These are all evils, and great evils at that. One might say, to use the language of Father Agamedes, that they are the three horsemen of the apocalypse, of whom there were once four, and if you start to count, on your fingers if you know no better system, the first is war, the second is plague and the third is famine, and there’s always the fourth, the wild beasts of the earth. The last is the most commonly seen and has three faces, the face of the latifundio, the face of the guards who defend property in general and the latifundio in particular, and then there’s the third face. He’s a serpent with three heads and but one desire. He who gives orders is not necessarily the best fitted to do so, and the best fitted to give orders does not necessarily look the part. But we should perhaps speak more clearly. This horse can be seen in all the cities, towns, villages and hamlets, and he trots along with his leaden eyes and his legs that resemble human hands and feet, but are not human. What human being would say to Manuel Espada, years later, when on military service in the Azores, and forgive us if we jump forward a little in the story, When I get out of here, I’m going to join the police for the vigilance and defense of the state,* and Manuel Espada asked, What’s that, and the other man answered, It’s the political police, and it’s just great, say there’s someone you don’t like, you simply arrest him, haul him off to the civil authorities and, if you like, shoot him in the head before you get there and say he tried to resist. This horse kicks down doors, eats at the same table on the latifundio as Father Agamedes and plays cards with the guards, while the colt called Bom-Tempo kicks in the prisoner’s head. You can find these horses in cities, towns, villages, everywhere, they neigh, rub noses, exchange secrets and allegations, invent persuasive tortures and tortuous persuasions, which is what first made us realize that they did not belong to the equine race, Father Agamedes is a fool to believe that the horses he read about in the bible were real horses, a fundamental error revealed to Manuel Espada in the Azores by his promising fellow recruit. The roots of the tree of knowledge are not fussy about where they grow and are not put off by distance.
Father Agamedes bawls from the pulpit, There are certain men sneaking around who are intent on undermining your common sense, and yet in Spain, by the grace of God and the Virgin Mary, they were crushed, vade retro Satanas et abrenuncio, you must flee from them as if from plague, famine and war, for they are the worst misfortune that could befall our holy land, like the plague of locusts in Egypt, and that is why I will never tire of saying to you that you must heed and obey those who know more about life and the world, look upon the guards as your guardian angels, don’t resent them, because sometimes even a father is obliged to beat the child he so loves and cares for, and we all know that sooner or later the child will say, It was for my own good, the only blows that were wasted were those that struck the ground, that, my children, is how it is with the guards, not to mention the other authorities, both civil and military, the mayor, the administrator, the regimental commander, the civil governor, the commander of the legion and all those other gentlemen in positions of power, beginning with those who give you work, yes, what would become of you if there were no one to give you work, how would you feed your families, tell me that, answer me, all right, I know that the congregation does not normally speak during mass, but it is your own conscience you must answer to, and for all these reasons, I urge, demand and order you to pay no heed to those red devils who want only your unhappiness, because that was not why God created the earth, he created it that it might be rocked in the loving arms of the Virgin Mary, and if you believe that someone is trying to lead you astray with seductive words, then go straight to the guards’ barracks, for then you will be carrying out God’s work, but if you lack the courage, if you are afraid of reprisals, I will hear you in the confessional and do with your confession what my soul and my conscience deem to be the right thing, and now let us say a pater noster for the salvation of our country, a pater noster for the conversion of Russia and a pater noster for those who govern our nation, who have so sacrificed themselves and who so love us, our father, who art in heaven, blessed be thy name.
Father Agamedes is quite right. There are men roaming the latifundio, they can be found hiding away in groups of three or four, in solitary places or abandoned houses, where they keep watch, or in the shelter of a valley, some from here, some from elsewhere, and they hold long conversations. They take turns to speak, and the others listen, anyone seeing them from a distance would say, They’re itinerant workers, gypsies, apostles, and when they have finished talking, they scatter, taking out-of-the-way paths and carrying with them papers and decisions. This is what is called organization,
