Staring in disbelief, Babenzélé eye Nichols's assistant, Neeld Messler, a hundred feet (31 meters) above them, as he scales a tree to rig a rope for Nichols.

After gaining a reputation as a strong climber, Messler got an unsolicited tip: "Some Babenzélé told me I could have as many wives as I wanted, because I could go get the honey."

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Text adapted from "Ndoki—Last Place on Earth" (NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC magazine, July 1995)