The Explorer

Covered in bruises, burns, and cuts, Fred runs through the jungle calling out and receiving no reply beyond the roaring fire of the airplane and the thunder above. Fred is terrified but does not panic, instead searching everywhere for anyone else who may have survived the crash. A voice calls out to Fred suddenly, telling him to get away. Fred is at first mystified by the seemingly supernatural voice, but he quickly realizes it’s the other passengers from the plane. Lila, her younger brother Max, and Constantia (who goes by Con) come out of some bushes, badly injured like Fred. Fred asks if they’re okay, and Constantia snaps back at him sarcastically, clearly afraid for her life. Max clings to his sister and cries. When a snake approaches the group, they run in the opposite direction. Max panics and refuses to run any further, so Fred carries him on his back. When the group reaches a clearing, they realize the snake isn’t chasing them. Fred comes across some water on the ground and attempts to drink it, but it’s rancid. Lila notes that thinking becomes easier after sleep (something she learned from her scientist parents), and the group reluctantly lies down to rest in the wet grass.

Fred awakes the next morning hot and disappointed that the day before wasn’t a dream. He notices Max isn’t nearby and starts yelling for him, but finds him moments later lying next to the rotting water. Max screams when he sees Fred, clearly still in shock, and Fred offers Max a wet mint from his pocket to help him calm down. Con and Lila begin arguing about whether to go back to the plane or stay in the clearing, and Fred notices a group of trees at the edge of the clearing that appear to be leaning on each other. He runs toward it and discovers that it’s a makeshift den covered in mushrooms and ferns. Fred goes inside and finds the remains of a leaf bed and some old, carved flints now covered in moss. When the others join Fred, they disagree over whether to stay in the den or not. Con opposes everything the rest of the group wants, still intent on returning to the plane and now terrified that whoever made the den will return and kill her. Despite Con’s protests, the rest of the group decides the den is the best place to be until they figure out their next steps, and Con reluctantly starts helping to clear it out.

The group gets to work improving the den by collecting large leaves to secure it as a tight shelter. Fred feels a sense of pride when the job is complete. Fred recently contracted pneumonia, and his father, unable to care for him during his illness, sent him to Brazil to live with a cousin. As a result of this perceived rejection, Fred is eager to prove that he is as capable as any other boy of his age. Fred was always called sensible by his teachers, and he wants to prove that he can also be brave and adventurous. When Fred gets out of the den, he feels dizzy and sees colors, but ignores it.

As the group searches for water, Fred suggests following the ants—something he learned in one of many explorer books he read while sick. The first colony of ants they find leads the group nowhere, but Lila finds a larger type of ant whose trail leads to the Amazon River. Along the way, Con tells Fred that she doesn’t want to make friends and there’s no need to be nice to her. At the river, the group quickly measures their risk and then Fred jumps in, swallowing gulps of muddy water and soothing his burns. Con is the most hesitant but eventually walks into the water. The group doesn’t swim for long before Fred sees a piranha, and everyone panics. Out of the water, Lila remembers that piranhas don’t bother humans unless they sense blood. The group heads back to their den, and Fred feels that same sense of accomplishment he felt before, along with a sense of hope that they may actually survive. He starts to wonder if he has a concussion.

Fred and the others are starving. Fred recalls reading about bugs and how the ones who eat cocoa pods are safe for humans to consume. Lila confirms this by running off into the jungle to gather pods and bring them back. She encourages Fred to eat a large grub that falls out of one of the pods, and he reluctantly does so, finding it tastes like “peanuts and dirt” (47). Max refuses to try them, and Fred suggests frying them on a stone along with the cocoa beans to make makeshift chocolate pancakes.

Fred gathers kindling while Lila finds some dry moss and Con grabs the flints from inside the den to start a fire. She asks to be the one to light it, having never done so before. The only steel that anyone has is Fred’s watch, which is the only gift his father ever gave him. It broke in the crash, but he still wears it. Fred doesn’t want to give up his watch at first, but he does so as he realizes they have no other option. Con strikes the flints above the pile of kindling and steel until she bleeds, but eventually creates a spark and gets the fire going. Fred finds a stone on which to cook the bug and cocoa bean mixture. The result is a flat piece of food that tastes horrid but is far better than starving. The kids decide to designate an area for a bathroom, and they laugh together about it.

Fred has the idea to build a raft and float down the river until it leads to somewhere that can help. Lila likes the idea, as does Max, but Con is terrified by the thought of leaving the area and floating aimlessly down the river. While the others gather logs and vines, Con stands reluctantly by. Several hours pass before she finally gives in and begins helping, but she does so with a sullen attitude. At dusk, Con finds a tree filled with acai berries. Everyone spends the night gorging on them and then suffers horrible stomach aches through their sleep. In the morning, Fred wakes up, eager to finish the raft despite his aching gut. Using the vines as rope, Fred weaves and ties them between the logs. When it’s complete, Fred stands in pride, wishing his father were there to see his accomplishment.

Lila is angry to see Fred return from the river having not told anyone where he went, but Fred is too distracted by the fact that the raft is finished. Lila carves some twigs into makeshift toothbrushes and gives everyone one, and then the group sets off toward the water. Fred suggests taking the raft a little way down the river to test its strength, and Lila agrees, feeling both nervous and curious. Con is sure it’s a terrible idea but goes along with the group anyway. Fred is the first to dive into the water, followed by Max and the girls. The raft proves able to float with all four people on it, although it does sink slightly when the water rushes past. Fred uses a log as a pole to navigate down the river as Con volunteers to remember which direction the raft takes. Near some seaweed, Fred spots something silver and shiny in the water below and decides to dive in after it. He comes back up just as Lila and Con spot a huge electric eel swimming toward him. Fred rushes onto the raft just in time, revealing an old sardine tin. Con is disappointed by the find, but Fred notes its jagged edges and the rarity of finding it so far away from everything.

When the group gets back to the original place they left in the raft, they discover a branch conveniently hanging over the water that is perfect for tying the raft. Fred notices that it appears to have been placed there by human hands, and on the walk back to the den, he thinks he hears something in the bushes behind him but dismisses it. At the camp, Fred blows the embers back into a fire and Lila looks at the sardine tin, which Fred points out is from Plymouth, England. He enjoys having a piece of home with him and believes it might belong to the same person who made the mooring over the river. Fred tells the others about some of the famous Amazon explorers that he read about, like Percy Fawcett, Christopher Maclaren, and Hiram Bingham, who was the first non-Peruvian to discover Machu Picchu. Later, Fred goes off in search of more wood for the fire and finds a pineapple tree. Thrilled, he grabs four pineapples and rushes back to camp. The group gorges on the pineapples and Lila cuts one up for breakfast the next day.