The War of the End of the World

Colonel Moreira César and the Seventh Regiment arrive to much fanfare at Queimadas station. Pires Ferreira and Major Brito present themselves and are tasked with caring for the sick and animals in the rear guard, punishment for the damage their defeats have done to the army’s reputation. Moreira César meets the press, explaining that he is not here to interfere in local political squabbles, but to put down the monarchist plot. He warns them to follow his rules if they wish to accompany the regiment. Instead of eating the feast laid out by the two parties, he gives it all to the public.

The Gypsy’s Circus has success travelling the backlands and putting on shows, until the 1877 drought decimates their number, with most performers either leaving or dying. Soon only the Bearded Lady, the Dwarf, and the Idiot remain. One day they come upon a man with red hair like they have never seen before: Galileo Gall. They ask Jurema if he is dead, and she says not yet.

Canudos, the Counselor predicts, “will be destroyed by fire” (151). He is in the Sanctuary with his intimate circle, including Lion of Natuba, whose job is to write down every word the Counselor speaks.