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Speaker 1: Continuing with our look back at some of our favorite

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Speaker 1: episodes while we take a break between seasons. This week,

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Speaker 1: we're going back to March twenty nineteen. In nineteen sixty nine,

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Speaker 1: National geographic photographer Lauren McIntyre traveled deep into the Amazon

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Speaker 1: in search of the fabled Mayaruna tribe, who was said

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Speaker 1: to have no contact with the outside world. What happened

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Speaker 1: next left him wondering for the rest of his life

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Speaker 1: whether it had truly occurred or not. This is unexplained,

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Speaker 1: Season four, Episode four all ways. Already it is nineteen

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Speaker 1: eighty seven, a few miles from the mouth of the

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Speaker 1: mighty Amazon River, as a light mist hangs over its

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Speaker 1: muddy waters, A Holking six hundred passenger river cruiser is

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Speaker 1: making its check journey toward the sea. Ensconced in one

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Speaker 1: of its rudimentary cabins, three men no strangers to adventure,

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Speaker 1: environmentalist Jean Michel Cousteau, writer Petru Popescu, and photographer Lauren

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Speaker 1: McIntyre are enjoying each other's company. Together they trade tails

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Speaker 1: and make toasts to some of the early European explorers

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Speaker 1: who traveled those same waters many years before. In somewhat

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Speaker 1: less comfortable conditions. Before long, as they gaze out at

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Speaker 1: the inscrutable mass of thick jungle passing by, the men

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Speaker 1: start to wonder about all the Indian tribes that still

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Speaker 1: lived deep within it, whose existence might still remain unknown

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Speaker 1: to the outside world. They begin to ruminate on how

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Speaker 1: one might communicate with such a tribe, or how any

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Speaker 1: two people, for that matter, could successfully communicate with no

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Speaker 1: apat linguistic frames of reference. As Popescu and Cousteau debate

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Speaker 1: the merits and possibilities of grunts and sign language, they

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Speaker 1: stumble ultimately at the question of just how though, to

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Speaker 1: convey more abstract thoughts. At this, Lauren McIntyre falls silent

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Speaker 1: for a moment and takes a sip of wine. What

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Speaker 1: if there was a way, he says, looking sheepishly at

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Speaker 1: his two friends. A communication so direct no power could

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Speaker 1: find words for it. As Popescu would later write, what

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Speaker 1: followed was the telling of a story that McIntyre had

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Speaker 1: never shared with anyone before, something even to that day

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Speaker 1: he wasn't entirely sure had ever really happened. You're listening

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Speaker 1: to Unexplained, and I'm Richard MacLean Smith. The plane banked

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Speaker 1: suddenly to the right, following the path of the river,

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Speaker 1: as the pilot Mercer kept his eye out for a

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Speaker 1: good spot to land. In the back, Lauren McIntyre kept

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Speaker 1: his eyes fixed on the jungle below, while up front

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Speaker 1: in the passenger seat, Carlitos, the guide McIntyre had hired

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Speaker 1: a few days before in Ladicia, Columbia, mopped his brow

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Speaker 1: while he also scoured the jungle below. It was October eighteenth,

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Speaker 1: nineteen sixty nine, and the river was the Rio Javari,

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Speaker 1: a south bank tributary of the Amazon that wriggled along

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Speaker 1: the Peruvian Brazilian border for nine hundred miles before coming

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Speaker 1: to a head at the intersection of the three nations

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Speaker 1: of Columbia, Peru, and Brazil. For the past four hours,

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Speaker 1: the three men had been flying in the opposite direction

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Speaker 1: toward the river's source in search of the Maya Runa,

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Speaker 1: an Amazon tribe that were thought to have been wiped

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Speaker 1: out more than fifty years before after becoming victims of

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Speaker 1: rampant deforestation in service to the rubber industry. That was

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Speaker 1: until nineteen sixty seven, when a Peruvian woman who had

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Speaker 1: been kidnapped by the tribe but then later escaped came

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Speaker 1: to the attention of two Peruvian based missionaries from America,

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Speaker 1: Harriet Fields and Hattie Nieland after working with the escapee

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Speaker 1: for two years. Fields and Nland had flown into the

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Speaker 1: jungle only a few months before and apparently located the tribe.

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Speaker 1: The fifty two year old McIntyre, a successful national geographic photographer,

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Speaker 1: was hoping to be the first to photograph these people,

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Speaker 1: who some believed had not had any contact with the

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Speaker 1: outside world nineteen ten. McIntyre leant out the open door

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Speaker 1: of the plane and raised his camera to his eye,

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Speaker 1: then paused, there it is, he shouted, spotting a circle

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Speaker 1: of huts within a small break in the trees. Seconds

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Speaker 1: later he lost sight of it. Mercier pulled hard on

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Speaker 1: the control wheel and brought the plane round for another look.

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Speaker 1: Moments later, they spotted the clearing again, only this time

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Speaker 1: there were people there too, almost thirty of them, gazing

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Speaker 1: up at the plane in the sky. Turning round from

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Speaker 1: the front seat, Karlitos gave a thumbs up to McIntyre.

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Speaker 1: They had found them. Mercier eased the control wheel forward,

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Speaker 1: and seconds later they were touching down onto the water

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Speaker 1: and edging toward the river bank. McIntyre leaped ashore, and

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Speaker 1: together with Carlitos, began unloading the six rubberized sacks, stuffed

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Speaker 1: full of equipment and survival gear, as well as a

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Speaker 1: number of small gifts that the photographer hoped to use

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Speaker 1: for mediation with the Maya Runa. Suddenly, Carlitos doubled over

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Speaker 1: in pain, clearly in some distress, Malaria, asked Mercier, who

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Speaker 1: had now joined them on the bank. Karlitos shook his head,

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Speaker 1: not all convincingly. Mercier looked worryingly to McIntyre as he

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Speaker 1: handed the guide some food and water, suggesting he rest

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Speaker 1: for a moment and see if it passes. As Mercier

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Speaker 1: and Karlitos took a seat on the bank, McIntyre wandered

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Speaker 1: up the river to get a measure of his surroundings,

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Speaker 1: snapping liberally with his camera as he went. Seeing it

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Speaker 1: so concentrated from behind the lens, he couldn't help but

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Speaker 1: wonder at all the secrets that lay beyond the jungle

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Speaker 1: edge and its mesh of thick palms, mahogany and vines.

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Speaker 1: He stood for a moment, letting the sound of the

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Speaker 1: river wash over him. As he raised his camera again

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Speaker 1: for another shot. Zooming into a gap between two rubber trees,

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Speaker 1: he was startled to find a child's face peeking out

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Speaker 1: from it, its mouth ringed with a distinct blue lined

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Speaker 1: tattoo worn only by the Maya Una Indians. He whispered

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Speaker 1: to Mercier and Carlitos moments later, as he grabbed some

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Speaker 1: pocket mirrors from one of the bags, they're watching us

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Speaker 1: from behind the trees. Returning to the same spot, he

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Speaker 1: was excited to find more young faces peering out at him.

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Speaker 1: Careful not to move too fast, he placed the mirror

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Speaker 1: in the mud at the water's edge, then slowly made

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Speaker 1: his way back to Mercier and Carlitos, who by now

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Speaker 1: was in absolutely no state to carry on. MacIntyre watched

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Speaker 1: as a small naked child burst from the jungle and

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Speaker 1: collected the mirrors before disappearing back into the leaves. Emboldened

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Speaker 1: by this first encounter and not knowing how long the

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Speaker 1: tribe might stay there, there was no question of MacIntyre

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Speaker 1: giving up now, and since it was too dangerous to

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Speaker 1: leave Carlitos there, there was only one thing for it.

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Speaker 1: Mercier would fly the guide back in their return for

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Speaker 1: McIntyre in a few days time. Though the pilot was

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Speaker 1: reluctant to leave MacIntyre, they at least agreed that should

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Speaker 1: he feel it necessary to venture away from the camp,

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Speaker 1: he would leave a clear note where he was going

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Speaker 1: and would stick close to the river at all times.

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Speaker 1: Minutes later, McIntyre watched as the light Cesna aircraft lifted

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Speaker 1: up from the water and disappeared into the clouds. He

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Speaker 1: was now entirely alone. For the next hour, McIntyre littered

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Speaker 1: the surrounding area with more gifts, hoping that by now

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Speaker 1: the children he had seen earlier had informed the adults

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Speaker 1: of his arrival. Then, after making a quick check of

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Speaker 1: his kit, he pulled out his note book. But just

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Speaker 1: as he was about to put down some thoughts, he

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Speaker 1: heard a rustle in the trees. Grabbing his camera, he

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Speaker 1: looked about for any sign of movement, but saw nothing.

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Speaker 1: It was only then that it really hit him the isolation. Now,

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Speaker 1: with Mercier and Carlitos gone, there was nothing but the

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Speaker 1: possessions in front of him to root him to the world.

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Speaker 1: He knew it was common in such moments as the

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Speaker 1: mind fought to adjust to its new surroundings for a

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Speaker 1: sense of anxiety to rise, to feel the jungle closing in. Suddenly,

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Speaker 1: every distant rustle, insect buzz or strained animal screech seemed

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Speaker 1: unusually amplified out there alone and exposed. This was the

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Speaker 1: effect of his body adapting to calm himself. MacIntyre grabbed

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Speaker 1: a machete and concentrated on preparing the camp. After hacking

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Speaker 1: away some leaves, he hung up the sacks, hoping to

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Speaker 1: make himself more visible for Mercier's return. Next, he placed

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Speaker 1: some colored wool around the camp to serve as waypoints

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Speaker 1: should he venture out any further. After stringing up a

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Speaker 1: hammock and building a fire, he checked his watch to

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Speaker 1: find it was six pm. Feeling suddenly tired and with

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Speaker 1: the light fading fast, he checked his bed for ants,

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Speaker 1: and then slipped into its torte embrace, and there he

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Speaker 1: lay for a moment, listening to the flowing waters of

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Speaker 1: the Rio Javari and the distant croaks and trills of

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Speaker 1: unseen things, before finally drifting off to sleep. At daybreak,

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Speaker 1: McIntyre was startled awake by movement above his head, soon

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Speaker 1: realizing he was staring up at the long and languid

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Speaker 1: torso of a three toed sloth. Not wanting to waste

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Speaker 1: any time, he took down his hammock and quickly washed

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Speaker 1: himself in the river. Then, after a quick meal of

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Speaker 1: campfire porridge a small bag of gifts, placed the camera

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Speaker 1: around his neck and stepped into the jungle. Before long,

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Speaker 1: having just noticed that some of the wool he had

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Speaker 1: left out earlier was missing, he felt the hairs on

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Speaker 1: the back of his neck stand up. Glancing up, he

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Speaker 1: saw standing directly in front of him a man roughly

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Speaker 1: five foot tall with shiny black hair, wearing nothing but

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Speaker 1: a small sheath of fabric covering his penis. Inked around

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Speaker 1: his mouth was that same distinctive tattoo he had seen

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Speaker 1: on the children the day before. Both his cheeks were

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Speaker 1: coated in red paint, while above his top lip were

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Speaker 1: pierced a series of long, sharp pine needles in the

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Speaker 1: manner of whiskers, thus emulating the jaguar from whom the

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Speaker 1: Mayoruna believed they were descended. These piercings had also earned

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Speaker 1: them the nickname the cat people. Slung over his shoulder

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Speaker 1: was a dead howl a monkey. The man stood completely still,

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Speaker 1: knowing the Mayoruna to be fiercely defensive of their territory,

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Speaker 1: while also rumored to be cannibals. It was little wonder

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Speaker 1: that MacIntyre's heart thumped so hard in his chest, then

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Speaker 1: beat a little harder when he saw a second man

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Speaker 1: stepping out from behind the first, with a long bow

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Speaker 1: and arrow in his hand. There were four in total,

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Speaker 1: each carrying bows and arrows, except for the one with

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Speaker 1: red cheeks, whose hand was tightly gripping a club bomb.

