In Gaucho Country
A Journey to the Land of Argentine Cowboys
by Ryan T. Bell
Ryan Bell
Telephone:
406-682-4586
P.O. Box 1116
E-mail:
ryantbell@gmail.com
Ennis, MT 59729
Web:
www.ryantbell.com
1
Table of Contents
Bell/ In Gaucho Country
Overview
Page
About the Book
3
About the Author
4
Market
6
Competition
10
Production Details
12
Promotion Plan
14
The Book
Chapter Outline
17
Chapter Descriptions
18
Appendix
Accolades
Curriculum Vitae
2
About the Book
Bell/ In Gaucho Country
About the Book
Short Hook. In Gaucho Country is the story of an American cowboy working with the gauchos
of Argentina. Larry McMurtry meets Paul Theroux in a travel memoir that brings to life the
world of gauchos the way Lonesome Dove did cowboys in the American West. The 60,000-word
manuscript contains 275 pages, including 35 pages of special matter and 50 black-and-white
images (artwork and photography).
Armed with the promise of work on a cattle ranch in the Andes Mountains, American
cowboy Ryan Bell travels to Argentina on a quest to explore gaucho country. It's a landscape
that looks and feels like the American West of 100 years ago. On the 100,000-acre Estancia
Ranquilco, he meets Hugo Manterola, a larger-than-life gaucho. When Bell falls in love with
Hugo's daughter Silvana, he must shed his cowboy skin and prove himself worthy as a
gaucho. Along the way he goes on epic cattle drives, learns to train horses in the doma
tradition and battles to earn the respect of gauchos that don't give an inch when it comes to
accepting a stranger into their ranks.
Here, too, is a portrait of gaucho culture that's far more complex than the knife-wielding
rogues portrayed in history books. Bell brings modern-day gauchos to life through heartwrenching portrayals of the people he meets. A mother trying to raise her son in the macho
culture of gauchos, a man in the death-grip of alcoholism, another scarred by a lost love and a
grandfather exerting his patriarchal influence over a grandson. Taken together, these
characters depict life in remote Argentina, the last American frontier. Told through the lens of
a cowboy, In Gaucho Country is an insightful tale that cuts to the bone of the modern-day
gaucho's existence, welcoming readers into an Andes community they will never forget.
3
About the Author
Bell/ In Gaucho Country
About the Author
Ryan T. Bell is an award-winning writer for Western Horseman, the world's largest-circulation
horse magazine. Born in New Mexico and raised in Colorado, Ryan is a product of the
American West. He received a degree in U.S. History from the University of Colorado and has
worked for a decade in the ranching and outfitting industries. The highlight of his career, thus
far, was a five-year stint in South America, where he worked with the gauchos of Argentina.
Bell has since returned to the U.S., where he wrangles horses and writes from his home in
Montana. He is a member of the prestigious Society of American Travel Writers, Western
Writers of America and American Horse Publications.
Over the past five years, Western Horseman has published Bell's seven-part series about
Argentina. Spanning from June 2005's "Gone Gaucho" to February 2010's "Up the Andes," the
series took an in-depth look at modern-day gauchos. The articles were met with critical
acclaim and Western Horseman readers now await the release of the book In Gaucho Country.
When he's not writing, Bell works in the dude ranching and backcountry outfitting industries.
His work as a cowboy, wrangler and lodge manager has garnered him attention in
newspapers (Miami Herald, Denver Post), magazines (Big Sky Journal, Horizons) and travel
media (Andrew Harper's Hideaway Report). Along the way, Bell's work has earned a nationwide
following in the pages of Western Horseman.
Bell envisions that In Gaucho Country will be the first in a series of "cowboy" travel adventures.
Next up is The Cowboy Who Killed Me, a roadtrip through the American West to discover the
fate befallen his long-lost cowboy grandfather. The series culminates with A Cowboy World, a
collection of essays that explore the cowboy's cultural roots in Africa, Asia, Central America
and Europe.
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Bell/ In Gaucho Country
Market
Primary Market
Publishing trends indicate a "buzz" building around Argentina. Since 2006, gauchos have been
featured in magazine articles (Western Horseman, Cowboys & Indians, Range) and at high-profile
events (National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, Kentucky Derby and the National Cowboy and
Western Heritage Museum). In Gaucho Country (Gaucho) will capitalize on that momentum by
marketing to three segments of the equestrian niche market: Western literature readers,
cowboy aficionados and English-discipline equestrians. Together, they are a one-million
reader demographic that spends considerable discretionary income on horse-related books
and magazines.

