Climbing Trail

The Andes tragedy Part 25

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The next day, the ninth day of the journey. After eating a few pieces of meat, we set off earlier than usual and immediately found a nice road to walk along the riverbank. The road was flat, probably because the herd of cows often passed. Roberto hoped at times to find a peasant cottage, but again only empty hope. As they travel, there are no signs of life.

By noon, our journey was blocked by a stone as big as a multi-storey house.

"We have to climb that rock." I said.

Roberto looked at the giant rock. He decided to turn it around after seeing a narrow gap above the river vortex. He then walked bent through the gap until he was out of my sight, and I began to climb. Roberto wasn't there when I got across the rock. I waited for him impatiently. When he finally appeared, he staggered while holding his stomach. Face pale.

"My stomach exploded. Diarrhea. It hurts so much." He said weak, though,

"Can you walk?" I asked him.

Roberto shook his head. "I can't," He fell to the ground with a face grimacing in pain.

"Come Roberto. A little more."

"Not now. Let me rest first." She begged.

I look at the horizon. This valley leads to a vast plateau. If we could find a way to the top of that plateau, we would be able to look in all directions for a house or a farm.

"I'll bring you your backpack." I said. "But we have to keep going. We have to walk to the top of that plateau, then we rest there."

Before Roberto answered, I packed up his things and prepared for our trip, giving Roberto no choice but to follow in my footsteps. He was far away from me, but I always watched him. He staggered, limped, and seemed to suffer at every step.

"Don't give up, Muscle," I whispered to myself, and I knew he would never give up. Now he forced his body to keep walking with his determination that was getting thin. When I saw her, I knew that I had chosen her as my travel partner.

We arrived at the plateau before dusk, alternating body lifting up the steep slopes towards the summit. We looked towards the grassland below us.

There were many trees and wildflowers, and far to our left was a stone wall like a fence. Now, we were far above the canyon of a steep river, and the land was far below the riverbank. The other steep slopes were far across the river, about thirty meters wide and flowing very fast.

Roberto was barely able to walk, then I helped him across the meadow to the grove of trees where we decided to spend the night.

"Rest," I said to Roberto. "I'll go for a while to get around. There might be a peasant settlement near here."

Roberto nodded his head. He had almost no strength to speak, as he laid his body on the soft grass, I knew he did not want to walk any further. I don't want to think about what would happen if I left Roberto here.

The afternoon had passed, I walked along the path along the canyon to see what was in front of me. I saw some cows grazing in the meadow, but after walking for about three hundred meters, I saw clearly what I was afraid of, another great river whose water flowed profusely from the left and fused with the river we had followed before. Our journey was hindered by the confluence of these two great rivers. It seems impossible to cross it.

Then I told Roberto what I saw, about the great river and the cows.

We're both very hungry. At least a piece of meat could warm our bodies, I considered killing and cutting one of the cows.

"You imbecile. How do you kill such a big animal? " Roberto grumbled at my idea of killing cows.

"I will strike his head with a large stone. " Answer.

"You helped him hold his neck." I said.

"Carajos! The cow is stronger than both of us. You're really stupid."

I've never seen a cow in my life. Roberto has a point too.

"I know, I'm gonna go up to the tree with the stone. Then wait for him to pass. " I said again.

"What if he doesn't pass? " Ask Roberto.

"You're gonna hit him so he'll walk right under me." My answer.

"Mierda! The carajo! I can't walk either! You're a complete idiot, Nando!"

Roberto was also worried that if we killed one of his cows, the farmer would not help us. In addition, we also do not have the power to capture and cut such a large animal. In an instant we ignored the idea.

Now the darkness began to envelop and the cold began to pierce our bodies.

"I'm going to go get some firewood" I said, but as I walked a few meters from the meadow, I heard Roberto screaming out loud.

"Nando! There's someone riding a horse! Look at! A horseman!" Roberto pointed to a slope far across the river canyon.

I squinted my eyes trying to see in the dark.

"I didn't see anything."

"Quick! Run" Roberto shouted loudly. "Down in the river!"

Blindly, I went down the slope to the stream with Roberto guiding me "Turn right, not there, I said right! No, it's too far! Turn left!"

I turned down the slope of the river, following Roberto's cry, but I did not see a horseman.

I looked back at Roberto who was running staggering down the slope behind me.

"I swear to God, I saw something" Roberto said.

"It's very dark over there" I said. "Maybe it's just a shadow of a rock."

I held Roberto's hand and helped him back up the slope towards the top, when we heard a voice louder than the roar of the river, a human voice!!.

We turned the gaze, and this time I saw him too, a horseman.he shouted at us, but the roar of the river made us unable to hear his words. Then he turned his horse and disappeared behind the darkness.

"Did you hear it? Roberto yells. "What did he say??"

"I heard only one word" I replied. "I heard him say: wait"

"We survived, Nando" said Roberto almost in tears.

(Connected)