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Speaker 1: Dea shouted MacIntyre in Portuguese, holding up his bag of gifts,

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Speaker 1: but there was no response. Wanting desperately to capture this moment,

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Speaker 1: but fearful of making any sudden movement, MacIntyre, whose hand

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Speaker 1: was already on the camera round his neck, took a

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Speaker 1: chance click. The men remained completely still. Amigos saw I

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Speaker 1: an amiagle, He tried in Spanish this time, but again

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Speaker 1: there was no response. McIntyre now raised the whole camera

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Speaker 1: to his eye and pressed the shutter button. At the

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Speaker 1: sound of the click, bread Cheeks, as MacIntyre thought of him,

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Speaker 1: turned slowly round and walked back into the jungle. MacIntyre

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Speaker 1: turned to look at his camp just a few yards

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Speaker 1: behind him, then turned back to the men, who were

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Speaker 1: now all walking away from him, and followed them deeper

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Speaker 1: into the trees. McIntyre made sure to keep a respectful

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Speaker 1: distance as he continued to photograph them. Although the tribesmen

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Speaker 1: seemed unfazed by his presence, he struggled to keep up

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Speaker 1: in the sweltering heat as they pressed ever onwards, further

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Speaker 1: and further into the jungle. Then suddenly the men broke

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Speaker 1: away from the path, coming to rest moments later on

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Speaker 1: the edge of a swamp. Then, after laying their things down,

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Speaker 1: jumped straight into the cooling waters. McIntyre checked his watch

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Speaker 1: and felt a sudden rush of panic. He had been

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Speaker 1: walking for over an hour and only now realized he

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Speaker 1: had left his compass back at the camp. The men

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Speaker 1: exited the water and approached the photographer. Having handed them

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Speaker 1: a machette earlier, they were keen to see what else

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Speaker 1: he was carrying. Sensing the mood had now shifted, he

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Speaker 1: watched with concern as the men conferred quietly together, then

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Speaker 1: promptly headed back into the jungle. McIntyre looked about him,

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Speaker 1: but saw no sign of their previous path. Now completely lost,

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Speaker 1: his only hope was to find the village and pray

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Speaker 1: that somebody spoke Portuguese or Spanish. Without further delaying, he

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Speaker 1: grabbed his things and continued on behind the hunters. After

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Speaker 1: another hour of trailing them, a greatly relieved, but severely

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Speaker 1: exhausted McIntyre arrived finally at the Mayoruna settlement. The camp

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00:16:53,080 --> 00:16:57,800
Speaker 1: was centred around the felled trunk of a large sumauma tree.

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Speaker 1: Fourteen huts made of wooden poles and palm thatched roofs

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00:17:01,600 --> 00:17:07,920
Speaker 1: circled it, each in various stages of development. All about, men,

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00:17:07,960 --> 00:17:11,760
Speaker 1: women and children sat tending to fires or weaving baskets,

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00:17:12,440 --> 00:17:16,080
Speaker 1: as pet dogs wandered about, and the smell of cooked

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00:17:16,119 --> 00:17:22,960
Speaker 1: fish hung heavy in the air. Within minutes, McIntyre was

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00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:26,159
Speaker 1: surrounded by other members of the tribe, many with the

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Speaker 1: same tattooed faces and piercings. The children were the bravest,

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00:17:32,160 --> 00:17:35,800
Speaker 1: rushing forward ahead of the adults, but cautious enough not

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Speaker 1: to get too close. McIntyre recognized one of them from

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00:17:40,359 --> 00:17:45,639
Speaker 1: the day before, holding a mirror in their hand. Looking

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00:17:45,640 --> 00:17:48,560
Speaker 1: at them now gathered in front of him, he couldn't

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00:17:48,560 --> 00:17:51,920
Speaker 1: help but noticing that although some of them looked lithe

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Speaker 1: and powerfully built, it was clear that they were also starving. Then,

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00:17:58,800 --> 00:18:03,320
Speaker 1: looking again the hurriedly constructed huts, he was gripped once

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00:18:03,440 --> 00:18:08,200
Speaker 1: more with panic. If this village had only recently been constructed,

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Speaker 1: it wasn't the one they had seen from the air.

230
00:18:11,800 --> 00:18:16,080
Speaker 1: His pilot, Mercier, would have absolutely no idea where to

231
00:18:16,119 --> 00:18:21,360
Speaker 1: find him. Just then, a sudden burst of raised voices

232
00:18:21,440 --> 00:18:26,640
Speaker 1: drew his attention. Standing off to one side, Red Cheeks

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00:18:26,840 --> 00:18:31,560
Speaker 1: was handing the various gifts around and gesticulating wildly toward McIntyre,

234
00:18:32,160 --> 00:18:38,480
Speaker 1: mimicking the taking of photographs. McIntire felt himself clutching self

235
00:18:38,520 --> 00:18:44,560
Speaker 1: consciously at the camera around his neck. Suddenly feeling very thirsty,

236
00:18:45,200 --> 00:18:48,400
Speaker 1: he mined for a drink, and within seconds a bowl

237
00:18:48,440 --> 00:18:51,880
Speaker 1: of water was brought to him, which he gratefully received,

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00:18:52,200 --> 00:18:57,119
Speaker 1: scooping it out with his hands. After conferring for a

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00:18:57,160 --> 00:19:00,840
Speaker 1: moment with the hunters, a man wearing a hat of leaves,

240
00:19:01,119 --> 00:19:04,639
Speaker 1: whom McIntyre took to be a shaman, hurried over to

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00:19:04,720 --> 00:19:07,800
Speaker 1: him and ushered him along the length of the fallen

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00:19:07,840 --> 00:19:11,240
Speaker 1: tree toward a hut stationed at the very tip of it,

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00:19:12,359 --> 00:19:17,160
Speaker 1: outside of which sat a much older man somehow unlike

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Speaker 1: all the rest, and wearing a grand crown of egret feathers,

245
00:19:22,520 --> 00:19:35,840
Speaker 1: ah thought McIntyre. Finally the chief. The chief, who was

246
00:19:35,880 --> 00:19:39,399
Speaker 1: busy constructing arrows from a small pile of materials on

247
00:19:39,480 --> 00:19:43,600
Speaker 1: the ground next to him, regarded McIntyre coolly as he

248
00:19:43,680 --> 00:19:49,679
Speaker 1: was brought toward him. Looking at his legs, McIntyre couldn't

249
00:19:49,680 --> 00:19:52,439
Speaker 1: help noticing that they were covered in a series of

250
00:19:52,520 --> 00:19:58,600
Speaker 1: large white wartz that reminded him of barnacles. The chief

251
00:19:58,640 --> 00:20:02,240
Speaker 1: listened patiently as red Cheeks went over again how he

252
00:20:02,280 --> 00:20:07,840
Speaker 1: had found macintire's camp. Once he had finished, the old

253
00:20:07,880 --> 00:20:14,520
Speaker 1: man smiled, revealing a mouthful of blackened teeth. Relieved, McIntyre

254
00:20:14,640 --> 00:20:20,879
Speaker 1: smiled back. Bomb dea, he said hopefully, but once again

255
00:20:21,400 --> 00:20:27,719
Speaker 1: there was no sign of recognition. Exasperated, McIntyre grabbed an

256
00:20:27,800 --> 00:20:30,760
Speaker 1: arrow and drew a map of the river on the ground,

257
00:20:31,200 --> 00:20:36,120
Speaker 1: shouting Javari repeatedly, but getting only bemused looks in response.

258
00:20:37,640 --> 00:20:41,240
Speaker 1: Then a sudden commotion drew their attention as eight more

259
00:20:41,320 --> 00:20:45,200
Speaker 1: hunters carrying dead monkeys and pekeres appeared from out of

260
00:20:45,240 --> 00:20:50,080
Speaker 1: the jungle. As the hunters were welcomed back into the village,

261
00:20:50,359 --> 00:20:54,639
Speaker 1: the women rose to collect the game. One young girl

262
00:20:55,000 --> 00:20:58,680
Speaker 1: approached a howl a monkey that lay completely still, bleeding

263
00:20:58,680 --> 00:21:02,399
Speaker 1: profusely from its head. When she grabbed its leg, however,

264
00:21:03,040 --> 00:21:06,760
Speaker 1: it instantly came alive and tried desperately to get away.

