How Teddy Roosevelt Slew the Last Mighty T-Rex Read Online Free Page A

Lieutenant Martin will suffice.”
    Kermit snickered, perhaps realizing that he was the only person present who understood and recognized his father’s sublime humor.
    “Regardless, senhor Martin,” Rondon said. “We simply cannot afford another mouth to feed once we embark on the river journey. Our supplies are already stretched to their limit.” Rondon waved his hand dismissively.
    “I am well versed in living off whatever the jungle provides.”
    “Paishon and I already have a good relationship with the natives—”
    “Yes, dear Colonel, but I have—”
    “Silence,” Rondon said, eyeing Martin with razor-sharp darts. “Consider yourself fortunate that you are not currently under my command, or you would have most likely already earned fifty lashes.”
    “Gentlemen,” Roosevelt said with a gentle, waving hand. “Gentlemen, please.” Teddy sighed deeply. “Mister Martin, let me just say that in just a few minutes time you have managed to burn some important bridges with this expedition. Now I must ask you to plead your case quickly and concisely. Both Colonel Rondon’s and my patience does have its limits, and daylight is advancing. Can you offer anything else that could entice us to agreement? Otherwise, we must part ways.”
    Martin smiled quite confidently, a recurring trait that annoyed Roosevelt to distraction. This man was either extremely self-assured, a fool, or he was a raving maniac—or perhaps a bit of all three.
    “Well, I have travelled down the river tributary to which you are now destined. Does this not pique your interest?”
    Roosevelt’s heart skipped a beat upon hearing Martin’s simple declaration. The entirety of the last six months of anticipation and dire hardships would be in vain, if they could not rightfully declare that they were the first outsiders to trace the Amazon’s last unmapped river to its base. Teddy cared less about the possible ridicule he’d endure with such a revelation, but he cringed with disappointment knowing that he was now in the midst of his final adventure of any significance—his aging and battered body could take no more.
    “The river has many twists and turns and countless rapids. The white water and sheer rocks would likely tear your canoes to shreds if the obstructions are not anticipated by an experienced guide.”
    Kermit asked the bleak question that his famous father could not manage to articulate: “Then you have trekked the entire length of the river?”
    “No, unfortunately I have not progressed farther than several weeks journey beyond Colonel Rondon’s bridge.”
    Theodore Roosevelt sighed deeply. He exchanged relieved glances with Rondon, Kermit, and finally Cherrie.
    “But I can tell you that these lands are scarcely populated, yet there are tribes who will slaughter any unprepared outsiders upon sight. And I needn’t tell you that fresh meats are scarce in the deep jungle, and, let us just say, civilized mores are practically nonexistent. And I shan’t get any more graphic than that, dear fellows.”
    Roosevelt shuttered. “And how do you propose to help us?”
    “I am a professional Social Anthropologist, Commander Roosevelt. I have already forged a relationship with some of these tribes, and if we encounter new groups, I pledge to offer my expertise in this regard.”
    “One important question comes to mind,” Kermit said abruptly. “Why? Why would you want to subject yourself to such a journey?”
    “Why?” Martin laughed. “Why? I entered the Amazon for roughly the same reasons as you and Colonel Roosevelt, dear man—for fame and accolades and for science and to understand the human condition. I did not proceed further because I travelled alone, and I heeded the native’s warning that the lands beyond were bleak and horrifically dangerous.”
    “Dangerous?” Roosevelt said. “Well, the entire Amazon is dangerous, sir. Of what nature of danger did they speak?”
    “I cannot say. The natives often weave tall