In Fear of the Spear

by Marianne Hering

  Patrick nodded. He remembered the martyrs he had seen on Palm Beach.

  Steve asked, “What was Beth wearing?”

  Patrick looked at his own tan pants and white shirt.

  “Her clothes probably look like mine,” Patrick said.

  Rachel put a hand on each of the boys’ backs. She moved them toward the white plane.

  “Let’s ask the pilot to refuel. Then we’ll get back into the Courier,” Rachel said. “The best way to find Beth quickly is by air. We’ve got to locate her by nightfall. Or else . . .”

  “Or else what?” Patrick asked.

  “Never mind,” Steve said. “God will help us find her.”

  Beth’s breathing quickened. She had to get out of that house and hide from the Aucas.

  Zhuuurp.

  Something large whizzed through the air. It brushed against Beth’s hair before landing.

  Beth cut off a scream by biting her bottom lip.

  A cockroach was sitting on the little trunk. The bug was the size of a salad plate.

  Beth got an idea. She picked up the empty white bag and opened the top.

  Beth quietly approached the cockroach. Whoosh! She covered it with the mouth of the bag.

  The bug slid inside the cloth trap and wriggled.

  “Gotcha!” Beth said.

  Escape

  Patrick sat right behind the pilot. Rachel sat in the copilot’s seat. And Steve sat in a seat behind her.

  Steve told Patrick that the plane was a Courier. The pilot helped Rachel by bringing mail, supplies, and medicine to the jungle. He was a missionary who lived in Quito, Ecuador. He spoke only Spanish.

  The plane’s engine buzzed as it sped down the runway. The Courier lifted off the ground. Patrick’s stomach did a somersault.

  He peered out the window. The jungle looked even more beautiful from above. Patrick thought the rain forest was like a giant salad. The trees seemed like large broccoli crowns and celery tops clumped together.

  Wide green rivers curved through the jungle. They were shaped like giant question marks.

  The plane flew very low. It must have frightened some parrots. They moved off as the plane approached. The flapping of their colorful wings was beautiful. It was the only motion Patrick could see.

  His heart sank as the plane soared. Finding Beth would be almost impossible. It would be more difficult than finding a grain of salt in a sugar bowl.

  Suddenly Steve shouted, “Waodani!”

  Dr. Silva had been wrong. The Auca guard didn’t leave the house to chase him. Instead, the Auca stood in front of the house. He shouted into the jungle.

  Beth thought he must be contacting the other members of the clan. She knew she had to leave the house quickly. Dr. Silva might get too far ahead of her. She was afraid she would never find him again.

  The guard now faced away from her. He was still looking into the jungle and hollering.

  Beth took the white bag, leaving the ancient map behind. Then she sneaked out the back of the house. She stared into the thick trees and twisting vines.

  Which way is east? she wondered. Since she didn’t know, she listened for the sound of water. She moved toward it.

  Her heart beat louder with every second. Even her breaths sounded loud to her. She felt sure the Auca man would hear her. Surely he would capture her.

  Beth tried to be quiet. But each step she took made a crunching sound. Certainly the man would be able to follow her tracks.

  The cockroach in the bag wriggled and flapped its wings. It sounded way too noisy. Beth wished it would be still.

  She noticed the rain forest had become much quieter. The Auca guard had stopped hollering.

  He must know I’m gone, Beth thought.

  The chase was on.

  The plane banked and circled back.

  Patrick could now see what Steve had noticed. A group of men with dark hair was on the move. They wore only loincloths. They carried spears and traveled quickly through the trees.

  “Who are they?” Patrick asked.

  “Those are our friends,” Steve said.

  “Friends?” Patrick asked.

  “Yes,” Steve said. “Aunt Rachel lives with a Waodani clan now. I get to stay with them during the summer.”

  “I thought you lived in the white house,” Patrick said.

  “I used to,” Steve said. “But that was before . . .”

  Patrick heard Rachel sigh.