Western Literature - Gaucho is a Western story at heart. The book's setting (a cattle
ranch in the Andes Mountains) and themes (man vs. frontier, the "cowboy life" of
gauchos) will resonate with readers of the Western genre. The book's exotic location,
Argentina, will appeal to those who enjoyed such international "Westerns" as Grass
Beyond the Mountains (Canada), Hidalgo (Arabia), All the Pretty Horses (Mexico) and The
Man From Snowy River (Australia).

Cowboy Aficionados - Cowboys feel a kinship toward gauchos because of their parallel
frontier histories and similar European ancestries. They will read Gaucho to learn about
their South American brethren and to live vicariously through the adventures of a
cowboy in Argentina. The book will read like a "how-to manual" for the gauchos'
methods of horsemanship and ranching, enabling cowboys to enrich their knowledge
about the profession.

English-Discipline Equestrians - Gaucho horsemanship is the foundation of
Argentina's dominance in English-discipline events such as polo, dressage and horse
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Bell/ In Gaucho Country
Market
racing. American practitioners of these sports will read Gaucho to gain insight into
their South American competitors' success. Also, for women, who represent a large
percentage of English-discipline equestrians, Gaucho's romantic storyline of a love affair
between a cowboy (the author) and a gaucho's daughter will appeal to their emotional
senses.
Secondary Market
Books about cowboys and horses have the potential for becoming mainstream successes (as
happened for Lonesome Dove, All the Pretty Horses and The Horse Whisperer). In Gaucho Country
will be poised to do the same, with the potential of being cross-listed in the Travel and
Memoir sections of bookstores. Here are three market segments that will be fertile ground for
the book's crossover success.

Cultural Memoir - Gaucho is more than just a travelogue; it's the memoir of a cowboy
who lived and worked as a gaucho. Bell's story cuts to the bone of the gaucho's
everyday reality, getting insightfully close to his subject in the way only a cowboy can.
In this regard, Gaucho will appeal to readers that enjoy culturally insightful memoirs
like Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight (Africa), Catfish and Mandala (Vietnam) and
Memoirs of a Geisha (Japan). In addition, Gaucho will strike a chord where the genres of
Memoir and Western cross, such as the books This House of Sky, Where Rivers Change
Directions and Grass Beyond the Mountains.

Argentina Tourism - Argentina is one of the fastest-growing travel destinations in the
world. In 2007, 2.3 million people visited Argentina - 25% were European (575,000) and
14% American (322,000). In 2009, Buenos Aires ranked as the 51st most-searched
international travel destination. And in the past five years, Argentina-related articles
have appeared in: Travel + Leisure, National Geographic Traveler, Outside, Food and Wine
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Bell/ In Gaucho Country
Market
and The New York Times. Argentina-bound tourists are intrigued by the world of
gauchos and yet there isn't a book on the subject. Gaucho will fill that need.

Armchair Travelers - First-person narratives set in exotic destinations are performing
well in the publishing industry. Books like Reading Lolita in Tehran, The Places In Between
and Three Cups of Tea have broadened armchair travelers' horizons beyond Eurocentric
narratives (Under the Tuscan Sun, A Year in Provence). Given the travel statistics about
Argentina, Gaucho will be ripe for becoming the next travelogue that armchair travelers
"discover."
Other Markets
In Gaucho Country will be the first travel/memoir about the gauchos of Argentina. This
position creates several unique market opportunities.

Translation Rights - A Spanish-language version of Gaucho will sell well in Argentina,
Spain and in neighboring South American countries like Bolivia, Chile, Peru and
Uruguay. A British version will perform well in cowboy-crazed countries like England
and Australia.

Institutional Sales - Gaucho will sell at cultural events and museums such as the
Western Folklife Center in Nevada, the National Cowboy and Western Heritage
Museum in Oklahoma and the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington.