265
00:21:08,680 --> 00:21:12,400
Speaker 1: In one movement, she swung it in a circle, crashing

266
00:21:12,440 --> 00:21:16,280
Speaker 1: its head against the ground, sending blood bursting out of

267
00:21:16,320 --> 00:21:24,520
Speaker 1: its nose. It twitched momentarily, then was still again. As

268
00:21:24,560 --> 00:21:27,400
Speaker 1: the rest of the village went about their business, paying

269
00:21:27,480 --> 00:21:31,280
Speaker 1: him little heed, McIntire tried to forget his predicament for

270
00:21:31,320 --> 00:21:34,639
Speaker 1: a moment, then, remembering why he had come all this

271
00:21:34,680 --> 00:21:38,159
Speaker 1: way in the first place, he raised his camera to

272
00:21:38,200 --> 00:21:49,600
Speaker 1: his face and snapped a photo. By the afternoon, though

273
00:21:49,640 --> 00:21:53,080
Speaker 1: McIntyre had succeeded in teaching them his name, he had

274
00:21:53,119 --> 00:21:57,960
Speaker 1: got no further explaining his situation. At shortly after three

275
00:21:58,000 --> 00:22:02,000
Speaker 1: p m. The communities sat down to eat, inviting him

276
00:22:02,040 --> 00:22:06,400
Speaker 1: to join them. Taking a seat beside them on the ground,

277
00:22:07,040 --> 00:22:10,880
Speaker 1: McIntyre was handed a slice of baijeu smeared with fish paste,

278
00:22:11,480 --> 00:22:15,960
Speaker 1: which he was grateful to receive, and then it really

279
00:22:16,000 --> 00:22:21,639
Speaker 1: started to hit him how stupid he had been. He

280
00:22:21,680 --> 00:22:25,480
Speaker 1: looked about at the distinctly unfamiliar surroundings, and at the

281
00:22:25,480 --> 00:22:28,840
Speaker 1: faces of all these people that he didn't know, who

282
00:22:28,880 --> 00:22:33,320
Speaker 1: only months before many believed no longer existed. Then his

283
00:22:33,400 --> 00:22:38,199
Speaker 1: head began to spin, but just as things began to

284
00:22:38,240 --> 00:22:42,200
Speaker 1: spiral away from him, he found his mind suddenly filled

285
00:22:42,240 --> 00:22:45,440
Speaker 1: with a strange, humming sound that seemed to drown out

286
00:22:45,640 --> 00:22:49,520
Speaker 1: the other noises in the camp. Trying hard to focus

287
00:22:49,520 --> 00:22:54,160
Speaker 1: on something else, the sound eventually dissipated and the noise

288
00:22:54,240 --> 00:22:59,840
Speaker 1: level of the camp returned to normal. Later, just before

289
00:23:00,119 --> 00:23:03,320
Speaker 1: ask a family of four kindly offered up a hammock

290
00:23:03,520 --> 00:23:08,040
Speaker 1: in their hut for him to sleep in. That night,

291
00:23:08,680 --> 00:23:12,240
Speaker 1: McIntyre lay awake, listening to the sounds of the jungle

292
00:23:12,880 --> 00:23:16,840
Speaker 1: mingling with those of the camp, the cracking and popping fire,

293
00:23:17,920 --> 00:23:21,439
Speaker 1: and wandered silently to himself about the great gulf of

294
00:23:21,520 --> 00:23:25,959
Speaker 1: understanding between his world perspective and that of the Maya Aruna,

295
00:23:27,000 --> 00:23:32,600
Speaker 1: before finally he drifted off to sleep. Moments later, he

296
00:23:32,640 --> 00:23:37,119
Speaker 1: found himself floating high above the jungle, the greenness of

297
00:23:37,160 --> 00:23:40,879
Speaker 1: it so intense it felt to him as though it

298
00:23:40,920 --> 00:23:44,760
Speaker 1: were lit up from underneath, and though he couldn't tell

299
00:23:44,800 --> 00:23:52,040
Speaker 1: exactly what it was, somewhere in it all was a message. Next,

300
00:23:52,359 --> 00:23:55,120
Speaker 1: he found himself staring at the feet of an old man,

301
00:23:56,160 --> 00:24:00,200
Speaker 1: scanning up to find those familiar wort covered legs, till

302
00:24:00,280 --> 00:24:03,560
Speaker 1: finally he was looking into the eyes of the Mayaruna Chief,

303
00:24:04,840 --> 00:24:10,960
Speaker 1: his face breaking into a radiant smile. McIntire snapped awake

304
00:24:11,160 --> 00:24:15,640
Speaker 1: in the dark, then, laying his head down again, fell

305
00:24:15,680 --> 00:24:26,600
Speaker 1: once more to sleep. At first light the following morning,

306
00:24:27,119 --> 00:24:31,920
Speaker 1: McIntyre was shaken awake by one of the shaman. Sensing urgency,

307
00:24:32,520 --> 00:24:35,240
Speaker 1: he gathered his things and wandered into the middle of

308
00:24:35,280 --> 00:24:38,439
Speaker 1: the village to find the place engulfed in a flurry

309
00:24:38,440 --> 00:24:42,639
Speaker 1: of activity. Baskets were being filled and placed on heads,

310
00:24:43,600 --> 00:24:48,639
Speaker 1: babies strapped to backs, and the pets corralled spinning round.

311
00:24:48,680 --> 00:24:50,679
Speaker 1: He was just in time to catch one of the

312
00:24:50,720 --> 00:24:53,240
Speaker 1: men taking a club to the central post of the

313
00:24:53,320 --> 00:24:56,240
Speaker 1: hut he had just been sleeping in, and knocking it

314
00:24:56,320 --> 00:25:01,200
Speaker 1: down with one blow. They were moving camp. He realized

315
00:25:02,560 --> 00:25:07,200
Speaker 1: they must be running from something, having been reassured by

316
00:25:07,240 --> 00:25:10,159
Speaker 1: the sight of the chief. His relief was to be

317
00:25:10,200 --> 00:25:14,879
Speaker 1: short lived when moments later, the villagers, having gathered everything

318
00:25:14,880 --> 00:25:18,280
Speaker 1: they needed, formed a straight line and proceeded to head

319
00:25:18,320 --> 00:25:23,959
Speaker 1: directly into the jungle. Once again, McIntyre had no choice

320
00:25:24,480 --> 00:25:29,080
Speaker 1: but to follow them. Thirty minutes or so later, they

321
00:25:29,119 --> 00:25:35,359
Speaker 1: reached a muddy stream. Now McIntyre had a choice to

322
00:25:35,440 --> 00:25:38,480
Speaker 1: stay with the tribe or take a chance following the

323
00:25:38,520 --> 00:25:43,359
Speaker 1: stream back to the Rio Javari. He looked downstream and

324
00:25:43,440 --> 00:25:47,960
Speaker 1: thought for a moment, if he struck out now, only

325
00:25:48,000 --> 00:25:51,520
Speaker 1: to sprain an ankle or get bitten by something poisonous,

326
00:25:52,040 --> 00:25:56,480
Speaker 1: he would likely not live to tell the tale. He

327
00:25:56,560 --> 00:25:58,600
Speaker 1: looked up to the back of the line of may

328
00:25:58,680 --> 00:26:01,400
Speaker 1: Aruna as they would just just about to disappear into

329
00:26:01,400 --> 00:26:07,840
Speaker 1: the foliage, and ran off to catch them up with

330
00:26:07,920 --> 00:26:11,280
Speaker 1: barely a crack in the canopy above. Without his watch,

331
00:26:11,600 --> 00:26:13,880
Speaker 1: it would be impossible to tell what time of day

332
00:26:13,920 --> 00:26:17,840
Speaker 1: it was, as those at the front continued hacking a

333
00:26:17,920 --> 00:26:21,639
Speaker 1: path for the rest to walk through. Finally they reached

334
00:26:21,640 --> 00:26:26,240
Speaker 1: a small clearing. Moments later, there was a rumble of

335
00:26:26,280 --> 00:26:31,159
Speaker 1: thunder above and a heavy rain began to fall. The

336
00:26:31,280 --> 00:26:35,359
Speaker 1: chief shouted something to the group, who immediately dispersed and

337
00:26:35,400 --> 00:26:39,159
Speaker 1: got to work. In what seemed like a matter of minutes,

338
00:26:39,720 --> 00:26:43,040
Speaker 1: another camp had emerged out of the clearing, and before

339
00:26:43,080 --> 00:26:47,159
Speaker 1: long the Mayoruna had settled back into life just as

340
00:26:47,240 --> 00:26:53,880
Speaker 1: it was before. After taking some more photos, McIntyre found

341
00:26:53,880 --> 00:26:56,679
Speaker 1: a spot between two trees and hung up his hammock.

342
00:26:58,600 --> 00:27:01,800
Speaker 1: Spotting the Chief site once again on his chair at

343
00:27:01,800 --> 00:27:14,320
Speaker 1: the head of the camp, making arrows, McIntyre sensed an opportunity.

344
00:27:14,359 --> 00:27:17,120
Speaker 1: Taking a seat at the man's feet, he grabbed three

345
00:27:17,160 --> 00:27:20,520
Speaker 1: strands of palm from the pile next to him and

346
00:27:20,600 --> 00:27:23,800
Speaker 1: began to weave a belt, something he had learnt to

347
00:27:23,840 --> 00:27:27,359
Speaker 1: do from his time spent in the navy. If they

348
00:27:27,400 --> 00:27:31,359
Speaker 1: couldn't speak, perhaps he could earn his respect, he thought.

349
00:27:33,200 --> 00:27:37,600
Speaker 1: As McIntyre platted, so too did the Chief, continue refining

350
00:27:37,640 --> 00:27:42,920
Speaker 1: his arrows. Half Way done, McIntyre held up his work

351
00:27:43,760 --> 00:27:49,200
Speaker 1: and the pair smiled warmly at each other. Just then,

352
00:27:50,240 --> 00:27:56,879
Speaker 1: something very peculiar happened. A voice in McIntyre's head that

353
00:27:56,960 --> 00:28:02,680
Speaker 1: didn't belong to him. Some of us are friends, it said.

354
00:28:04,160 --> 00:28:07,640
Speaker 1: He looked up with confusion at the Chief, who remained

355
00:28:07,760 --> 00:28:12,359
Speaker 1: focused on his task, that warm smile still playing about

356
00:28:12,400 --> 00:28:19,840
Speaker 1: his lips. Then it came again, some of us our friends.

357
00:28:21,920 --> 00:28:25,520
Speaker 1: After everything that had happened, he was finally losing it,

358
00:28:25,560 --> 00:28:30,040
Speaker 1: he thought, After all, what else could explain what was

359
00:28:30,080 --> 00:28:37,400
Speaker 1: going on. But then McIntyre decided to try something. Clearing

360
00:28:37,440 --> 00:28:41,400
Speaker 1: his mind of all other thoughts, he concentrated solely and

361
00:28:41,440 --> 00:28:46,200
Speaker 1: trying to communicate that he too was a friend. You

362
00:28:46,280 --> 00:28:51,840
Speaker 1: can trust me, he repeated over and over in his mind.

