1880 Facts about Port and Madeira by Henry Vizetelly

The Inhabitants of the Alto Douro Wine District. 97

the clatter of a horse's hoof was heard in the still night time in a Traz-os-Montes village, the peasants used to cross themselves and exclaim,"Grod help the poor lobis-homen!" The more popular idea of the lobis-homen was that the bewitched individual took theform of a wolf and prowled about at night in search of some newly-born infant to di'ink its blood,in order that •it might escape the spell under which it lay, and cease to be a lobis-homen. Thesuperstition regardingthe"bruxas"wasa pecu liarly horrible one. According to Mr. John Latouche they were believed to dig up the bodies of children, who had died before their first communion,with their finger-nails, and to carry them away to the hills and feast upon them. If they chanced to pass a sleeping shepherd on the way they would trail the dead child by the hair of its head over his body and over any sheep as well, and evei'y living thing it came in contact with was said to die before sunrise. The Douro peasant is particularly averse to military service, -and does his utmost to escape being drafted into the army. Many young fellows emigrate to the Brazils before attaining the age when they can be called upon to serve, and others resort to self-mutilation to avoid having to shoulder a rifie. The great ambition of every man in the Port wine country is to be the owner of a vineyard,and spite of the evil times which have fallen of late years on the Alto Douro farmer,his great and indeed only prideisin his vines. He is literally their slave. Hetoils and moils in his vineyard onlyto gather an indifterent harvest,which yields him scarcely a bare subsistence. The moment he sells his wine, and months before he delivers it, beyond seeking the customary deposit which binds the bargain,he will begfor some substantial advance, of which you may be certain he is sorely in need. And yet, pinched though he may be for money,he is thoroughly to be trusted,and after agreeing to sell his wine will neither sophis ticate it nor attempt in any way to cheat the purchaser. Still, with all this, should he chance to have a dispute with a neigh bour, on the provocation of an angry word he will run a knife into his adversary without a moment's hesitatioir or subsequent

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