Chapter 42 Duel (another part)

One summer evening many years ago, Carlos, the son of the novelist Carlos Reyles, told me the following story in Androgue.The history of a long feud and its tragic end are now mingled with the medicinal scent of the blue gum and the song of the birds in my memory. We're talking, as usual, about the messy history of Argentina and Uruguay.Carlos said I'm sure I've heard people mention Juan Patricio Nolan, who had a reputation for being brave, joking, and mischievous.I lied about knowing this guy.Nolan died around 1890, but people still think of him like a friend.There are also people who speak ill of him, and there is no shortage of such people.Carlos told me about one of his many mischiefs.It takes place shortly before the Battle of the Springs; the protagonists are two gauchos of Cerro Largo, Manuel Cardoso and Carmen Silbera.

How did the hatred between them form and why?Those two people had no amazing deeds except the duel before their death. How could their secret stories be evoked a century later?A foreman in Reyles' father's house, named Radrecha, "had a beard like a tiger," and I heard some details from the mouths of the elders, and I have now copied them without much confidence in their authenticity. , because both forgetting and remembering are creative. The ranches of Manuel Cardoso and Carmen Silveira are contiguous.As with other passions, the origin of the hatred is always ambiguous, but it is said to have arisen from a dispute over unbranded cattle or from a race in which Silveira was stronger and pushed Cardoso's horse out of the race. field.A few months later, the two played poker one-on-one in the local shop, drawing fifteen; Silveira started each game by wishing his opponent good luck, but in the end won all the money around his opponent, Not a single copper coin was left for him.As he pocketed the money, he thanked Cardoso for the lesson he had taught him.I think they were almost dry at that point.The quarrel was violent; there were many, and they were divided.The atmosphere was rough and people drew their swords; the stories of Manuel Cardoso and Carmen Silveira are unique in that they did it more than once, whether in the evening or in the morning, and until the end Only really do it.Perhaps their simple and meager life had no wealth but hatred, and therefore they kept it stagnant.The two became each other's slaves without knowing it.

I do not know whether the things I have described are effect or cause.Cardoso, in order to find something to do, fell in love with a neighbor's girl Servilliana; as soon as Silveira heard about it, she begged the girl in her own way and got her. , to the ranch.After a few months, I found that woman annoying and drove her away again.The woman went to Cardoso in a fit of anger; Cardoso slept with her all night, and sent her away at noon the next day.He doesn't want to take leftovers from his opponents. Around the time of Serviliana, there was the collie thing again in those years.Silveira loved the dog so much that she named it Thirty-Three.The dog later disappeared and its body was found in a ditch.Silveira always suspected that someone had poisoned him.

When the Aparicio Revolution broke out in the winter of 1870, the two of them happened to be at the same hotel where they had last played cards.A Brazilian half-breed led a small group of rebels on horseback to mobilize the people in the hotel, saying that the motherland needed them and that the government’s oppression could no longer be tolerated. They distributed the White Party signs to the people present. Everyone did not understand this. The meaning of the words, but they all followed without even saying goodbye to their families.Manuel Cardoso and Carmen Silveira accepted their fate; the life of a soldier was no harder than that of a gaucho.Sleeping on the ground in the saddle was nothing new to them; they were used to slaughtering animals, and it was certainly not difficult to kill.They have little imagination and are not governed by fear or pity, though they sometimes feel fear before they charge into battle.The vibration of stirrups and weapons was always heard when cavalry went into battle.People think they are invulnerable as long as they don't get hurt in the first place.They think that getting paid is a matter of course.The concept of homeland was relatively foreign to them; it didn't matter which side they were fighting for, despite the emblem on their hat.They learned to use spears.In the process of marching forward and retreating, they finally felt that although they were partners, they could still continue to be enemies.They fought side by side, but never spoke, as far as we can tell.

In the autumn of 1871 the odds were against them and their days were numbered. Less than an hour before and after the battle, it took place at an unknown location.Place names are added by historians after the fact.On the eve of the battle, Cardoso tiptoed into the commander's tent and begged in a low voice that if he won the battle tomorrow, he would leave him a Red Party prisoner, because he had never beheaded anyone, and wanted to see what was going on.The commander promised him that he would grant his wish as long as he showed bravery. The White Party has a large number of people, but the opponent has excellent weapons, occupying the favorable terrain on the mountain and killing them to death.They failed to make it to the top of the hill twice, and the commander was seriously injured and surrendered.At his request, the other party killed him on the spot to save him from suffering.

The White Party soldiers lowered their arms.Juan Patricio Nolan, who commanded the Red Army, arranged the customary executions of captives with great fuss.He was from Cerro Largo, and he had heard of the feud between Silveira and Cardoso.He called the two men and said to them: "I know you two are at odds, and have long wanted to fight to the death. I have good news for you; before the sun goes down, you'll be able to show who's the hero. I'll give each of you a stab in the neck, and then you'll race. God knows who wins." The soldiers who brought them in took them down again.

The news spread quickly throughout the camp.Nolan had decided in advance that the race would be the finale of the afternoon's event, but the captives pushed out a representative to tell him they wanted to watch too, and bet on one of the two.Nolan, being a reasonable man, acceded to the captives' entreaties; and there was a wager, and there was a wager on cash, harness, sword, and horses, which should have been duly delivered to the widow and relations.It was unbelievably hot; the event started at four o'clock (they had a hard time waking Silveira up) in order to ensure everyone had a nap.According to the custom of the local white people, Nolan asked everyone to wait for another hour.He talked about victory with the other officers; Ma Bian carried the teapot in and out.

In front of the tents on both sides of the dirt road were rows of captives sitting on the ground with their hands tied behind their backs to prevent them from making trouble.Every now and then someone cursed, and almost everyone looked surprised when a prisoner began to say a prayer.Of course, they can't smoke.Now they don't care about the races, but people watch anyway. "They will blow my lamp too," said one of the captives enviously. "That's right, but it's dry in piles," said the next one. "Same as you," the other said back. A sergeant major drew a line across the dirt road with his saber.Silveira and Cardoso were untied so as not to interfere with their run.The two were about four meters apart.They took up their positions behind the starting line; several officers begged them not to be sorry, for the hopes were high and the stakes on them were high.

Silveira was disposed of by the half-breed Nolan, whose ancestors were doubtless slaves of the captain's family, and therefore took the Nolan name; Cardoso was disposed of by a regular executioner, an elderly Corrientes Man, in order to reassure the prisoner, he always patted the prisoner on the shoulder and said: "Don't be afraid, friend; women suffer more than this to have children." The two leaned forward, eager to start, neither looking at the opponent. Captain Nolan gave the signal. The half-breed Nolan was proud of the role he played. When he got agitated, his men lost their head and cut a big cut from one ear to the other; narrow mouth.Blood gurgled from the mouth; the two ran forward a few steps and fell face down on the ground.Cardoso stretched out his arms as he fell.He won, but he probably didn't even know it.