The next couple of days of travel were thankfully relatively peaceful. No roaming bands of cannibals. No creatures out of legend. Just mosquitos, and lots of them.
The days were filled with a steady downpour of rain, and the level of humidity had reached levels that you're group had not thought possible.
It made forward passage through the uncut terrain tedious, slow-moving, and miserably sticky.
Oh, and those damn mosquitos...
Pingo and Richard would be leading the way I suppose, staying just a little bit ahead of the group. They would take turns trailblazing, occasionally leaving the group to scout out far ahead.
It was after noon when Pingo returned from one of these treks. He gave Richard a nod, and began to hand signal towards Harrison Bones.
Bones smiled.
"Come on out! We'll behave!" He shouted to the endless jungles that pressed in tightly around the expedition.
After a few moments, two dark men came out from the underbrush into view. They were short, no more than 5 feet at best. Both wore ragged dungarees, dirty and stained from regular use. One of them wore a simple vest while his companion wore nothing else. Both men carried spears. A bow and quiver of arrows was worn by both.
"Gentlemen" Bones began, "Lady" he said turning towards the missionary woman. "These fellows are from a friendly tribe of natives that live nearby."
Bones smilled warmly, "Pingo and I know these people. They will take us to their village where we can rest up, and plan our next steps."
Bones quickly spoke in a native dialect to the men, who smiled in return. One clasped Bones at the shoulder and gave a friendly squeeze. The other nodded.
After following the two men for another 20 minutes through the dense foliage... the expedition found themselves on the outskirts of a small native village of thatched huts. Naked children ran along the muddy ground playing with a couple of mangy mongrel dogs between the small homes. Men and women dressed in colorful garments, but exposing various levels of skin. More than one woman was completely topless. National Geographic Magazine brought to life.
Bones and Pingo were greeted like long lost friends, but the villagers regarded the rest opf the expedition with caution, especially those whose weapons were visible.
The village itself looked to be no more than 10 huts alltogether, and that included the largest of the huts (easily three times the size of any of the others). The large hut was centrally located in the village. A man wearing a colorful head-dress of feathers and small animal bones stood at the threshold and watched silently.
[ And go...
Please feel free to expand on any of these ideas in your own posts. Interact with each other, and feel free to improvise any encounters you may have with any of these kind but wary natives. I'm quite literally out of time to continue today. The chief, however is off limits until next I return (God I hope that is soon)-- These folk have livestock, strange foods and produce to trade. Colorful cloth is woven in this village as well...
Anyway, I hope I see you all again real soon! ]