This edition José Olympio Editora Rio de Janeiro 1958
Subject: A Cattle drive from Goiás to Barretos for the meat market in Sao Paulo
Epoch: Decade of the 1940s
A herd composed of 1,500 head of cattle, from old cows, mature cattle, tol yearlings started from the city of Morrinhos, Goiás for Barretos in Sao Paulo
Eight cowboys led by a foreman , the manager of the drive, also calledcapataz., anxiously waiting for the arrival of the day at the start of which they will leave:
this is the first stage, as each day of the trek is called.
Through the warm night the herd bellows practically all night long, cows fight, very unsettled at the start of the journey.
In the early morning, the cowboys round up, bringing the herd together. From then eating rice and beans with jerked /dried beef and manioc flour, plus coffee, such food prepared by the cook of the cortege. With his assistant and 2 mules, he goes to the next camp , and there, waits for the drove. That´ll be the way for 19 days, each day a journey of 3 `legs´, that is, 18 kms , until they reach Barretos. This time period is never enough, because setbacks happen almost the whole trip.
With the advance of the herd; difficult stretches, steep mountain ridges, narrow roads, cows falling into abysses and dying.
Lost cattle, disappeared, dead. Those lost are deducted from the the foreman´s salary, because he earns per head of un-injured cattle. In addition the feed which is supplied by the cattle owner.
The hero of the story is a cowboy called Moreno Ponteiro who gets the nickname because of leading the howling herd and taking the front, the head of the drove.
The way of the cattle is slow, with cattle always losing weight not only from the journey but also the poor quality of rented pasture on route, at the end of every day. Also cattle disappear, at times, no longer seen, also stolen, here called disappeared (arribada). Cattle also die from weakness or snakebite or even ingesting poisonous plants usually known in Brazil as timbó
At night at the camp, usually the cowboys sing or play cards(truco) Each cowboy has the use of two horses provided by the owner of the herd. On the way, villages come up, while the herd stay on the outskirts in poor rented pastures for a night, such rests already known and planned by the foreman
The cowboys on time-off go to the town, messing around in the brothels , shooting, fighting, getting locked up, getting roughed up by the local police. The next day the foreman takes these drunks out of jail paying exorbitant bail. Again on the route for Barrretos, advancing, aggressive cows called wild (brabezes) trying to hide themselves in the bush on the way.
At the end of every stage a different sound common for the herd, advising, the cowboys at the back of the herd i.e. the rearguard, and the sides, to stop the herd calmly, without any agitation . At the end of each stage the foreman carefully counts, all the cattle.
Getting near the big river crossing, e.g. , Paranaíba on the frontier of Goias with Minas Gerais, the herd starts to stampede:
The way narrows on both sides. . One elbow of bush reaches the road, . The head of the herd stops suddenly. The cattle become quiet. A tremor of fear passes over the herd. Horns cracking. Rear ends rising .ears upright. The startled sounds of the horn like a cry, envelop the start of the herd All the horses, agile on the sides, the anxiety of the herd, horses restless and troubled, cut with clattering hooves the vacillating stampede. The stampede doesn´t continue, advising the cowboys of the possibility of such an occurrence to happen
From there on, the stages proceed normally until Barretos, where the cattle are delivered to the buyers abattoir. All previously arranged between the business and the owner of the herd Organization of the herd
There´s a boss responsible for the herd and the cowboys, contracted by the owner. He´s the general manger, the banker of the company, the boss of everything, with the authority to discipline cowboys who disobey or disrespectthe leadership.
A herd of 1,500 cattle has a minimum of 8 cowboys, with a change of two horses for each one, apart from 2 pack miules under the control of the cook and his assistant.
A cowboy generally dressed himself in rough cotton pants, striped shirt, a holster belt. one or other with a gun. Also a small knife and rough leather pants with decorations down the sides. All generally smoke, therefore they carry pocket knives and lighters, which are called bingas.
This version done by Bernard Naughton
Email: bernard.naughton@gmail.com
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