4 - THE CAMPAIGN

 4 - THE CAMPAIGN

It was late at night when the three knights approached their destination. They had ridden all day, stopping only to get something to eat and the animals to rest. But finally the destination was close... Fazenda do Lageado was only an hour, maybe a little more, away... and that was too good. They hadn't demanded much from their mounts... they had gone slowly, at a slow pace, as they saw no need to punish the animals in a wild run. The meadow, like a green sea, unfolded in front of him. It is quite true that now it was no longer so green, after all the dark veil of long night that had already covered the whole land, from the mountains, which they had left behind for so long, to the forest in which they would plunge into their last journey. stage of the trip.

- Shall we stop for a bit, Zacarias? The animals are tired...

- Better not, Tonhão... we're already close, and soon we'll rest in the winter...

The boy shrugged. He had suggested the stop because he was really tired... they had been in the saddle for over three hours and the animals were certainly as tired as he was. But Zacarias was right... it was better to sacrifice a little more and rest safely on the farm. They continued at the gentle pace they had been playing, without demanding much from their mounts. Whiskey, the country dog that accompanied them, ran a few meters ahead. From time to time he would stop, sniff the bushes, look at the three cattlemen, and run back across the meadow. And so they went at that pace, until they finally saw the farm gate. Juca dismounted, opened the way for his companions, and then they continued down the road until they saw Casa Grande, the farm's headquarters. Still mounted, they clapped their hands in front of the main door, until a flickering light from a lamp was seen walking through the living room of the house...

- Praised be our Lord Jesus Christ! (Someone spoke from the room, with the doors still closed)

- For ever be praised! (The three men replied)

The door opened and a man of about sixty finally appeared. He looked at the three of them, and finally headed towards Zacarias, the oldest of the group...

- Are you from Santa Helena Farm?

- Yes sir. We came to get the cattle that you sold to your Nardi...

- They arrived very late at night. You can dismount, let's rest and tomorrow morning you can go see the cattle...

They didn't wait for a second invitation to dismount. They went down, took the harnesses off the animals, released them in the field, so that they too could rest. Then they went to the cowboys' quarters, in fact a large shed that served as a dormitory, when a fellow from another ranch arrived to pick up or deliver cattle. Juca took his knapsack and took out a pot, where his wife had prepared a stew, which would be his dinner that night. Their partners did the same. To top off the food, a bottle of cachaça appeared out of nowhere in Tonhão's hands. Each one took a sip of the drink, pulled up their boats and tried to rest, as the work the next day would be tough... after all, if it took them a whole day to reach the farm alone, the reverse trip would take twice as long. , as the cattle walked much slower than desired. Yes, they knew that the next night they would have the sky as a blanket... they just prayed that, suddenly, it wouldn't start raining when they were returning home...

The night was peaceful, the three managed to rest and when the sun appeared on the horizon, they were already standing for a long time, separating the cattle that they were going to take to their boss. Finally they were ready to start the return. And there the three of them went, Zacarias in front, playing the horn, calling the cattle on their way. Tonhão was in the middle, controlling the line of animals, so that none of them strayed. And closing the column, Juca came at the end of the group. taking care that the animals remained on the path they would travel. Whiskey followed along with Zacarias, always attentive to his owner's commands. If any res leave the queue that had formed, the dog would go there to make her return to the original formation of the group.

And so the day went on, stopping from time to time so that the cattle wouldn't get too tired, as well as to rest and have their meals... after all, the walk to Santa Helena would be a long one...

Night was falling again when they arrived at Ribeirão das Almas. The river got its name from its reputation as being haunted. They said that on the nights of the full moon, the souls of those who had left before their time would come there to ask for help from the living... the problem is that not all souls were peaceful and, if you were unlucky enough to cross paths with a lost soul and If you weren't a person with very strong faith... if you didn't know some powerful prayers to protect you... anyway, the group didn't have much choice. Despite the regrets, the place was the best they could find for the camp. Pasture for the cattle and their animals, plenty of water, low vegetation, which minimized the dangers of the road... and they were exactly in the middle of the route, which meant that after a good night's sleep, they would arrive at their destination at late... but who said they would have a good night's sleep? Destiny usually plays tricks on the living, and He had prepared a not very pleasant surprise for the three companions...