Epopeya de los quince jinetes

Marcos Mundstock:
Next, Les Luthiers will perform the 'Epic of the fifteen riders', a native oratory for folk ensemble, narrator, fifteen riders, pursued leader, and paradigmatic horse. We will not mention the authors of this epic, because they themselves have chosen anonymity. And as it arises from the artistic merits of the work, not out of false modesty but out of genuine prudence. It is enough to say that in the annals of the Society of Authors, this work appears, not as registered, but as reported.

Marcos Mundstock: Fifteen gauchos ride in search of Eleuterio Manzano. Eleuterio Manzano, a leader like few others... Reserved and taciturn man, no one ever knew if he was sad or happy, if he was with the federalists or the unitarians... If he was there or not. He was a man of few words: 'knife', 'wine', 'coin', 'come my black woman'... He never forgot his promises, and sometimes even managed to fulfill them. Eleuterio Manzano knew how to make his defeats expensive... and so he built a position. Today we are going to tell the true story of his capture, the feat of the fifteen brave men who one day set out in pursuit of Eleuterio Manzano. The fifteen gauchos ride in silence. The wars of Independence have ended, but the clamor of the civil war does not cease. The fifteen gauchos ride in silence. They have lost their horses at the hands of the Indians, but they remain united by the same ideal, united by the same mission, and united because they all ride the same horse. The suffering animal bears the effort, without a word of reproach.
Chorus: (Milonga) Who usurped your epic
little horse, little Creole horse!
You endure fifteen riders
and their haughty orders
I imagine what you think
of their respective mothers.

They have one more horse... but they keep it as a backup. They are fifteen gauchos, fifteen stories... In front of the others, clinging as best he can to the horse's neck, is the tracker Antenor Vituperio. Three years ago, they made him smell a boot of Eleuterio Manzano, and since then he has not eaten or slept... not eating or sleeping while following the trail. Behind Antenor, the brave captain Saturnino. With narrowed eyes, he remembers himself in the battle of Costurón del Camote, galloping against the enemy, shouting: 'Let those who want to follow me, victory or death...!' He still seems to hear the roar of his men behind him... 'Good luck, my Captain!' And there are the others, the nameless braves, the anonymous heroes: the dark-haired one with mustaches, the one with the scar, the one with the broderie blouse... Bringing up the rear, where the back edge of the horse overlooks the emptiness of the pampas, is Sergeant Floreal, clinging to the tail of the animal. They are fifteen gauchos...
Chorus: (Zamba) They are tough in appearance
but sweet inside,
that's why they were baptized:
...the fifteen melons.

The fifteen gauchos ride in silence in search of the enemy. But there are some who are not there, like Cornelio Argüello. At the Guanaco Mocho Post, they had proposed that he join. He wanted to join... but he fell back and asked for more wine. Filomeno Báez is also missing. In the village of Remezón del Pavo, he deserted, entangled in the skirts of a lady. They tried to untangle him, but the skirt was lace and they couldn't waste any more time.
Chorus: (Gato) Love burns in the chest, just like alcohol
Alcohol heals wounds, just like love
Love intoxicates man, just like alcohol
Alcohol weakens him, just like love
Some even confuse
wine and beautiful women,
they take their beloved to their lips
and go to bed with the bottle.

The fifteen men ride in silence in search of Eleuterio Manzano's hiding place. Here and there, dogs bark as they pass...
Chorus: (Milonga) Who usurped your epic,
little dog, little Creole dog!
One day they will make your statue
with the most luxurious marbles,
and although the fields ignore you
their trees never forget you.

The arsenal was very meager. Ambassador McMillan had offered them six cannons, but on the condition that they not be used for war purposes. The dealer Rosales had promised them long weapons, and sent them fifteen spears. Captain Saturnino himself carries only that inseparable silver-handled dagger with ivory inlays... stuck in his back. The one behind the captain uses it to hang the canteen.
Chorus: (Triumph) Perhaps the valiant troop
so poor, so unarmed
will resist for a short time.
Only some of them have
sawn-off shotguns...
sawn off from a magazine.

However, they will sell their lives dearly.
Fighting with knives, forks, and spoons.
In the last battle, at Potrero de los Bagres, they had hidden the only cannon they had left with branches and leaves... and the ants ate it.
Chorus: (Milonga) Who usurped your epic,
ant, little Creole ant!
You, who populated the pampas,
tiny little animal,
God bless your constancy
and preserve your appetite.

The fifteen men ride in silence searching for Eleuterio Manzano's hiding place. Suddenly...
-Sniff sniff... Our man is close!
-Eleuterio Manzano...?
-I don't know Eleuterio, but his boots for sure.
In front of the fifteen gauchos, in the middle of the pampas, a gate and a sign faded by time: 'Nutritious Farm'.
The coward has hidden in the farm!
-Attack my brave men...! Attack, take the farm!
The fifteen men burst into the farm at a gallop. Once inside, a handful of women, elderly, and children are easily dispersed. They only encounter resistance when trying to take the latrine. With a log, they improvise a battering ram with which they try to knock down the door. From inside, the energetic voice of an old man replies: Occupied!!!
Chorus: (Payada) Saturnino urges the old man
and says fiercely
- Get out immediately!
- Come in... if you're so brave!
Finally, after two hours, he comes out, his bravery broken. No one expected such bravery
or such hardness...
They are about to let him go, when Antenor, the tracker, throws himself at the old man's feet and begins to sniff his boots. Finally, with professional coldness, he says: 'This is Eleuterio Manzano... The firing squad is formed immediately. Captain Saturnino blindfolds Manzano, reminds him of his rights, and warns him that everything he says can be used against him. Finally, the captain says to him:
-You can ask me for the last grace- and the prisoner asks him to imitate a monkey.
-Ready... Fire!!!
The silence of the pampas is the only response. Eight bewildered men, kneeling, aim at Manzano's chest... with knives and forks. Saturnino, with gallantry, suspends the execution. Later, in his tent, drafting the action report, Saturnino asks Sergeant Floreal:
-How many casualties, Sergeant?
-Two casualties, my Captain... four, rather thin... but the others are great! And there were the little Creole girls...
Chorus: (Milonga) Who usurped your epic,
little Creole girl, little Creole girl
That night a dance is organized to celebrate the victory.
Chorus: (Chacarera) They attract each other with their eyes
they fall in love instantly
they whisper in the ear
and then move to touch
Some go into the thicket
others lie on the grass
since the farm is small
the cots are not enough.
And here ends the story
of valor at full speed
I hope you liked it
farewell and good night