"Cayahuari Yacu, the jungle Indians call this contry," ""the land where God did not finish Creation."" "They believe only after man has disappeared will He return to finish His work." "For God's sake..." "If we're gonna do this..." "If we're gonna do this let's do it in style." "We're going to miss Caruso if you don't put some fire under it." "Oh, you've wiped oil all over your face." "Isn't that better?" "Oh, Molly, please." "Come on, for God's sake!" "Champagne for the horses!" "The best!" "We're gonna make it." "Sir, Madam." "This is a gala performance." "We come from Iquitos, one thousand two hundred miles down the Amazon." "I had to row because our motor broke down." "Look at his hands." "For two days and two nights I've been rowing to see Caruso once in my life." "You have no tickets." "This man needs to go in there." "He has no ticket but he has a right." "Sir, Madam, you can't go in there." "I'm going to build an opera house in Iquitos and Caruso'll open it." "It'll be the greatest opera of the jungle." "Please, let us in." "You'll work with us." "Let us in, please." "I'd like to be in there myself, believe me..." "Follow me!" "Make sure to be quiet and press yourselves right up against the wall." "He pointed to you." "He pointed to me." "You see him..." "he means me." "Fitzcarraldo?" "How do you spell it?" "What an interesting name!" "My father was Irish." "My real name is Fitzgerald." "Brian Sweeney Fitzgerald." "They had trouble saying it in Peru." "Fitzgerald?" "Iquitos?" "You're not the man with the railway are you?" "Yeah, that's me." "Well... the Trans-Andean Railway, but the project fell through." "But the idea was a bold one." "At the moment I'm trying my luck as as ice producer, to make money." "Here, all people want for their money are the big names from Europe." "Sarah Bernhardt, an actress who can't even sing." "But her wooden leg is the talk of the town." "The ice, ah, I mean..." "I'm doing all this because I have one dream the opera." "The Great Opera in the Jungle!" "Fitzcarraldo will build it and Caruso will sing at the premiere." "It's only the dreamers who ever move mountains." "For five years now we've been the richest town in the whole world." "It's like gold fever." "May I show you the house?" "When this opera was built there were only a few huts here." "The building was practically in the jungle." "Prices are ten times higher here than in New York." "There are palaces being built with tiles from Delft and Florentine marble." "And Iquitos is catching up." "It's still a filthy frontier town but the rubber business is growing by leaps and bounds." "The better-off citizens in Manaus, if I may put it like that send their laundry to Lisbon because the water in the Amazon is felt to be impure." "Aren't you going to stay?" "I don't know." "I don't mind you're running a brothel." "But there are too many of your clients around." "Come on." "I train the girls for the best households." "Much better than sending them out on the streets." "I've nothing against the girls, Molly." "I just can't stand the sight of dandies who think money can buy everything." "And the opera..." "I've got to work on this ice production." "You could take a crack at respectability, you know." "Wouldn't kill you." "Respectability just made me bankrupt." "I'm better off down there by the river." "Got my real audience down there now..." "The kids?" "Yeah, that's my public." "And a pig." "One of those lean racing pigs loves me." "How could she help it." "When I build my opera house I'll see to it you have your own box and a red velvet armchair." "It works through a chemical reaction of two different salts." "Just imagine the possibilities ice has, but people don't see it." "The children love it." "Yeah, they eat it." "Imagine, one day ice in every warehouse, on every ship." "Yes, make your bet." "What do you think of it?" "I'll tell you what I think." "You can read up about ice in any school book." "It's out of the question to apply for a patent." "But I have the experience, and it's experience that counts." "What good is ice here?" "To cool the rubber?" "Maybe we should magically create some glaciers in the jungle." "And then we'll build the Trans-Andean Railroad on sled skids Ioosen the brakes, give her a push and adios!" "Off she goes, sledding down into the valley?" "Come on, come on." "Don't take it to heart." "Here, this is for you." "Use this, play a hand with us." "The precious feeling of losing money!" "Nothing like it!" "Ecstasy!" "The church remains closed 'til this town has its opera house." "I want the opera house!" "I