Raymond Maufrais

[2] In 1942, having listened to the BBC broadcasts, he decided to flee to England but an accident in Dieppe prevented his flight and by August had returned to Toulon.

He later joined the maquis in Périgord and worked with his father preparing landings in Provence; he was awarded the Croix de guerre 1939–1945 (with bronze star) and the Medal of French Gratitude, before he even turned 18.

He met an Italian countess who managed to get him signed on to a "pacification" mission to the Xavante people who live in Mato Grosso and were, reportedly, very hostile toward strangers.

[2] In 1947 Maufrais returned to France to edit the manuscript he had been working on, for a book to be called Aventures au Matto-Grosso, which was not published until after his death, and gave public lectures in Toulon and elsewhere.

He also announced a new project: to travel from French Guiana to Brazil by way of the (remote and inaccessible) Tumuk Humak Mountains, and then to descend the Rio Jari to Belém—alone and on foot.

At the time there was a strong belief in Cayenne that the southern parts of French Guiana bordering on Brazil harbored many unknown tribes; later investigations showed that the area was uninhabited.

[2] He debarked in Cayenne and wrote articles on such subjects as the leper colony of Acarouany, the former workers of the bagnes, the coastal Kalina people, and the gold seekers.

He wrote a daily journal, which tells of his troubles—he frequently lost the way, found practically nothing to eat, suffered from dysentery, and constantly fought a hostile forest.

[4] An attempt to build a raft failed (it fell apart, waterlogged),[5] so instead he intended to wade downstream and then, after being rested and re-equipped, to return upstream and continue his journey.

[5] At the end of February or the beginning of March, a man from the Emerillon people traveled on the river Tampok, and passed through the Claude settlement where he found Maufrais's belongings.