  “That was before the Waodani killed my brother,” she said. “He was Steve’s father.”

  Patrick gulped. He looked at Steve. “Is your last name Saint?” he asked.

  Steve nodded. “My dad’s name was Nate. He died nine years ago,” he said.

  Rachel added, “Steve was only five years old when it happened.”

  “Are all the Waodani your friends now?” he asked.

  “Goodness, no,” Rachel said. “Most of the clans are still violent. Though we hope one day they’ll accept the teachings of Jesus. That way they’ll learn to forgive and stop killing one another.”

  Just then the pilot said “jaguar” with lots of r sounds at the end. He tapped the side window.

  Patrick looked out the window again. He saw a yellow-and-black animal move through the trees.

  Steve said, “The Waodani men must be hunting the jaguar.”

  Killer Waodani and jaguars are down there, he thought. What other dangers might hurt Beth?

  The Hollow Tree

  Beth had to hide. But where?

  She needed to rest, too. She ducked behind a wide, old tree. Its long, thick roots were exposed.

  Beth leaned her shoulder against the tree. The bark cracked. She stepped away and kicked the bottom of the tree trunk.

  The bark broke clear away.

  “It’s old and hollow,” Beth whispered.

  She kicked more of the bark away. Soon she had made a nice hole at the bottom of the trunk.

  She climbed inside and wedged her body up inside the trunk. She was careful not to crush the cockroach in the bag.

  Inside was dark. It smelled sweet and damp at the same time. She listened intently to the jungle sounds.

  A monkey howled. Birds squawked and chattered. And . . . an Auca man hollered.

  He was close by.

  Beth held her breath. She didn’t want to make even a tiny sound.

  Beth’s legs began to itch. Then her rib cage and arms tingled. She brushed her right hand along her left arm.

  She felt a trail of insects and then brushed them off.

  Termites! she thought. Gross!

  Beth slammed her knee into the tree trunk to get out. The bark split with a loud crack.

  She kicked at the rest of the bark with all her might. The hole was now very large. She burst out of the tree into the light.

  The first thing she saw was the Auca guard with the rifle.

  Beth froze, but he didn’t.

  Using his hands, the man made a whistling sound. Then he started talking. Beth understood only one word: Nemo. He whistled again.

  The sound made Beth’s ears ache. But the noise also roused her.

  He reached an arm out as if to grab her shoulder.

  She quickly stepped back. She took the bag and loosened the ropes. Suddenly she tossed the bag at him.

  The Auca’s reflexes kicked in. He dropped the rifle and grabbed the bag.

  The huge cockroach wriggled out and flew toward the Auca’s face.

  Beth had a few seconds to flee. She hurled herself headlong into the bushes.

  Crocodile

  Rachel asked the pilot to fly over the Waodani village.

  “Our Waodani friends are chasing the jaguar,” Rachel said loudly. “But your cousin wouldn’t be with the hunters. If they had found her, they would have brought her to the village for safety.”

  The airplane buzzed along for a few minutes.

  Patrick kept his eyes busy scanning the vast green acres below.

  He saw a small clearing in the
distance. The pilot circled above it. The rectangular roofs of several grass houses came into view.

  “No one is there,” Steve said.

  “That’s odd,” Rachel said.

  “What would make everyone leave?” Patrick asked.

  Rachel was silent. Patrick took his eyes away from the window.

  He looked at the kind woman. She was frowning.

  He looked at Steve. The young teen looked concerned.

  “They might be out hunting,” Rachel said. “Or they could be hiding from enemies.”

  “Who are their enemies?” Patrick asked.

  “Another Waodani clan,” Rachel said. “Sometimes they attack for revenge.”

  Beth found the stream at last. It was deeper than she imagined it would be.

  Would Dr. Silva’s camp be upstream or downstream?

  She looked at the sun. Its position showed her which way to go. She went downstream.

  Beth followed the stream by staying on the sandy edges. Roots and dead branches clumped near the water. She had to climb over them.

