There is always a bigger fish

by Rob Bailey (United Kingdom (Great Britain))

I didn't expect to find Brazil

A evening camping in the bush of the Pantanal, Brazil. What could be better, so I thought.. The agenda of who is ' alpha male' was prevailant amongst the 20 rangers in our lodge, which meant frequent arguments between these Pantanese soliders. One of which has resulted in the boss ordering my ranger to just take myself on 'survival night'. He was not impressed. A group of four is safe in the jungle after dusk, two is far more risky - so I was told. Off we went on a 2 hour hike into the bush, setting up camp upon arrival. The sun set at six and then the presence of the wildlife really started to show face. Unconsciously incompetent I was, oblivious to what the night would have in store for us. The sound of Jaguar's hunting, growling and chasing horses around us was enough to make anyone panic. Our strategy of being on guard all night 'two hours on, two hours off', was quickly disregarded when we heard how many were out there. We both must stay up until sunrise incase a Jaguar decides it wants a little taste of two, slow pathetic human beings. The instructions I received for the night were as follows; - 'The tent is for storage only'. A Jaguar is stealthy and can identify your presence in a tent. Youu will have no idea until it is too late, like the poor fishermans son whose life was taken infront of his Father. - 'We go to urinate together, never leave the campsite by yourself.' - 'If I get taken, you run.' The extremely sarcastic nature us English have was enough to make me contemplate the idea, and think, 'yeah, run into the jungle at night, wearing flipflops, with no sense of direction, no weapon and no real torch, sounds marvellous, wonderful idea! The appearance of a huge male Jaguar hunting caimen, just a few metres from us in the river, was enough to make me slightly relieve myself. The shakes rippled through my body, my heart was beating like a jack hammer. The huge beast made himself scarce after becoming slightly fazed by our flashing torch. This was not over. This was quite disturbing to say the least. Time was going by very, very slowly. Would I make the night? Every second was feeling like a century. Other terrors sprinkled over our evening; such as fire ants in my pants, no clean water, no cigarettes left and last but not least, food poisoning. I was vomitting substantially and creating a little too much noise when doing so, I was told to keep my noises to a minimum. God, is this the end? I am only 20, nothing will help me stop a 90 kilo killing expert from ripping me apart, in it's own back yard. Tears began to run down my face, I was petrified. After a beautiful weekend with an amazing woman, I couldn't help but think I was just about to have an excruciatingly painful death as the king of the Pantanal pierces it's huge teeth into my skull. Many emotions are running through my head. God, give me a sign. I look up to see billions of stars in the nights sky. We are so far from civilisation that it seems another one has formed above us. Maybe that is the sign I have been looking for, pure unfiltered beauty. Although, the night was not done. The sound of a large feline creature was making itself known behind our fire. 'Pick up your knife, put up your hood and cover your face', William whisphered, gently. A terrifying statement from the ex-special forces, Brazilian warrior. A 5 minute pause followed as we waited for its move. Crippled with anxiety, I could feel my pulse on my tongue. How long would this nightmare go on for? The cat moved away from us and continued its nightly walk. We enhaled and still to this day, I count all my lucky stars that wasn't my last night on this planet. When the sun rose up, I felt like I had been given another chance. Let me tell you, that was the best tasting breakfast melon I have ever eaten.