Suddenly, an explosion tore the quiet night..........weak after having lost a lot of blood and he could hardly stay afloat.

Suddenly, an explosion tore the quiet night. Silver saw the young Indian standing rooted to the ground but there was no sign of Miller. Grabbing the Aguaruna by his shirt, he asked 'Where's my friend, Patchen?'

The Indian replied that he didn't know. Then, there was a searing pain in Silver's leg. Silver realized that he had been shot. At the speed of lightning, he dived into the water and headed for the bank opposite.

Thinking that the Indians were after him, Silver swam through the chilly water. Controlling his fears, he forced himself to think clearly. The swift current carried him downstream. He struggled to catch his breath upon reaching the bank. Blood trickled down his leg. Ripping a vine from a tree, he tied it in a knot above his wound. He wanted to rest but he heard shouts across the water. He knew that the Indians were coming after him.

Like a stalked animal, he was forced to flee. Where could he go? Suddenly he remembered that he and Miller had stopped at a military checkpoint just the day before. It was about four miles upstream. He knew that in his condition, he will not be able to swim against the current so he decided to hike it. Silver moved upstream. There was no trail to follow. He fumbled along, crashing through tangled vines in near-total darkness. Thorns cut into his back, shoulders and ankles but he dared not cry out. He had to swim across two or three streams and was trembling with cold.

When the terrain began to rise, every step was an effort. He ran into another mass of vines. He pushed them aside and charged into a clearing. He did not progress far. Less than 15 meters away, he saw an Aguaruna armed with a shotgun. Realizing that the Indian will definitely spot him if he turned, Silver bolted back into the jungle.

Silver ran parallel to the river until he came upon a well-worn footpath. He thought that this would lead him out of the jungle. He proceeded along the path. Then he heard footsteps. He ran some distance off the path, lay down and pulled some ferns around him. He remained in his hiding place for almost an hour. He remembered another military checkpoint on the map. It was downstream at Oracuza. He had not the faintest idea how far it was but he knew that it would be easier and quicker to float downstream with the current than to go upstream. He made his way to the river and began to swim with the current. A mile downstream, he reached a clearing. He was trembling from the cold. Dragging himself out of the water, he made his way to the clearing. He spent the night under a palm.

At the first crack of dawn, Silver headed for the river and started swimming with the current. Further downstream, he saw an Indian. Silver considered asking the Indian for help. Although his instincts told him not to, he had no choice. He was weak after having lost a lot of blood and he could hardly stay afloat.

Summary: I knew Miller was shot but there was no sign of him. As I was asking the Aguaruna about Miller's whereabouts, I was shot in the leg. I dived into the river and started swimming downstream with the current. Later when I reached the bank, I tied a vine over my wound. Then I heard my pursuers coming and I resumed running. During my flight, I got entangled in vines in the dark and thorns cut into my body. When I came upon a clearing, I saw an Aguaruna armed with a shotgun so I retreated into the jungle. I followed a footpath until I heard footsteps. I went into hiding. Suddenly I remembered seeing a military checkpoint at Oracuza on the map. I swam with the current and when it became very cold, I went ashore and spent the night. At daybreak, I continued swimming. Then with the help of an Aguaruna I reached Oracuza safely.