Captain Mendonça

By Machado de Assis

"I felt an acute pain in the top part of my skull; a foreign object went in to the inside of my brain. I know nothing else. I think I fainted. When I came to, the laboratory was empty. Father and daughter had disappeared. I had the impression there was a curtain in front of me. A loud and hoarse voice resounded in my ears."

Genre: short story
Translated from Portuguese (Brazil) by Juan LePuen
Length: 8,700 words

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fario
• Release date: Dec 15, 2013
• ISBN: 9781311090720

Machado de Assis

Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis (Rio de Janeiro, 21 de junho de 1839 Rio de Janeiro, 29 de setembro de 1908) foi um escritor brasileiro, considerado por muitos críticos, estudiosos, escritores e leitores o maior nome da literatura brasileira.

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Captain Mendonça

Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis

Translated by Juan LePuen

First published as O capitão Mendonça in Jornal das Famílias, 1870

English translation copyright 2013 Juan LePuen and Fario

Published at Smashwords by Fario

Contents

I

II

III

IV

V

More from Fario

I

One night, slightly irritated at the lady who occupied my thoughts, I found myself at a loss and with no desire to pass the time cheerfully, as you ought to do in such situations. I didn’t want to go home because that would be going into battle with loneliness and rumination, two mistresses who take it on themselves to put an end to all fits of sentimental irritation.

There was a show at the Teatro de São Pedro. I didn’t want to know what play was being put on; I bought a ticket for the stalls and went to give it a look just as the curtains were rising for the start of the first act. The act was promising; it started with a murder and ended with an oath. There was a girl who didn’t know her mother or father, and she was abducted by a person wrapped in a cape I suspected was the girl’s mother or father. There was vague talk of a disguised marquis, and there was foreshadowing of a second and coming murder in the person of an old countess. The act ended to a lot of applause.

As soon as the curtain dropped, there was the usual fracas; the audience members marked their seats and went out for air. I, who was fortunately in a spot where I couldn’t be bothered, stretched my legs out and started looking in the direction of the grand drape, on which my peeved lady, through no effort of my own, appeared with closed fists and threatening me with furious eyes.

What do you think of the play, Senhor Amaral?

I turned in the direction from which I heard my name spoken. To my left was an individual, older already, wearing a military tunic and smiling pleasantly at me.

Are you surprised I know your name, the individual asked.

I am indeed, I replied; I don’t recall having seen you. . . .

You’ve never seen me; I got here yesterday from Rio Grande do Sul. I haven’t ever seen you, either, and yet I recognized you right away.

I can guess, I replied; people tell me I look a lot like my father. You know him, right?

Of course. We were brothers in arms. In the army Colonel Amaral and Captain Mendonça passed for being the very picture of friendship.

I remember now that my father talked a lot to me about a Captain Mendonça.