""THE COLONEL AND THE WEREWOLF"" "Oh, such neglect only in times of plague!" "You feel a pain in your chest... to see the estate being treated in such sloppy ways... deteriorated in its richness." "Whoever, as I have, known Sobradinho Farm... with its wide waters, eternal pastures and superior herd... presently comes stepping in grief." "Put a price on this lemon, Mr. Padilha!" "I'm in need of a smoke disperser like that... to shoo away the mosquitoes!" "Colonel Ponciano, I'm glad to see you." "It 's my pleasure, my friends... and I wouldn't give it up for all the government 's money!" "Come on in, Mr. Juquinha." "There are no dogs here, Mr. Padilha." "Don't mind my everyday clothes." "Had I known I was to receive such gallant guests..." "I'd have put on my uniform... and had Sobradinho all beautified from roof to waterhole." "Colonel, I've come in a mission of great care... such that I don't even know how to start." "Start by the introductions, proceed with the meanwhile... and finish with the conclusions." "I've brought you this notice." "The State Court of Law will sentence tomorrow... your request to keep possession of the farm." "The cause is hopeless." "Make a deal, Colonel." "Not even a half-deal!" "I want my whole lot." "But you mortgaged your property, and a bid was made... by the litigant, Colonel!" "No scoundrel will put his paws on lands I have inherited!" "If you excuse me, I have brought some jewelry keeps... for you to blend in the war of settlements." "I'd be very pleased if the Colonel wouldn't reject." "Thank you for the assurance of friendship, my friend... but you can keep your gold and silver." "Differently from what you think, now things will be settled." "I have waited for this day for more than four years." "That is to say, I am Ponciano de Azeredo Furtado... a full colonel, of which I am honored and boast about." "Iwas born and raised in Sobradinho Farm... a privilege I inherited from my grandfatherSimeão... alongwlth the beard and the habit of speaking loud." "I am a man of herd and pasture..." "I live quietly, happy in my grazing at Sobradinho." "The reason for my visiting the town today is but this one... to answerto this notice sent to me... in the following terms of law and pragmatics:" ""The State Court of Law... will judge on August 12th of the present year... the suit for possession... by Colonel Ponciano de Azeredo Furtado... former owner of Sobradinho Farm... against Mr. Pernambuco Nogueira... current mortgage detainer of the same farm"." "What I say in my defense, beforehand in this judgment... is that this mortgage has no legal value... due to past circumstances." "My dear Colonel Ponciano, the mortgage I have in my hands... is signed and executed by your person, according to the law." "Nothing in this lawsuit has any value." "Law was created to keep order and understanding among men... and has no validity in the present case." "Because Pernambuco Nogueira is not part of the human species." "He belongs, in fact, to the werewolves race!" "This man is a lunatic, he's crazy in the head." "If you are so kind and patient as to hear my considerations..." "I promise to show you in a few hours... what it has taken me my entire life to find out:" "This fellow, who now presents himself as a human being... is a vindictive werewolf of great jurisprudence!" "Objection!" "This is ridiculous!" "I refuse to stand here... listening to the foolishnesses and insanities of a backwoods colonel!" "But you will listen, without raising your skinny ass off the bench... to my whole deliberation!" "Today you will watch from your grandstand... the final combat between Ponciano de Azeredo Furtado... colonel by merit and inheritance rights... and Pernambuco Nogueira, active werewolf of the brown race." "And in order for you to know of... all the battles we both have engaged..." "I ask your permission to tell our story." "Iwas five years old when Nogueira was born into this world." "When he was three months old... my misfortunes began." "The first and saddest of all was told me by my grandfather." "Your mother's gone to heaven, my son." "She's now Our Lady... but she's here in this medallion that will protect you." "Forthe first time I saw old Simeão bow down... forthe first time I saw tear in his eyes." "We spent ourchildhood years together and with the same privileges... under my grandfather's wings." "Iwas the son of the farm owners and Nogueira, of the servants." "In ouryouth, we fell in love the same way, at the same time... and forthe same person." "Ponciano!" "Ponciano!" "Come meet your cousin, Esmeraldina!" "It was in a hummingbird flight that I sighted cousin Esmeraldina... in the shape of a pretty girl... a floweron her hair and a book under her arm." "Cousin Esmeraldina and then the sea... that I first saw having heron my side... were the two great enlightenments in my life." "May I hear it?" "Only if you give me a kiss." "She corresponded to my liking her and, consequently... without my knowledge, Nogueira's hatred for me grew stronger." "And so big It grew that It took the shape of a big dog... of more than 15feet of fur and rage which appeared in a sudden." "Were It not for my swift and fearless maneuver... my career as a person would have ended right there." "It was a Friday, the werewolf's day!" "That big wolf had been the first metamorphosis of..." "Pernambuco Nogueira starting the burden... that would curse him for all his life." "It 's normal that the impressionable imagination of a young man... turn a wild dog into a werewolf." "But such idea becomes extravagant... when this youth is a grown man." "It 's the fate of such beasts, it 's the rule for werewolves:" "When his heart is broken for the first time... the predestined transforms into a big animal." "And that 's what happened to Nogueira... when he learned that Esmeraldina had a liking for me." "We are in full 2Oth century." "Mankind has invented the telegraph, the airplane, discovered electricity... but it seems none of those have reached Sobradinho... and Colonel Ponciano still lives in the Dark Ages." "On the contrary, ladies and gentlemen, I see very well... and who lives in the dark is this devilish creature!" "But at that time no one knew of his cursed destiny... and my grandfather raised us like Abel and Cain... hatching, in our own house, the serpent 's egg." "I want to see you both in town, having an education." "Ponciano, for being naturally portentous... will go for the arms." "Nogueira, feebler and more pensive... will study Law." "Time passed and what I did less was to go to military school." "Afterten years of study, I couldn't get beyond second lieutenant." "Iwas more popular for my actions... in serenades and orgies around town." "I made great progress in the field of knavery..." "I earned my degree as a womanizer." "Nice pair of protuberances, my lady!" "If I fell into these bushes..." "I wouldn't be found even by a government search!" "Suddenly I dismissed this careless living." "My judgment was filing bankruptcy in the legs of the footlight girls... when Nogueira, sly as a vulture, brought the ominous news." "What a pity, what a devastating grief!" "A very sorrowful death, yes, sir." "To shed many tears, yes, sir." "He was my father's father." "He was like my father twice." "In such a sorrowful day, such a shining sun!" "You might think nature is being shameless." "And even more shameless was the joy I felt... when I saw cousin Esmeraldina... all grown in size and her generous beauty." "Don't despair, Ponciano... when God closes a door, He always opens a window." "Your presence is this crack of light..." "He grants me, cousin Esmeraldina." "That 's what relatives are for." "I don't know whether he still remembered me... but I was very fond of your grandfather." "He surely did, cousin." "He surely did." ""Simeão de Azeredo Furtado's last testament..."" "I, Simeão de Azeredo Furtado... wrote down this testament to make clear my will... about the disposition of my property." "Declaring hereby that It is true... that I find myself of sound mind..." "I state that all my movables