Captains of the Sands (24 page)

“I’ll see if I can get Mother to arrange something for you…”

She thanked him. But she was a little frightened, even if she had missed a lot of the malice in his eyes. Dona Laura came, graying hair, her daughter behind her, looking at Dora with big eyes. She was freckly but kind of cute.

Dora told her that her mother had died:

“You’d promised me a job…”

“What did Margarida die of?”

“Pox, ma’am.”

Dora didn’t know that by saying that she had lost all possibility of a job.

“Smallpox.”

The girl drew back suspiciously. Even the boy withdrew a little, thinking about Dora’s little breasts all pockmarked. He spat in disgust. Dona Laura took on a sad tone:

“The fact is I’ve already taken on another maid. I don’t need anybody right now…”

Dora thought of Zé Ferret:

“Would you be needing a little boy to do shopping, run errands, things like that? He’s my brother…”

“No, child, I wouldn’t.”

“Do you know of anybody?”

“No. If I did I’d recommend you…”

She wanted to end the conversation. She turned to her son:

“Have you got two
milreis
on you, Emanuel?”

“What for, Mother?”

“Give them to me.”

The boy gave them to her, she put them on the railing. She was afraid of touching Dora, she wanted her away from there before she infected the house:

“Take this. God be with you…”

Dora went back down onto the street. The boy was still watching the buttocks that were nice and round under the tight dress. But Dona Laura’s voice interrupted him. She was talking to the maid:

“Dos Reis, take a cloth and some alcohol and wipe the part of the door the girl touched. You can’t fool around with smallpox.”

The boy went back to playing with his sister on the swing among the mango trees. But every so often he would sigh to himself: “She had a nice pair of breasts…”

Zé Ferret wasn’t on the bench. Dora had a fright. Her brother was capable of wandering off in the city and getting lost.
And how would she find him there? She didn’t know the city well. Besides, she was overcome by a great weariness, a listlessness, a longing for her dead mother, an urge to weep. Her feet hurt and she was hungry. She thought about buying bread (she now had two thousand four hundred), but instead of that she went off in search of her brother. She found him under some trees in the park eating green plums. She slapped his hand:

“Don’t you know that can give you a bellyache?”

“I’m hungry…”

She bought some bread, they ate. The whole afternoon was going back and forth looking for work. At every house they said no, the fear of smallpox was stronger than any goodness. At nightfall Zé Ferret couldn’t take any more, he was so tired. Dora was sad and thought about going back to the hill. She would be a burden on their poor neighbors. She didn’t want to go back. Her mother had left the hill in a coffin, her father in a sack. Once more she left Zé Ferret alone in a park to go buy something to eat in a bakery before it closed. She spent her last coins. The lights went on and at first she thought it was very pretty. But then she felt that the city was her enemy, that it only burned her feet and tired her out. Those pretty houses didn’t want her. She came back hunched over, wiping away the tears with the back of her hand. And once more she couldn’t find Zé Ferret. After walking around the park she found her brother watching a game of
good
between two boys: a strong black one and a skinny white one. Dora sat down on a bench, called her brother. The boys who were playing got up too. She unwrapped the bread, gave a piece to Zé Ferret. The boys were looking at her. The black one was hungry, it was easy for her to see. She offered them some. The four of them sat in silence eating the day-old bread (it was the cheapest). When they finished the black boy clapped his hands, spoke:

“Your brother says your mother died of smallpox…”

“Papa too…”

“One of ours died too…”

“Your father?”

“No, it was Almiro, one of the gang.”

The skinny white boy, who had been quiet, asked:

“Did you find any work?”

“Nobody wants the daughter of a smallpox man…”

She was weeping now. Zé Ferret was playing on the ground with the balls the others had left near the trees. The black boy shook his head. The thin one looked at him, then at Dora:

“Have you got a place to sleep?”

“No.”

The skinny boy spoke to the black one:

“We could take her to the warehouse…”

“A girl…What’s Bullet going to say?”