363
00:28:53,400 --> 00:28:58,960
Speaker 1: Moments later, something else popped into his head. I know,

364
00:28:59,760 --> 00:29:04,680
Speaker 1: came the reply. McIntyre looked up, aghast at the chief,

365
00:29:05,560 --> 00:29:19,400
Speaker 1: who smiled back with his wide, toothless grin. It had

366
00:29:19,480 --> 00:29:22,840
Speaker 1: been two days since McIntyre had so carelessly followed the

367
00:29:22,880 --> 00:29:27,320
Speaker 1: Mayaruna into the depths of the Amazon rainforest. That night,

368
00:29:27,880 --> 00:29:30,200
Speaker 1: having strung up a hammock on the edge of the camp,

369
00:29:30,800 --> 00:29:34,760
Speaker 1: he lay awake, replaying those words over and over in

370
00:29:34,800 --> 00:29:40,440
Speaker 1: his mind. Some of us are friends. How could the

371
00:29:40,520 --> 00:29:44,720
Speaker 1: chief have communicated this without uttering a word, let alone

372
00:29:44,760 --> 00:29:48,880
Speaker 1: not speaking English? Did he have access to an ancient

373
00:29:48,920 --> 00:29:52,760
Speaker 1: form of communication, he thought, abilities that had long died

374
00:29:52,800 --> 00:29:57,720
Speaker 1: out in more contemporary societies. Or had McIntyre merely picked

375
00:29:57,800 --> 00:30:01,080
Speaker 1: up on a general sensibility and he conjured the thoughts

376
00:30:01,320 --> 00:30:06,040
Speaker 1: on his own? What then, did it mean that only

377
00:30:06,080 --> 00:30:11,760
Speaker 1: some of them were friends? McIntyre awoke the next morning

378
00:30:12,280 --> 00:30:15,680
Speaker 1: with an acrid smell of burning rubber, assaulting his nostrils.

379
00:30:16,600 --> 00:30:19,440
Speaker 1: He lifted his arm to check the time, but there

380
00:30:19,480 --> 00:30:23,000
Speaker 1: was no watch on his wrist. His camera and shoes

381
00:30:23,120 --> 00:30:27,200
Speaker 1: were gone too. Stumbling into the middle of the camp,

382
00:30:27,600 --> 00:30:30,240
Speaker 1: he found Red Cheeks and some fellow warriors of the

383
00:30:30,280 --> 00:30:34,800
Speaker 1: tribe standing around a fire with a suspiciously dark plume

384
00:30:34,840 --> 00:30:38,560
Speaker 1: of smoke rising up from it, and on top of

385
00:30:38,600 --> 00:30:45,440
Speaker 1: it were his sneakers. McIntyre grabbed them, putting them, still scolding,

386
00:30:45,600 --> 00:30:48,600
Speaker 1: on to his feet as Red Cheeks and the others

387
00:30:48,960 --> 00:30:54,680
Speaker 1: crowed with laughter. MacIntyre breathed deeply, doing his best to

388
00:30:54,720 --> 00:30:57,840
Speaker 1: control the anger now swelling up inside of him as

389
00:30:57,840 --> 00:31:01,760
Speaker 1: he looked desperately for his camera, the one thing that

390
00:31:02,000 --> 00:31:07,000
Speaker 1: justified his stupidity at getting lost out there. Just then,

391
00:31:07,640 --> 00:31:11,400
Speaker 1: the chief appeared and approached him. I need to know

392
00:31:11,600 --> 00:31:23,160
Speaker 1: what happened, came the voice in McIntire's head. Many others

393
00:31:23,200 --> 00:31:27,720
Speaker 1: had appeared by now, crowding round the fire. The chief

394
00:31:28,120 --> 00:31:32,240
Speaker 1: looked first at Red Cheeks and then to McIntyre, before

395
00:31:32,240 --> 00:31:35,280
Speaker 1: turning his back and walking away. As the rest of

396
00:31:35,320 --> 00:31:40,640
Speaker 1: the village moved in behind him, McIntire shouted out to them,

397
00:31:41,480 --> 00:31:46,680
Speaker 1: but nobody responded. It was not uncommon for tribes to

398
00:31:46,720 --> 00:31:50,959
Speaker 1: ostracize individuals to the point of invisibility. If they no

399
00:31:51,000 --> 00:31:57,000
Speaker 1: longer observed them, they no longer existed. McIntyre couldn't afford

400
00:31:57,080 --> 00:32:01,080
Speaker 1: to let that happen to him, so he began to jock.

401
00:32:02,880 --> 00:32:06,360
Speaker 1: He started slowly at first, on a steady line circling

402
00:32:06,360 --> 00:32:10,040
Speaker 1: the entire camp. By the fourth lap, he was running

403
00:32:10,040 --> 00:32:14,120
Speaker 1: at pace, stamping and flailing his arms every time he

404
00:32:14,160 --> 00:32:19,720
Speaker 1: went past the chief, determined for him not to ignore him. Slowly,

405
00:32:19,880 --> 00:32:25,480
Speaker 1: the villagers began to take notice. Red Cheeks had noticed too,

406
00:32:25,520 --> 00:32:29,280
Speaker 1: stepping forward from the others with his hand tightly gripped

407
00:32:29,280 --> 00:32:33,680
Speaker 1: on a club. For a moment, McIntire thought he might

408
00:32:33,720 --> 00:32:38,320
Speaker 1: attack him, but something was holding him back, and then

409
00:32:38,320 --> 00:32:43,560
Speaker 1: he saw the chief watching him. Hoping he had done enough,

410
00:32:44,120 --> 00:32:48,720
Speaker 1: McIntyre finally came to a stop. The chief regarded the

411
00:32:48,720 --> 00:32:53,760
Speaker 1: stranger for a moment. Then, as McIntyre watched in complete amusement,

412
00:32:54,480 --> 00:32:58,960
Speaker 1: he started to jock, also taking the exact same line

413
00:32:59,000 --> 00:33:04,600
Speaker 1: as McIntyre, but in the opposite direction. He continued until

414
00:33:04,600 --> 00:33:07,720
Speaker 1: he had completed the same amount of lapse. Then a

415
00:33:07,760 --> 00:33:13,800
Speaker 1: thought came into MacIntyre's mind, the face of time, and

416
00:33:13,840 --> 00:33:17,280
Speaker 1: then he realized they thought he had been putting a

417
00:33:17,320 --> 00:33:20,600
Speaker 1: spell on the village, and the chief was trying to

418
00:33:20,640 --> 00:33:25,720
Speaker 1: reverse it. Having finished the last lap, the chief stared

419
00:33:25,720 --> 00:33:28,680
Speaker 1: again at MacIntyre for a moment, then went back to

420
00:33:28,760 --> 00:33:34,040
Speaker 1: his hut. Now witnessed again by the tribe, MacIntyre returned

421
00:33:34,080 --> 00:33:37,000
Speaker 1: to the fire and pulled the remains of his watch

422
00:33:37,200 --> 00:33:41,320
Speaker 1: from under the ash. His last connection to time, as

423
00:33:41,320 --> 00:33:46,880
Speaker 1: he knew it, had now gone. Just then he caught

424
00:33:46,920 --> 00:33:51,120
Speaker 1: sight of something odd dangling from a branch. It was

425
00:33:51,160 --> 00:33:55,280
Speaker 1: a roll of film. Then he saw the monkey in

426
00:33:55,320 --> 00:33:58,960
Speaker 1: the tree above it, holding his precious camera in its hands.

427
00:34:00,840 --> 00:34:04,680
Speaker 1: MacIntyre watched helplessly as it tore off the back and

428
00:34:04,800 --> 00:34:08,560
Speaker 1: threw what was left of it somewhere deep into the undergrowth.

429
00:34:16,680 --> 00:34:18,799
Speaker 1: Though he was relieved not to have been cut off

430
00:34:18,840 --> 00:34:22,000
Speaker 1: from the group, losing the camera was a tough blow.

431
00:34:23,440 --> 00:34:27,640
Speaker 1: He slumped to the floor, exhausted. At the very least,

432
00:34:28,000 --> 00:34:30,680
Speaker 1: he still had two rolls of shot film in his pockets.

433
00:34:31,160 --> 00:34:33,760
Speaker 1: If he should ever make it out of there alive,

434
00:34:34,160 --> 00:34:39,520
Speaker 1: he thought. Just then, a girl he had decided to

435
00:34:39,560 --> 00:34:43,920
Speaker 1: call Monia, walked past. He had seen her lying with

436
00:34:44,000 --> 00:34:48,759
Speaker 1: red cheeks before, and assumed they were a couple in

437
00:34:48,840 --> 00:34:51,240
Speaker 1: her hair. She wore a blue piece of the wall

438
00:34:51,560 --> 00:34:54,200
Speaker 1: he had left out by his camp when he first arrived.

439
00:34:55,520 --> 00:34:58,520
Speaker 1: He noticed her nails, when now painted the same color too.

440
00:35:00,120 --> 00:35:03,440
Speaker 1: It was as if McIntire's presence was already staining and

441
00:35:03,560 --> 00:35:07,799
Speaker 1: corrupting these people, a reminder perhaps of how quickly an

442
00:35:07,880 --> 00:35:15,200
Speaker 1: isolated culture can become tainted by others. Later, after bathing

443
00:35:15,239 --> 00:35:18,800
Speaker 1: in the river, newly replenished, he was greeted by the chief,

444
00:35:19,120 --> 00:35:22,480
Speaker 1: who offered him one of his beautifully crafted arrows with

445
00:35:22,600 --> 00:35:27,480
Speaker 1: bristles made of boar hair. A peace offering, perhaps, thought McIntyre,

446
00:35:28,120 --> 00:35:30,200
Speaker 1: who gave him the belt he had weaved in return

447
00:35:32,000 --> 00:35:35,600
Speaker 1: at the chief's invitation. McIntyre then followed a small group

448
00:35:35,640 --> 00:35:39,000
Speaker 1: of children into the forest and watched as a shaman

449
00:35:39,400 --> 00:35:41,880
Speaker 1: gave them a lesson on the many plants and insects

450
00:35:41,960 --> 00:35:47,239
Speaker 1: of their habitat. Then the chief approached him again, and

451
00:35:47,280 --> 00:35:51,320
Speaker 1: a thought appeared in his head. You must run away,

452
00:35:51,800 --> 00:35:58,240
Speaker 1: it said. McIntyre looked confused as they stood silently together.

453
00:35:58,960 --> 00:36:03,480
Speaker 1: More words appeared in macintire's mind. The tribe had been

454
00:36:03,520 --> 00:36:06,680
Speaker 1: attacked before by white men who came from the sky.