  She heard a noise behind her. Beth whipped around.

  Some leaves were rustling in the bushes. Had there been a face watching her? Or was her imagination working overtime?

  She ignored the feeling of being watched and moved on.

  Beth finally found the bridge with six logs. She let out a small whoop for joy.

  Dr. Silva was standing on the other side of the stream. He had a large bag slung over one shoulder.

  “We need to run,” Beth said. “The Auca man isn’t far behind. And he has the rifle.”

  “I know,” he said. He motioned with his head.

  Beth turned around.

  The man stepped out of the bushes. He had been close to Beth the whole time. It was as if he knew the jungle so well that he was part of it.

  But Beth wasn’t afraid to see him this time. She knew that he wasn’t going to harm her.

  The Auca had an odd expression on his face. But it wasn’t anger.

  Beth felt sorry that she had thrown the cockroach at him.

  “We were foolish to think we could hide,” Dr. Silva said.

  Beth stood right at the edge of the stream. She put one foot on the bridge.

  The Auca guard did nothing to stop her.

  She took another two steps. She was a third of the way across.

  Dr. Silva was moving an arm like a windmill. “Hurry,” he said.

  She took one more step, and suddenly the bridge moved. Beth lurched to the side. She waved her arms wildly to keep from falling.

  The head of an animal appeared on top of the logs. It looked like a crocodile. The skin was bumpy, spotted, and gray. It’s body was as long as a man is tall. Its eyes looked as if they were going to pop out of its head. Its mouth was wide open.

  Gaba

  The plane banked and turned.

  Patrick’s stomach turned with it. He looked out the window to keep from getting dizzier.

  “Where are we going?” Patrick asked.

  The pilot said something in Spanish. Rachel said, “The pilot saw movement to the east.”

  Steve shouted a few seconds later. “I see a man!”

  “Where?” Patrick asked.

  Steve told Patrick exactly where to look.

  The plane banked and flew lower.

  Patrick saw the Waodani man. He was moving slowly along a winding path.

  Patrick gasped. “He’s been hurt,” he said. “There’s a spear in his side.”

  The plane circled again.

  “We’ve got to help him,” Patrick said.

  “It will be difficult,” Rachel said. “But we can land at Palm Beach. It’s the closest landing strip.”

  Patrick gulped. Palm Beach was where the five martyrs had died nine years before.

  Steve said, “I think it’s Gaba.”

  “Yes, I can tell by his haircut,” Rachel said “At least that’s a small mercy.”

  Patrick was confused. “Small mercy?” he asked. A man had been wounded—how could that be a mercy?

  Rachel reached her arm over the back of her seat. She offered her hand.

  Patrick took it and felt Rachel’s reassuring squeeze.

  “It sounds terrible,” she said, “but Gaba knows about God. In fact, he went to another clan to tell them about Jesus. Better that he is wounded than someone else.”

  Patrick still didn’t understand. “Better than what?”

  Steve said, “If Gaba dies, he’ll go to heaven. That’s better than someone dying who doesn’t know Jesus. That’s what my dad told me before . . . he died.”

  Patrick was silent. Steve’s dad must have been a brave man. So was Gaba.

  Rachel squeezed Patrick’s hand once more. Then she let it go.

  Patrick looked out the window again.

  Steve said, “I think I see your cousin!”

  Beth screamed. She couldn’t keep her balance on the log. She twisted her body away from the crocodile’s open jaws.

  Rows of yellowish teeth sat in the crocodile’s pink gums. Some of the teeth were longer than others, like a dog’s.

  Beth fell into the stream. The water soaked her pants to the thighs.

  Dr. Silva quickly reached toward Beth. He grabbed her upper arm. Then he hauled her out of the water.

  Beth turned to watch the crocodile.

  The Auca guard tried to fire the rifle. But there wasn’t time. Instead, he held the rifle barrel. He slammed the thick end of the rifle down like a club.

