and animals make their home here, along with several unique tribes. The group we’ll be meeting are the Caribs.”
“The Caribs,” David repeated, nodding toward his wife.
“Yes, there are scattered remnants of ethnic groups with their own distinctive language and culture that remain in the tropical forests. At best estimate there are as many as seventy-seven groups living there with no contact with the outside world.”
“That many?”
“The majority come from Brazil, with twelve to fifteen such groups in Peru. I’ve met several contacted groups over the course of my time. Virtually all have been affected by the outside world, although many men continue to wear traditional garb of loincloths and the women go topless. Some have chosen to dress in Western clothes, but the people we have the opportunity to meet have stayed true to their traditions.”
“That’s amazing in this day and age,” Janice commented.
“You’d be surprised by how adaptable these people are to the world. Many use metal pots, pans, and utensils for everyday life. Some make handicrafts to sell to tourists and routinely venture into the city to bring food and wares to market. In Manaus, I was able to purchase a dart gun for my nephew, Morgan.”
Janice laughed. “I bet he loved that.”
“I haven’t given it to him yet, but I plan to on my next trip to Chicago.”
“Chicago?” Everly repeated, as she reached for a second dinner roll.
“Yes, my brother and his wife live there.”
“Oh. That’s where I live.”
He smiled at her before returning his attention to the Browns.
“Are the indigenous people able to grow their own food, or do they forage for it in the rainforest?” Everly asked as their dinner was served. Her father would be interested in that sort of information, seeing that he had worked the farm all of his adult life.
Asher continued the dinner conversation, giving them tidbits of information about the hunting and cultivation of crops. He spoke of how they grew rice and a variety of bananas while Everly listened as best she could. Her arm grew more uncomfortable by the minute, making it difficult to focus. She could hardly wait to get back to her room and check out the problem. She’d been bitten before, and while it was mildly irritating, it’d never affected her like this.
The meal was good, despite her discomfort, but then she hadn’t eaten in more hours than she could remember.
Dinner was followed by an announcement that a movie would be showing, detailing life in the rainforest. Eager to return to her room and look at her arm, Everly decided to forgo the movie. From the conversation during the social hour, she learned that several of her fellow passengers had arrived a few days earlier and had adjusted to the time difference. The couple from Germany, who spoke excellent English, had arrived a full week earlier and had the opportunity to tour Manaus and Rio before boarding the Amazon Explorer.
The moment she returned to her stateroom, Everly peeled off her shirt and looked in the bathroom mirror. The bite that had been a small red bump before dinner had grown to the size of a bread plate, covering nearly her entire upper arm.
Everly bit into her lower lip, unsure what to do. It was clear she was having an intense allergic reaction to the bite. She’d been in her room only a short time when there was a knock on her door. Remembering that there were no locks, she didn’t risk not answering. She quickly buttoned up her blouse.
“Yes?” she said, opening her door.
Asher stood in the passageway outside. “I’ve come to check to see if you’re all right. I noticed you seemed uncomfortable at dinner.”
Everly’s head started to swim. “I’m okay,” she said. “Really, it’s nothing.”
“Are you sure?”
“Oh yes, I’m quite sure,” she said, right before she slumped forward into his arms in a dead faint.
CHAPTER FOUR
Everly woke to find herself on top of her bed with Asher Adams looking down on her. She blinked several times, wondering how she’d gotten from the door to her bed.
“You fainted,” Asher announced.
Rising on one elbow, Everly blinked at him several times. “I fainted?” She shook her head, finding that impossible to believe. “Must be an adverse reaction to the sleeping pill I took on my flight here.”
He frowned as if he wasn’t inclined to believe her. “I doubt a sleeping pill would cause you to faint.”
“Or it could be the mosquito bite I got on the ride between the airport and the ship.”
“Would