Lost... In the Jungle of Doom (5 page)
Read Lost... In the Jungle of Doom Online
Authors: Tracey Turner
Y
ou start walking downstream. From the corner of your eye, you think you spot a movement by the water’s edge but
when you look, there’s nothing there. There’s a soft splash, and you turn to see bubbles in the water near the shore. What creature might have made them? A prickle of fear runs down
your spine, and you start to feel very glad you didn’t take a dip!
The water’s making you so jumpy that you wonder if you should get away from the river and go back into the jungle instead.
If you decide to get away from the water’s edge, click
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.
If you decide to continue walking by the river, click
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.
Y
ou lie in wait again, staring into the water with your spear poised in mid air. Minutes pass and your arm begins to
ache.
After half an hour of gazing into the murky water, you decide to wade in and see if you have better luck that way. You try the bottom with your spear - it’s pretty
shallow. You wade into the water, your spear in your hand, ready for the first sign of a fish . . .
Electric eels are common in these waters. They’re difficult to see in muddy water, and, unfortunately, you come into contact with a big one. It releases a huge electric
current and you fall into the water. You are dead within moments.
The end.
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to return to the beginning and try again.
Click
here
to find out more about electric eels.
• Electric eels are common in the Amazon and Orinoco rivers and their tributaries and swamps. They prefer very slow moving, murky water.
• Although they’re called ‘eels’ and look like eels, electric eels are more closely related to catfish.
• They can be big and grow up to 2.5 metres long and weigh 20 kilograms.
• The eels eat fish, which they find with their electrical receptors then stun with an electric current. They also use electricity to deter large
predators.
• The current they produce can be as much as 600 volts. A UK electrical socket carries 240 volts!
• Electric eels can even produce an electrical charge when they’re dead.
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to return to your adventure.
Y
ou decide not to eat the fruit, just in case. But, as far as you know, there are no poisonous fish in the Amazon. You
could try to catch one and eat that. On the other hand, it might not be worth the energy you use up, especially if you only end up catching a tiddler. After all, you know you can go without food
for ages before it becomes life-threatening.
If you decide not to bother, click
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.
If you decide to try fishing, click
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.
Y
ou carry on walking, still hot and sweaty, and, you notice, covered in insect bites. There are mosquitos and other
biting flies that bite during the day and at night. You hope none of them has given you a disease.
A dip would have been refreshing, but maybe a river is a better bet, and there must be one not far away – after all, this is the Amazon! It isn’t long before you
hear the sound of trickling water and find a stream. You follow it downstream and hope that eventually, it will lead to a river.
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.
Y
ou collect some water from the river in your salvaged metal container and set about making a fire. Once the
water’s been boiling for a few minutes, you reckon it’ll be safe to drink. You leave it to cool for a bit, then drink thirstily.
You feel better, but you’re still very hot and sweaty. A quick dip in the river is tempting – but what creatures might be lurking in there?
If you decide not to swim, click
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.
If you decide to swim, click
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.
Click
here
for tips on how to make a fire.
Boiling water will kill most disease-causing bacteria. Here are some tips for making a fire in the rainforest.
• You need something that will make a spark. If you don’t have matches, focus sunlight through a lens – a glass bottle, a magnifying glass, a pair
of glasses – to make a bright spot of light on your tinder (see below). Blow on it very gently as it starts to glow.
• The forest floor will be damp, so arrange some stones to build your fire on. Make sure they’re not really wet (for example, stones from a stream),
because wet stones can explode in a fire!
• You need tinder to start your fire. This is very dry material that catches fire easily. In the rainforest, it’s hard to find. Try fine wood shavings,
cotton wool, bark, or the insides of birds’ nests. You might need to leave your tinder in the sunshine to dry out completely. Good tinder needs only a spark to make it catch light.
• Around your tinder, arrange a pyramid of kindling – small, dry twigs. If the outside of the twig is damp, cut it back until you reach dry wood.
• Once your kindling is burning well, add small pieces of dry wood. When the fire is hotter, you can use wood that’s a bit damp. It’ll be smoky,
but that should keep biting insects away.
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here
to return to your adventure.
Y
our wound throbs as you walk, so you take it slowly. It’s not bleeding any more. You only hope it isn’t
infected.
A squawk makes you jump, and you look up to see a parrot, high up in the trees. You stop to watch the beautiful red and blue bird as it swoops away. As you follow its
direction, you realise you were right earlier on – it does look brighter that way. You carry on, feeling optimistic.
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.
Y
ou’ve taken a chance . . . and luckily the fruit is papaya, as you’d thought, and it’s safe to eat.
You feel much better after eating the ripe, juicy flesh and the peppery-tasting seeds. You’ve been lucky this time, but it’s not a good idea to eat anything in the rainforest unless
you are 100% sure of what it is.
Although it’s not as good as actually drinking clean water, the juicy fruit will help to keep you hydrated too. With this in mind, you consider picking some more fruit
to take with you. It might be heavy and awkward to carry, though, and the jungle seems to be full of edible plants. Then again, you can see some fruit that’s within reach around the other
side of the tree.
If you decide to continue your journey without picking any fruit, click
here
.
If you decide to pick some more fruit, click
here
.