Tiger River: A Four-Part Story by Arthur O. Friel

"Tiger River" by Arthur O. Friel (Adventure magazine serial)

This jungle adventure follows Jose Martinez, a red-kerchiefed Spanish American hunter, who encounters a garretea (river-canoe) on the Tigre Yacu river near the Amazon. The boat carries four white men Jose recognizes: the red-bearded Tim Ryan, blond Captain Knowlton, stern Captain McKay, and Dave Rand—a former captive of the Red Bone Indians who Jose had believed dead.

Jose joins their party as they venture upriver into dangerous territory populated by jaguars ("tigre"). The Indians paddling their boat grow fearful at the remote location. The narrative opens with characteristic pulp adventure: rifle shots, jungle descriptions, animal hunting, and armed reunion of old companions. The excerpt concludes with the men anchored offshore, sharing liquor after hearing a jaguar's roar—establishing the river as treacherous country where men vanish.