Blanco y Colorado: Old Days among the Gauchos of UruguayTetley, William C.
History
Blanco y Colorado: Old Days among the Gauchos of Uruguay
Tetley, William C.
Uruguay -- Description and travel; Uruguay -- Social life and customs
When the cart arrived at the Cerro with the poor old man lying full
length in it, I saw at once that he was very ill. We got him out of the
cart and into the kitchen, where we laid him down in front of the fire
and started rubbing his hands and feet, for he really seemed in all but
a comatose condition. After a while he somewhat recovered, and I got him
to swallow two or three spoonfuls of mutton broth made strong and quite
plain. Towards evening he seemed better, and said he wished us to get
him up into his bedroom above the kitchen. He could not speak above a
whisper, but I understood him to say he felt cold, and would rather be
in his own room above the kitchen stove than in one of the larger rooms
on the ground floor. For two or three days he seemed to mend, and then
one afternoon he sank into an unconscious state, and I knew it would not
be long before all was over. He could take nothing whatever, but he
lasted through the night, and passed peacefully away about eleven
o'clock next morning. I sent down at once to tell Don Frederico, and he
sent me word he would have a shell coffin sent up as soon as possible.
During the afternoon we got the remains down from the bedroom and laid
them on a "quatre," or wooden camp bedstead, in the last room but one at
the far end of the house, which had a door in it, opening into the
courtyard, covering the body over with a white sheet. Late in the
evening the wooden shell arrived, and we reverently laid him in it. I
put a couple of screws in half way down, just to hold on the lid for the
time being. The Indians said they would light a candle and watch by the
coffin, and Correo said he would like to take a turn also. It was a fine
clear night, calm and still, with the moon now in its second quarter,
and about nine o'clock I went to bed. I was awakened some three hours
later by a loud knocking at my door. I jumped up, hastily putting on
some clothes, and took up my revolver, which was lying by my bedside.
When I opened my door, leading into the covered archway, there was
Correo, his face an ashy grey colour, gesticulating violently outside,
and begging me to come at once to the room where we had placed the
coffin. He said the Indians who had been on guard were terribly
frightened, because while they were on watch the ghost of the "finado,"
or dead man, had appeared, and was then to be seen passing like a shadow
up and down the room. As I went out into the courtyard "Napoleon" came
and put his cold nose in my hand, and the rosillo who was shut in there
for the night, gave a little neigh. I went to the door, opened it, and
entered the room, followed by the negro, who was almost in tears. Of
course, there was nothing, and I showed him the two screws half way down
in the lid, exactly as we had left them. Meanwhile the Indians had fled
and hid themselves in the galpon; the candle they had left lighted was
flickering down in its socket, and the room was in semi-darkness. I with
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account