Histories of Witches – Historias de Brujos
From Cuentos Populares en Chile (Chilean Folktales) – by Ramón A. Laval
Part 2 – Myths, Traditions, Things (Mitos, Tradiciones, Casos)
069. The Cobbler Who Turned Into A Rooster (El Zapatero Que Se Volvia Gallo)
I was employed at the main Post Office Administration of Santiago (1888) [where] the position of 2nd Officer of the same Administration was held by Mr. Francisco Muñoz Donoso, brother of the famously venerated orator Mr. Esteban Muñoz Donoso, [and] in whose company and that of his entire family, lived on Santa Rosa Street.
One day when several employees at the office were talking about strange things of Santiago, Muñoz Donoso told us the odd story of a cobbler who said he had become a rooster, and after having expressed desires to hear from this very cobbler himself who was the protagonist of such an unusual tale, he took me to the house of the cobbler, who also lived on Santa Rosa Street.
The cobbler was an elderly man with a cheerful expression and a friendly countenance, despite missing one eye, whose eyelids sank into the socket.
Knowing the purpose of my visit and at the sight of two 20 centavo coins placed on his work table, he let loose his tongue and began to tell me that story:
“There lived on this same street, close to my house, sir, a rich gentleman who had lost his fortune in cockfighting, which he was very fond of. One day when this gentleman brought me some shoes to mend, he began to talk to me and complained about his bad luck: he had no more than 200 pesos left from the many thousands that he once had and he was thinking about betting them next Sunday on a famous English cock that they would bring to the arena that day. I told him: -Stop by my room, sir, before going to the arena. I’ll leave the door ajar so you can enter, and on my work table you will find a cage with a great fighting cock; take it and bet as much as you can on that cock and he will surely win [money for you]. On your return you will leave the cage where you found it, and next to it, five pesos for every bet that you have won.
“Sunday came and I, sir, who was practicing the art back then, turned myself into a cock and got inside the cage. The gentleman stopped by, took me to the arena, and I easily dispatched four or five others, including the famous English cock.
“As soon as the gentleman got back, he put me on the table and left. I left the cage and turned back into human form and found more than one hundred pesos placed at the agreed upon place.
“The next day he told me that he had earned about 5000 pesos and we agreed that he’d come back for the cock [again] on Sunday. He took me [to the arena] again, and as in the previous time, I killed all the cocks that they put against me, and this continued on for more than a month, [with] the gentleman filling [his pocket] with money and I earning between one hundred and one hundred and fifty pesos every Sunday, so that, as I was supported by the winning money, I didn’t even have to work anymore. Sir, everyone became afraid of me and no longer wanted to bet against me, because they were all going broke. But it [so] happened that once, at the end of a fight, a skinny and ugly man, whom I saw in the arena for the first time, challenged my patron [to a fight] next Sunday, saying to him that he’d bring a cock much better than that [in the possession] of my patron and from which a bet of 20,000 pesos were placed. -“Agreed!” my patron told him, and taking the cage, he put it back in my room together with my share of the winning money. I, sir, if I have to tell you the truth, got a little scared upon hearing the challenge from that ugly man, but, when Sunday arrived, to build up my courage, for I was still scared, I drank a shot of aguardiente (e.g. liquor, brandy), transformed into a cock and put myself in the cage. When we arrived at the arena, the skinny man was already there with a burly cock, sir, a cock that was a giant among cocks, and he renewed his bet. They went with 20,000 pesos and [then] put me and my opponent face to face.
“Sir, it was a tremendous fight. My self-esteem was hurt and my blood boiled on seeing that gigantic cock. -“Clo, clo, clo!”- said my enemy after some time of fighting in which we did nothing but plucked one another’s feathers, and he [then] launched such a fierce peck in my right eye and took it out completely, from which I almost lost consciousness; but I was sustained by the rage [that was in me] and the aguardiente (e.g. liquor, brandy) that I had drunk, and I charged at him with all my might; he also defended himself valiantly, and the spectacle was so enthralling that the spectators didn’t even breathe. I was, sir, blind of rage from being one-eyed, and grew more bold on hearing that everyone bet against me. -“Let’s have 20,000 more pesos,” shouted the skinny man. -“Let’s have 20,000 more”, replied my patron. I believe that between all the spectators they must have had more than 100,000 pesos in favor of the other cock. The fact is that after so much fighting we contestants were both very tired, but I could see the other cock was more worn out than I was; and one peck after another, and one knock back with the spur and another which hit thin air, I caught my opponent in a careless moment and… Clo, clo, clo, clo!… with all the strength that I had left, I pierced his head with my spur and left him lying dead. Sir, you could hear nothing but the curses of those who lost their bet, which were almost all of those who were there, and the sound of my patron counting the money that he received and pocketed with great pleasure.
My patron left me $5,000 next to the cage, and the next day, upon seeing me missing one eye, he asked what had happened to me. Only then did I tell him that it was me who fought as a cock, and I told him that I no longer intended to turn into a cock again. I believe, sir, -he added-, that the cock which I killed was a man like myself, and who knows if it was the Devil who got into him.
The gentleman told me that as he had already remade his fortune, he planned not to gamble again and this was what he did. But I, sir, who was still young and did not forget the many times that I had been a [victorious] cock, so to enjoy myself I lived it up and spent all of the silver [which I won], and when I was left with nothing I returned to work in my old job as a cobbler.
Sir, the money that is earned by the dark arts will not last, and it will turn into salt and water once more.