and immovables... will be bequeathed to my grandson, Ponciano de Azeredo Furtado... who is therefore entitled my residuary legatee." "Congratulations, Mr. Ponciano." "Congratulations, cousin." "Envy is a bitter fruit that you swallow without chewing." "That's what Nogueira did, brooding over my grandfather's insult... so that he would later ruminate his evildoings." "You must eat now." "You shouldn't suffer from hunger as well." "Some coffee and crackers, just to clear up my head." "No, sir." "I had them prepare every food you like." "You're the master of the farm now, you must give your orders." "You must be healthy and strong for your obligations." "It 's too many arrangements, too much responsibility!" "Have you had the farm surveyed yet?" "It 's 7,OOO acres of land, cousin, from one end to the other." "Plus the farm house, the employee's village, the chapel." "And the animals?" "!" "Raising cattle is a hell of a work." "12,OOO heads, when I went to study in the city." "And now, who knows?" "Maybe the double of it." "Plus tons of money in Banco da Província to manage." "Not to mention the keeping of the house... but your fiancêe should take care of that." "I have no fiancêe, cousin." "I'm all alone in the world." "But such a handsome man like you, so nicely shaped... there must be many girls wanting to marry you." "But only one of them has my love." "Since I was a boy, to this day... every time I lay eyes on her, my heart goes astray... turning somersaults inside my chest." " Then you've made up your mind." " But she doesn't know it yet." "I've never had the courage to tell her." "You should." "You have everything that would make a woman happy." "I can't engage in girls' talks." "When time comes, I choke and change the subject..." "I can't talk straight." "But I'll bet she already knows." "Women's intuition." "When the mourning is over, you should propose to her." "Meanwhile, you should get the business facts." "What Sobradinho needs is your hand... firm, strong hand..." "Only the hand's not enough." "Sobradinho is almost bankrupt, Ponciano!" "I've calculated a 5O-conto debt." "We'll have to use the bank's reserve fund." "We have no more cash." "We are in the red, look." "Let 's sell a hundred oxen, Nogueira." "And we'll replace the heads in less than a year." "The cattle's also decayed." "Carbuncle has decimated the herd... we should keep the few heads we've got left." "But what about the bean harvest?" "It should be enough to pay for half of it." "Not even a quarter of it." "These last few years... much of the planted area was invaded by our neighbors, look here." "Bunch of thieves!" "They took advantage of my grandfather's old age..." "What are these confetti?" "!" "And what about this perfume?" "!" "You don't have to say anything." "You've been to a whorehouse!" "That 's why I was told about your reputation!" "It 's all a lie." "I'll punch the nose of whoever said such nonsense!" "And I was listening to your confidences being moved by your promises!" " Cousin, for God's sake, listen to me!" "Goodbye, Mr. Ponciano." "I'm not one to be insulted by your lies." "A youngwoman's feelings gets scratched more easily... than a waxed floor." "I couldn't refrain my womanizing instincts... and, because of that, I lost my cousin's affection." "The mourning for my grandfather was worsened by this lost love." "For a couple of weeks lwas no good for anything." "Iwas aloof, away from my true self... out of my usual joy." "It was an awkward grieve, a never-ending misery." "Nothingwould take away my woe... nobody could purge the sadness that was undermining my soul." "Mr. Ponciano!" "Mr. Ponciano, a gallant entourage has come from town... and asks for an official conference with your person." "I'm not in the mood for politics, Mr. Juca." "The fact is, boss, that along with the Farm... you have inherited the rank of colonel from your grandfather." "Colonel?" "!" ""...and to salute you in this illustrious and pristine moment..." "I borrow the words with which Mark Antony... on the stairs on the Roman Senate, praised the assassinated emperor:" "'This is a Caesar, will there be others like him?"'" "A very educated speech, of great labor of letter." "Yes, sir!" "Now the house has a chief." "Colonel Ponciano will properly take on his authority position." "Nogueira, I want you to let the thieves know... the ones who invaded my lands, that we're going to file a suit." "The demand is just, Colonel, the law is on your side." "And, if you want, I can use the law to get their lands." "I'm not like that, Nogueira." "I just want what 's mine." "Let 's put them all on the bar... to teach this nation of scoundrels a lesson." "I didn't know anything about cattle." "But I never admitted being ignorant of that matter... so that my employees wouldn't think lwas weak." "Colonel Ponciano, we need to plant new pasture." " Execution, then, Mr. Juca." " What kind of grass do you want?" "Well, it depends on the kinds you have." "Oh, we have all kinds, boss, just say which you want." "I want the best, Mr. Juca." "You know how it is in this grass matter:" "...everyone has his own opinion." " And what 's yours?" "You will excuse me, boss, but I trust your discernment better." "You have a better education, more deliberation." "Well, Mr. Juca... no grass is better than... bird-tail grass!" " Bird-tail grass?" " Don't you know it?" "No, I have never heard of it, sir." "But you should, my friend." "It 's the most used grass in Piauí." "That 's what I always say... we only learn with educated people." "It 's a shame we don't have this kind of grass around here." "Then, in the lack of it, any other will do." "Ponciano!" "Ponciano!" "Ponciano!" "Ponciano!" "Mr. Ponciano!" "Colonel Ponciano!" "Colonel!" "They wake me in the best part!" "I'm sorry, Colonel." "What 's the matter?" "You have ants on your bed?" "Oh, the reason is another one, of greater awkwardness." "And what is it, my friend, that you should wake me?" "It 's the rumor of a werewolf haunting the pastures." "A werewolf?" "This is for sure?" "No denial possible." "Gates are opened and closed without a human hand... dogs cringing in corners, in fearful shiver... and just now we found two broken garrotes." "Cut the roundabout, Mr. Juca, and go straight to the point." "The fact is that the farm hands armed themselves in battalion... and came to ask for your military command... in the present war to the apparition." "And I will munition your shotgun." "Are you aware of the danger of rowing with a werewolf... without being prepared for such contention?" "Very aware, Colonel." "But when I said you were commanding the dispute... some people even felt sorry for the beast." "For you, this is a piece of cake." "Tonight the big wolf will be killed." "What racket is that?" "I can't absent myself... and you come bring problems to your boss." "Colonel Ponciano is going to combat a werewolf." "But there is no werewolf!" "This is just superstition of this ignorant people." "I've just come from a trip and I didn't see any werewolf." "Come on, Mr. Juca... don't make me go out on a false alarm of a werewolf!" "Don't worry, boss, it 's for sure." "Long live Colonel Ponciano de Azeredo Furtado!" " Hurrah!" "That 's what I say." "In a hundred leagues area... only you are able to kill... the werewolf that 's going around in Major Badejo's lands." "In the Major's lands?" "That 's where the big dog did his damage." "Mr. Juquinha, forget that I have asked for news on the werewolf." "What do you mean, Colonel?" "I can't taint my colonel's rank... taking war to Major Badejo dos Santos's lands... a brother in arms, who'll probably take my providence as an affront to his stripe." " But, Colonel!" "Thank God you've come to your senses!" "It 's of the military practice, Mr. Nogueira." "It 's of the rules of war, Mr. Juquinha." "The present werewolf is of Major Badejo dos Santos's jurisdiction." "His and no one else's!" "Knowing of this impediment... the monsteronly attacked outside my lands." "A werewolf appeared in Dioguinho do Poço's farm." "He wet himself when he heard the big wolf's