The Green Snake Adventure - Chapter Two

Harry and George met in elementary school and had been best friends ever since. Harry was tall, almost 6 feet four inches tall, and had an athletic build, thick black hair parted on the left, and steel blue eyes. George was barely six feet tall, and looked like he might be a little soft and overweight. What most people didn’t know about George, though, was that he was very strong, and on more than one occasion had used that strength to get both of them out of a difficult situation.

George loved working with Harry. They were best of friends and they were business partners. It was a life that George wouldn’t trade with anyone.

There were two other things that made George’s life almost perfect, Harry’s twin sisters Sheila and Sherry.

Today, Sheila and Sherry were in the office working on a special project for Harry. They looked so much alike, sometimes George couldn’t tell them apart, but it didn’t matter. Just being around them made George happy.

*****

On Tuesday morning, just before sunrise, Harry, George, Sheila and Sherry boarded a private jet bound for Eduardo Gomes International Airport in Manaus, a modern city in northwest Brazil about 900 miles upstream from where the Amazon river empties into the Atlantic ocean.

Their ultimate destination was about 90 miles to the west of Manaus up a small river that empties into the Amazon. They would be deep in the Amazon rain forest for about four to six days, so they would need a good guide. It was lucky for Harry that Lee Crawford was available.

Harry had worked with Lee two years ago when Jim Zook had sent him to Brazil to bring back a Brazilian Tapir for the zoo. The tapir is a large animal that looks a lot like a pig. Sometimes called a Lowland Tapir, the Brazilian Tapir is an endangered species that lives in the Amazon rain forest. He likes to spend a lot of his time in the water feeding off soft vegetation and staying away from his predators. He is no threat to humans, but the tapir has one scary enemy, the crocodile.

The flight from St. Louis to Manaus took nine hours. Lee was waiting for them when they walked off the plane. Lee said, “Harry, it is great to see you again. How was your trip?”

Harry replied, “Uneventful, and that’s unusual for us. When do we get started?”

“Tomorrow morning,” replied Lee. “We will load the boats and have them ready to go at sunrise. There is a small dock at the west end of the pier. We will be waiting for you. Get a good night’s sleep, you will need it.”

“Will do,” said Harry, “We can’t wait to get started. See you in the morning.”

Harry, George, Sheila and Sherry had a tough time sleeping that night. The clock seemed to stand still for all of them, but finally it was morning and time to head for the boats.