Afternoon on the Amazon (3 page)

“It's army ants!” cried Jack. “Millions of them!”

“Where?” cried Annie.

Jack and Annie looked around wildly.

“There!” Annie pointed.

Army ants—millions and millions of them—were marching over the leaves!

“Run to the tree house!” cried Annie.

“Where is it?” said Jack, whirling around. All the trees looked the same. Where was the rope ladder?

“Just run!” cried Annie.

Jack and Annie took off.

They ran over the dead leaves.

They ran between wide tree trunks.

They ran past the hanging vines and mosses.

They climbed over thick roots.

Jack saw a clearing ahead. It was filled with sunlight.

“That way!” he cried.

Jack and Annie hurried toward the light. They pushed their way through the bushes.

They burst onto the bank of a river.

They stared at the slow-moving brown water.

“Do you think the ants will come this way?” Annie said, panting.

“I don't know,” said Jack. “But if we wade a few feet into the river, we're safe. The ants won't go into the water. Come on.”

“Look!” said Annie.

She pointed to a big log rocking at the edge of the river. The inside of the log was dug out.

“It looks like a canoe,” said Jack. He listened to the crackling sound in the distance. “Let's get in it. Quick!”

Jack shoved the book into his backpack. Then he and Annie carefully climbed into the dugout log.

Annie leaned out of it. She pushed away from the bank with her hands.

“Wait!” said Jack. “We don't have paddles!”

“Oops,” said Annie.

The canoe started moving slowly down the muddy river.

Squeak.

Annie patted the little mouse in her pocket.

“It's okay, Peanut. The ants can't get us in the river. We're safe,” she said.

“Maybe safe from the ants,” said Jack. “But where is this canoe going?”

Jack and Annie stared at the river. Branches spread over the water. Vines and mosses hung down from them.

“We'd better look this up,” said Jack. He pulled the rain forest book out of his backpack
and flipped through it.

Soon he found a picture of a river. He read:

Jack looked at Annie. “We're on the Amazon River,” he said. “It's more than four thousand miles long!”

“Wow,” Annie whispered. She looked at the river. She trailed her hand through the water.

“I have to make some notes—” Jack said. He pulled his notebook out of his pack. He wrote:

“Jack, look at those pretty fish with the teeth,” said Annie.

“What?” Jack glanced up from his writing.

Annie was pointing at some blue fish swimming near the boat. The fish had red bellies and razor-sharp teeth.

“Watch it!” cried Jack. “Those aren't pretty fish. They're piranhas! They'll eat anything! Even people!”

“Yikes,” whispered Annie.

“We better get back on shore,” said Jack, putting the books in his backpack.

“How?” said Annie. “We can't go in the water now. And we don't have any paddles.”

Jack tried to stay calm. “We need a plan,” he said.

Jack stared at the river. The canoe would soon float under some vines.

“I'll grab a vine,” said Jack. “And pull us to shore.”

“Good idea,” said Annie.

As they glided under the branches, Jack stood up.

The canoe rocked. He nearly fell out.

“Balance the canoe,” said Jack.

Annie leaned to one side. Jack reached—he missed!

The canoe floated under more branches.

Jack reached for another thick vine.

He grabbed it!

It was cold and scaly. It wiggled and jerked!

“
Ahhh!
” Jack screamed and fell back into the canoe.

The vine was alive!

It was a long green snake!

The snake fell from the tree. It splashed into the water and swam away.

“Oh, man,” said Jack.

He and Annie stared in horror at each other.

“What now?” said Annie, making a face.

“Well … ” Jack looked at the river. There were no vines up ahead. But there was a big branch floating on the water.

“Grab that branch near you,” said Jack. “Maybe we can use it for a paddle.”

The canoe floated closer to the branch. Annie reached for it.

Suddenly the branch rose into the air!

It was a
crocodile!

“Help!” screamed Annie, and she fell back into the canoe.

The crocodile opened and closed its huge, long jaws. Then it moved past the canoe and swam up the river.

“Oh, man,” whispered Jack.

A screeching sound split the air.

Jack and Annie jumped.

“Help!” said Jack.

He expected to see another terrible creature.

But all he saw was a small brown monkey, hanging by its tail from a tree.

Squeak!
Squeak!
Peanut poked her head out from Annie's pocket. She seemed to be yelling at the monkey.

“Don't worry, Peanut,” said Annie. “He's just a little monkey. He won't hurt us.”

But suddenly the monkey grabbed a big red fruit hanging from the tree. He hurled it at the canoe.

“Watch it!” shouted Jack.

The fruit fell into the water with a splash.

The monkey screeched even louder.

He grabbed another fruit.

“Don't throw things at us!” shouted Annie.

But the monkey hurled the red fruit right at them.

Jack and Annie ducked again. And the fruit splashed into the water.

“Stop that!” Annie shouted.

But the monkey only waved his arms and screeched again.

“Oh, brother,” said Jack. “I don't believe this.”

The monkey grabbed a third fruit and hurled it at Jack and Annie. It landed inside the canoe with a thump.

Annie grabbed the fruit. She stood up and threw it back at the monkey.

She missed. The canoe rocked. Annie almost fell out.

The monkey screeched even louder.

“Go away!” Annie shouted. “You're the meanest thing in the world!”

The monkey stopped screeching.

He looked at Annie. Then he swung away. Into the forest.

“I think I hurt his feelings,” said Annie.

“Who cares?” said Jack. “He shouldn't throw things.”

“Uh-oh,” said Annie. “It's raining now.”

“What?” Jack looked up. A raindrop hit him in the eye.

“Oh, no. I don't believe this,” Jack said.

“What'd you expect?” said Annie. “It
is
the
rain
forest.”

A gust of wind blew the canoe.

Thunder rolled in the sky.

“A river's a bad place to be in a storm,”
said Jack. “We have to get back to shore. Right now.”

“But how?” said Annie. “We can't wade or swim. The piranhas, the snake, and the crocodile will get us.”

Screeching split the air again.

“Oh, no,” said Jack. The bratty monkey was back.

This time, the monkey was pointing a long stick at the canoe.

Jack crouched down. Was the monkey going to hurl the stick at them? Like a spear?

Annie jumped up and faced the monkey.

“Watch it! He's nuts,” said Jack.

But the monkey just stared at Annie. And Annie just stared back at him.

After a long moment, the monkey seemed to smile.

Annie smiled back.

“What's going on?” said Jack.

“He wants to help us,” Annie said.

“Help us how?” said Jack.

The monkey held out the long stick.

Annie grabbed the other end.

The monkey pulled on the stick. The canoe started floating toward him.

The monkey pulled the canoe all the way to the bank of the river.