howl." "Have you ever seen such ridicule?" "That 's what happens when you're not prepared to war." "An ear of corn, a handful of flour... and a fresh game, those nobody brings me." "You only come here to bring rumors." "I could check it out, Nogueira." "But since it 's in Major Badejo's lands..." "I find myself impeded, just like a cripple." "From that point on, I didn't have any more peace." "A string of talebearers with matters of apparitions... ran to and fro between the pasture and the porch of Sobradinho." "So, Mr. Juca..." "I heard you took the job of getting rid of the werewolf." "You are mocking me... because you know I'm not equipped with courage, right?" "I can't wait for the monster to attack in Sobradinho... so that I can take this fight." "If I get in this quarrel, I'll kill the beast with one shot." "People say he wanders around here when he's in his man-like shape." "Here in the Farm?" "But who might it be?" "If I may answer that..." "People say it 's Nogueira." "Have you gone mad?" "Don't you know Nogueira was born in Sobradinho?" "I do know, sir." "He and seven older sisters." "His mother is Sinhá Francisquinha, also my wet nurse." "And his father was Josê Feijó, who was her godfather." "So, Nogueira's origins are well known." "And they point to a werewolf descent." "His father is his mother's godfather." "And Mr. Nogueira is the eighth offspring after seven girls." "All these together is a sign of a presumable werewolf." "Nogueira is very close to the family." "Because he is, that is to say, almost your relative... people say that 's why the boss won't fight the abominable." "Calumny, Mr. Juca!" "Everybody knows that the real reason... is that I can't go over Major Badejo's competence... attacking the monster on his lands." "But you can kick Mr. Nogueira out of the Farm." "But if he's not the werewolf I'll be unfair." "But if he is, he'll be attacking tomorrow under the full moon." "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." "What do I say, Mr. Juca?" "Go straight to the point, boss:" ""Nogueira, as everybody knows, including yourself... you are a werewolf, therefore you are fired"." "Nogueira, as everybody knows, including yourself..." "Sobradinho has too many employees and its financial situation..." "Looks like it 's getting better." "See this declaration registered in the Court:" "The neighbors will have to give back lands they stole from your grandfather!" "So you're free to leave the countryside and go back to your life." "No, sir, let 's file more suits... to take revenge from the offense." "I want to smash this riffraff... drink the blood of this gang of thieves!" "Calm down, man, don't waste your candle with a bad defunct." "You won't bury your brilliant future here in Sobradinho." "But who am I, Colonel?" "Just a poor tenant with no luck." "Now that the inheritance is in order and the estate is defended... you will receive a dowry so you can go to the capital." "I don't want my brother sacrificing himself for me." " I can't take it..." " Of course you can." " No, I shouldn't take it..." " Of course you should." " But I don't want to!" " Lf you don't, you'll offend me." "And if you offend me, you'll go all the same!" "Better leave through agreed assistance than through expelling offenses." "Wlth this skilled trick..." "I practically forced Nogueira to leave Sobradinho... and expelled the evil one to the farcapltal." "It 's been three full moons since Nogueira's departure." "From what I'd seen, there was indeed a coincidence... between him and the werewolf." "You should have finished him off once and for all." "Had he been in the shape of a monster..." "I would have suffocated him with these fingers around his neck... because that 's what I do to beasts such as that." "But since he was in the shape of a human, my heart softened." "These are werewolf tricks." "This race has many resources and malice in the head." "This one won't haunt us no more, Mr. Juca." "Let 's wait for the next one." "Don't say such blasphemy." "Any werewolf can come:" "I'll punch him in the belly with this grinder hand of mine!" "Boss, leave these creatures of the night alone." "Well, Mr. Juca... even ghosts ask for permission to wander in my house." "It 's the werewolf!" "We retreated to the basement, according to the rules of war." "Knowing that there was military art behind the walls of Sobradinho... the monsterwould end up leaving to avoid the dishonor." "And, during breakfast..." "I let all my angerout on everybody's neck!" "What kind of people is that... that eat my beans and drink my water?" "I face a huge werewolf, and nobody even says..." ""Colonel, I'm here!"" "To leave a Christian such as myself with the full responsibility... all alone under the monster's claws!" "Weren't I an experienced man, skilled in werewolves treachery..." "I wouldn't be able to ensure safety in Sobradinho." "And you, Mr. Juca, besides hampering me while I fought the monster... you made me be very unjust with Nogueira... almost my brother, kicking him out of this house... just like a stray dog because of your gossip!" "Maybe it 's another one, this new werewolf." "And why so many werewolves, Mr. Juca?" "I might raise this race here in Sobradinho... and sell them abroad!" "Colonel?" "Colonel?" "Colonel?" "Major Badejo is out there ask for permission to pass." "Tell him to come up." "Excuse me, Colonel." "I already have, but he's a suspicious man, and very proud." "He said he doesn't like being taken for granted." "But I'll tell you this, with two yells..." "I'll drive this Major out of his saddle and in orderly position!" "Tell him I have the power to do so." "It 's my call." "Come to think of it, the case doesn't ask for such providence." "The major is an ally in the war against the werewolf." "You are right." "Let 's go see this arrogant man." "Good afternoon." "How is the major doing?" "Mr. Ponciano, for three months I've been tracking a werewolf... that 's been haunting my lands... and yesterday I found his footprints leading to Sobradinho." "It 's true, Major, I ran into him just yesterday." "I didn't finish the beast because everyone knows that... a werewolf can only be killed with a silver bullet... and I didn't have one with me." "Werewolves are no easy hunt." "Since you weren't able to destroy the beast..." "I ask your permission to hunt him down here on your lands." "I say that, without dulling my rank, you have my permission." "Well, in this case..." "Colonel Ponciano ask for a special and reciprocal permission... to hunt down the monster in case he appears in the Major's land." "I'll pay back in the same coin, you have my permission." "But I say it and prove it that I don't need any help." "I trust this big knife better than pasture people... or even line troops." "Well, know that this Colonel likes big games." "He doesn't like small bits." "Well, then you are designated as for now... to take part in the defeat of the beast." "Mr. Antão Pereira, have that olive-colored horse settled... that one with the thin shins that runs faster than the August wind." "Hurry, Mr. Antão!" "The boss will go out on a mission of war." "Close it all down!" "Close, close it all down... 