want my opera house!" "I want to have an opera!" "This church remains closed 'til this town has an opera!" "I will build my opera!" "I want to have my opera." "I could have let you cool your heels in there for two weeks." "Thanks." "Two days were more than enough." "I'm sure Molly is behind this." "You're mistaken." "But come with me." "I'll show you the real reason I'm letting you out so soon." "They won't budge." "I felt moved." "Even a horse would be touched." "That shouldn't be too hard to arrange." "All of them together, at the same time?" "Don Aquilino, The Borja brothers..." "I have my ways." "Don't worry." "I'll bring all my girls with me." "We'll have all the rubber barons gathered together like flies." "And I guarantee you, they'll be feeling good." "I'll bring my phonograph." "You need some sprucing up first." "I'm not letting you out of my house like that." "A steam bath for Mr. Fitzcarraldo!" "Full treatment." "And then deliver him to my bedroom." "This is serious... help..." "Hey Molly, tell them..." "Help!" "Everyone wants money from me." "The hospital, the fire brigade and now you keep talking my ear off about your opera." "It gives expression to our deepest feelings." "What is he talking about?" "Our deepest feelings!" "Just take a look at this." "Come a bit closer." "Take a good look." "A little demonstration." "1000 dollar bills seem to taste best." "See how fast our money goes down the drain?" "You must have experienced this." "A railway is sure to swallow up a lot of money." "How thrilling it must be to go bankrupt." "Let's return to our friends." "Yes, such a chance to meet all one's friends and rivals in one place does not present itself very often." "Rosita, over there!" "Take the champagne over there!" "Please, may we have your attention?" "Please, come a bit closer." "Servant!" "Hold him!" "He can't get away with this." "One moment!" "Please, please, please!" "Ladies and gentlemen, don't worry." "This man is harmless, he's just had a soul-stirring experience." "My servants will escort you to the kitchen." "My dogs' cook will prepare you a meal." "Thank you very much, sir, you were superb." "To your dogs' cook." "To Verdi." "To Rossini." "To Caruso." "To Fitzcarraldo, the Conquistador of the Useless!" "Cheers!" "As true as I am standing here, one day I shall bring grand opera to Iquitos." "I will outnumber you." "I will outbillion you." "I am the spectacle in the forest." "I am the inventor of rubber." "I will outrubber you." "Sir, the reality of your world is nothing more than a rotten caricature of great opera." "Fitz, Fitz, let's go." "He's as dead as a doornail." "He is no opponent for you." "Madam, I'm still standing firm on both my legs." "You're a big game hunter, aren't you?" "What's that got to do with it?" "Then you should know:" "When you shoot an elephant he sometimes stays on his legs for ten days before he topples over." "Come on, girls, we're leaving." "This way!" "Rubber." "That's the way to do it." "Forget about the ice." "You need a big steam-boat." "And most of all you need land." "And hundreds of workers." "The rubber barons have divided up the land." "But there's still some left." "How do you know?" "Through Don Aquilino." "Why don't you pay him a visit?" "Forget about it." "Why don't you try him out?" "My territory begins right here where the Pongo ends and reaches downstream for 80 miles." "And above the Pongo?" "I'd like to have that myself." "We've thought about building a road across the mountains but it would be an impossible venture, and there still wouldn't be..." "A ship..." "And nobody has made it upstream?" "Want to see for yourself?" "We can go a little further by foot." "What's he saying?" "We must be quiet." "He says, whoever talks will be swallowed up by the evil spirits of the rapids." "The Indians call the rapids Chirimagua, "the angry spirits."" "Anyone who falls in there is lost." "The native bare-asses also say, "The water has no hair to hold on to."" "Is this a rubber tree?" "Right." "Hevea brasiliensis." "They call the rubber tree caoutchou "the tree that weeps."" "These bare-asses love flowery language." "Gold, they call "sweat of the sun."" "Bees, "father of honey."" "You know, it's no easy job to civilize them, believe me." "How much do you think this stinky stuff weighs?" "132 pounds!" "And I presume you're familiar with the market price." "How long does it take to make one of them?" "Three men one week." "Presently I have a staff of 8,500." "But I am thinking of increasing to 10,000." "You're a strange bird, but I must say I like you." "That's my