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the fifteenth of the month Lisette would call the Israeli embassy. I could hold out until then.

It was growing dark, and I could find no shelter. There were no crags or cliffs, no caves or niches. Where could I spend the night? I had to choose a campsite quickly and get a fire going while there was still daylight. I chose a level area, cleared away the damp leaves, and replaced them with fresh, dry ones. I took out one of the mosquito nets and tied it down to four tree stumps with vines, so that it formed a long, narrow, translucent green pup tent. I looked for dry wood but didn't find any. I gathered a few branches and tried to break them and strip them away to the dry inner parts. It was impossible without a machete. My attempts at lighting a fire only wasted the fluid in the lighter and brought me to a state of despair. Reluctantly I crawled under the tent of mosquito netting and wrapped myself in the remaining net and red poncho. I took my arsenal out of the pack: the flashlight, the lighter, the mosquito repellent, and the snakebite serum. To these I added a tin can and a spoon. If any wild animal should approach me, I would make a horrendous clatter and scare it away. So I thought.

I tried to close my eyes, to escape into my fantasies, but I was too tense, uneasy. My stomach was growling with hunger, for I hadn't eaten anything all day. The fear, however, was harder to bear. I was in the heart of the jungle, totally vulnerable, with no means of protecting myself, no cave