For five days they had followed the mysterious dotted line. When a new map was made that line would be solid. Hal completed his pencilled map by marking the juncture with the Amazon. Then he put the map carefully away in a waterproof bottle and placed the bottle in the waterproof medicine box. That map was one of the expedition’s most cherished possessions. The Amazon, greatest river on earth! Roger and his father were as excited as Hal. The other passengers seemed to share the excitement, or it may have been that they were only disturbed by the rolling and pitching of the little canoe. The tapir whinnied, the marmoset chirped, and even the sleepy vampire in her dark cage squeaked in alarm. Only Charlie took the whole thing calmly. Hanging from his thwart, the mummified hero did not even deign to open his eyes. He merely nodded gravely. ‘Is this really the Amazon?’ Roger wanted to know. ‘Yes and no,’ said his father. ‘But mostly yes. Look on your American Geographical map. You’ll notice that the entire river from here to the Adantic is called the Amazon.