area." "From the Pongo to the mouth of the Ucayali." "Up there you see the Peruvian Amazon Company, a joint stock company and there, the Borja brothers." "What does that square mean?" "That's the rubber region of the Ucayali, about 14 million trees." "It's the only area still unclaimed." "Because of the rapids of the Pongo das Mortes you'd have to have wings to fly into this area." "What about up on the Pachitea?" "No rubber trees, maybe a few, but not enough to make it worthwhile." "The only thing you'll find there are savage Indians." "No gold, no rubber, no nothing." "Only head hunters..." "The two rivers almost touch each other." "What?" "How exact is this map?" "Is there anything more precise?" "Oh, it's a pretty good map." "In 1896 a group of surveyors and soldiers got to the Upper Pachitea but most of them were murdered." "Then some missionaries got as far as Saramiriza, their farthest settlement." "From there on you'll find only savage Jivaros and Campas." "Two padres ended up as shrunken heads." "Have you ever seen a shrunken head?" "Yes..." "I mean..." "No... sort of..." "Have you made your choice?" "I can't decide..." "I guess I'll take both." " Molly, listen!" " What is it?" "I need your money, every red cent you can spare." " Oh Fitz, not again..." " I have an idea." "An amazing idea!" "Here, look at this." "I've bought some maps, I can explain everything to you." "First I have to contact a lawyer, then get a ship." "But my money is not gonna buy you a ship, Fitz." "You're squeezing me to death!" "I can't breathe." "The document, please." "Thank you." "The act of territorial acquisition is done step by step." "You and your partner sign, you pay the money and I will complete the document with my signature." "Before you sign, I'd like to direct your attention to the option clause." "What option clause?" "Through its executive organs, the Peruvian government is insistent with no exceptions, that a region of this size be taken into possession by deed and by proof within nine months." "You will have to prove that real operational steps have been taken to exploit the region." "Otherwise your right of exploitation will be terminated." "The point is that the state is concerned that areas such as this are productively used by competent men of business so that they..." "Come on, we are wasting time." "May I ask you a question of a personal nature?" "Do you really know what you're doing?" "We're gonna do what nobody's ever done." "We're going to be very, very rich." "Well?" "Please, sir, sign on the dotted line." "That's it." "That's it." "Isn't it marvelous?" "We should be able to fix it up." "It's wonderful." "You haven't seen the whole thing." "I like it already." "Watch out here." "Everything's rotted." "The engine room." "Up the stairs." "Wait a moment." "Wait." "Let me go first." "To our contract!" "Please come in, gentlemen." "Now that the purchase of my ship is settled, let me be quite frank." "You bet." "I forced you to take Cholo as mechanic or you wouldn't have gotten the ship." "I realize that." "Very good." "Good." "He's a first-rate mechanic, I'll tell you that much." "Now, what else is he?" "The reason behind it all, excuse my bluntness is that I wish to be kept informed about the activities of my competitors." "I don't want my territory contested." "Don't worry." "Every steamship owner is a potential enemy but those with just a canoe can't hurt us." "The two of us have a bet going how long it will take until you go bankrupt." "Oh, don't take it personally, please." "We're all sportsmen, aren't we?" "No, only one of us." "I shall move a mountain." "When is she gonna be ready?" "Tomorrow." "For days he's been telling me tomorrow." "I hope she'll be ready for launching." "I wonder what this character's really up to." "What's your name?" "Paul Resenbrink." "I'm Dutch." "They call me Orinoco Paul because I know every goddamn bend in this river." "You haven't sailed for some time." "That's right." "My last ship was the Adolfo." "My eyesight isn't so good, but I cannot be fooled." "What do you mean?" "The jungle plays tricks on your senses." "It's full of lies, demons, illusions." "I have learned to tell the difference between reality and hallucinations." "I see that you took part in the Pachitea expedition in 1886." "Yes, as helmsman." "On the return trip I was the captain." "The captain died." "There were only five survivors." "Paul Resenbrink, you have captain's authority." "Help me choose the crew." "We need strong, fearless men." "I'm afraid we'll find few good men here." "First of all we need a pilot." "Does