“She’s crying,” the skinny one said in a low voice.

The black boy looked. She was obviously perplexed. The white boy slapped his neck, chasing a fly. He put his hand on Dora’s shoulder, very slowly, as if afraid to touch her:

“Come with us. We sleep in a warehouse…”

The black boy made an effort to smile:

“It’s not a palace but it’s better than the street…”

They went. Big João and the Professor went ahead. They both wanted to chat with Dora but nobody knew what to say, they’d never been in a jam like that before. They looked at her blond hair where the electric light was falling.

On the sand Zé Ferret was unable to walk any farther. Big João picked up the child (in spite of his also being a child…) and put him on his back. The Professor went along with Dora, but they were silent in the night.

They went warily into the warehouse. Big João put Zé Ferret down onto the ground, stood there waiting for the Professor and Dora to come in. They all went to the Professor’s corner where he lighted his candle. The others were looking toward the corner with surprise. Legless’s dog barked:

“New people…” Cat murmured as he got ready to leave.

Cat went over to where they were:

“Who are they, Professor?”

“Their father and mother died of smallpox. They were in the street with no place to sleep.”

Cat looked at Dora, putting on his best smile. It was a kind of greeting (he’d
seen a leading man do it in a movie) with his body, trying out a phrase he’d heard once:

“A hearty welcome, madame…”

He couldn’t remember the rest, was half-bashful, went out to see Dalva. But the others came over. Legless and Good-Life were in the lead. Dora looked with fright. Zé Ferret was asleep from fatigue. Big João placed himself in front of Dora. The light from the candle illuminated the girl’s blond hair, at times lighted on her breasts. Professor got up, leaned against the wall. Now the light was showing through the hole in the roof.

Good-Life was in front of them. Legless limped over, and the others right behind, their eyes on Dora. Good-Life spoke:

“Who’s this little piece?”

The Professor came forward:

“She was hungry. She and her brother. Smallpox killed her father and mother…”

Good-Life gave off a long laugh. He bent over:

“She’s a knockout…”

Legless laughed his mocking laugh, pointed to the others:

“They’re all like vultures over a piece of meat…”

Dora moved closer to Zé Ferret, who had awakened and was shaking with fear. A voice from among the boys said:

“Professor, do you think only you and Big João can have something to eat? Leave some for us too…”

Another shouted:

“My iron’s all hot…”

A lot of them laughed. One came forward and showed his sex to Big João:

“Look at this baby, Big Man. Crazy…”

Big João put himself in front of Dora. He didn’t say a word, but he drew his knife. Legless shouted:

“You won’t get anywhere that way. She’s got to be for all of us.”

Professor answered:

“Can’t you see she’s just a girl?…”

“She’s got teats already,” a voice shouted.

Dry Gulch came out from the group. His eyes were all excited, a laugh on his somber face:

“Lampião didn’t respect nobody. Let us have her, Big Boy…”

They knew that the Professor was weak, he couldn’t stand up. They were crazy and excited but they were still afraid of Big João, who was gripping his knife. Dry Gulch saw himself as though in the middle of Lampião’s gang, ready along with the rest to deflower the daughter of a landowner. The candle lighted up Dora’s blond hair. There was fright on her face.

Big João wasn’t saying anything but he clutched the knife in his hand. Professor opened his switchblade, stood beside him. Then Dry Gulch drew his knife too, started forward. The others came behind him, the dog was barking. Good-Life spoke once more:

“Stand aside, Big Boy. It’s better that way…”

Professor thought that if Cat had been there he would have been on their side because Cat already had a woman. But Cat had left.

Dora watched the advance. Fear was conquering the listlessness and fatigue that had been over her. Zé Ferret was crying. Dora didn’t take her eyes off Dry Gulch. The Halfbreed’s somber face was open with one desire, a nervous laugh shook it. She also saw the pockmarks on Good-Life’s face when he passed in front of the candle and then she remembered her dead mother. A sob shook her and held the boys back for a moment. Professor said:

“Can’t you see she’s crying?”