455
00:36:07,680 --> 00:36:09,799
Speaker 1: They were now on a journey to escape it all,

456
00:36:11,360 --> 00:36:16,520
Speaker 1: But how thought McIntire. In response, by returning to the beginning,

457
00:36:17,040 --> 00:36:22,719
Speaker 1: came the reply, Yes, thought McIntyre, This was why they

458
00:36:22,760 --> 00:36:27,560
Speaker 1: seemed so restless, and why they were starving themselves. The

459
00:36:27,640 --> 00:36:30,880
Speaker 1: chief called it a journey to the beginning, but as

460
00:36:30,960 --> 00:36:36,719
Speaker 1: McIntyre understood it, it was a journey to death. The

461
00:36:36,840 --> 00:36:40,560
Speaker 1: chief was offering him the chance to leave and save himself.

462
00:36:42,840 --> 00:36:46,600
Speaker 1: MacIntyre looked out into the jungle and weighed up his options,

463
00:36:47,640 --> 00:36:50,440
Speaker 1: but there was no question that his best chance was

464
00:36:50,440 --> 00:36:52,920
Speaker 1: to stay with the tribe as long as he could.

465
00:36:54,320 --> 00:36:59,200
Speaker 1: He looked back at the chief and shook his head.

466
00:37:05,120 --> 00:37:09,080
Speaker 1: Over the next few days, MacIntyre began finally to adjust

467
00:37:09,080 --> 00:37:12,720
Speaker 1: to the rhythms of the jungle. He survived a bout

468
00:37:12,760 --> 00:37:16,200
Speaker 1: of diar rhea and spent most of his time listening

469
00:37:16,239 --> 00:37:19,279
Speaker 1: for sounds of a plane, waiting in vain for the

470
00:37:19,320 --> 00:37:23,360
Speaker 1: Mayoruna to up sticks and move on to the next destination.

471
00:37:25,200 --> 00:37:30,279
Speaker 1: On the sixth night, MacIntyre woke in the dark. Then

472
00:37:30,360 --> 00:37:36,720
Speaker 1: he heard it, the unmistakable roar of a jaguar. Moments later,

473
00:37:37,200 --> 00:37:41,600
Speaker 1: an excited red Cheeks appeared carrying a flaming torch, beckoning

474
00:37:41,640 --> 00:37:46,239
Speaker 1: for the photojournalist to follow him. Sensing a chance to

475
00:37:46,280 --> 00:37:50,440
Speaker 1: finally prove his worth and win him over, MacIntyre cautiously

476
00:37:50,480 --> 00:37:53,399
Speaker 1: headed out to him as more hunters appeared from out

477
00:37:53,400 --> 00:37:57,040
Speaker 1: of their huts, and soon they were charging through the

478
00:37:57,080 --> 00:38:01,320
Speaker 1: forest in pursuit of the wild animal. Hearing more jaguar

479
00:38:01,360 --> 00:38:04,440
Speaker 1: cries in the distance, MacIntyre did his best to keep

480
00:38:04,520 --> 00:38:07,200
Speaker 1: up with the balls of flame, bobbing and weaving through

481
00:38:07,239 --> 00:38:10,600
Speaker 1: the trees ahead of him, until suddenly they came to

482
00:38:10,640 --> 00:38:14,799
Speaker 1: a stop by a large thorny bush. Rushing toward it,

483
00:38:15,320 --> 00:38:18,120
Speaker 1: MacIntyre was just about to stop when one of the

484
00:38:18,200 --> 00:38:21,840
Speaker 1: hunters pushed him hard from behind and sent him tumbling

485
00:38:22,160 --> 00:38:26,160
Speaker 1: into the thorns. He cried out in agony as the

486
00:38:26,160 --> 00:38:30,080
Speaker 1: barbs stuck into him, many breaking off while still under

487
00:38:30,080 --> 00:38:36,160
Speaker 1: the skin. Stumbling to his feet, MacIntyre found himself alone

488
00:38:36,160 --> 00:38:39,960
Speaker 1: in complete darkness, with no sign of the flaming torches

489
00:38:40,520 --> 00:38:44,680
Speaker 1: and no sign of the hunters. Of course, he thought

490
00:38:45,440 --> 00:38:49,959
Speaker 1: there had been no jaguar, either he just wanted him gone,

491
00:38:50,280 --> 00:38:55,680
Speaker 1: or Red Cheeks had tried to kill him. MacIntyre realized

492
00:38:55,680 --> 00:39:00,839
Speaker 1: with alarm that those thorns could also be poisonous as

493
00:39:00,920 --> 00:39:03,359
Speaker 1: quickly as possible. He did what he could to pull

494
00:39:03,400 --> 00:39:06,760
Speaker 1: them from his skin in the dark, but many, especially

495
00:39:06,760 --> 00:39:11,200
Speaker 1: those on his back, he could not reach. He waited

496
00:39:11,239 --> 00:39:15,200
Speaker 1: for a moment, expecting some effect from the poison, but

497
00:39:15,280 --> 00:39:21,480
Speaker 1: nothing came. Scratched and bloodied, he listened out for any

498
00:39:21,520 --> 00:39:24,560
Speaker 1: sound of the camp, but heard only crickets and the

499
00:39:24,600 --> 00:39:28,080
Speaker 1: occasional cry of a macaw somewhere in the canopy above.

500
00:39:29,920 --> 00:39:32,160
Speaker 1: Unable to see anything more than a foot in front

501
00:39:32,160 --> 00:39:35,879
Speaker 1: of him, he decided to stay put until first light.

502
00:39:37,760 --> 00:39:41,680
Speaker 1: Moments later came the gnats assaulting him from all over,

503
00:39:42,400 --> 00:39:46,680
Speaker 1: nipping and biting at its body. Each time he swatted

504
00:39:46,719 --> 00:39:51,799
Speaker 1: them away, they seemed just to come back in greater numbers.

505
00:39:52,560 --> 00:39:55,680
Speaker 1: Needing to find any kind of shelter, he eventually settled

506
00:39:55,719 --> 00:39:59,440
Speaker 1: under some roots, taking care to scare off any poisonous

507
00:39:59,480 --> 00:40:03,120
Speaker 1: creatures that might have been lurking there, and there he

508
00:40:03,200 --> 00:40:15,200
Speaker 1: remained waiting out the rest of the night. McIntyre woke

509
00:40:15,520 --> 00:40:20,040
Speaker 1: at daybreak, his body shivering with cold and itching all over.

510
00:40:21,880 --> 00:40:25,080
Speaker 1: Finding the bush of thorns again, he soon located a

511
00:40:25,120 --> 00:40:29,000
Speaker 1: path nearby. After following it for a few minutes, however,

512
00:40:29,840 --> 00:40:35,640
Speaker 1: the path split in two. Exasperated, he took one and

513
00:40:35,719 --> 00:40:41,319
Speaker 1: headed down it. Hours later, McIntyre broke through into a

514
00:40:41,360 --> 00:40:45,960
Speaker 1: clearing with a flush of excitement. He spotted chainsaw marks

515
00:40:45,960 --> 00:40:48,920
Speaker 1: on the trees and wondered if the loggers were still close.

516
00:40:50,120 --> 00:40:53,719
Speaker 1: Though he found the practice objectionable, he realized, too, with

517
00:40:53,800 --> 00:40:56,920
Speaker 1: a touch of irony, that these people might also be

518
00:40:57,000 --> 00:41:02,480
Speaker 1: his best chance of survival. Moments later he found the bodies,

519
00:41:03,400 --> 00:41:07,240
Speaker 1: four of them, in various states of decay, being steadily

520
00:41:07,280 --> 00:41:10,520
Speaker 1: devoured by an endless line of army ants and other

521
00:41:10,600 --> 00:41:15,160
Speaker 1: small creatures. McIntyre did his best to cover his nose

522
00:41:15,239 --> 00:41:19,759
Speaker 1: from the smell and swatted the flies away. Then he

523
00:41:19,840 --> 00:41:24,120
Speaker 1: noticed the arrows sticking out of their chests. The flights

524
00:41:24,200 --> 00:41:27,160
Speaker 1: made of ball bristles, just as the chief had handed

525
00:41:27,239 --> 00:41:33,160
Speaker 1: him the day before. The men Amazonians, too in their

526
00:41:33,200 --> 00:41:37,080
Speaker 1: way with families of their own to support, had likely

527
00:41:37,160 --> 00:41:40,360
Speaker 1: been dropped in by helicopter to prepare a formal landing

528
00:41:40,400 --> 00:41:47,480
Speaker 1: spot for developers. They were unlikely to be found. McIntyre

529
00:41:47,680 --> 00:41:50,960
Speaker 1: made a note of the chainsaw serial number, hoping it

530
00:41:51,040 --> 00:41:56,719
Speaker 1: might help identify them. Later, continuing on feeling more and

531
00:41:56,800 --> 00:42:00,560
Speaker 1: more itchy all over his body, he noticed uncture wound

532
00:42:00,640 --> 00:42:06,000
Speaker 1: on his arm beginning to swell. Unusually, Taking his knife,

533
00:42:06,360 --> 00:42:11,320
Speaker 1: he dug into it and pulled out a small, wriggling maggot.

534
00:42:13,080 --> 00:42:17,880
Speaker 1: Many hours later, with the heat and humidity intensifying, McIntyre

535
00:42:17,960 --> 00:42:21,280
Speaker 1: stumbled on in a state of near delirium, having lost

536
00:42:21,280 --> 00:42:24,800
Speaker 1: all comprehension of distance, as he felt his entire self

537
00:42:25,040 --> 00:42:30,560
Speaker 1: being absorbed into the buzzing vibrancy of the forest. Then,

538
00:42:31,080 --> 00:42:35,240
Speaker 1: hearing the sound of water, he staggered toward it, breaking

539
00:42:35,320 --> 00:42:40,520
Speaker 1: through into a scene of unparalleled beauty. Before him, under

540
00:42:40,600 --> 00:42:45,360
Speaker 1: dappled sunlight lay a small river beach of untouched white sand,

541
00:42:46,200 --> 00:42:50,040
Speaker 1: at the foot of two high and narrow waterfalls cascading

542
00:42:50,080 --> 00:42:54,800
Speaker 1: off the face of a vast green mountain. McIntyre flopped

543
00:42:54,840 --> 00:42:59,000
Speaker 1: onto the beach and threw his head into the water. Then,

544
00:42:59,040 --> 00:43:01,600
Speaker 1: after taking a short rest to pick more maggots from

545
00:43:01,680 --> 00:43:05,680
Speaker 1: under his skin, he carried on, hoping to follow the

546
00:43:05,719 --> 00:43:19,440
Speaker 1: stream back to the river. Seconds later, he collapsed. MacIntyre

547
00:43:19,480 --> 00:43:23,120
Speaker 1: slowly opened his eyes and found himself back in the

548
00:43:23,160 --> 00:43:28,000
Speaker 1: Mayoruna camp as shaman busied themselves about him, sucking out

549
00:43:28,040 --> 00:43:32,480
Speaker 1: the worms and tending to his wounds. He had been rescued.