'cause the Colonel of Sobradinho will raise hell!" "Free from restraint, as we entered the thicket..." "Major Badejo's arrogance grew bigger." "Now stay to the left, Mr. Ponciano... not to get in the way of the carbine's recoil." "It 's an adjustment shot." "I say it and I prove it..." "I don't trade my aim for any young boy's." "You should never stand on the wind's side." "It 's the same as signing your death sentence." "Know that in a werewolf war... wind is as important as the highest caliber gun." "Let 's turn around here." "We stood sentinel all night." "On the shotgun's target, everything that hides in the bushes... from armadillos to cavies." "But we had no sign of the werewolf." "Norwe would, because the day was dawning." "Next full moon will come in early August." "I say it and I prove it that the penitent won't last another month." "Last year, at this very time..." "I killed a very ugly beast." "And what kind of apparition was that:" "Of cemetery or of open field?" "It was of a mixed kind." "There are between ten to twenty kinds of ghosts in the world." "I say it and I prove it:" "I'm an expert in these matters." "Then you'll appreciate this hunt of mine." "I had searched everywhere to no avail." "I was about to give up... when my ears captured this low roar." "Yes, just like that, like a thunder from beyond." "I dismounted in order to see the beast face to face." "As my boot touched the ground, and as near as a breath... came a four-pawed monster of the greatest size... that roared high very close to my nape." "Saint George!" "Santo Onuphrius!" "Saint Joseph!" "I have never heard of the Major again." "When I realized, I saw myself in a subaltern place... in the safety of a cave where I anchored my beard." "The beast, on the edge of the swamp, sniffed the earth and the bushes." "That's when I saw, coming from behind a rock... that shot with no father." "My Goodness!" "I feel like taking a piss." "Get back!" "Do you think a jaguar is a pussy cat?" "To deal with a jaguar, you must know how to handle your gun!" "There, Mr. Quintanilha!" "This one won't meow anymore." "I was hunting seedeaters when I ran into her." "My Goodness!" "When the big cat appeared, I almost wet myself... just to smell its stink." "Thank God the Colonel was in an ambush." "With the help of Our Lady of the Assumption, who protects me." "A huge, fire-spitting jaguar!" "Come on, Mr. Juquinha." "Show some respect!" "Have you ever seen a jaguar with a lamp in its throat?" "Almost." "Something like that." "Attention, Colonel!" "I had the fame and the name for having killed the jaguar." "By wanting to incriminate me, what this man has done so far... is a full confession of guilt." "According to his account, after years of service..." "I was fired from the farm because a few superstitious hillbillies... ridiculously suspected that I was... a werewolf that was haunting the pastures." "Then he contradicted himself... saying it was a jaguar, and not the mentioned werewolf... that was frightening the people and attacking the herd." "The truth is that, because of the jaguar, we forgot about the werewolf." "The same way a doctor... diagnosing an illness can come to a conclusion... without knowing that the patient has a hidden and more serious disease... the werewolf hid himself behind the jaguar... and let me off-guard for his future doings." "Iworked for many years more in Sobradinho... bringing progress to the farm." "Every month Iwould send more cash... from the property profits to my friend Nonô Padilha... managerof Banco da Província." "The way things are going, the Colonel will open a factory!" "Who am I, Mr. Padilha, a backwoods colonel!" "You are lucky, you are king in your country." "Rich and single, you must have lost count of all the women who polished the poles of your bed." " Not at all, my friend!" "Sobradinho rusts anyone's libertinism." "I know the Colonel well." "Because of his full beard and loud voice... he has a circumspect figure." "But, deep inside, he is a lady-killer." "It 's true I have a crate at home... full of garters and other gears that the ladies, leaving in a hurry... left behind." "But it was a long time ago, now I'm getting old." "You are still a boy." "You should get married... and fill Sobradinho up with diapers and babies cries." "I missed my time." "If I hadn't been such a carouser... today my cousin Esmeraldina would be the queen of Sobradinho." "Be patient, man, be patient." "It 's not hard to find a good woman." "There's nothing like our first love, Mr. Nonô." "You have a very good estate." "You should have descendants, to continue your name... to form heirs to the farm." "It 's a principle for the chiefs, it 's a rule in the Army." "He who has been in heaven won't settle for the purgatory." "What you need is a girl with round thighs... to take the hard work, and large pelvis to give birth to many boys!" "I'm a backwoods animal, my friend..." "I'm not to engage in courtliness and flirtations." "But you don't have to." "Because of the Colonel's good education... and your wisdom in gallant conversation... you are desired by every girl... in a hundred league area right from this spot." " I'll think about it." " Colonel!" "You should meet Dr. Serapião Arruda's daughter, Miss Bebê." "She has rooms and chambers... to make a retired judge lose his mind!" "But is she a first-hand maiden?" "Equipped with all the vouchers." "And she studied for some years in Europe... for which she has all the vantages in a parlor conversation." "Yes, having studied abroad is a good thing indeed." "It 's something illustrious." "Dr. Serapião loves cockfights." "You could set a fight in Sobradinho... and invite father and daughter to visit the farm." "If you let me, I'll be in charge of arranging everything." "Mr. Juca, you are commissioned to find me a fighting cock." "Oh, Mr. Antão Pereira has the best cocks in the area." "But I want the opposite." "I want to please Dr. Serapião... and the thing he like most is winning a cockfight." "Get me the worst fighting cock you can... so that it 'll take a beating from the doctor's cock." "Here's the chicken, Colonel." "Ready to be kicked." " Are you sure?" " It 's of the brown race... no strength in the spurs, no will to fight." "It 's not worth the corn we feed it." "The little cock seemed to have taken a liking to my person." "He started to follow me around like a dog, all cocky!" "The Colonel couldn't open a press gazette... that the half-breed wouldn't want to gaze in." "You want to know about the latest in politics?" "Wlth two months of corn the cock took a nice plumage... and bore another figuration." "It grew so stronger... that Iwould tell lt, mocking:" "Be careful, Vermelhinho!" "Don't go beating up the doctor's cock or else he'll hide his daughter away." "Careful because I have an empty bed to fill." "I have already bought the rings." "So, Colonel, do you like her?" "It 's too many clothes, my friend." "The libertine who'll work such a dressed and overdressed dame... will lose half an hour just in the peeling." "Forget the clothes, Colonel... and observe her fine stuffing... both in the noble parts and the lower floors." "Look, look!" "Look her rear guard, my friend." "A chair polisher supplied with great parts." "And the perfection of the upper equipment!" "It 's a very ostentatious instrumental." "I introduce you Colonel Ponciano de Azeredo Furtado." "Dr. Serapião, it 's an honor to meet you." "This is Bebê, my daughter, who's just arrived from Paris." ""Enchantêe."" "It 's an honor to kiss a hand that 's lived abroad." "Well, well, it 's a Don Juan from the pastures!" "Although you live in the middle of nowhere..." "I see you're up-to-date with your etiquette." "When I want to, my lady... no gentleman from the city can match my courtesy and vassalage." ""Je vois bien!"" "You wouldn't do badly in the most elegant circuits of Rive-Droite." "Would you like something to quench your thirst?" ""Un champagne, s'il vous plaît."" ""Pardon", sometimes I think I am still in Paris." ""C'est normal", just a week ago..." "I was still in Champs-Élysêes talking to Santos Dumont." "A soft drink, some water from the clay?" " Is the water filtered?" " No need to, it 's from the spring." ""Non, merci." I dread tropical diseases." " What the hell is that?" " Oh, it 's just a hyla... it 's very common around here." "Disgusting!" "Any other animals like these here in the farm?" "Follow me, my lady, I'll show you the mosquitoes." "Oh, well!" "But, Colonel, your house is way too "demodêe"." "You should have it decorated in Art Nouveau style... maybe some Belle Époque furniture." "I don't care about this little toys..." "I'd rather sit my buttocks in a Brazilian chair." "Colonel, you're so funny!" "This is my Polack." "Come, Machadinho, come." "Let 's meet the Colonel." "Yes, sir, it 's a great cock, to break a scale." "I only feed it birdseed, chosen corn and grated bone." "Look at the caliber, the cutting spur." "It has a nasty habit:" "To pierce through its