anyone have experience as a pilot?" "Scram, you puny runt!" "I'm Huerequeque." "Brethren!" "I am Huerequeque!" "I am the best cook in all of el Amazonas." "I have been on every ship." "And amigo, I'm not stupid." "I know what your plans are." "Huerequeque may tip the bottle now and then but up here... electric, electrico!" "Also, I am the best gunman on the entire Amazon." " What do you think of him?" " Upstream and downstream." " Is he really a good gunman?" " I would have to say, yes." "What was your name?" "Huere..." "Huerequeque." "Huerequeque, you are our cook." "Cheers, then." "Please understand." "Who bought the ship?" "Who paid for the crew?" "It's my right to come with you." "Molly, you can't leave the girls." "What are they gonna do without you?" "And what will I do without you?" "I'll be back." "Fitz... do you still love me?" "We are partners, you and me." "Oh Fitz, you're crazy!" "Oh Fitz, it's wonderful!" "This is your day, Molly!" "You've given the ship my name!" "That's more than my poor heart can stand." "Now comes the official part." "Here." "Throw it... hard!" "I don't want those señoritas on board my ship." "These are my assistants." "I can't cook without them." "Come on, kids, come on." "Why isn't he going down to the Ucayali?" "Why is he heading upstream?" "I thought he was going to the Pongo das Mortes." "You saw right." "Brian Sweeney Fitzgerald is going up the Amazon." "We're going upstream!" "What's the idea?" "We're going up the river." "That's the idea." "And, from now on, you only leave the engine room if I say so." "What do you think you're doing?" "Getting around my girls!" "Get lost!" "Don Fitzcarraldo!" "Don Fitzcarraldo!" "You're back at last." "I'd almost given up hope." "Look here, Amazon Terminal ready for action." "I see you've become a father." "I knew you'd come back." "I thought you'd forgotten about me when the railroad construction ceased." "Every year I repaint the first class booking office." "It looks a little weather-beaten but wait until your trains cross the mountains from the Amazon to the Pacific, then everything will change." "I've been here six years now, without payment." "Therefore..." "The engine is in good working order." "All the levers work, but..." "But I must confess I was forced to sell a few iron parts to the Indians." "They need it for their machetes and things." "They used to come at night to steal parts." "So I thought it was better to sell than to have things stolen at night." "I had to do it." "I was left alone and deserted on this post." "I thought you'd been sent home like everybody else." "Let me show you outside." "The tracks reach 200 meters deep into the jungle." "Come with me." "I made an invention to scare off the Indians." "They've become more cautious." "I do the same thing with the snakes." "I connect an electric line to the tracks." "The Indians get their fingers singed." "They won't touch them again." "I chase the snakes onto the rails with a stick." "On the first rail they get fried, on the second they turn to ash." "Every year, I cut back the bushes..." "When will you resume construction?" "The thing is... we've come here on a different project." "Our whole financial situation will change overnight, if it works." "What I'm trying to say is we need the tracks for another purpose." "No, not those from under the engine, not those..." "Don Fitzcarraldo." "The men are removing the tracks under the locomotive." "I'm begging you, leave me just a few yards to roll it back and forth." "Hey, leave those under there!" "There's more out in the forest." "Thank you, thank you." "We should have reached the Pachitea a long time ago." "No, we haven't." "But according to the map..." "I don't rely on maps." "How can you be so sure about that?" "No river tastes like the Pachitea." "It's just ahead of us." "Isn't that something..." "Brimming over!" "Oh, these women!" "That's what I need." "What's going on here?" "We're going up the Pachitea." "Is that so?" "Where are we going?" "Amigos, welcome to the Pachitea!" "Known for it's native hospitality..." "Something is going on down below." "They don't seem to agree with our course." "What?" "I told you in Iquitos I needed men, not cowards who shit in their pants." "So..." "Whoever wants to leave, step forward." "Welcome to Saramiriza!" "Brian Sweeney Fitzgerald." "We thought you were a government commission." "Welcome to our place, here." "Welcome." "Happy to have you." " I am Huerequeque." " Welcome." "Thank you, thanks." "How can anyone learn patriotism from a school book?" "The Government requires it." "The natives