Exploring the Amazon

[Rafeeq]

In 1873 a team of researchers from Harvard and Cambridge were exploring the depths of the Amazon basin. Having reached deep into the jungle along tiny, shallow tributaries, they realized that their boats, small as they were, still had too deep a draught to push farther.

Therefore, the lead professor sent one boat way back down to the nearest town with a telegraph, and the men wired to their base on the coast that the expedition now needed three punts and one large canoe.

The fellows enjoyed a nicely cooked meal and a night in actual beds surrounded by walls instead of just mosquito netting, and then in the morning they strolled back to the telegraph office. "Girls on the way," read the reply cable, "but what's a 'panoe' ?"

[Contused]

Otherwise…

Ethnologists up with the Sioux,
Wired home for two punts, one canoe.
The answer next day
Said, “Girls on the way,
But, pray, what the hell’s a ‘panoe’?”
- Anon

[Rafeeq]

Ha--don't think I knew this was a limerick as well!

[onemoreplease]

Took me a few secs, but when it, it kept hitting.

[Cazador60]

At first it sounded like River of Doubt by Big Teddy Roosevelt, only with a "happy ending"... :)

[ltmgeller]

[watchrocker]

[Alirazza]

[zee02]

.;)