FRAUDS AND ALLIES

Unlikely alliances are made. A fraud leads Flores on a hunt. Sam reconsiders his will.

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Mark knows he must be cautious in obtaining the necessary proof to return with.  He reveals to Vargas the true intentions of his visit to the region and asks him to help. Vargas reluctantly agrees, noting he can’t begin the family portraits until the women’s dresses are ready. He cites this delay to Flores and requests written permission to enter the jungle to sketch the flowers and wildlife. Distracted by the excitement of his daughter’s new prospects with the Baron, Flores agrees and provides Vargas a signed letter.

Meanwhile, Mark asks Captain Wilson if he can move from the hotel back onto the Lanfranc. He concocts a story about lusting for a local Indian girl and wanting to visit her in the night, when nobody would be aware, so not to damage his or his company’s reputation among the travellers. Wilson is appalled by Mark’s primitive desires but permits him to move back onto the boat.

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That night, Flores invites a number of his friends to dine and celebrate the engagement with Felicidad and Baron von Stimme. There is much drinking.  During the party Felicidad lures Von Stimme into the garden where they have sex, multiple times. Sensing a true connection to her, he confesses that he is not actually a Baron, nor is he rich and that he concocted his title only to get a wife. Felicidad is outraged at this news. She hysterically tells her dad who, already being drunk, turns into a monster. Insane with rage, he rushes from the house with pistols wanting a kill. Two houseboys with pistols assist the hunt. Von Stimme circles around the garden and back into the house then out the front door. He sees a clear path and races into the jungle to temporary safety.

That same night, Mark slips from the Lanfrac and meets Pepe at his canoe. The current carries them down river to a small village where they meet Manuel Vargas and his guide, Pepe’s 20 year old cousin Arrube, who owns a larger canoe. The four men set out for Oro Blanco, armed only with Mark’s pistol.

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While on a yachting vacation in the Northeast American Sounds, Violette and Sam engage in a lively debate about her future with Mark. It’s clear, Sam despises the idea. He believes Mark’s professed love is only a ploy to eventually inherit Sam’s stock in the Mann Rubber Company. He promises to reveal Mark’s true intentions by informing him that such a marriage will cause him to rewrite his will and divert the shares from Mark. Violette trusts Mark will do the right thing, if he survives the Amazon.

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Jose Ruiz reluctantly greets Vargas, Mark and their guides at the pier leading to the Oro Blanco collection center. He reviews Flores’s permission letter and allows them passage into the forest, not before warning them of some gruesome sights they may see due to recent Indian uprisings and defections. Vargas reassures him their only interest is nature sketches.