get used to it like vaccination." "The children already feel like Peruvians." "The other day I asked them "Are you Indians?"" ""No," they said, "not us, the ones up the river are."" "Then I asked, "What are Indians?"" "They said, "Indians are people who can't read and who don't know how to wash their clothes."" "And what do the older people say?" "Well." "We can't seem to cure them of the idea that our everyday life is only an illusion behind which lies the reality of dreams." "I am very interested in these ideas." "I specialize in opera myself." "What do you know about the Jivaros on the upper Pachitea?" "I was there during the disaster in '96." "Have you had any contact since then?" "Some years ago, two of our brothers set off with some natives." "One of them came back a few days later and said the Jivaros had withdrawn deep into the forest." "The expedition vanished without a trace." "A few weeks later, one of our brothers was washed up." "They'd filled his stomach with heavy stones and his head was gone." "Anyway, what do you want up there?" "I'm planning something geographical." "Paul." "The crew." "Quiet down, you drunken idiots!" "Stop it!" "You have to crack down on the men, or you can find yourself a new captain." "Who's causing trouble?" "Evaristo Chavez and Fabiano, the Brazilian." "And the two women." "They must go ashore immediately, they're the main ones." "And Huerequeque, he's smart but not to be trusted." "Your services are no longer required." "I give you two minutes to get ashore." "You'll see, we're the lucky ones." "And the women." "Come on, move!" "See to the rest!" "And all of you, back to work." "Go on!" "Reduce speed!" "Half speed ahead!" "What are the men doing?" "They've armed themselves." "Under no circumstances are they to shoot." "That was our mistake on the first expedition." "Go down and tell them that, or there'll be a disaster." "What the hell are you doing?" "Just trying to have a little conversation with our invisible friends." "Idiot, this will cost us our lives." "Yours first." "There are silences and silences." "And this one, I don't like at all." "There's something on the water." "Where?" "Something black, floating towards us." "What's an umbrella doing here?" "It must have belonged to one of the missionaries that the Jivaros killed." "Strange." "Seems to be a last warning." "The bare-asses love flowery gestures." "I wish they would show themselves." "Now it's Caruso's turn." "Do you see the Indians in the canoe?" "Could that be a trap?" "It doesn't look like one." "No, I don't think so." "They would attack at night." "And in bigger groups." "Shall we stop and try to make contact?" "No, don't stop." "They wouldn't talk to us anyway." "Something's moving over there." "Those bare-asses have never seen the likes of this." "Teach 'em some respect." "Everything depends on how we behave." "Tell me everything you know about them." "These Jivaro probably left the interior of Brazil about 300 years ago." "For ten generations they've been criss-crossing the jungle in search of a white God in a divine vessel." "At the end of their pilgrimage he would show them a land without sorrow and death." "We're gonna take advantage of this myth." "What the hell has that got to do with us?" "If a bare-ass comes too close, I'll put a bullet right between his eyes." "But this God doesn't come with canons." "He comes with the voice of Caruso." "Your loyal crew has deserted you." "That finishes this journey." "Why didn't you go with them?" "Because I want this whole damned ship to turn back." "Don't mess with me." "I'll do what I like around here." "Just keep the engine running." "Those bastards!" "Suddenly they were all there with their rifles." "I told you all along they were no good." "They'll never make it out of here." "There's only three of us left." "You, me and Cholo." "What, him?" "Now we really need some Italian opera." "Don't you agree?" "That's the end of it." "The dream is over." "Can you turn here?" "A bit narrow, but it'll work." "It won't work." "Did you say something?" "Turn around." "Do you see what I see?" "Just what we needed." "Breaking through there would be the end of us." "There's just one way to go..." "straight ahead." "You better pull ashore." "Go down to the engine room, very casually." "They're armed..." "with bows and arrows." "But they're keeping their distance." "Ever seen this before?" "No, never." "Damn it, now they are blocking the way." "Are they still there?" "Even more of them now." "Maybe a hundred canoes." "Give me a shout when the fun begins." "I wanna brighten up