550
00:43:34,160 --> 00:43:37,840
Speaker 1: Hours later. After drifting in and out of consciousness, he

551
00:43:37,960 --> 00:43:42,440
Speaker 1: was finally strong enough to stand. Walking round the village cautiously,

552
00:43:43,000 --> 00:43:46,399
Speaker 1: he saw no sign of red cheeks anywhere, while all

553
00:43:46,440 --> 00:43:50,560
Speaker 1: about women, men and children were making a huge pile

554
00:43:50,680 --> 00:43:55,280
Speaker 1: out of all their possessions. Everything, it seemed, from axes

555
00:43:55,320 --> 00:43:59,840
Speaker 1: and bows to calabashes and spears, was being thrown away.

556
00:44:00,760 --> 00:44:04,240
Speaker 1: Then he saw it, the body lying inside a funeral

557
00:44:04,280 --> 00:44:08,600
Speaker 1: basket propped up inside one of the huts. It was

558
00:44:08,640 --> 00:44:11,120
Speaker 1: only when he drew near enough for the flies to

559
00:44:11,160 --> 00:44:15,200
Speaker 1: scatter away from the face that MacIntyre recognized the red

560
00:44:15,239 --> 00:44:21,799
Speaker 1: painted cheeks underneath. Recoiling in horror, he stepped back outside

561
00:44:21,920 --> 00:44:25,080
Speaker 1: in a daze. There was no sign of red cheeks

562
00:44:25,080 --> 00:44:31,160
Speaker 1: as friends either. Some of us are friends, he thought

563
00:44:31,200 --> 00:44:35,799
Speaker 1: to himself. Looking up, he saw the Chief standing by

564
00:44:35,840 --> 00:44:39,000
Speaker 1: the pile of tools, ordering a fire to be lit.

565
00:44:39,000 --> 00:44:42,880
Speaker 1: Next to it. All of it was broken up and

566
00:44:43,000 --> 00:44:48,799
Speaker 1: flung into the flames. Spotting MacIntyre, the Chief came over

567
00:44:48,880 --> 00:44:53,000
Speaker 1: to join him. They were holding us still in time.

568
00:44:53,800 --> 00:44:57,239
Speaker 1: When it is burned, we will move away, came the

569
00:44:57,360 --> 00:45:02,440
Speaker 1: voice in MacIntyre's head. Where too, he thought, in reply

570
00:45:04,200 --> 00:45:09,200
Speaker 1: to the beginning in bewilderment, MacIntyre took a seat on

571
00:45:09,280 --> 00:45:12,000
Speaker 1: the edge of the camp and watched as one by

572
00:45:12,000 --> 00:45:17,280
Speaker 1: one the huts were torn down and flung into the fire. Then, finally,

573
00:45:17,880 --> 00:45:21,160
Speaker 1: the basket containing the body of bread Cheeks was also

574
00:45:21,239 --> 00:45:26,040
Speaker 1: placed into its hungry flames. Once it had all been destroyed,

575
00:45:26,840 --> 00:45:30,680
Speaker 1: just like before, the group promptly filed into a single

576
00:45:30,760 --> 00:45:35,120
Speaker 1: column and marched headlong into the jungle on their journey

577
00:45:35,400 --> 00:45:39,840
Speaker 1: toward the beginning, MacIntyre, feeling the two rolls of film

578
00:45:40,040 --> 00:45:43,799
Speaker 1: still safe in his pocket, rose to his feet and

579
00:45:43,920 --> 00:45:54,680
Speaker 1: set off after them. For two days and nights they walked,

580
00:45:55,000 --> 00:45:58,200
Speaker 1: stopping only for short rests and the occasional drink of water.

581
00:45:59,160 --> 00:46:04,160
Speaker 1: No food was assumed. This was finally, it thought McIntyre,

582
00:46:05,120 --> 00:46:09,319
Speaker 1: they would walk until death. On the second morning, he

583
00:46:09,360 --> 00:46:12,560
Speaker 1: made up his mind. At the first sight of a

584
00:46:12,600 --> 00:46:15,319
Speaker 1: serious body of water, he would leave the tribe and

585
00:46:15,360 --> 00:46:19,919
Speaker 1: take his chances alone. In the meantime, with the pace

586
00:46:20,040 --> 00:46:23,560
Speaker 1: now barely more than a crawl, with many limping painfully,

587
00:46:24,120 --> 00:46:29,840
Speaker 1: they continued forward. But then from out of the trees

588
00:46:29,960 --> 00:46:34,040
Speaker 1: came a stream of new but familiar faces with tattooed

589
00:46:34,080 --> 00:46:38,480
Speaker 1: lines around their mouths and noses pierced with whisker like spines,

590
00:46:40,120 --> 00:46:43,480
Speaker 1: and soon they were surrounded by them, greeting them with

591
00:46:43,560 --> 00:46:47,960
Speaker 1: wide smiles and warm embraces. They hadn't been walking to

592
00:46:48,040 --> 00:46:53,920
Speaker 1: their death, realized McIntyre. They had been walking home. Perhaps

593
00:46:53,960 --> 00:46:56,880
Speaker 1: that was what they meant by the beginning, he thought.

594
00:46:59,040 --> 00:47:02,600
Speaker 1: Before long they were arriving into another village, much bigger

595
00:47:02,640 --> 00:47:06,000
Speaker 1: than the previous camps, with over twenty huts dotted about.

596
00:47:08,440 --> 00:47:11,359
Speaker 1: The mood was jubilant as the new arrival settled in

597
00:47:11,400 --> 00:47:14,280
Speaker 1: with the others and the chief was given an especially

598
00:47:14,320 --> 00:47:19,880
Speaker 1: warm welcome. Then McIntyre spotted incredibly that one of the

599
00:47:19,920 --> 00:47:25,200
Speaker 1: new tribespeople was wearing shorts. Could it be, he thought,

600
00:47:25,680 --> 00:47:29,160
Speaker 1: as he approached him, cautiously, trying hard not to get

601
00:47:29,160 --> 00:47:35,239
Speaker 1: his hopes up. Hello, he said in Portuguese, my name

602
00:47:35,360 --> 00:47:43,360
Speaker 1: is Loreen Loren. Yes, welcome, replied the man, also in Portuguese.

603
00:47:45,160 --> 00:47:50,200
Speaker 1: McIntyre could barely stand as the relief washed over him.

604
00:47:50,600 --> 00:47:54,640
Speaker 1: The man named Cambio had learned the language after being

605
00:47:54,680 --> 00:47:57,280
Speaker 1: forced to flee from his village when it was attacked

606
00:47:57,320 --> 00:48:01,880
Speaker 1: by developers. Having managed to escaped to Peru, he had

607
00:48:01,920 --> 00:48:05,279
Speaker 1: sought refuge in a Baptist mission, where he stayed for

608
00:48:05,320 --> 00:48:11,319
Speaker 1: three years before finally rejoining his people. That night, the

609
00:48:11,400 --> 00:48:15,280
Speaker 1: ravenous MacIntyre stuffed his face on plates of turtle meat

610
00:48:15,320 --> 00:48:19,120
Speaker 1: and bade you as Cambio explained more about the life

611
00:48:19,120 --> 00:48:24,480
Speaker 1: of the Maya Una. Later, MacIntyre asked him if he

612
00:48:24,520 --> 00:48:28,800
Speaker 1: ever spoke to the others without words, was it possible

613
00:48:29,080 --> 00:48:33,319
Speaker 1: that he had been doing this with the chief. Cambio's

614
00:48:33,320 --> 00:48:37,840
Speaker 1: face lit up with a look of great surprise. No,

615
00:48:38,120 --> 00:48:41,680
Speaker 1: he had not, he replied. Only the elders knew how

616
00:48:41,680 --> 00:48:45,160
Speaker 1: to do that, but there was nothing more he could

617
00:48:45,160 --> 00:48:51,120
Speaker 1: tell him about it. After dinner, MacIntyre noticed some women

618
00:48:51,239 --> 00:48:54,719
Speaker 1: spitting into bowls and mixing it with chopped vines from

619
00:48:54,719 --> 00:49:01,000
Speaker 1: the forest, preparing for a ceremony. He asked Cambio, Yes,

620
00:49:01,080 --> 00:49:07,440
Speaker 1: he replied, we are returning to the beginning. It seemed

621
00:49:07,480 --> 00:49:17,080
Speaker 1: the mysterious journey was still happening. After all. You know,

622
00:49:17,120 --> 00:49:20,680
Speaker 1: what's supposed to keep you up at night, unexplained. What

623
00:49:20,800 --> 00:49:23,280
Speaker 1: isn't supposed to keep you up at night is worrying

624
00:49:23,320 --> 00:49:25,920
Speaker 1: whether or not you've really sourced the best candidate for

625
00:49:25,960 --> 00:49:30,080
Speaker 1: your business's new hire. Look no further than LinkedIn the

626
00:49:30,120 --> 00:49:33,200
Speaker 1: place where people go every day to make connections, grow

627
00:49:33,239 --> 00:49:37,400
Speaker 1: in their career, and discover job opportunities. With seventy percent

628
00:49:37,440 --> 00:49:40,399
Speaker 1: of the US workforce on LinkedIn, it's the best way

629
00:49:40,440 --> 00:49:43,319
Speaker 1: to get your job opportunity in front of more of

630
00:49:43,360 --> 00:49:46,200
Speaker 1: the right people and why a new hire is made

631
00:49:46,200 --> 00:49:50,600
Speaker 1: there every ten seconds, hurried to LinkedIn dot com slash

632
00:49:50,680 --> 00:49:54,520
Speaker 1: Unexplained podcast and get fifty dollars off your first job

633
00:49:54,600 --> 00:49:59,239
Speaker 1: post that's LinkedIn dot com slash Unexplained podcast. To get

634
00:49:59,280 --> 00:50:03,480
Speaker 1: fifty dollars off your first job post LinkedIn dot com

635
00:50:03,600 --> 00:50:15,120
Speaker 1: slash Unexplained Podcast. Terms and conditions apply. McIntyre woke up

636
00:50:15,160 --> 00:50:18,080
Speaker 1: in the middle of the night to find Cambio standing

637
00:50:18,120 --> 00:50:23,400
Speaker 1: over his hammock, gesturing for him to stay quiet. He

638
00:50:23,520 --> 00:50:27,160
Speaker 1: led the photojournalist toward a large hut from which a

639
00:50:27,239 --> 00:50:35,600
Speaker 1: soft yellow light was emanating. McIntyre stepped inside and froze there.