enemies' eyes." "It 's where it hits harder." "I doubt that this little animal is capable of such cruelty, Colonel." "Isn't it so, Machadinho, that you will behave... that you'll be quiet without hurting anyone?" "Bebê, Bebê!" "You'll demoralize my cock talking like that!" "So, Colonel, is the animal trained?" "Will it take the reinvigorating tonics?" "Do you think we can call this fight off?" "I almost regret to deliver my cock... to the murdering fury of the doctor's cock." "Have you gone mad?" "To change a wife like Miss Bebê for a fighting cock?" " Mr. Padilha... you were chosen to be the fight referee." "With pleasure, doctor." "I promise to do my best... to ensure the fairness in the combat." "The cockpit was crowded with the people from Sobradinho... and the neighborhood." "Padilha, in the quarrel jurisprudence, were overcome by self-importance." "Gentlemen." "The pit terrestrial and spatial area is reserved to the contenders... and cannot be invaded by the attendance." "Who wants to address the referee, please do it from afar." "The cocks!" "The cocks!" "Meet our guests, Vermelhinho." "It 's so charming, it looks like the Colonel!" "Your cock has no stature to face... a fighting bull like my Polack." "There's still time for you to call it off, Colonel." "Looks can fool you." "Vermelhinho has a kick to knock down an ox." "I've been into cockfights since I was a boy, I know this race from the egg." "I'll bet a herd of cattle against two rams... that this cock of yours won't pass the second round." "Then I'll double the bet... because I've been, just like you, wanting to acquire more cattle." "Has the Colonel gone crazy?" "Vermelhinho is a loser, it can't take the first blow." "You are here to win the daughter, not to lose money." "Don't be rude, Mr. Juquinha!" " Very offensive, Mr. Padilha!" " Think!" "Think about Miss Bebê, man." "You don't want to lose those generous gifts... for a silly cockfight!" "The cocks!" "The cocks!" "The warwas already lost." "Vermelhinho took the first blow by the comb... and then came the second, and in an endless string... the third and the fourth." "Then, taken by surprise..." "Vermelhinho took another ferocious kick and was thrown aside." "What?" "Is that a cock or a chicken?" "In the cockpit, the Polack kicked and kicked my cock around..." "Its beak was like a scythe, and a raging dog... wouldn't match him in wrath and vengeance." "Poor little cock of mine!" "It staggered around like the wind could knock It down." "That 's a party turkey pickled in alcohol!" "By this time, Vermelhinho was already dizzy in the head... tottering away, ready to fall." "Let 's go to the first break!" "Let 's go to the first break!" " Two minutes by regulation." " This is so cruel!" "This could only happen in a barbarian country like ours!" "The government should do something about!" "The government should do something about the corruption in politics." "People taking on tax partition jobs and getting rich overnight." "I saw Vermelhinho in the washing." "It looked at its owner with sad, goodbye eyes... without knowing I could not let him go... because Iwas tied to a marriage commitment." "That's when I received the saving letter." "It was a beautiful piece." "Fine paper, small handwriting running graciously... from one end to the other on the page." "Well, for the looks and the smell of it, it can't be bad, right?" "On the contrary, Mr. Juca." "It 's the best thing ever." "Cousin Esmeraldina tells me she's arriving by train tomorrow." "She surely wants to come back to me, where she belongs... and this time I'll be available." "I'm no longer committed to Miss Bebê... and I can call this fight off... for I'm about to shed tears over my little cock's chest." "I'll bet 2O contos more that the Colonel's cock will surrender... the next round." "Or even before that." "Then I'll double the bet and give an advantage." "Don't do something like that, Colonel." " Weren't you going to cancel the fight?" " Nobody mocks my military valor..." "Mr. Juca." "Nobody!" "I want to confer with my little cock." "Miss Bebê is no longer in my plans, Vermelhinho." "You can forget the deference... and kick the Polack with all your might!" "Vermelhinho understood my considerations... and, freed from my commitment with Miss Bebé, kicked his spurs." "Such turn was never seen in the cockfight nation!" "Doctor, will this fight begin or not?" "The Polack, taken by surprise, jumped around and out the plt." "Go, Vermelhinho, kick him in the crow, in the corn sack... for this race is all talk and no fight!" "Kick your spur in its head to make its brain fly away!" " At its feet, like a thunder..." " Colonel." "...my cock ran in exterminating anger... and finally fired off its kick, at close range... and sent the doctor's cock far away from the plt... all beaten up, open beak, mortally offended." "Congratulations, Colonel." "Your cock is as brave as its owner." "Let 's go, Bebê." "I'm tired of cocks." "I'll raise fighting canaries." "Vermelhinho, you'll end up closing every cockpit in the country!" " Hurrah for Vermelhinho, folks!" " Hurrah!" "Water and soap the floorboards!" "Tomorrow I want it all clean, white like altar cloth." "Now this wedding ring will go to its legitimate owner." "This time I'll get married to cousin Esmeraldina with all the paperwork... and ring on her finger." "I'm capable of putting ten little Azeredos Furtados in the world!" "More than ten!" "Mr. Juquinha... go buy all the soaps Salim Nagibe brought from town." "I want the most expensive hair wash, aromatizing water from a distance!" " Mr. Antão Pereira!" " Colonel!" "I'm sorry." "You still remember me, cousin?" "Cousin Esmeraldina." "You became more beautiful with the passing of years." "I'm flattered." "You look well with a beard, too." "These are the two most important things for a man to have:" "A full beard and a full voice." "You have both." "And you have all the main and accessory things to make a man happy." "That 's why I would like to..." "But look who's there!" "Isn't that Pernambuco Nogueira... raised together with some Colonel Ponciano... and ingrate who's never answered your letters?" "Don't fool yourself, I'm in debt with the Colonel... and I'm here awaiting for your orders." "I'm so glad, Nogueira!" "Come give me a hug." "Yes, sir!" "How is this Colonel... that I haven't seen for some fifteen years?" "Happy with your comeback, man." "Today is an important day!" "Cousin Esmeraldina, look who's here." "It seems this train has come from the past... bringing back people that I love." "My friends, I have my family back together." "A family that is now even more united... since Esmeraldina and I got married." "Besides being close to your family, Colonel... now I have the honor of taking part in it by relation." "I showed a half-hearted smile like someone who's chewed pepper... thinking It was pltanga." "I still didn't know that cousin Esmeraldina had yielded... to the werewolf's power... and so I didn't take on her defense." "I ask your clemency for this man." "He suffered a great love disappointment... and ended up believing this werewolf story... in order to justify his hurt self-love." "To tell you the truth, I made a great effort... to kill the big serpents that hissed inside my chest." "Well considered, well pondered... cousin Esmeraldina's marriage denigrated my rank." "What would Mr. Juquinha think he who saw Mrs. Esmeraldina... as part of Sobradinho... and who had already prepared everything for herstay?" "The guest room was all cleaned for you." "Yours is still the same... the Colonel always believed that you'd come back." "Nogueira will stay in the guest room." "Boss, boss?" "Mrs. Esmeraldina!" "Mr. Juca, a word to the wise is sufficient." "You don't waste time, do you?" "You'll take your cousin to your room." "Show some respect!" "Mrs. Esmeraldina is a married woman." " Congratulations, boss." " Married to Nogueira!" " My condolences, Colonel." " Well, Mr. Juca, a man like myself... can't lose his freedom because of a woman." "I don't want to live among kids' piss!" "How I missed Sobradinho!" "I