“Enough,” Patrick said. “You obviously have no idea where you’re going.”

“I do,” Martin said. “There is a river a few hundred meters from here.”

“Well, for your sake, there had better be.”

The group continued hiking for another five minutes, and then Gina began to hear the unmistakable thrum of fast-moving water. Fifty meters later, the jungle opened up slightly, and there was a clear view of a rippling brown river.

Gina’s stomach tightened.

It appeared that Martin was leading them in the correct direction after all.

“How much farther from here?” Patrick asked.

“Thirty minutes,” Martin said.

Gina’s stomach twisted. She’d been waiting for an opportunity to make a move, but now she was running out of time.

Martin turned in her direction, and Gina gave him the quickest of winks. For a moment, she didn’t think he’d noticed, but then he did a 360-degree sweep of their surroundings and said, “I need a few minutes to get my bearings.”

Patrick flashed a quick look of annoyance, then called to the soldiers, “Let’s take five. Then we’ll get prepared for the final push.”

Martin consulted his compass, then walked to the edge of the small clearing. Patrick followed behind him, pestering him with questions.

The soldiers made their way to the river’s edge. On the opposite side of the river, there was a giant capybara sunning on the sloping bank.

Gina watched as the first of the soldiers picked up a small stone and tossed it across the river. The stone landed in the water, several feet in front of the large brown rodent.

“Not even close!” Gina shouted to them in Spanish.

The soldier glared at her, but soon all four of them were scavenging the ground in search of stones to throw.

Bill was leaning back against the seven-foot-wide trunk of a massive tree. His pack was on the ground next to him. His shirt was drenched through, and there were small droplets of sweat beading inside his tinted glasses.

Gina took a few steps toward him and said, “You need to drink some water.”

“You read my mind,” he said, then knelt next to his pack and unfastened the top.

Out of the corner of her eye, Gina watched as the four soldiers took turns throwing rocks at the capybara.

She swept her head to the left. Patrick was thirty feet from her, with his back turned. He was watching Martin etch something in the dirt with a large stick—either a map or, possibly, the layout of the village.

She silently commended Martin on his ingenuity.

Bill pulled his plastic water container out of his pack and unscrewed the top. He tilted the container to his lips.