Dialogues
In the 40's,after the Spanish civil war,many republicans defeated by the nationalist forces of Franco found refuge on the bordering mountains in the north of Portugal.
Some saw them as brigands, others gave them shelter and helped them on the sly of the police forces of Salazar They were...
The Outlaws
Old Eng. - "It was more or less here, some years ago - I was with Silva, that a couple of wolves suddenly appeared..."
I’ve even tried to take my wife a gift. Amid the chief' s protests, I've shot twice... but they vanished.
I've even tried to see if 1 had hit them, if there were any traces of blood... But no... there was nothing."
"At that time, and it was not long ago, it was dangerous to cross these desert mountains.
Not today.
No one risks one's neck as 1 did then, as the brigands were chased from here... Lieutenant Morais, from Vila Real, a good bloke."
"... Do you know Lieutenant Morais?..."
Driver - "Yes, I do, Sir."
Old Eng. - "Morais was the commanding officer in the Guards, and used to beat the northern mountains chasing smugglers; but the outlaws were the worst of all."
Young Eng. - "They were not exactly outlaws!"
Old Eng. - "They were dangerous blokes... They hid on the mountains, they used to come down to the villages with guns, lake- all that could be eaten... the hens... the
pigs... they even raped the young women...
Driver - "People used to say those things but... they harmed no one... they just wanted something to eat..."
Old Eng. - "Something to eat... Lieutenant Morais told me - and it even appeared on the papers - that, in order to put an end to it, they had to call the troops from Porto and from other places.
Young Eng. - "What would the papers say?
That they were escaping from war... wanted... here and there, with no place to hide?
You have no idea of what kind of life they led for years..."
Old Eng. - I agree they were desperate blokes, ready to stand for their lives... anyway they just lived here the way they lived out there.
When a war ends, there are always blokes who can' t adjust, who can' t fit, not in the least."
Young Eng. - "How could they fit..."
Do you know that whenever our authorities handed over a fugitive, the Franco' s Spaniards used to send them an invitation for the execution?"
Old Eng. - "Oh... that's communist propaganda!"
"It was a first-rate siege... They stood to the very fast and, while the survivors were being taken to Vila Real, their leader asked why wouldn't they shoot them on the spot...
Just imagine!
The man thought that in our country we shoot men!
They even treated their wounds...
They remained in Vila Real for two days, guarded on sight, as they were dangerous and up to any mean trick.
Then they came for the -m and that was all Morais heard about."
"Ei, watch out! Do you intend to fling us down the slope?"
Driver - "No, Sir, it’s just that... if Lieutenant Morais no longer heard about them, 1 raid. And nobody came for them... It was I who took them to Spain."
Old Eng. - "You?"
Young Eng. - "You? You who took them?"
Driver - "Indeed, Sir, it was me."
"In those days, I used to drive a van...
One evening, that inspector came to my door..."
Inspector - "Come. We have a job for you!
Follow the road to Chaves."
Driver - "Yes, Inspector..."
Inspector - "What's that?
Stop!"
"What's going on?
Silence!"
Driver - "They were arguing because one of the men wanted to have a pee and he couldn't with his hands tied on the back."
"We've remained a long time stopped in the middle of the road."
Pide 1 - "Pee on your shoes!"
Pide II - "But, Inspector, why don' t we untie one at a time so that they can have a pee?"
Inspector - "Are you mad? Do you want them to run away and us to start shooting in the middle of the road, so close to Chaves?
No way!!!
Be quiet! O.K.?
You, make them pee!"
All in the car - "Ah! Ah! Ah!
Ah! Ah! Ah!
Eh! Eh! Eh!
Oh! Oh! Oh! "
Old Eng. - "And did he do it?
Ah! Ah! Ah!"
Pide II - "Who? Me???
Ah! Ah! Ah! "
Inspector - "You mean you have never touch one of those?"
Ah! Ah! Ah!
"Ei... Silence!
Down there, in prison, whenever you twist those things to make them speak, don't you touch them? And you? Haven't you either done that before?"
Old Eng. - "Do they actually do that?"
Young Eng. - "Sure, they do!"
Old Eng. - "It's not possible..."
"Dear God, how miserable this is!
We'll get there with our backs in a complete mess."
"Well, then, did the men have a pee, or what?"
Outlaw - "A mi no!
Outlaw leader - "Dejalo, ban a decir que te has meado de miedo."
Old Eng. - "A though bloke, as Morais told me"
Young Eng. - "And then what ?"
Driver - "Then...
We've crossed Vila Verde da Raia without stopping and we've arrived at the frontier"
Inspector - Here are the men. It' s up to you now.
Turn around and let's go back.
Guardia Civil - "Apuntar...
Fuego!"
Driver - "When I came to my senses, I found myself sitting in my van unable to think."
"It was I who brought them..."
"It was I who brought them..."
"it was I who brought them..."
"It was I who brought them..."
"It was I who brought them..."
"It was I who brought them..."
Inspector - "Now you saw nothing!"
Or else, someone will make you pee!"
Driver - "It was I who brought them'
"It was I who brought them"
I was ill for many days...
and got rid of the van as soon as I was able to stand again."
Some days later, the man I'd sold the van to,
a merchant from Vila Pouca, came to see me..."
Merchant - "I found this stuck in the van's seat,
It must be yours."
Driver - "It was a notice with the list of the
Spaniards' names, the addresses they given and
other things they stated as their
identification."
Young Eng. - "And what have you done with those papers ?"
Driver - "Burnt everything..."