Course Adoption - As a first-person account of gaucho culture, Gaucho has
anthropologic, ethnographic and historic significance. It will be a candidate for course
adoption in Latin American Studies, U.S. History, Latin American History and Western
American Studies.
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Bell/ In Gaucho Country

Market
Soundtrack - Folk-music fans haven’t discovered gaucho music. A soundtrack titled
"Music that inspired the book In Gaucho Country" will enhance the reader's experience
and promote additional book sales. The album will be produced by a company such as
Putumayo World Music or Western Jubilee Recording Company and then distributed to
booksellers, music stores and non-traditional outlets like coffee shops and western
apparel stores.

Electronic Media - Gaucho's eBook version will include multimedia components such as
interactive links to photographs, artwork, videos, music from the gaucho soundtrack
and a quick-translation function for gaucho terms.

Spin Offs - This book is the first in a three-part series about the international world of
cowboys. After Gaucho, they will include: The Cowboy Who Killed Me (geneaological
journey through the West), and A Cowboy World (travels exploring the cowboy's cultural
roots in Africa, Asia, Central America and Europe). Each title will build momentum for
the series and bolster sales of back listed titles.
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Bell/ In Gaucho Country
Competition
The Competition
The closest competing titles are Nick Reding's 2001 book The Last Cowboys at the End of the
World and Polly Evans' 2008 travelogue On a Hoof and a Prayer. Three complementary titles
will build synergy with In Gaucho Country - Gauchos and the Vanishing Frontier, In Patagonia and
The Old Patagonian Express.
Competing Titles

The Last Cowboys at the End of the World: The Story of the Gauchos of Patagonia by Nick
Redding (293 pp, Three Rivers Press, hardcover, 2001, OUT OF PRINT). A mix of
journalistic reportage and cultural study about a gaucho family in southern Chile. Critics
point out that a true "story of the gaucho" should be about Argentina, not neighboring
Chile. Redding's readers reacted by sending The Last Cowboy out of print.

On a Hoof and a Prayer: Around Argentina at a Gallop by Polly Evans (320 pp, Delta Press,
trade, 2008, $11.90). English travel writer Polly Evans goes to Argentina on a mission to
learn how to ride horses. As a neophyte horsewoman and non-Spanish speaker, Evans'
lighthearted story lacks authenticity and cultural insight.
Complementary Titles

Gauchos and the Vanishing Frontier by Richard W. Slatta (273 pp, University of Nebraska
Press, paperback, second edition 1992, $27). A history of Argentina's gauchos from the
1700s through the early-20th century. Gaucho will fulfill what Slatta himself asks for: a look
at modern-day gauchos.

In Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin (240 pp, Penguin Classics, paperback, 2003, $15). In print
since 1977, Chatwin's book is part nature writing and part travelogue. He depicts the wild
-side of Patagonia, "the uttermost part of the earth." Gaucho will read like a human compendium to Chatwin's book by detailing the cowboy inhabitants of the land.
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Bell/ In Gaucho Country

Competition
The Old Patagonian Express: By Train Through the Americas by Paul Theroux (404 pp, Mariner
Books, paperback,1979, $15.95). American travel writer Paul Theroux journeys by train
from Boston to South America. The last quarter of the book is set in Argentina and
concludes when he takes the Patagonia Express (the book's namesake) to the Andes
Mountains. Readers of Gaucho will feel like they stepped off Theroux's train and stayed
awhile.
10
Production Details
Bell/ In Gaucho Country
Production Details
Summary: 60,000-word manuscript, 275 pages, including 35 pages of special matter and 50
black-and-white images (artwork and photography).
Special Matter:

Front - Dedication (1 pg.), Contents (2 pgs.), Map (2 pgs.), Photography Insert (15 pgs.)

Back - Author's Notes (4 pgs.), Bibliography (3 pgs.), Index (8 pgs.)
Unique Attributes:

Organization - The book is grouped into two sections: Book One (8 chapters) and Book
Two (8 Chapters). It will also include a Prologue and Epilogue.