640
00:50:35,600 --> 00:50:38,799
Speaker 1: On the ground. Before him sat the Chief, now more

641
00:50:38,840 --> 00:50:43,640
Speaker 1: regal than ever in a grand McCaw feathered crown, surrounded

642
00:50:43,680 --> 00:50:48,120
Speaker 1: by other elders and shaman, their faces just visible under

643
00:50:48,120 --> 00:50:53,080
Speaker 1: the flickering of torchlight. The Chief gestured for McIntyre to

644
00:50:53,120 --> 00:50:57,680
Speaker 1: sit down. Why did you come to us, he asked

645
00:50:57,680 --> 00:51:03,759
Speaker 1: out loud, as Cambio translated. Then MacIntyre explained that he

646
00:51:03,800 --> 00:51:06,480
Speaker 1: had heard of their tribe and had come there to

647
00:51:06,520 --> 00:51:11,280
Speaker 1: photograph them. The men looked to each other with concern,

648
00:51:13,120 --> 00:51:17,560
Speaker 1: and why hadn't he left already? He had wanted to before,

649
00:51:17,920 --> 00:51:22,279
Speaker 1: he replied, But now, if he was allowed, he would

650
00:51:22,360 --> 00:51:25,960
Speaker 1: like to witness them reaching the beginning. He needed to

651
00:51:26,000 --> 00:51:30,920
Speaker 1: know what it was. After a moment's pause, the men

652
00:51:31,200 --> 00:51:35,960
Speaker 1: smiled and nodded in approval. You staying here will be

653
00:51:36,000 --> 00:51:41,320
Speaker 1: good for the ritual, said the chief. MacIntyre, suddenly unsure

654
00:51:41,360 --> 00:51:44,719
Speaker 1: again about what he was getting into, asked when it

655
00:51:44,760 --> 00:51:49,320
Speaker 1: will happen, to which the chief replied in two days.

656
00:51:50,840 --> 00:51:52,719
Speaker 1: But how do you know what you are looking for?

657
00:51:53,320 --> 00:51:56,680
Speaker 1: What if the beginning isn't there any more, asked MacIntyre.

658
00:51:57,160 --> 00:52:04,040
Speaker 1: As Cambio translated, The chief broke into a laugh. The

659
00:52:04,080 --> 00:52:08,440
Speaker 1: beginning is always there, he replied, it is never over,

660
00:52:10,640 --> 00:52:24,239
Speaker 1: and with that MacIntyre was dismissed. The following day, MacIntyre

661
00:52:24,320 --> 00:52:27,600
Speaker 1: watched with interest as the village continued to prepare for

662
00:52:27,640 --> 00:52:31,320
Speaker 1: the ceremony to the beginning. As more ingredients were brought

663
00:52:31,320 --> 00:52:34,160
Speaker 1: from the jungle, and mixed into pots by the women.

664
00:52:35,840 --> 00:52:41,240
Speaker 1: That night, he was unexpectedly woken by Cambio. Come, Loren,

665
00:52:41,360 --> 00:52:47,600
Speaker 1: he says, it is happening now. At this MacIntyre is

666
00:52:47,680 --> 00:52:50,640
Speaker 1: led through the dark toward a long line of tribesmen.

667
00:52:52,160 --> 00:52:55,240
Speaker 1: Cambio explains to him that they must join the line

668
00:52:55,520 --> 00:52:58,760
Speaker 1: to choose their new name, the name they will take

669
00:52:59,000 --> 00:53:03,440
Speaker 1: to the beginning. Before he has time to think, the

670
00:53:03,560 --> 00:53:07,480
Speaker 1: entire line takes a big step to the left. Cambio

671
00:53:07,560 --> 00:53:11,640
Speaker 1: nods for McIntyre to join in. Quickly, they take another

672
00:53:11,680 --> 00:53:14,759
Speaker 1: three steps forward, followed by two more to the right,

673
00:53:15,400 --> 00:53:18,719
Speaker 1: then back and to the left, ending the movements with

674
00:53:18,840 --> 00:53:23,480
Speaker 1: a clap. MacIntyre does his best to dance with them

675
00:53:23,680 --> 00:53:27,600
Speaker 1: as they go round again, and soon the men are

676
00:53:27,640 --> 00:53:47,040
Speaker 1: beginning to chant as well as On and on it

677
00:53:47,120 --> 00:53:54,480
Speaker 1: goes until daylight, when finally they stop. MacIntyre then spots

678
00:53:54,520 --> 00:53:57,839
Speaker 1: the chief making his way down the line, asking each

679
00:53:57,840 --> 00:54:01,160
Speaker 1: of them to give their new name, placing a thumbprint

680
00:54:01,200 --> 00:54:04,440
Speaker 1: of red eruco paint on their foreheads as he goes.

681
00:54:05,600 --> 00:54:10,400
Speaker 1: Another elder following behind smears their chest with crushed ginipap

682
00:54:10,840 --> 00:54:14,799
Speaker 1: and gives them a bowl to drink from. Finally, it

683
00:54:14,880 --> 00:54:19,640
Speaker 1: is McIntyre's turn. Unsure what to say, he gives his surname,

684
00:54:20,200 --> 00:54:22,879
Speaker 1: to which the chief nods, then presses a red thumb

685
00:54:22,920 --> 00:54:26,920
Speaker 1: print on to his forehead, and then comes the bowl

686
00:54:26,960 --> 00:54:31,320
Speaker 1: of viscous liquid, the concoction of fermented vine juice and spit.

687
00:54:32,480 --> 00:54:35,640
Speaker 1: Unable to back out now, he takes a deep breath

688
00:54:36,360 --> 00:54:40,960
Speaker 1: and drinks heavily from the bowl. MacIntyre had hoped at

689
00:54:40,960 --> 00:54:45,360
Speaker 1: the very least the drink wasn't a hallucinogenic drug. He

690
00:54:45,480 --> 00:54:57,879
Speaker 1: realized very quickly that it was. The men stagger out

691
00:54:57,880 --> 00:55:02,160
Speaker 1: of the lion. In a daze, MacIntyre finds Cambio and

692
00:55:02,200 --> 00:55:04,560
Speaker 1: gestures for him to sit with him as he waits

693
00:55:04,600 --> 00:55:09,080
Speaker 1: for the drug to hit. Before long, he feels the

694
00:55:09,120 --> 00:55:12,960
Speaker 1: warmth of it coursing through his body, feels time and

695
00:55:13,080 --> 00:55:18,840
Speaker 1: space contracting at will. Heading back into the throng, he

696
00:55:18,920 --> 00:55:22,400
Speaker 1: sees the lid of a bamboo container lifted up to

697
00:55:22,480 --> 00:55:27,680
Speaker 1: reveal hundreds of frogs flopping about inside it. Cambio holds

698
00:55:27,680 --> 00:55:30,919
Speaker 1: one up and shows MacIntyre the secretions on its back,

699
00:55:31,880 --> 00:55:37,160
Speaker 1: and then drips some onto his tongue. To the side,

700
00:55:37,400 --> 00:55:41,280
Speaker 1: a shaman pierces his arm with a knife, while others

701
00:55:41,320 --> 00:55:44,800
Speaker 1: peal back the wound and drip the frog's secretion straight

702
00:55:44,880 --> 00:55:49,480
Speaker 1: into it. All about him, the men are pacing around,

703
00:55:49,960 --> 00:55:53,240
Speaker 1: with some having dropped to all fours, barking and roaring

704
00:55:53,360 --> 00:55:58,560
Speaker 1: as they mimic the sacred jaguar. Through the chaos, MacIntyre

705
00:55:58,600 --> 00:56:01,920
Speaker 1: also becomes aware of other men blowing powder into each

706
00:56:01,960 --> 00:56:06,160
Speaker 1: other's noses. After receiving it, the men clutch at their

707
00:56:06,160 --> 00:56:09,040
Speaker 1: faces for a moment, then open their eyes in a

708
00:56:09,080 --> 00:56:14,719
Speaker 1: distant and vacant stare. McIntyre, who had refused all of it,

709
00:56:15,320 --> 00:56:18,760
Speaker 1: stumbled back to where it started through puddles of vomit

710
00:56:19,160 --> 00:56:21,880
Speaker 1: brought up by some of the more adventurous drinkers of

711
00:56:21,920 --> 00:56:26,000
Speaker 1: the liquid. Finding a quiet spot on the edge of

712
00:56:26,000 --> 00:56:30,680
Speaker 1: the village, McIntyre dropped back onto the floor and stared

713
00:56:30,760 --> 00:56:42,719
Speaker 1: up at a distant, unknown point above. By the afternoon,

714
00:56:43,120 --> 00:56:45,680
Speaker 1: with the ritual over and the effects of the drink

715
00:56:45,800 --> 00:56:50,840
Speaker 1: wearing off, McIntyre finds the Chief. Knowing he will be

716
00:56:50,920 --> 00:56:53,920
Speaker 1: leaving soon, he wonders if he might stay in contact

717
00:56:53,960 --> 00:56:58,400
Speaker 1: with them to trade ideas or help them acquire medicines. Perhaps,

718
00:56:59,200 --> 00:57:06,040
Speaker 1: but the Chief looks confused. Just then, Cambio appears you

719
00:57:06,120 --> 00:57:10,400
Speaker 1: are at the Beginning. Now, McIntyre, you cannot return to

720
00:57:10,440 --> 00:57:15,000
Speaker 1: your people. They are no longer there. And then it

721
00:57:15,080 --> 00:57:19,880
Speaker 1: hits him, when are we going to die? He asks?