haven't been here since I was a young girl." "Mrs. Esmeraldina is mocking me." "You talk like that, but will live in the city." "Because I have no choice." "If I had my way, I'd give it all up to live in the countryside." "The pasture is for rogues." "You are an educated lady." "The cousin is so stiff!" "Have you forgotten about our friendship?" " You seem to have forgotten." " But what have I done?" "You got married." "And you didn't even invite me!" "The truth is you were the last person I wanted to see... on my wedding day." "Am I some leprous, some heretic repudiated by the bishop?" "Have you forgotten how you insulted me?" "I didn't want to cause you that disgust." "Those were childish things of less importance." "I myself was a child, that 's why I got so mad, so full of jealousy!" "Are you still mad at me?" "On the contrary." "I had to run away to forget." "And I stayed here, thinking about you." "Oh cousin, if only I could go back in time!" "But what 's done is done." "Well, cousin, there's nothing you do that can't be undone... and done again if we wish so." "Nogueira helped me a lot when I was suffering because of you." "It 's not fair to abandon him now that he's having difficulties." "But what happened with him?" "He started a wholesale business and his partner left on his shoulders... a debt of 2O contos!" "It was not his fault, poor thing." "But he is ruined." "He's full of debts." "I don't eat, Colonel." "I can't sleep well." "I can only think about the responsibilities." "But I shouldn't be telling you all this." "For God's sake, don't tell him I told you." "No, no, no." "I can't take it, Colonel." "It 's not right for the cousin to pay someone else's debts." "Small money, my friends, that I won't be needing soon." "If Colonel wants to help me, then let me be your manager... in a commission house to buy and sell coffee." "I'm a pasture man, Nogueira." "I have no experience in commerce." "But I do." "I've been in the coffee market since I left here." "I just need some capital for the first buy." "How much?" "I'd say 2OO contos." "That 's a lot." "I can't afford that." " It 's certain profit, Colonel." " Don't insist, Nogueira." "Can't you see the Colonel doesn't have that kind of money?" "Money is not the problem, Mrs. Esmeraldina." "I have credit in the market." "I can raise any amount with a hair from my beard." "I can't take it." "You'll end like Nogueira, cheated by loan sharks." "The cousin doesn't know me." "I'm very tricky and resourceful when it comes to business matters." "Yes, sir, the Colonel will end up exporting coffee to Paris." " I'll think about it." " There's only one problem:" "To start all the company's paperwork, the Colonel will have to accompany... me and Esmeraldina for a stay in the city." "I have already decided." "Tomorrow we'll go to Banco da Província raise a loan with Mr. Padilha." "The Colonel is just like me:" "Aggressive in business." "I'm very thankful, cousin... but I will never tell you any more secrets." "This was the first and the last." "Get back, Vermelhinho!" "Get back!" "Calm down, my little captain!" "Be quiet!" "Careful, Mr. Juca." "It 's the Colonel little pet." "Vermelhinho didn't like the doctor." "It knew about the concordance between Nogueira and the werewolf... and decided to defend Sobradinho." "If I had listen to my cock's advices... today the werewolf would have been dead." "Instead, I gave shelter to the devilish animal." "This man is crazy, he's totally insane!" "The truth is he owes me more than 9OO contos... and I can prove it." "Through this mortgage... and these promissory notes from Banco da Província paid by me." "Without wanting to boast about my knowledge of werewolves..." "I say that I can tell one from afar, just by the way he stands." "This kind of beast is a cunning and tricky race." "I have so far told you about the milder part of his story." "From now on you'll see the werewolf cast upon me... his basketful of iniquities." "Yes, sir!" "The Colonel is farsighted." "You'll end up being the biggest coffee dealer in Brazil." "Well, I just have to say that coffee is a tricky business." "Turns faster than a reel." "I myself have seen more than five companies break only in this town." "Don't say that, Mr. Padilha." "Knock on wood!" "Here in the city, Nogueira, you can count on Mr. Padilha's services." "Banco da Província, which I represent is at your service." " Nogueira is family." "You can do what he asks you." "Don't need to consult me." "I'll be worth of your confidence." "You won't regret." "The company's duties seized my steps... and I started to enjoy the idleness in town." "I anchored at Hotel dos Estrangeiros... a luxury house, an exorbltance to make one proud... full of velvet and pendants in the hangings." "Yes, sir, a lord's house, a dwelling place for a doctor!" "Wlth this new lifestyle I had to improve my manners." "The cousin chose some fabric... and I had some suits tailored by the master at Praça do Mercado." "The clean suit fits the Colonel very well." "The Colonel from Sobradinho walked all beautified... newly-tailored clothes, first-sole shoes... smelling brand-new." "And every Saturday evening, come rain orwind..." "Iwould enterthe cottage of the Nogueiras... to have dinner with cousin Esmeraldina." "But my imagination would often run away with me... and I' d exaggerate a fact ortwo." "Tell me about the jaguar again, cousin." "That was soon after I received my Colonel's stripes." "The chit-chat among the farmyard people... told of a huge and fearless jaguar." "They wanted to organize a posse... but I preferred to go alone to hunt down the beast." "I don't need kids on my tracks." "A jaguar is a big game." "It's not a wild cat or an armadillo that you can poke with a stick." "I wasn't too far when I ran into that huge jaguar." "It was a big-sized animal." "Its tailwas as long as a bushmaster... and then came the big cat." "A superb animal, with fire in its eyes!" "If I' m not expeditious on the saddle and skilfulwlth the reins... this Colonelwould have fallen flat on the floor." "Between this wild monster and I there was no one else." "I aimed the gun and shot the big cat right in its forehead... not to damage the hide." "When will the Colonel hunt another jaguar?" "I need a hide for a rug." "Jaguars are so common that my trigger don't fancy them anymore." "After I started to visit the Colonel... nobody else is interesting." "I don't know, I've no patience anymore." "And this good life kept delaying my return to Sobradinho." "Mr. Juquinha had to bring the farm affairs to Hotel do Estrangeiros." "...and Sinhozinho Manco's daughter, being a virgin..." "lost her protocols on the fine words of a married man." "What 's lost is lost... because this virginity thing is like a banana plant:" "It just happens once." "But that 's exactly why Sinhozinho awaits for the Colonel's deliberation... without which he says he'll cut the man's evil on the base." "Come on, Mr. Juca!" "Now I'm busy with high business transactions." "I can't waste my time with land of cattle." "But, excuse my saying, you should visit Sobradinho... to stop the talk... from that farmyard people." "And what talk is that, Mr. Juca?" "They are mocking your gallant ways, Colonel." "That 's what those people say in the trains... and in the market in Santa Cruz dos Ventos." "What are they saying, Mr. Quintanilha?" "Tell me again, right into my ear, Mr. Quintanilha." "They keep scoffing at your carriage living... your fancy clothes, your shiny shoes..." "The donkeys!" "A bunch of skunks aren't as smelly... as this idle scum!" "It 's my money, I do as I please!" "See?" "I can tear it." "I don't care about it." "I tear it!" "I tear hundreds and thousands!" "I tear, I tear!" "In orderto maintain this luxury I had to open the gates... at Banco da Província and use my money savings." "Hail Colonel!" "You look well, all glowing." "Give me the prescription." "Tell me the remedy." "I cure my pain in girls' legs, Mr. Padilha." "People say that the Colonel visits a certain cottage on Rua dos Frades." "Cousin Esmeraldina has fallen