28.440 --> 0:25:32.919 by one of the shaman. Sensing urgency, he gathered his 0:25:33.000 --> 0:25:36.280 things and wandered into the middle of the village to 0:25:36.320 --> 0:25:40.480 find the place engulfed in a flurry of activity. Baskets 0:25:40.480 --> 0:25:44.679 were being filled and placed on heads, babies strapped the backs, 0:25:45.080 --> 0:25:49.119 and the pets corraled spinning round. He was just in 0:25:49.160 --> 0:25:51.800 time to catch one of the men taking a club 0:25:51.840 --> 0:25:53.800 to the central post of the hut he had just 0:25:53.880 --> 0:25:57.159 been sleeping in, and knocking it down with one blow. 0:25:59.080 --> 0:26:04.040 They were moving. He realized they must be running from something, 0:26:05.640 --> 0:26:08.840 having been reassured by the sight of the chief. His 0:26:08.960 --> 0:26:13.360 relief was to be short lived when moments later, the villagers, 0:26:13.640 --> 0:26:17.159 having gathered everything they needed, formed a straight line and 0:26:17.240 --> 0:26:22.879 proceeded to head directly into the jungle. Once again, McIntyre 0:26:22.960 --> 0:26:27.439 had no choice but to follow them. Thirty minutes or 0:26:27.440 --> 0:26:33.440 so later, they reached a muddy stream, now McIntyre had 0:26:33.480 --> 0:26:37.320 a choice to stay with the tribe or take a 0:26:37.400 --> 0:26:41.720 chance following the stream back to the Rio Javari. He 0:26:41.840 --> 0:26:46.480 looked downstream and thought for a moment, if he struck 0:26:46.520 --> 0:26:50.119 out now, only to sprain an ankle or get bitten 0:26:50.160 --> 0:26:53.800 by something poisonous, he would likely not live to tell 0:26:53.840 --> 0:26:57.720 the tale. He looked up to the back of the 0:26:57.760 --> 0:27:00.399 line of Maya Runa as they would just about to 0:27:00.440 --> 0:27:04.480 disappear into the foliage, and ran off to catch them 0:27:04.560 --> 0:27:10.520 up with barely a crack in the canopy above. Without 0:27:10.560 --> 0:27:13.360 his watch, it would be impossible to tell what time 0:27:13.359 --> 0:27:17.119 of day it was, as those at the front continued 0:27:17.200 --> 0:27:20.760 hacking a path for the rest to walk through. Finally 0:27:20.880 --> 0:27:25.560 they reached a small clearing. Moments later, there was a 0:27:25.640 --> 0:27:29.280 rumble of thunder above, and a heavy rain began to fall. 0:27:30.880 --> 0:27:35.040 The chief shouted something to the group, who immediately dispersed 0:27:35.080 --> 0:27:38.440 and got to work. In what seemed like a matter 0:27:38.480 --> 0:27:41.720 of minutes, another camp had emerged out of the clearing, 0:27:42.280 --> 0:27:45.560 and before long the Maya Runa had settled back into 0:27:45.600 --> 0:27:51.960 life just as it was before. After taking some more photos, 0:27:52.560 --> 0:27:56.000 McIntyre found a spot between two trees and hung up 0:27:56.000 --> 0:28:00.919 his hammock. Spotting the Chief sitting once again on his 0:28:01.040 --> 0:28:05.320 chair at the head of the camp making arrows, McEntyre 0:28:05.720 --> 0:28:16.760 sensed an opportunity. Taking a seat at the man's feet, 0:28:17.200 --> 0:28:20.080 he grabbed three strands of palm from the pile next 0:28:20.080 --> 0:28:24.040 to him and began to weave a belt, something he 0:28:24.080 --> 0:28:27.639 had learned to do from his time spent in the navy. 0:28:27.800 --> 0:28:31.320 If they couldn't speak, perhaps he could earn his respect, 0:28:31.640 --> 0:28:37.080 he thought. As McEntyre platted, so too did the Chief, 0:28:37.400 --> 0:28:43.360 continue refining his arrows. Halfway done, McEntyre held up his 0:28:43.400 --> 0:28:50.120 work and the pair smiled warmly at each other. Just then, 0:28:51.040 --> 0:28:57.640 something very peculiar happened. A voice in Mcentyre's head that 0:28:57.760 --> 0:29:03.480 didn't belong to him. Some of us are friends, it said. 0:29:04.920 --> 0:29:08.440 He looked up with confusion at the Chief, who remained 0:29:08.560 --> 0:29:13.200 focused on his task, that warm smile still playing about 0:29:13.200 --> 0:29:20.640 his lips. Then it came again, some of us our friends. 0:29:22.680 --> 0:29:26.320 After everything that had happened, he was finally losing it, 0:29:26.360 --> 0:29:30.840 he thought, after all, what else could explain what was 0:29:30.880 --> 0:29:38.200 going on? But then McEntyre decided to try something. Clearing 0:29:38.240 --> 0:29:42.120 his mind of all other thoughts, he concentrated solely and 0:29:42.240 --> 0:29:47.040 trying to communicate that he too was a friend. You 0:29:47.080 --> 0:29:52.160 can trust me, he repeated over and over in his mind. 0:29:54.200 --> 0:29:59.720 Moments later, something else popped into his head. I know, 0:30:00.560 --> 0:30:05.440 came the reply. McEntyre looked up, aghast at the Chief, 0:30:06.320 --> 0:30:15.120 who smiled back with this wide, toothless grin. That was 0:30:15.160 --> 0:30:18.680 the end of part one of season four, Episode four, 0:30:19.320 --> 0:30:23.880 Always Already. The second and final part will be released 0:30:23.920 --> 0:30:31.959 next Friday, March eighth. If you enjoy listening to Unexplained 0:30:32.200 --> 0:30:34.760 and would like to help supporters, you can now go 0:30:34.840 --> 0:30:40.240 to Unexplained podcast dot com Forward Slash Support. All donations, 0:30:40.440 --> 0:30:45.680 no matter how large or small, are massively appreciated. All 0:30:45.680 --> 0:30:49.440 elements have Unexplained are produced by me, Richard McClane Smith. 0:30:50.240 --> 0:30:53.440 Please subscribe and rate the show on iTunes, and feel 0:30:53.440 --> 0:30:55.880 free to get in touch with any thoughts or ideas 0:30:55.920 --> 0:30:59.440 regarding the stories you've heard on the show. 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