The day I met him, however, something was troubling him greatly. He began to speak as soon as he saw me. Even though I had arrived at the camp after walking 35 kilometres that day, he did not even invite me to sit down. 'The situation,' he told me, 'is very serious. The up-river stations must be relieved. We cannot wait. We don't even know who is alive and who is dead up there.' Retold by Peter Kipling.