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Cam and Juan playing doctor with Juan's most recent winning cocks. They spent the last day in Villa Morelos, participating in a great adventure. The morning started off around nine, with beers all around. Juan was quite ill, so took a few hours to nap. Cam spent the time down in the plaza, meeting new friends, and drinking beer in an inner courtyard gambling den. After Juan awoke, they spent another few hours wandering around town, meeting up with people and conversing about the afternoons gallo (cocks) fight. Around three, people started converging on a flat field up the side of the mountain (well out of the village). Another few hours were spent drinking and playing cards, deciding the order of fights. Around 5:30 or 6:00, things finally got started. The gallos were prepared by sawing off their natural fighting spurs, and attaching nasty, curved razors in their place. Much counting and shouting ensued, and the cocks were more or less thrown at each other. It only took two or three minutes for one (or both) to be mangled badly enough that the fight couldn't continue. However, instead of starting the next fight, it seemed to require about half an hour of drinking, and discussing the last fight. The last of the events (although this might not have been meant to be the last) was very close. The rules are not quite clear, and only discussed in heated Spanish, so Cam never really knew what happened. However, the outcome was more exciting than the actual competition. A large man and a large young man (probably no more than a year or two older than Cam) seemed particularly disturbed by the close call. A few heated words flew, but very quickly digressed into fists and feet and teeth. The two soon became four or five, and far more human blood was shed than gallo. It took a voyage halfway across town (battling all the way), three or four other men, and over an hour to subdue the original fighters, all of whom were covered in blood by the end of the affair. Quite a scene. |