my last hour with a little fireworks." "Brethren, what time is it, anyway?" "Over here, bare-asses, I'll pour you a beer." "Hurry up, I'll buy you a drink." "Where did you come from?" "I just had a nap." "Have the others quit?" "I figured they would." "Cowards, degenerados!" "Imbéciles!" "Shut up!" "What do they say?" "They're talking about our ship the "white vessel" from which they expect the promised salvation." "They say there's a curse weighing on the entire land." "They know that we are not gods, but the ship has really impressed them." "But why do they play the flute?" "What is happening?" "My friends, I think we will continue." "See the red cliff on the right hand side?" "Yes, I see it." "That must be it." "Good." "We can't go much further, or we'll run onto a sandbank." "That slope may look insignificant but it's gonna be my destiny." "Come on, follow me!" "Now he's showing his cards." "This is it." "This is what we were looking for." "Here?" "This?" "Do we have to climb a tree for you dimwits to understand?" "We'll build a nice platform for the gentlemen." "Up there." "I can hardly believe it." "There." "There's the Ucayali." "All the river above the Pongo das Mortes belongs to us." "I know, I know." "We'll make a railway tunnel." "No." "We're going to drag that ship over the mountain." "And the bare-asses are going to help us." "How the hell are we going to do that?" "Just like the cow jumped over the moon." "I like this." "Count me in." "Come in." "What is it?" "I still don't understand what you've got in mind." "Come in." "I'll show you." "This is the Amazon." "Here is Iquitos." "This is the Ucayali." "Right?" "And here this is the Pachitea." "So, first we went up the Amazon and then up the Pachitea." "We are here right now and we'll drag the ship over this mountain." "Exactly there." "From here to here we'll operate the ship to collect rubber from thousands of workers." "Why didn't we move up the Ucayali?" "Because of the Pongo das Mortes." "Nobody will ever make it through those rapids." "Yes, but how do you get the rubber to Iquitos?" "We need another ship." "We'll carry it back over the mountain and build a settlement there." "Soon we'll be so rich we'll have all the ships we need to take it to Iquitos." " I've explained our project to the Chief." " What's his answer?" "He just says yes." "More to the left." "A little more." "Stop!" "Again, a bit more to the left." "A little more." "Stop!" "Yes, yes!" "T-square at 42 degrees." "Not a bad start, was it?" "Right." "There are even children here." "It's a good sign." "What do you think, Paul will the Indians stick with us?" "You can't tell what they really think." "But how the hell are we gonna get that ship over the hill?" "If nothing else works, then we'll make a tunnel." "I could even do it alone if we had a perfect pulley system." "But I would need ten miles of rope and it would take me ten weeks to pull the ship ten inches." "Unfortunately, we haven't got that much time." "We have seven more months before the option runs out." "We have a winch and the strength of hundreds of Indians." "We are going to drag this ship over the mountain." "Who are your little friends?" "McNamara, he's my footman." "And this is el comandante." "Here's to you, McNamara." "This is much steeper than we thought." "Now, with the trees cut down you can really see how steep it is." "We have to level the ground, build a ramp." "And up there we'll have to make a cut through to the top." "That could take months." "Dynamite!" "I hope we have enough dynamite." "Careful, that'll frighten the bare-asses." "We have no choice." "Take cover!" "Get back!" "Watch out!" "Danger!" "Hold it, hold it!" "Where are you going?" "Now go back to work, come on." "Those logs up there." "Huerequeque, come here." "How can this trunk withstand the pull of hundreds of tons?" "It will." "See how deep we have anchored it in the ground." "As tough as iron." "Bring it down here!" "Huerequeque, come with me." "Go on." "Slowly." "If we had known that you planned to move the boat on railway tracks I could have told you to leave the tracks right there back at your Amazon station." "Sorry I can't help you." "I had a bit too much to drink yesterday." "Shouldn't we tell him that it melts away to nothing?" "Doesn't work." "There's no word for ice in their language." "Come on, get out of there!" "Out!" "Out!" "Give it a go!" "Give it all you got!" "I'll be damned..." "It's working." "It's moving." " It's moving!" " It's moving!" "Watch out!" "They've been staring at the river for two days and two nights now." "I'm sure it's