Who is Ecuadorian Travelers from Teaching a Stone to Talk and what is their importance?

Annie travels with three North American men in "In the Jungle" and "The Deer at Providencia". The three men are never named, although Annie says that one of the men lives in Manhattan and that they are all older than her. The four travelers grow close to one another on their journey together. The men and Annie visit various villages within the jungle near the Napo River. At Providencia, they see a deer that has been caught and is struggling to free itself. The men later tell Annie that they were surprised at her reaction to the deer, expecting her to be more moved at its suffering and demand its freedom.