Rural Life, Cruelty, and Tragedy
Paco's Injury and Iván's Cruelty
The young lord begins a 15-day stay at the farmhouse for pigeon hunting. One day, as Paco returned from a giant oak tree, his leg gave out, and he fell, snapping his leg. While Paco is at home, waiting to accompany Iván to the doctor, Master Quirce is called to replace his father. Quirce does not understand why the young people are so distant and inexpressive. When the doctor diagnoses Paco with a fractured fibula and confirms his inability for several weeks, Iván does not hide his annoyance. He only thinks about needing Paco for the raid on the 22nd, but the leg, casted a week later, is useless.
On the day of the expected raid, Iván takes Paco early, using crutches, trying to fulfill his mission in the field. But the Master's rush, which ignores Paco's pain, causes him to slide and cut himself to the bone, to his master's irritation. The next day, Iván uses Quirce again as secretary, but they are still not congenial due to Quirce's contempt for his master's money. Paco's accident enables Iván to laugh with contempt at the suffering of his servant, whose lifelong disability he does not care about.
Azarías, Milana, and a Tragic Hunt
This episode opens with the cynical mockery of Don Pedro, who knows nothing about his wife a week after her departure. Iván visits Paco to challenge him to serve as secretary the next day, but Paco's apparent inability makes this impossible. The young lord, preferring not to use the sullen Quirce, calls for Azarías for the following day. When Iván goes to look for him, he sees Azarías feeding his milana and dedicating a fond farewell to her.
The morning hunt was abysmal, a fact the hunter attributed to Azarías not moving properly. Iván grew grumpy until he lost his temper and began shooting right and left. On the way home, Azarías calls attention to a camp and asks about the jackdaws that are emitting a croaking note. One of them, Milana, swoops down towards Azarías, but the young gentleman throws the gun into her face and pulls the trigger, deaf to Azarías's pleas, killing Milana before Azarías's tears and profound sadness.
In the afternoon, the young lord arrives to pick up Azarías, who takes what he needs for the hunt. Arriving near an oak grove, overlooking a camp, Iván urges Azarías towards a zurita (wood pigeon), but Azarías quietly climbs the tree instead. Once up, the gentleman asks Azarías for the cage, and when Azarías approaches, he links Azarías's neck with the rope to hang him, while Azarías looks to the sky calling for his "milana bonita".