—– VOCABULARY —–
Gallo – (bird) rooster, cock; (strange pitch) wrong note (in singing), squeak (in speaking); (strong man) tough guy; (ballad) serenade; (wad of phlegm) loogie, gob
Desempeñar – (to execute) to carry out, to hold (a position), to play (a role); (to retrieve valuables) to redeem; (theater) to play
Desempeñarse – (to perform functions) to work as; (finances) to get out of debt
Canónigo – (religious) canon; (culinary) corn salad, lamb’s lettuce; (botany) corn salad, lamb’s lettuce
Orador – speaker, orator
Sagrado – (venerated) holy, sacred; (highly important) sacred; (religious) sanctuary (refuge in church or monastery), consecrated ground (sacred land)
Peregrino – (religious) pilgrim; (wandering) traveling; (bird) migratory; (idea or suggestion) strange
Entrado en años – getting on in years, elderly
Párpado – (anatomy) eyelid
Cuenca – (geography) basin, catchment area; (mining) mining area; (anatomy) socket
Chauchas – peanuts
Chaucha – (green bean) string bean, green bean, French bean; (small potato) early potato; (coin) 20 centavo coin; (very boring) deadly dull; (of a low standard) poor quality
Desatar – (to release) to untie, to undo, to loosen, to let loose; (to set off) to trigger, to spark, to spark off, to unleash
Desatarse – (to come loose) to come undone, to come untied; (to burst) to break out, to break, to erupt
Sinhueso – (anatomy) tongue
Remendar – (to sew up) to darn, to mend; (to put a patch on) to patch; (to remedy) to correct
Departir – to converse, to talk, to chat
Quejarse – (to protest) to complain, to whine, to moan, to grumble; (to express pain) to whine, to moan, to groan, to complain
Apostar – (to gamble) to bet; (to station) to station, to post, to position; (to speculate) to bet; (to choose; used with “por”) to opt for, to go for
Apostarse – (to gamble) to bet; (to station oneself) to position oneself
Cancha – (playing area for basketball, tennis, etc.) court (basketball, tennis); (playing area for soccer, rugby etc.) field, pitch; (golf course) course; (no restriction) free reign; (space) room; (expertise) experience; (culinary) cancha, corn nuts
Junta – (discussion) meeting; (assembly of people) board, committee, council; (mechanics and plumbing) joint, gasket, washer; (military) junta
Despachar – (to solve) to deal with, to take care of, to see to; (to direct) to send, to dispatch (merchandise), to ship; (to conclude) to finish; (to make a sale) to sell; (to dismiss from a job) to fire, to sack; (to provide service) to serve; (to kill) to dispatch, to finish off; (to record) to check in; (to provide service) to serve, to be open for service; (to hasten) to hurry up; (to converse) to talk; (to meet) to have a meeting with
Despacharse – (to help oneself) to serve oneself; (to speak one’s mind) to give a piece of one’s mind; (to finish off) to polish off, to finish off; (to surprise) to cause a stir
Boya – (nautical) buoy; (fishing) float
Agarrar – (to grasp with the hands) to grab, to take, to take hold of, to grip (with force), to grasp (with force), to seize (by force), to catch (a projectile), to hold on to, to hold; (to capture) to catch; (to take possession of) to get hold of; (to understand) to get; (to become sick with) to catch; (to surprise) to catch
Arruinar – (to mess up) to ruin, to destroy, to wreck, to spoil; (to impoverish) to ruin, to bankrupt
Arruinarse – (to mess up) to be ruined, to be destroyed; (to impoverish) to be ruined, to go bankrupt
Desafiar – (to invite to participate) to challenge, to dare; (to confront) to defy
Trago – (small amount of a liquid) drink, swig, sip, gulp, shot (alcohol); (alcohol) drink; (bad experience)
Aguardiente – (strong alcoholic beverage) liquor; (alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane) aguardiente
Macizo – (firm) solid; (robust) sturdy, well built, burly; (attractive) hunky, hot, gorgeous; (geology) massif; (mountainous area) massif; (cluster of plants) clump; (architecture) solid area
Renovar – (to extend the validity of) to renew; (to refurbish) to renovate, to change; (to repair) to renovate, to restore; (to overhaul) to update, to bring up to date; (to rekindle) to renew; (to reinvigorate) to revitalize
Renovarse – (to start again) to resume
Hervir – (to scald) to boil; (to get hot) to boil; (to be full of) to swarm with; (to scald) to boil
Denuedo – (courage) valor; hard; boldness; boldly; efforts; courage
Ni siquiera – not even; even; don’t even; didn’t even; doesn’t even
Espolón – (biology) spur; (architecture) buttress; (geography) spur; (breakwater) sea wall, cutwater (of a bridge), dike; (nautical) ram, stem; (medicine) chilblain
Pillar – (to grab) to catch, to get; (to capture) to catch; (to surprise) to catch; (to come down with) to catch, to get; (to knock down) to hit, to run over; (to understand) to get; (to watch carefully) to look; (to be located); (to watch carefully) to look
Pillarse – (to pinch) to catch
Atravesar – (to go across) to cross, to go through; (to penetrate) to go through, to pierce; (to live through) to go through, to experience; (to place) to put across
Atravesarse – (to get in the way) to cut off, to cross in front of; (to occur) to arise; (to stick) to get stuck; (to interfere; used with “en”) to butt into; (to annoy) to rub the wrong way
Embolsar – (to receive) to collect, to take in, to pocket (generally dishonestly)
Embolsarse – (to earn) to collect, to take in, to pocket (generally dishonestly)
Placentero – (nice) pleasant, agreeable
Remoler – (to pulverize) to grind up; (to bug) to annoy; (to have fun) (Chile) to live it up
Aprovechar – (to make use of) to take advantage of, to make the most of, to make good use of; (to utilize) to use; (to make use of; often used with “para”) to make the most of it, to take the opportunity to
Aprovecharse – (to exploit; used with “de”) to take advantage of; (to abuse sexually, used with “de”) to take advantage of, to abuse