  Wham! The rifle handle hit the log.

  The Auca raised the rifle again.

  The crocodile shot forward, mouth open.

  The guard jumped backward onto the land. The rifle slipped from his hands. It landed on the path.

  The croc lunged at the man again.

  “Watch out!” Beth shouted.

  This time the Auca jumped to avoid the beast.

  The reptile’s gray spotted tail whipped back and forth.

  The Auca wrapped one arm around the huge beast. The crocodile rolled into the water. The Auca man went with him.

  “We’ve got to help him,” Beth said. She tried to wrench her arm out of his grasp.

  “No,” Dr. Silva said. “There’s nothing we can do. This is our chance to escape.”

  Dr. Silva pushed her away from the bridge.

  Beth turned her head to watch over her shoulder.

  The man and the crocodile were thrashing in the stream. Water shot up in the air. That made it difficult for Beth to see. She couldn’t tell if man or beast was winning the fight.

  Beth looked at Dr. Silva. He was eyeing the rifle. It lay on the path across the bridge.

  To get to the weapon, Dr. Silva would have to cross the bridge. He would have to pass the crocodile and the Auca.

  Dr. Silva sighed. Then he pulled Beth harder away from the bridge.

  Beth and the botanist slipped into the trees. They moved quickly and came to a clearing.

  “Oh no,” Beth said.

  Dr. Silva dropped his bag. “What next?” he asked.

  An Auca man was lying in the open grass. He had a spear in his side.

  Reunions

  Beth heard the buzz of an engine. She looked up. A small, white plane was banking toward the clearing.

  Dr. Silva knelt beside the hurt Auca. “I think I can save him,” Dr. Silva said. “If he lives, maybe the Aucas won’t kill us.”

  Dr. Silva opened his bag. “I have some healing plants in here,” he said. “They may help with the pain.”

  “Beth!” a voice called from the sky.

  She looked toward the voice. The plane was close now. Someone was hanging out the window.

  Patrick!

  Beth’s face broke into a grin.

  “We’re coming to help!” Patrick cried. “The man’s name is Gaba!”

  Beth waved. “Please hurry!” she shouted.

  Patrick waved back.

  The plane flew away.

  Beth t
urned her attention to Gaba. She glanced at his wound. The opening was red and looked painful. She turned her head away.

  “Is there anything I can do to help?” she asked Dr. Silva.

  “I don’t think so,” Dr. Silva said. “He’s tough, but he may go into shock.”

  Beth knew one thing that would help. She hurried back toward the bridge.

  The pilot landed the little plane smoothly. Patrick recognized the landing area. It was Palm Beach.

  Rachel asked the pilot to radio for help. She also asked him to stay with the plane.

  The pilot nodded and picked up the radio. He began speaking rapidly in Spanish.

  Steve jumped out of the plane.

  Rachel grabbed a white toolbox with a red cross painted on it. It looked like a first aid kit. She also jumped out of the Courier.

  “This way,” she said and then set off into the jungle.

  Patrick followed them.

  Patrick was amazed that Rachel could move so quickly through the rain forest.

  He had to pay careful attention to his feet. He watched where he put every step. He saw beetles, bugs, and unusual plants on the ground.

  Suddenly Steve stopped. He held out an arm as if in warning.

  Rachel paused. She whispered, “I see it.”

  “See what?” Patrick said. “Why did we stop?”

  Grrr.

  Patrick swiveled toward the growl. In a faraway tree sat a giant spotted animal.

  The jaguar!

  Beth stood face-to-face with the Auca guard. The rifle was back in his left hand.

  He was dripping wet, and his hair was messy. Those were the only signs he had just wrestled a crocodile.

  “Gaba,” Beth said.

  The man looked curious. “Gaba?” he asked.

  “Hurt,” Beth said.

  The man shook his head. Beth could tell he didn’t understand.

  Beth got an idea. She motioned as if being stabbed in the stomach. Then she lay on the ground, moaning.