How Teddy Roosevelt Slew the Last Mighty T-Rex Read Online Free PDF Page A

you are tasked to contact one of the Nhambiquara tribes near the river and negotiate the procurement of seven canoes for our journey.” Roosevelt fired Rondon a quick glance. The taciturn Brazilian raised a brow, but Roosevelt also noticed a trace of concurrence written across Rondon’s leathery face.
    Martin stroked his chin; his grin evaporated. “That is a tall task, Colonel Roosevelt. Canoes are highly valued possessions amongst these people.”
    “Colonel Rondon will gladly provide some items to sweeten your bargaining.”
    Martin paused for a moment, eyeing each of the officers in turn. Finally, he sighed with resignation. “Well, if this is what must be done, then I will accept this challenge and apply my utmost effort to see to its successful completion.”
    Theodore Roosevelt had made numerous decisions during his long and storied career—some were good, some bad, some indifferent, and some that turned out to be absolute disasters. He always firmly believed that the nature of a good leader was not to be perfect—men were mortal and not Gods—but to be bold, hold true to your own principles, and to issue quick and decisive edicts. Roosevelt often marveled at the instincts granted so graciously to him, and he did not know whether it was by his unique upbringing, hard work, or even by divine providence, but he was ever thankful, nonetheless. And in many ways he felt humbled by this gift that enabled him to experience life like no other human on earth—the innate ability to persuade other humans to his own position. Thank God I was not born with evil in my heart, he often thought to himself, never sharing such dark contemplations with anyone, even his most intimate confidants like Edith, or Kermit, or any of his other children. I shudder to think of myself as a potential Genghis Khan or Caligula.
    But experience taught Roosevelt another great gift: the ability to search his gut and divine the potential fallout of his decisions. Perhaps this is why he was such a successful politician, he reasoned. Yet here, before this smiling and near-naked stranger, Theodore Roosevelt felt conflicted and confused. His head told him to accept the stranger without prejudice and be on with the mission, but his gut told him to be extremely cautious. And more importantly, his instincts cried out that perhaps he had just made a monumental blunder.
    Roosevelt accepted Martin’s outstretched hand and shook firmly. He noticed Colonel Rondon strolling away, brandishing a most rude and uncharacteristic grin. For the first time in his life, Theodore Roosevelt wished he had the special ability to read another person’s mind. In fact, at this very moment, he wished he could eavesdrop on the thoughts of two men.

CHAPTER 4
     
     
    The azure sun rose slowly above the Mato Grosso’s bleak forest welcoming Roosevelt and the expedition’s mule train as they plodded along between clusters of stubbly brush and rock outcroppings the girth of a modestly-sized home. Within a few short hours, Roosevelt noticed that the open prairies had all but disappeared as they began to twist their way downward and off the Brazilian plateau, and the nature and species of the trees began to transform, growing thicker and taller and spaced such that their limbs touched in a broad tangled mesh. Although Colonel Rondon and his navigator Lieutenant Lyra insisted that they still trekked upon what they considered “The Highlands”, Roosevelt could smell and sense the approach of the infamous Amazon jungle, deep in the lowlands ahead and to the north.
    Roosevelt removed his hat and brushed his sweaty brow. He looked skyward, watching the sun draw a misty haze against the matted branches while his mule bounced along the overgrown pathway. He could feel the moist stale air trapped within the forest’s underbelly swelter like a blacksmith’s oven, pressing his exposed skin and penetrating deeply his body and dampening his spirit.
    Roosevelt’s mule took a few uneven