📸 Photo

‘Never mind. I don’t need a map. I know that area better than my own backyard,’ Karl reassured me, ‘but for you a general map will be better than nothing,’ and having no other choice, we bought one with a scale of 1:500.

Karl knew his way around La Paz. We saw some jaguar-skin coats in one of the shop windows. They reminded Karl of a jaguar hunt he had been on, and he described how he had bagged two jaguars and how much he had gotten for the skins.

‘The jaguar is a creature of habit,’ he explained. ‘If you spend any time in its territory, you’ll notice that it has regular paths it always uses. All you have to do is study the trails it takes, hide yourself well, make sure that you are downwind, and wait for your chance.’

‘Do you think we’ll be hunting any jaguars on this trip?’ I asked eagerly.

‘Could be. Sure, there’s no reason why not,’ Karl said. ‘You can make good money from a jaguar skin.’

On our way back to the hotel Karl stopped at the post office while I waited outside. He came out looking upset. He had an opened letter in his hand.

‘Yossi, I’m sorry, but I have to call off the trip,’ he told me.

I was stunned. ‘Call it off! But why?’

‘Look, I just got an urgent letter from my uncle. He has a big cattle ranch over in Reyes Province. He says in the letter that he bought a