722
00:57:20,400 --> 00:57:24,760
Speaker 1: Now it is Cambio's turn to look confused. We are

723
00:57:24,800 --> 00:57:31,000
Speaker 1: not dying, he said, with a smile. The Chief gestured

724
00:57:31,000 --> 00:57:34,600
Speaker 1: for McIntyre to follow him. Moments later, they are standing

725
00:57:34,640 --> 00:57:38,680
Speaker 1: by the banks of a muddy stream. The Chief points

726
00:57:38,680 --> 00:57:41,560
Speaker 1: to a narrow section of it up ahead, then looks

727
00:57:41,600 --> 00:57:47,760
Speaker 1: back to McIntyre. The Beginning comes the voice in his head,

728
00:57:48,320 --> 00:57:55,640
Speaker 1: and finally McIntyre understands it is not home or death

729
00:57:56,080 --> 00:58:00,720
Speaker 1: that they have journeyed to, but simply to a time before,

730
00:58:02,560 --> 00:58:07,560
Speaker 1: a time that always was and always is, a time

731
00:58:08,000 --> 00:58:11,000
Speaker 1: before the objects of the world were smothered by the

732
00:58:11,080 --> 00:58:15,840
Speaker 1: language of humans. The journey to the Beginning was a

733
00:58:15,880 --> 00:58:19,760
Speaker 1: shedding of all that baggage, the burning of those material

734
00:58:19,800 --> 00:58:23,880
Speaker 1: possessions that were holding them still in time, a chance

735
00:58:23,960 --> 00:58:29,520
Speaker 1: to reset and begin again. Now having reached the Beginning,

736
00:58:29,920 --> 00:58:34,400
Speaker 1: perhaps they could find a better path forward. Perhaps now

737
00:58:35,160 --> 00:58:40,520
Speaker 1: they might be safe. And with that also MacIntyre understood

738
00:58:40,520 --> 00:58:44,680
Speaker 1: something else. If they were to let him leave, it

739
00:58:44,720 --> 00:58:47,800
Speaker 1: would destroy the spell and take them right back to

740
00:58:47,840 --> 00:58:51,960
Speaker 1: the future they had left behind. They would sooner kill

741
00:58:52,040 --> 00:59:04,160
Speaker 1: him than risk that. Over the next few weeks, MacIntyre

742
00:59:04,240 --> 00:59:07,960
Speaker 1: tried to accept his fate. With no hope of returning

743
00:59:08,000 --> 00:59:10,960
Speaker 1: home on his own, he focused on learning more of

744
00:59:11,000 --> 00:59:17,400
Speaker 1: their language and helping out with whatever he could, until

745
00:59:17,440 --> 00:59:21,720
Speaker 1: one night when MacIntyre woke up to find himself being

746
00:59:21,760 --> 00:59:28,160
Speaker 1: completely drenched as a gutteral thunder roared above him. Jumping

747
00:59:28,160 --> 00:59:31,400
Speaker 1: from his hammock, he landed in a streaming torrent of

748
00:59:31,520 --> 00:59:36,200
Speaker 1: knee high water. Only then did he become aware of

749
00:59:36,280 --> 00:59:41,840
Speaker 1: the frantic screaming at the villages. Stumbling about in the

750
00:59:41,960 --> 00:59:45,560
Speaker 1: dark with the floodwaters pulling at his legs, he is

751
00:59:45,600 --> 00:59:49,240
Speaker 1: suddenly clattered by a makeshift raft of two locks tied

752
00:59:49,320 --> 00:59:53,720
Speaker 1: loosely together, Falling on to it. In seconds, he has

753
00:59:53,800 --> 00:59:57,400
Speaker 1: whisked through the trees and spewed out beyond into what

754
00:59:57,600 --> 01:00:01,960
Speaker 1: is now a raging river. Hearing the cries again of

755
01:00:02,000 --> 01:00:05,360
Speaker 1: the villagers, he tried furiously to paddle back to the bank,

756
01:00:06,160 --> 01:00:13,280
Speaker 1: but then he realized this was his chance. Clinging tighter

757
01:00:13,360 --> 01:00:16,600
Speaker 1: to the raft, he let the river take him away

758
01:00:16,600 --> 01:00:23,760
Speaker 1: from the camp and out into the dark. Over the

759
01:00:23,800 --> 01:00:27,960
Speaker 1: next day and night, MacIntyre was knocked about ceaselessly by

760
01:00:27,960 --> 01:00:33,680
Speaker 1: turbulent waters, only stopping occasionally to rest and shelter from

761
01:00:33,680 --> 01:00:39,000
Speaker 1: the unforgiving sun. On the second day, raising his head

762
01:00:39,200 --> 01:00:44,160
Speaker 1: wearily from the raft, he spotted three rubberized bags strung

763
01:00:44,200 --> 01:00:50,000
Speaker 1: out across a fallen tree. After almost three weeks, he

764
01:00:50,080 --> 01:00:55,000
Speaker 1: had finally made it back to his former camp, finding

765
01:00:55,080 --> 01:00:58,320
Speaker 1: tinned food in one of the bags and later a

766
01:00:58,360 --> 01:01:03,680
Speaker 1: battered canoe. McIntyre was eventually spotted and rescued by the

767
01:01:03,720 --> 01:01:09,080
Speaker 1: Peruvian Navy. He would eventually make his way back to Aquito's,

768
01:01:09,560 --> 01:01:11,600
Speaker 1: from where he had first set out on his epic

769
01:01:11,680 --> 01:01:17,000
Speaker 1: journey in search of the Maya Runa. It was only

770
01:01:17,040 --> 01:01:20,280
Speaker 1: after he was rescued that McIntyre realized a role of

771
01:01:20,360 --> 01:01:24,200
Speaker 1: film had fallen from his pocket. With only one roll

772
01:01:24,240 --> 01:01:28,000
Speaker 1: of shot film left to develop, MacIntyre will later be

773
01:01:28,040 --> 01:01:31,880
Speaker 1: devastated to discover that it had been completely damaged by water.

774
01:01:33,920 --> 01:01:36,919
Speaker 1: A few weeks later, after being given a clean bill

775
01:01:36,960 --> 01:01:50,520
Speaker 1: of health from the Navy doctors, McIntyre returned home. Unsure

776
01:01:50,640 --> 01:01:53,400
Speaker 1: of just what exactly he had experienced in the jungle,

777
01:01:54,560 --> 01:01:58,160
Speaker 1: McIntyre wrestled over it for years before telling his story

778
01:01:58,200 --> 01:02:02,440
Speaker 1: to Petroupopescu and Jon Michel Cousteaux while drifting down the

779
01:02:02,440 --> 01:02:07,520
Speaker 1: Amazon River. All those years later, in nineteen seventy one,

780
01:02:08,040 --> 01:02:13,040
Speaker 1: McIntyre returned to Peru, where, along with three others, he

781
01:02:13,160 --> 01:02:16,560
Speaker 1: is credited with locating a lake that many take to

782
01:02:16,600 --> 01:02:21,840
Speaker 1: be the furthermost source of the Amazon, what is now

783
01:02:21,880 --> 01:02:26,480
Speaker 1: known as Laguna McIntyre was found just over seventeen thousand

784
01:02:26,520 --> 01:02:31,360
Speaker 1: feet up about MissMe in the Andes. He remained one

785
01:02:31,360 --> 01:02:36,120
Speaker 1: of national geographics most celebrated and respected photojournalists until his

786
01:02:36,240 --> 01:02:42,000
Speaker 1: death at the age of eighty six in two thousand three.

787
01:02:42,160 --> 01:02:49,000
Speaker 1: In twenty sixteen, writer Petru Popescu published The Encounter Amazon Beaming,

788
01:02:49,720 --> 01:02:54,760
Speaker 1: giving the full and previously unheard account of McIntyre's extraordinary adventure.

789
01:02:56,880 --> 01:02:59,680
Speaker 1: It would also be remiss of me not to mention

790
01:02:59,760 --> 01:03:03,480
Speaker 1: the war one man show The Encounter, adapted from the

791
01:03:03,480 --> 01:03:06,880
Speaker 1: book and performed by the genius that is Simon McBurney.

792
01:03:08,000 --> 01:03:12,560
Speaker 1: The show, produced by his company Complicity, was simply one

793
01:03:12,600 --> 01:03:14,959
Speaker 1: of the most incredible theater shows I have ever seen,

794
01:03:16,040 --> 01:03:18,520
Speaker 1: and I can only hope it returns one day for

795
01:03:18,600 --> 01:03:23,640
Speaker 1: anyone who didn't get the chance to experience it as

796
01:03:23,680 --> 01:03:28,880
Speaker 1: for the Mayoruna, also known as the Matzis. If McIntyre's

797
01:03:28,920 --> 01:03:32,400
Speaker 1: story is to be believed, their journey to the beginning

798
01:03:32,840 --> 01:03:36,120
Speaker 1: did little to correct their path from the ever encroaching

799
01:03:36,240 --> 01:03:41,680
Speaker 1: modern world. Despite being a nomadic tribe by nature, With

800
01:03:41,840 --> 01:03:46,240
Speaker 1: developers moving further and further into their usual territory, they

801
01:03:46,240 --> 01:03:49,000
Speaker 1: were forced to agree a land settlement in nineteen ninety eight.

802
01:03:50,880 --> 01:03:55,200
Speaker 1: Home to three thousand, two hundred tribespeople. The area covering

803
01:03:55,280 --> 01:04:00,000
Speaker 1: roughly eighteen hundred square miles is known as the Matzis Indigenous.

804
01:04:01,960 --> 01:04:05,160
Speaker 1: To continue to survive, they are now having to sell

805
01:04:05,200 --> 01:04:15,200
Speaker 1: it off to develop us. This episode was written by

806
01:04:15,320 --> 01:04:19,760
Speaker 1: Richard mcclin smith Unexplained as an av Club Productions podcast

807
01:04:20,240 --> 01:04:24,440
Speaker 1: created by Richard McClain Smith. All other elements of the podcast,

808
01:04:24,520 --> 01:04:28,200
Speaker 1: including the music, are also produced by me Richard McClain

809
01:04:28,280 --> 01:04:33,200
Speaker 1: Smith Unexplained. The book and audiobook, with stories never before

810
01:04:33,240 --> 01:04:36,840
Speaker 1: featured on the show, is now available to buy worldwide.

811
01:04:37,160 --> 01:04:41,040
Speaker 1: You can purchase from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Waterstones and

812
01:04:41,120 --> 01:04:45,480
Speaker 1: other bookstores. Please subscribe to and rate the show wherever

813
01:04:45,520 --> 01:04:48,120
Speaker 1: you get your podcasts, and feel free to get in

814
01:04:48,160 --> 01:04:51,680
Speaker 1: touch with any thoughts or ideas regarding the stories you've

815
01:04:51,680 --> 01:04:54,400
Speaker 1: heard on the show. Perhaps you have an explanation of

816
01:04:54,480 --> 01:04:57,160
Speaker 1: your own you'd like to share. You can find out

817
01:04:57,200 --> 01:05:01,720
Speaker 1: more at Unexplained Podcast dot com. Reaches online through Twitter

818
01:05:01,960 --> 01:05:06,440
Speaker 1: at Unexplained Pod and Facebook at Facebook dot com, Forward

819
01:05:06,520 --> 01:05:08,520
Speaker 1: Slash Unexplained Podcast