Chapter Design - Chapter Title Pages will feature black-and-white images and quotes from
gaucho literature relating to each chapter's theme. The body of the chapter will include
footnotes that are interesting story-asides, told at the margin so as not to disrupt the book's
narrative.

eBook - Gaucho will use up-to-date eBook technology. Ideas include a scroll-over
translation function, hyperlinks to web-content, color versions of black-and-white
photographs and an audio soundtrack featuring gaucho folk music.
Artwork and Photographs: 50 black-and-white images, displayed on chapter title pages and
in a 15-page photography insert at the middle of the book.
Permissions. Photographs will be provided by the author, Eliseo Miciú and Estancia
Ranquilco. Five Argentine artists will provide artwork: Eleodoro Marenco, Francisco Madero
Marenco, Georg Miciú Nicolovici, Rodolfo Ramos and Molina Campos. Permissions will be
sought as needed, including rights to reproduce artwork, photographs and quoted texts.
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Bell/ In Gaucho Country
Production Details
Endorsements. Three celebrities have agreed to review the manuscript for consideration of
writing testimonials: Ian Tyson (Western singer), Robert Duvall (actor, Lonesome Dove) and
Mark Spragg (Western author, Where Rivers Change Directions). Collectively, their cover quotes
will give Gaucho credibility and help it appeal to the broadest range of readers possible.
12
Promotion Plan
Bell/ In Gaucho Country
Promotion Plan
Book Reviews. Submit Gaucho for review by national book reviewers (The New York Times,
L.A. Times, Kirkus Review, Publisher's Weekly) and regional reviewers in target market cities
(Albuquerque, Dallas, Kansas City, Salt Lake City, San Francisco and Seattle). In addition, the
author will use his personal contacts to solicit book reviews from these publications: The
Denver Post, Miami Herald, Outside, Men's Journal, Cowboys & Indians and Western Horseman.
Article Spin-Offs. Write Argentina- and cowboy-related articles that will cross-promote
Gaucho. Target periodicals include: Food and Wine, Outside, Men's Journal, Esquire, Travel +
Leisure, EQUUS and Polo Today.
Chapter Excerpts. Western Horseman has agreed to run a chapter excerpt as a feature article.
The author will approach other equestrian publications, regional newspapers and magazines
to do the same.
Website. The author will promote Gaucho through two websites: ryantbell.com (450
UV/month average for past 12 months) and ingauchocountry.com (new). It will include
information about the book, the author and book-related news. It will feature multi-media
versions of his gaucho-related articles to build advance hype about Argentina and the book.
Unique Promotional Venues. The author will call attention to Gaucho through these unique
venues:

International Travel Agencies - Form promotional partnerships with Argentina tour
providers such as Boojum, Frontiers Travel, Abercrombie & Kent, GeoEx, Equitours and Mai10.
Partnerships will involve bulk book sales, online publicity and author-led trips to
Argentina.
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Bell/ In Gaucho Country

Promotion Plan
Domestic Travel - The author will use his expertise in the dude ranching and outfitting
industries to promote the book to travelers in the American West. He will do this by
selling bulk book orders to member properties of the Dude Ranchers Association and
Board of Outfitters and visiting their properties to entertain their guests during a
performance/speaking tour.

Western Events - The author's professional credentials will enable him to promote Gaucho
through Western Writers of America (Festival of the West in Scottsdale, Arizona), the
Western Folklife Center (National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nevada) and the
National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum (various events in Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma).

Performance and Readings - As a "cowboy" book, Gaucho has built-in promotional
opportunities at cultural events such as cowboy poetry gatherings, rodeos and western
music festivals across the United States. The author will tap into them by creating a stage
performance of gaucho music, poetry and readings from the book. Performances will
piggyback with book signings and readings at local bookstores, libraries, resorts and dude
ranches.

Maté Tea Industry - Approach Guayaki, a maté tea manufacturer, to become part of their
"Guayaki Ambassador" program. This will create promotional opportunities like
sponsorship for a speaking tour and book sales through their California-based "Maté Bar".