for my soft words." "And has the Colonel seduced her?" "Have you been to her bed?" "To tell you the truth, I'm still in the introductions... working my way into the lady's heart." "No one can match the Colonel when it comes to sweet-talking the ladies." "I suck more than a young calf, Mr. Padilha." "I can cry my way into those bushes like a baby, my friend!" "A womanizer like Ponciano has no match even abroad." "Colonel, you shouldn't!" "You embarrass me." "My grandfather gave my grandmother this necklace on their wedding night... and so did my father, when he married my mother." "I wasn't lucky enough as to marry you... so that I could offer you this jewel for the same occasion." "Don't touch that, cousin." "Don't remind me of my dilemma." "Happy birthday and pardon my poor gift." "I'm flattered... but I can't accept such a gift." "People will surely conjecture on the purity of our relation." "Don't worry about it." "I break the horns of whoever discredit your civil living... or my military conduct!" "Even so, it wouldn't be fair to my husband." "It would be an insult to Nogueira to wear a necklace... he can't afford in his dreams." "It 's a shame!" "I would love to have a souvenir from you." "Nogueira, you shouldn't!" "You embarrass me." "The Colonel helped me choose it." "Happy birthday and pardon my poor gift." "Oh, Colonel!" "You didn't have to." "You have been too kind with me and Nogueira." "Cousin, you are crazy!" "When you want something, nobody can dissuade you." "It 's a family jewel and you are part of it." "And, to keep the tradition, I'll only use it in special occasions." "Special for you and I." "The Colonel has to stop investing." "The company can't be stagnant." "It has to grow." "You owe more than 2OO contos, look here." "In commerce, the more you owe, the more credit you have." " Ask for a longer deadline, Mr. Padilha." " I already have." "But the board have been pressing me... to collect what you owe." "It 's a bunch of envy people, Mr. Ponciano." "They want to undermine your company's progress." "The market is confused with so many illogical... coffee purchases made by you." "I have solid information that the coffee will go up, Colonel." "Wait one more week and we'll shake by the ears... the wholesale market." "The prices are dropping, my friend!" "You should burn your stocks, at the lowest price." "Even at a loss, even by half the price!" "Yes, what I cannot do is owe what I haven't got." "Well, Colonel, I see that you're not quite confident... with my ability to manage your business." "I don't want to get in your way." "I'll give you some time... for you to think if you still want me running your company." "Nogueira!" " So, Colonel?" " Calm down, Mr. Padilha." "This is a family business... it 's a real mess." "Next day, as adding insult to injury... news came from the pasture that a sudden rainstorm flooded brooks and gullies." " Oh, the cloudburst... made us lose 1OO contos." "Not to mention the lost heads and the fallen fences." "I'll talk to Mr. Padilha and ask him to open... once more, the floodgates of speculation." "Where's Mr. Padilha?" "Padilha was called to the capital to render account to the board." "And who answers for the bank in his absence?" "Seabra, at your service." "Whom I have the honor to talk to?" "Colonel Ponciano de Azeredo Furtado." "I came to ask for a loan of 15O contos." "You already owe 26O contos to the bank... besides some promissory notes that have been due for months... and that you vouched for." "My hands are tied, these are orders from above." "I have given this bank a lot of profit." "I've operated with Mr. Padilha ever since I started my business." "Mr. Padilha is a soft-hearted fellow... who can't say no, and who's responsible for the overindulgence... that has sunk this branch." "But the capitalists in the board can't let it run loose." "A bank is made for profit, it 's not a charitable society." "The young lad, who's so talkative... will shut up now, grab a pen... an write down... all my complaint to the usurers in the capital!" "Right away!" "Right away!" "Write that I return today to my lands... where I intend to get the profit to pay my debts from." "Say that I've had some difficulties... but, rich of land and pastures in Sobradinho..." "this usurer bank..." "Write it down, then you'll read it!" "...and by selling the land that is Banco da Província!" "Keep writing!" "I came because I heard of the company crisis." "Come on, cousin!" "I didn't fall, I just tripped." "Need say no more." "What 's mine is yours." "I was keeping this necklace to wear in a happier occasion." "But now I want it to help you pay your debts." "I can't take it." "This was a gift of friendship." "Business is business." "You lose the rings, you keep your fingers." "And the sentiment this jewel represents will never be lost." "There's no need to, it 's not a bleeding." "I'll get the estate in order, take care of the farm." "Are you leaving?" "You must take care of what 's yours." "You win our affection and then go away." "I didn't know I liked the Colonel so much." "I'll be sad away from my cousin." "Your return to Sobradinho has surfaced an affection... from our hide-and-seek plays... in my old days as a girl." "Come with me, cousin." "You'll visit the farm and take some rest." "It 's what I want most, Colonel." "But you must come talk to Nogueira with me." "Yes, sir?" "You've been scarce, huh?" "I'm sure that little clerk at the bank keeps filling your ears with lies." "It 's lack of time, Nogueira..." "I've been very busy with Sobradinho." "The cousin has invited me to spend a few days in the farm." "And the company's obligations?" "I can't be waiting all my life." "Business is for men." "I'll pack the bags." "I've found a good opportunity." "A certain Lobão Siqueira, landowner from Juiz de Fora... is in big trouble, sinking in debts." "Having no other way out, he's selling his whole coffee harvest... at a very low price." "Unfortunately, they've shut all the credit..." "I had in Banco da Província." "In the place of Mr. Padilha, there's this Seabra guy... a fellow who's capable of taking away a cripple's crutch." "I have information that the coffee will go up... and the stocks of today will double the price next week." "It 's a great opportunity, I want to seize it." "But how?" "The government hasn't authorized me to print money." "But you can offer Sobradinho... as a guaranty to the loan." "Are you suggesting that I throw in a mortgage bonfire... my grandfather's lands?" "It 's a guaranteed profit, you'll quit all your debts... and by the end of the month you'll pay the mortgage." "Have you, by any chance, gone mad, Nogueira... to want to burn in the hammer... the lands of Colonel Ponciano de Azeredo Furtado?" "I can see I haven't regained your trust." "And you can't do business without it." "Money you can get, but trust you can't just borrow." "I resign from the company." "Esmeraldina, you can stop packing!" "Calm down, man, there's no need to rush!" "Nogueira, what happened?" "You won't travel anymore." "We're not welcome in that house." "Just to see Mrs. Esmeraldina's wet eyes..." "I softened." "I signed my name on the papers and, with the Sobradinho mortgage..." "I got a new loan at Banco da Província." "And then I conceded more pecuniary provisions... to the present werewolf." "It was all done according to the law!" " There's no possibility of appeal." " You are a monster... and, for that reason, you are outside the law." "Or better yet, under it." "Nothing you can do will have any legal effect." "And, more than that, your evil influence takes from the victim... which in the present case is myself... the needed discernment to answer for his own actions." "And observe, ladies and gentlemen... that, if human malice has many ways to work... what can we say about the superhuman malice... the beast used on me... deceiving my heart... and making me incapable of killing him on the spot?" "Instead, I did the opposite:" "I made a deal with the bank... in order to please cousin Esmeraldina." "Yes, ma'am, you have a nice taste." "It 's