because of the terrible accident." "I can't get anything out of them." "And?" "They're gone." "All of them?" "They've really disappeared?" "What do you make of this?" "I had this strange feeling, so I went outside." "Not a soul, nothing." "They've all disappeared." "That can mean anything." "It could mean that they'll attack us." "But the boy is still here." "My footman, McNamara." "For that he'll be made Chief one day." "They're back as if they'd never been gone." "Don't ask me for an explanation." "I can't believe this crazy thing Huerequeque has thought up." "Amigos, the engine is running." "Now that's what I call brainwork." "All you do is drink!" "We could start up the engine and drive the anchor winch off of it." "That way the ship will pull itself up the mountain under it's own steam." "Now, what do you say to that?" "There are times when a peasant's brain is good for something." "You ain't no peasant!" "You're the finest drunkard ever to stagger over this earth." " But we forgot something." " What?" "Enrico!" "Enrico Caruso!" "Why are they doing all this?" "Why are they working like dogs for us?" "Why?" "Why?" "Why?" "Why?" " Why?" " No, I don't know either." "The only thing I know is that there must be a reason for it." "They're planning something, I bet." "You must drink it." "It is yucca." "Yucca with fermented saliva." "Go on, drink!" "My God, time is flying and we are getting nowhere." "Something's up." "The men are preparing barbasco, a very strong poison." "And they are painted black." "But most of the men have hidden in the woods and have armed themselves." "What does that mean?" "As far as I know, the paint is supposed to make them invisible." "They only do that when they go hunting or when they go to war." "Let's return to the ship, load our rifles." "We wouldn't stand a chance." "It seems to me that they are planning something." "And I fear that we four will soon end up as shrunken heads." "I think we're safe for the moment." "How do you know?" "There is a sign." "Look..." "See those hands on the railing?" "What has happened?" "The Pongo!" "We're drifting into the Pongo!" "Cholo!" "Cholo!" "Paul!" "Cholo!" "I must stop the ship!" "Start the fire!" "We're drifting into the Pongo!" "The valves first!" "For God's sake, my ship!" "Damn it." "Now it's too late." "Do you know what he says?" "He says they untied the boat last night." "They knew all along the divine vessel was only dragged over the mountain so that it could drift through the rapids." "It had to be done to soothe the evil spirits of the rapids." "I must stop my ship." "First of all, have a drink." "Running the Pongo das Mortes with a steamship is a record that will never be repeated." "Here, have a drink." "Wonderful, gentlemen." "Quite spectacular." "Here's to the reconciliation of the evil spirits of the Pongo." "I'll tell you a story." "At the time when North America was hardly explored one of those early French trappers went westward from Montreal and he was the first white man to set eyes on Niagara Falls." "When he returned, he told of waterfalls that were more vast and immense than people had ever dreamed of." "But no one believed him." "They thought he was a madman or a liar." "They asked him, "What's your proof?"" "And he answered..." ""My proof is that I have seen them."" "Sorry." "I don't really know what that's got to do with me." "What will you do next?" "I don't know." "I'm asking because I'm interested in buying the boat back." "My business has been expanding lately." "The damage could be repaired in a few days." "Oh, I assure you, I don't mean to exploit your delicate situation." "I just heard, that a European opera ensemble has arrived in Manaus to give a guest performance there." "Perhaps you should go there." "They are performing an opera of this fantastic German composer." "One of the very modern ones." "Federico, Roberto..." "Ricardo..." "What's his name, Ricardo...?" "Wagner?" "He's the one who wrote Parsifal." "Yes, I guess that's the one." "Very Teutonic, his music." "And the name of the Opera is "The Puritans"." "No, no, that's an Italian opera, by Bellini." "Tell me did you mean that about the boat?" "Hey, Cholo, Huerequeque, come over here!" "Come on." "Paul, this is the new owner of the Molly Aida." "But we still have the ship for two more weeks." "Paul, listen." "You'll travel to Manaus with all this money." "You'll bring back a tailcoat and the best cigar in the world." "And from the theater I want an armchair with red velvet upholstery." "I have to keep a promise to a pig that loves Caruso so much." "And then..."