Summary

Chapter 26 is titled “A Bunch of Short Dark Hapsburgs.” China describes Hernandez as showing them “the man of the future, which he embodied: … paved roads … steam power … economy of the pampas … seed of civilization and progress in this fertile and brutish land” (107), populated only by gauchos, “savages” who “float above the ground” (107) with no sense of history or future. He also describes the gauchos as creating “a bunch of short dark Hapsburgs” (108) as a result of having sexual relations with their mothers. As he speaks of the gauchos’ sexuality, China sees him watch Liz with sexually hungry eyes, describing him as having the pricks of dogs where his eyes should be. Meanwhile, the Colonel speaks at detailed length about Miss Daisy, the white teacher he brought in to teach the gauchos and their children. He describes how one night, she...