River of Doubt
It begins with a two-month trek into the jungle just to get to the river. The expedition begins January 21, 1914, just 15 months from the day Roosevelt was shot. They reached the river February 27. 1914 and would return April 26, 1914.
The expedition was led by 48-year-old Candido Rondon who was considered the Lewis and Clarke of Brazil. He had laid 2,000 miles of Telegraph wire in the Amazon.
They were constantly being shadowed by the Brazilian tribe “Cinta Larga” who killed Rondon’s dog. The dog was shot with arrows. A member of the expedition named Julio shot and killed another member of the expedition after he was caught stealing provisions. He fled into the jungle and was never heard from again.
Roosevelt cut his leg trying to save two boats from breaking loose and floating down the river. The cut became infected. He eventually ran a fever of 103.
TR always brought enough Morphine to end his life. He wanted to die rather than risk the safety of the expedition carrying his dead weight through the jungle. Kermit wouldn’t permit his father to take the Morphine.
They ran out of supplies and lived on monkey meat and fish. When they reached the end of the trip April 26, 1914 some didn’t believe the stories of what happened.
Roosevelt went on a speaking tour to prove the events were true.
