Summary

When Almeyda leaves the Tupi village, she comes across a nameless stranger, who points her towards Minas Gerais and gives her an idea of what she can expect there. He obeys a kind of code of moral conduct that stipulates traveling strangers are obliged to help each other. “We’re strangers,’ he said as he started off and indicated for me to follow. ‘We’re strangers who perform the rites of kindness of strangers. There’s nothing about me that you need to know” (699).

After this benevolent encounter Almeyda’s path is diverted by a gigantic anaconda. She instead takes a mountainous path towards Minas Gerais. The snake seems an omen of something. Almeyda next encounters a woman who lives alone as an itinerant gold prospector. Her name is Mauritia. Many types of men flock to Minas...