"It's good to know your spirits are high," Captain Burnside deadpanned, Holfort helping him up off the ground. Burnside coughed for a moment, and he gladly accepted some of the rationed water, though he made sure not to take more than two small sips to wet his throat. The Captain found a broken piece of kindling on the ground, and on second look it was likely the butt end of Aldrich's pike. He placed it into the ground and steadied himself, using it as a walking stick it seemed. 

"Seems they're all wanting to go through. And I say I'd take that stance myself," Holfort said to the Captain earnestly. He had the look of an honest man, as far as sailors on a privateer ship could be. Simple and hard working, but undeniably resourceful when the time came. "You think you can handle that, sir?" 

The Captain cleared his throat and looked at the sun, blinking. "Looks like we have no choice." 

Burnside and Holfort began to trek toward's the treeline, passing the statue as they did so, only giving it a quick glance. The way the Captain looked at it, it was hard to tell if he knew what it was or not, but he said not a word. The birds above them called out with undulating cries, but otherwise there seemed to be no life close by. The ferns and brush tickled their legs as they took their first steps into the jungle, following the Captain. He seemed to know at least the general direction they needed to travel. 

As they continued, the jungle became more animated. Monkeys and strange, squirrel-like animals swung and scampered across the branches of the forest canopy above them. The shade was welcome, but it was humid and somewhat enclosed, the air heavier than on the beach. Sweat came to their skin easily, and soon the bugs came. Big mosquitos and floating beetles and large centipedes crawling along the leafy, soft ground. But that was a mere annoyance. 

An hour of walking later, an obstacle appeared in the form of a beast. Firstly, there was a low growl, like a stalling dwarven steam engine. Suddenly something large appeared. Just simply appeared. The stealth was impossible, and yet it seemingly did it without purpose, for the jaguar, and it was indeed a large jaguar, languidly strolled out of the brush and lazily glanced at the assembled group. It stopped six stride away, its eyes widening at the realization of the group of what it likely perceived as large apes. It's maw peeled back to reveal thick fangs, four inches in length. The beast must have weighed four times that of a man. 

Above them, a monkey watched curiously, it's mouth in an 'O' shape.