Oil on Water

Rufus, Zaq, Tamuno, and Michael begin their journey down the river, but soon a helicopter shows up. It is from the oil company, and they fear that it will start shooting at them. After watching them for a bit, it flies away. Two speedboats appear from the direction the group is headed and overtake them. The boats are full of soldiers; they order the travelers to throw all weapons and oars aside and swim to them. The old man, the boy, and Rufus all swim over, but Zaq, due to weakness from his illness, tips the boat while trying to grab a rope, and all their equipment sinks into the river’s water.

Rufus tries to explain to the soldiers that they are journalists, but the sergeant halts him, telling him, “You can explain yourself to the major” (48). When they arrive at camp, the sergeant gets on the radio for a while; when he returns, he tells Rufus that he was told to treat the journalists well. Zaq is taken to the medic in camp, who injects him with something and lets him rest in medical care.