Soundtrack - See "Other Markets".
Award Competitions. Enter Gaucho in awards competitions such as the Spur Awards
(Western Writers of America), Lowell Thomas Awards (Travel Writers Society of America),
Excellence In Craft Awards (Outdoor Writers Association of America), Western Heritage
Awards (National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum), Mountains and Plains Book
Awards and Solas Awards (Best Travel Writing series).
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Bell/ In Gaucho Country
Promotion Plan
Marketing and PR. The author will match the publisher's marketing budget, up to $20,000.
Funds will be used to hire a PR firm, finance a speaking and performance tour and to create
promotional collateral (press kit, web site) to help sell the book.
15
Chapter Outline
Bell/ In Gaucho Country
BOOK ONE: Estancia Ranquilco
Chapter 1: Frontera (Frontier)
p. 18
Chapter 2: The Foreman's Daughter
p. 20
Chapter 3: Arreo (Cattle Drive)
p. 22
Chapter 4: El Facón (The Knife)
p. 24
Chapter 5: La Yerra (Branding)
p. 26
Chapter 6: San Sebastian
p. 27
Chapter 7: Iojanes
p. 29
Chapter 8: Sacar Cuero (Taking Skin)
p. 30
Chapter 9: Maté
p. 31
BOOK TWO: Isla del Burro (Island of the Burro)
Chapter 10: La Caida (The Fall)
p. 32
Chapter 11: Prometidos (Promised)
p. 33
Chapter 12: Padres y Hijos (Fathers and Sons)
p. 35
Chapter 13: Mi Rancho (My Ranch House)
p. 37
Chapter 14: Familia
p. 39
Chapter 15: Rumbo Norte (Heading North)
p. 41
Chapter 16: Confluencia
p. 43
Chapter 17: Me Voy Por Otro Camino (Taking a Different Road)
p. 46
EPILOGUE: Gaucho en Sepia (Gaucho in Sepia)
p. 48
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Chapter Descriptions
Bell/ In Gaucho Country
BOOK ONE: Estancia Ranquilco
Chapter 1: Frontera (Frontier)
14 Pages
Summary: I arrive in Argentina and embark on a two-day, overland journey to Estancia
Ranquilco. It involves an overnight bus ride, six hours in a truck and three hours on
horseback. Along the way, I observe Argentina's countryside, meet Ranquilco's owner and
encounter two gauchos whose gruff demeanor makes it clear that being accepted won't be
easy.
The chapter opens on an overnight bus ride from Buenos Aires to the province of
Neuquén in the Andes Mountains. On the outskirts of the capital city stands a billboard for
Marlboro cigarettes. The ad's photograph of a cowboy forces me to confront the stereotypes I
hold about gauchos and their role in Argentine society.
When night arrives during the bus ride, the chapter flashes back three months to
explain how a cowboy from Colorado obtained work in Argentina. I was two years out of
college, working for a horse-shipping company where we drove horses across the United
States in a truck and trailer. In a conversation with a friend, I lamented the lack of cowboy
jobs in the West. She gave me the phone number for Ashley Carrithers, a man that owned a
ranch in Argentina. I called Carrithers to ask for work and he offered me a six-month job. I
gave my notice at work the next day.
In a new segment, my bus arrives in Patagonia and I meet Carrithers to catch a ride to
Estancia Ranquilco. We drive for six-hours through the Andes to the ranch's base camp, Butta
Mallin. Along the way, Carrithers relates how he bought the estancia in 1979. The segment
segues into a narration about the settling of western Argentina and the role played by foreign
landowners like Carrithers, an American.
In the chapter's concluding section we arrive at Butta Mallin where two gauchos, Luis
and Norberto, wait for us with saddle horses and a pack animal. During the three-hour ride
into headquarters, my saddle comes loose and the horse nearly bucks me off. The gauchos
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Bell/ In Gaucho Country
Chapter Descriptions
laugh, making me suspect that they'd tampered with the girth cinch. "I thought you could
ride," Carrithers says. It's not the first impression I'd hoped to make.
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Bell/ In Gaucho Country
Chapter Descriptions
Chapter 2: The Foreman's Daughter
15 Pages
Summary: The new guy on an Argentine estancia must pay his dues. I'm relegated to menial
work while the gauchos go on horseback jobs in the countryside. While they're gone, I meet
the foreman's daughter, Silvana and her son Nehuén. We strike up a friendship that turns into
a secret, nighttime romance. Her father Hugo becomes suspicious and tensions between us
mount.
It's my first day and I stand with the Estancia Ranquilco gauchos at the barn where the
morning ritual is to meet and receive work orders from the gaucho head foreman, Hugo
Manterola. He's a powerful man that demands and gets, respect. Hugo hands me a shovel
and assigns me the job of clearing a field to plant corn. It's a menial job intended to make me
pay my dues and for the next week I'm left behind while the gauchos ride off to work in the
