Book Rewiew - "At play in the fields of the Lord"

"At play in the fields of the Lord" by Peter Matthiessen is a pretty good book and I would recommend it as a take along book for an adventurer. I read this book the other day when I was out on the Mountain. I really like the characters in this story especially "Wolfie" and "Lewis Moon". They are a couple of American adventurers stranded in south America because their American passports have been revoked in abstentia for joining foreign armies etc.

Both are raging alcoholics, womanizers and yarn spinners - kinda reminds me of me. There are some excellent descriptions by "Wolfie" about his friend "Lewis Moon".

From page 63 in the book; "I dont know why I even tollerate this mad man, you know it?" " There is this kind of very way out cat - like you run into him all over the world, and each time he dissapears, but always I know Im going to run into him again, because the guy is on the road, he's always on the road, and hes got nine lives and nine names and nine faces."


From page 65 in the book; "He got up in them rivers and got hold of a big haul of them river diamonds some way, and that was all the stake he needed. He bummed around this continent on foot - like one little knap sack. Even the handle of his razor is sawed off; it fits inta a match box, for Christs sake!" "He learned long ago to travel light and he never gave up the habit; he don't own nothin' he don't want to."

From page 66 in the book; "He don't belong nowhere,hes like a house cat somebody runs out on, you know, like turns out at the edge of some woods: He don't belong where he comes from and he don't belong where he is, so he keeps moving, and soon hes a wild animal that you don't never tame again."

These descriptions of Lewis bear a startling verisimilitude to my own life thus far, on my trail into the unknown.

I was able to download this movie last night also and watched it. About half way through the film I started packing my bag for a trip to Amazonia but remembered that like "Lewis" and "Wolfie" my passport has also been revoked by the state department. Damn! I should have never taken that repatriation loan in Bangkok!

Rest assured, that once my Passport has been restored, Im hitting the trail for parts unknown.

If you find the time to read this book and/Or watch this movie, Im sure you will enjoy it as much as I did.

See you on the trail.

Tomahawk - Scouts Out!

Movie Info:

At Play in the Fields of the Lord (1991) is a drama film directed by Héctor Babenco adapted from the 1965 novel of the same name by American author Peter Matthiessen. The screenplay was written by Babenco and Jean-Claude Carrière. The 3-hour, 9-minute story stars Kathy Bates, Daryl Hannah, Tom Berenger, Aidan Quinn, John Lithgow and Tom Waits.

Plot:

A pair of Americans, Lewis Moon and Wolf, become stranded in Mãe de Deus (Portuguese: Mother of God), an outpost in the deep Brazilian Amazon River basin, after their plane runs out of fuel.

The local police comandante wants the Niaruna tribe, living upriver, to move their village so they won't be killed by gold miners moving into the area and cause trouble for him with the provincial government. The commandante cuts a deal with Moon: if he and his fellow mercenary would bomb the Niaruna village from the air and drive them away, they will be given enough gasoline for their airplane to be allowed to leave.

Born-again Christian evangelist (and missionary) Martin Quarrier and his wife Hazel arrive with their son Billy, here to spread the Christian gospel to the primitive Niaruna indigenous natives. They arrive in Mãe de Deus to meet fellow missionaries Leslie and Andy Huben, who live with a civilized Niaruna helper. In town, they meet a Catholic priest who wants to re-establish a mission to the Niarunas, as the former missionary was killed by them.

Moon and Wolf leave in their plane to attack the Niaruna. But upon seeing the community with his own eyes as well as an Indian firing an arrow at the plane, Moon has second thoughts. The plane returns to Mãe de Deus.

That night, after a discussion with Wolf, Quarrier and the priest, Moon takes an Indian drug and becomes hallucinatory. He takes off alone in his plane and parachutes into the Niaruna village. Moon, a half-Native American Cheyenne, aligns himself with the Niarunas. He is accepted as "Kisu-Mu", one of the Niaruna gods, and begins to adapt to Niaruna life and culture.

The four evangelicals travel upriver to establish their mission. Indians originally converted by the Catholics turn up, awaiting the arrival of the Niaruna. Eventually they do come and accept the gifts that the Quarriers offer, not staying long.

Young Billy dies of blackwater fever, causing Hazel to lose her sanity. She is returned to Mãe de Deus. Martin becomes despondent, arguing with Leslie and gradually losing his faith.

Moon encounters Andy swimming nude. After they kiss, Moon catches her cold. He returns to the Niaruna camp and inadvertently infects everyone there. Much of the tribe becomes sick. Moon and the tribe's leaders go to the missionary Leslie to beg for drugs.

Leslie refuses, but Martin agrees to provide the drugs. He travels to the Niaruna village with the missionaries' young helper. In the village, after Martin speaks with Moon, helicopters arrive to begin bombing. Martin is killed by his civilized helper. Moon is exposed not as a god but as a man. He runs, ending up alone.