a beautiful decoration." "Sobradinho needs to have a permanent feminine touch." "And who'll want to live with a bachelor like me... who lives here in this pastures... like a bull's horn or an angico fence?" "Many people." "But the cousin is not interested in women." " He kicks them all out." " That 's true, that 's true." "Due to my military ways, I'm not used to being polite to beautifying myself." " You are mean." "You have no compassion." "But the cousin is different." "You can come whenever you want." "I thought I'd never see you again." "I almost died of sadness when you fought with Nogueira." "But now it 's over." "Now we're together again." "The night is ours." "And, at last, I'll be able to wear the necklace you gave me." "Mr. Quintanilha!" "Have my boots polished and my clothes washed." "I need a starched and ironed uniform." "Tonight I'll face a ceremonial conference!" "Wlth Nogueira in town, the night would hear... the cries of my bed... to stoponly at daybreak." "A rather dirty deed!" "Nogueira, what happened?" "What happened is that you have a devilishly bad luck." "The coffee price dropped like no one's seen before." "It dropped?" "How?" "This is part of the win-and-lose business game." "But you assured me the shares would go up!" "I'm no fortuneteller." "And nobody forced you to invest." " But have we recovered anything?" " You seem to be deaf." "Didn't I tell you a vulture's wind swept away the market?" "Even dealers in the capital are broke!" "But what about the Sobradinho mortgage?" "The bank can protest at any time now!" "The deadline is tomorrow." "But you have the preference for quittance." " How much is the mortgage?" " 45O contos." "45O contos!" "What are you complaining about?" "It 's a bargain, the farm is worth ten times that." "Have you gone mad?" "Everything I had you threw in the bonfire of commerce!" "Lower your voice." "I'm not your boy, Ponciano!" ""Colonel Ponciano"." "I didn't allow you to say my name... undressed of the rights of military rank!" "A broken colonel is no colonel." "If you don't pay before the stipulated time... the Farm will be auctioned." "Get out, you dog!" "Get out of my house!" "Make good use of it while it 's still yours." "Tomorrow I'll pay the Sobradinho mortgage... and you'll be out on the street." "And where will an underdog like you get 45O contos?" "I have my savings." "I work..." "I don't spend my time scratching my breeches like some people I know." "You thief, scoundrel, good-for-nothing rascal!" "No son of a gun will put his hands on what 's mine!" "I don't like altercations." "I'm a man of rights and laws." "You'll be prosecuted." "Then prosecute me, you scalawag!" "Nobody will step on my corns nor mount on my muddle!" "I'm not scared of no ugly face, nor I was born from a coward!" "I think it 's funny..." "Beast from hell!" "I laugh at you, werewolf pet..." "Colonel!" "Colonel!" "Help!" "Help!" "The Colonel is in mortal agony!" "Colonel?" "Colonel?" "You are right, Mr. Juca." "Nogueira is a werewolf." "Calm down, boss, you need to rest." "Cousin Esmeraldina!" "I have to save cousin Esmeraldina from the monster's claws." "Cousin Esmeraldina was kidnapped by the werewolf!" "Have it all searched, Mr. Juca." "I want all the area checked." "The cousin had disappeared with no trace." "And to make things worse, a final offense was known." "Colonel... the cock disappeared." "When was that?" "We just found some feathers from the fight." "The little cock died trying to kill the werewolf." "In a single day, all at once..." "I had lost the three things I treasured most in the world:" "Cousin Esmeraldina, Sobradinho Farm... and my cock Vermelhinho." "And, from this day on... my life was to stand in the porch every full moon night... waiting for Nogueira to return in the shape of a werewolf." "I sent all the employees away." "I didn't want any help from anybody." "I myself would revenge the name Azeredo Furtado." "I knew that in the fortieth full moon the latest... after going through seven church chambers, seven secluded villages... seven burials, seven hills and seven crossroads... he would come again... wanting to finish in my person his evil mission." "Put a price on this lemon, Mr. Padilha..." "I'm in need of a smoke disperser like that to shoo away the mosquitoes." "Colonel Ponciano..." " I'm glad to see you." " It 's my pleasure, my friends... and I wouldn't give it up for all the government 's money!" "Come on in, Mr. Juquinha." "There are no dogs here, Mr. Padilha." "A notice from the government sent to me... in the terms of the law and according to the justice... stipulated the day, the time and the place... for me to engage in the final battle with the werewolf." "I have waited for this day for more than four years." "And that 's why I'm here, ladies and gentlemen... on the day and place set for this last encounter." "To tell you the truth, it was already set since the time I was born." "Instead of a defense... what this man presented here was a fairytale." "His vision is darkened by an apoplectic rage... and he believes he saw a monster where there were only night shadows." "A cock is killed by any jungle animal... and he says it was a werewolf!" "A married lady escapes from his indecent harassment... and he says it was because of an apparition." "But, differently from what I thought, he just pretends to be mad." "Clearly he invented this werewolf story... not to pay me the farm mortgage... that is the only objective fact in this whole story!" "The final testimony that will end this case... has a certain hour to happen." "And it was in order to wait for that moment that I took your time... with my long introductory account." "And you haven't proved anything yet!" "That 's what I intend to do now." "Objection!" "I demand that the trial be concluded immediately!" "We've been here since two o'clock... and this session has taken almost ten hours." "This man is a lunatic!" "You are under the grip of Colonel Ponciano de Azeredo Furtado... and you won't escape from it until you give back what you stole from me!" "Anybody home?" "Anybody home?" "Anybody home?" "Is there anybody home?" "Anybody home?" "The Colonel is back." "Why are you awake at this late hour, Mr. Simeão?" "I can't sleep." "Time of frogs, Ponciano." "Of alligators looking for shelter." "I killed the werewolf, grandfather." "I finish the beast off." "The boy did right, the boy has courage!" "When they thought, by seeing so much disgrace around here... that I was gone, that 's when I grew stronger." "It 's when the going gets tough that you see who is an Azeredo Furtado." "But now my luck will change." "I'll raise this farm again." "I'll have a foreman check it all out." "I need a beautiful house to raise a family." "I know of the boy's preferences... for the beauty of Esmeraldina Azeredo." "Is your wisdom akin to the telegraph?" "Ponciano, the werewolf's charm over the lady's will... has now ended." "Look for her." "Look for the girl, Ponciano." "There goes Colonel Ponciano de Azeredo Furtado... in his werewolf disenchanting horse." "Saint George and all the saints in heaven... bless my boy." "I have dreamed of you since I was a boy." "And every full moon night I would wake up here." "These nights I run away from the monster and come here to wait for you." "You are now free, but for your love I will be captive." "Without the Colonel's love I can't live." "Underwater I drown, out here I can't breathe." "And I long so much, partly for you, partly for the sea." "So come live in the sea with me." "I'll give you my treasures, ruby rings, gold coins." "There no werewolf's charm can get us." "Ponciano de Azeredo Furtado, Simeão's grandson... colonel by valor and pasture lord by inheritance rights... jaguar killer and master of the night apparltions... entered the salted sea hand to hand with beautiful Esmeraldina." "I felt like lwas being born that time... free from sorrow and rancor." "A spark ran through myself." "From the bottom of the sea, I heard a chant of never heard beauty." "There must have been the chant of the dawning day." "CAPTIONS BY VIDEOLAR"