They stopped for a moment. But Dry Gulch spoke:

“What difference does that make for us? The pussy’s all the same…”

They kept on coming. They were advancing slowly, their eyes fixed now on Dora, now on the dagger Big João was holding. Suddenly they speeded up, came much closer. Big João spoke for the first time:

“I’ll cut the first one…”

Good-Life laughed, Dry Gulch swung his knife. Zé Ferret
was crying. Dora looked at him with frightened eyes. She hugged him, she saw Big João knock Good-Life down. The voice of Pedro Bala who was coming in made them stop:

“What the hell is going on?”

The Professor got up. Dry Gulch let go of him, he’d already cut him on the arm. Good-Life lay where he was, a cut on his face. Big João stood guard in front of Dora. Pedro Bala came forward:

“What’s this all about?”

Good-Life spoke from the ground:

“These guys fixed themselves a meal and they want it all for themselves. We’ve got a right to it too…”

“That’s right. I for one would like some screwing today,” Legless croaked.

Pedro Bala looked at Dora. He saw her breasts, her blond hair.

“They’re right…” he said. “Give up, Big João.”

The black boy looked at Pedro Bala, surprised. The group advanced again, led by Pedro Bala now. Big João put out his arms, shouted:

“Bullet, I’ll eat the first one who gets here.”

Pedro Bala took a step forward:

“Get away, Big Boy.”

“Can’t you see she’s just a girl? Can’t you see?”

Pedro Bala stopped, the group stopped behind him. Now Pedro was looking at Dora with other eyes. He saw the terror in her face, the tears falling from her eyes. He heard Zé Ferret sobbing. Big João was speaking:

“I’ve always stood by you, Bullet. I’m your friend, but she’s just a girl, the Professor and me brought her here. I’m your friend but if you come any closer I’ll kill you. She’s just a girl and nobody’s going to hurt her…”

“We’ll knock you down and then…” Dry Gulch said.

“Shut up,” Pedro Bala shouted.

Big João went on:

“Her father, her mother died of smallpox. We ran into her, she had no place to sleep, we brought her here. She’s no whore,
she’s just a girl, can’t you see that she’s just a girl? Nobody touches her, Bullet.”

Pedro Bala said in a low voice:

“She’s just a girl…”

He went over to Big João and the Professor’s side:

“You’re a good man, black boy. You’re straight…” He turned to the others. “Anyone who wants to, come ahead…”

“You can’t do this, Bullet…” and Good-Life ran his hand over the cut. “You want to have a taste of her now for yourself, like Big Boy and the Professor…”

“I swear I don’t want her, they don’t want her either. She’s just a girl. But nobody touches her. Let anybody who wants to try it…”

The younger ones, more fearful, were going away. Good-Life got up, went to his corner, wiping off the blood. Dry Gulch spoke to Pedro Bala slowly:

“I’m not going because I’m afraid. It’s because you said she’s just a girl.”

Pedro Bala went over to Dora:

“Don’t be afraid. Nobody’s going to touch you.”

She came out of her corner, took a piece of cloth, began to look after the Professor’s wound. Then she went over to Good-Life (who was all curled up), wet the drifter’s wound, put a bandage on it. All her fear, all her fatigue had disappeared. Because she trusted Pedro Bala. Then she asked Dry Gulch:

“Are you wounded too?”

“No…” the Halfbreed said without understanding. And he fled to his corner. He seemed to be afraid of Dora.

Legless was watching. The dog left his lap and came over to lick Dora’s feet. She petted him, asked Legless:

“Is he yours?”

“Yes, he is. But you can have him.”

She smiled. Pedro Bala wandered through the warehouse. Then he said to everyone:

“She leaves tomorrow. I don’t want any girls here.”

“No,” Dora said. “I’m staying, I’ll help you…I can cook, sew, wash clothes.”

“She can stay as far as I’m concerned,” Dry Gulch said.