Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors by Piers Paul Read l Summary & Study Guide Read Online Free PDF

moving through the
valley for a while they heard a roaring sound. The farther they went, the
louder the noise grew until the area in front of them appeared as a paradise to
their deprived eyes. The vegetation was lush; the water flowed abundantly, and
there were animals present.   They gave
thanks to God and rested. After refreshing themselves they headed out again to
find civilization. They did so with confidence that the worst was behind them.

 
    After hiking for a while they
faced the river head on. It seemed there was nothing to do but cross it. They
found a spot where a large rock existed in the center of the river and they
crossed it through a form of leap-frog. When Canessa had crossed, Parrado began launching their belongings
across. Canessa retrieved them and then Parrado made the crossing as well. Their clothes were
drenched from the river so they set up camp and dried their clothes in the
setting sun. The next day they encountered trees, and Parrado thought he saw cows in the distance. They were drawn toward the horizon and the
comfort it promised their tired bodies, but the terrain through which they
traveled was still rocky and rough. They came across an empty soup can, cow
dung, and a horseshoe. These signs of human life kept them optimistic. A stand
of trees could be seen with ax marks, and they looked forward to being united
with the person who watched the cows and wielded the ax. They came to a path
and followed it. This made the hiking easier, although Canessa continued to suffer. His exhaustion was compounded by an awful bout of diarrhea
that left him weak. Parrado carried his own knapsack
as well as Parrado's but Parrado still lagged behind. Fortunately that afternoon found them at an animal corral
with rough shelter and a place for a fire. Parrado searched for firewood and assessed their surroundings. An additional river
joined the one they had been following and there seemed no easy way to cross
it. They decided to stay the night and contemplate their path in the morning.
Their food supplies had run out and they thought of killing one of the cows for
food, but decided that wouldn't be prudent since they were looking for help,
not enemies.

 
    While Canessa rested he was struck by the realization that the light was shifting. What had caught
his attention was the shadow and movement of a horse with a rider. The horseman
was across the river and they tried in vain to communicate with him. The rider
was far away and the sound of the river was deafening. Still, they had made
contact with another human being. Canessa and Parrado fell into a fitful sleep that night. Their emotions
were a mix of excitement, trepidation and exhaustion. In the morning, they
awoke under the watchful gaze of three men. Parrado followed the gestures of the men which led him to the river. They communicated
by tying messages to a rock and tossing the package across. Parrado wrote a plea for help. He explained who he was, the
circumstances surrounding his appearance and that there were fourteen more
survivors in need of a rescue mission. Parrado was
given bread in exchange and was left to wait. A few hours later they were
approached again, this time by someone on the same side of the river where they
waited. The man introduced himself as Armando Serda ,
and he shared his lunch with them and another peasant, Enrique Gonzalez. For
the first time in seventy days them men shared
conversation and food with the outside world. They were also rewarded with a
bed in which to sleep.

 
    Section Eleven
Summary and Analysis

 
    While Parrado and Canessa hiked through the Andes, their parents
were busy searching as well. The C-47 needed repairs again. This disappointed
not just the parents but also the pilots, as they were friends of Ferradas and Lagurara . The pilots
wanted to help the parents and answer the lingering questions related to the
accident. While Nicolich , Harley, and Canessa waited for the repairs, they checked in with