country. One day while they're gone, I meet Hugo's daughter Silvana. She works as a cook in
the casa grande, the main lodge and we meet during her daily trips to the vegetable garden.
She has a one-year old son Nehuén, who I play with during breaks and the three of us become
friends. Silvana's and my relationship escalates into a secret romance at night when we sneak
out together. One evening, we are embraced in front of my bunkroom when Carrithers walks
by and sees us. We know then that our secret will be short-lived.
In the next section, Silvana helps me get a chance to work horseback. A cattle drive
passing through headquarters needs help fording the Trocoman River. Hugo and the gauchos
had rushed off without notifying me. Silvana recognizes the chance for me to earn credibility,
so she comes to the cornfield with two horses ready to go. Hugo sees us arrive together and
becomes suspicious about our relationship. I delve into the work of crossing the herd and get
my first taste of working on a gaucho crew.
It's late afternoon when we finish fording the river, but the herd still needs driven to an
overnight pasture. Hugo calls for volunteers to work late and Silvana and I step forward. He
reluctantly assigns us the job. When we ride into headquarters after sunset, Hugo is upset
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Bell/ In Gaucho Country
Chapter Descriptions
with Silvana. I hear him scolding her inside their house. The next morning, I expect to catch
hell from Hugo, but instead find Carrithers at the barn to give work orders. He explains that
Hugo left at dark to receive a shipment of supplies at Butta Mallin and Hugo left word for
most of the gauchos to meet him with pack horses. Carrithers says that Hugo left a specific
assignment for me: painting tar on the shake shingles of the headquarter buildings. "What did
you do to piss him off?" Carrithers asks, even though he knows the answer.
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Bell/ In Gaucho Country
Chapter Descriptions
Chapter 3: Arreo (Cattle Drive)
14 Pages
Summary: When a gaucho doesn't show up for work, I replace him on a cattle drive and
attempt to prove myself to Hugo.
Hugo is gone from headquarters for a couple days and during his absence a gaucho
doesn't show up for work. That leaves Chipes, a 60-year old gaucho of whom Hugo is fond, to
gather 200 heifers and one breeder bull by himself – a handful. Silvana suggests that I ditch
the day working on the roof and help Chipes. "Hugo will appreciate it," she coaches.
Chipes and I spend the morning gathering the cattle from a mountain pasture. We
drive them across the upper Trocoman River and over a mountain pass, destined for Butta
Mallin. On foot Chipes limps like a crippled old man, but on horseback he is agile and
ferocious. His foul mouth is a vocabulary lesson in how to cuss a cattle herd. At noon, Soto,
the missing gaucho, catches up with us. He has a black eye and is dressed in filthy clothes.
Soto gives no excuse for his truancy, but Chipes stares at him reproachfully, indicating that
there's a history I don't know about (foreshadowing a conflict in Book Two).
In a new section, we are on the last leg of the cattle drive. The ground between us and
our destination, Butta Mallin, is blocked by a pasture inhabited by a couple hundred heifers
and one resident bull. It'll require careful maneuvering to pass through without mixing the
two herds and Chipes warns that the two bulls will likely attack each other. “Just get out of
their way and don't let the heifers mix,” he coaches. Soto gallops ahead to open gates so we
can hit them running. As predicted, the bulls charge each other, engaging in a ferocious headbutting battle. Between the three of us, we keep the heifers flanked so they can't scatter. I'm
amazed at the primal instincts of an animal species most take for granted as domestic and
sedentary.
We make it to Butta Mallin at dusk and turn the herd out in a holding pasture. We ride
up to the bunkhouse where Chipes keeps a room. He lends Soto a sleeping bag for the night,
but offers me nothing. It's eight o'clock at night and I'm three hours from headquarters.
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Bell/ In Gaucho Country
Chapter Descriptions
Chipes and Soto go to bed, leaving me no choice but to ride home. I mount my sweat-lathered
horse and turn him down the trail, thankful that at least there's a full moon to ride under.
Later, I startle awake to find that I'd fallen asleep in the saddle. Judging by how far we've
traveled, I'd been asleep for one hour. I'm filled with compassion for my horse who has
carried me of his own accord. The feeling is a glimpse of how frontier gauchos felt about their
horses, on whom they relied for life and death.
I ride into headquarters at midnight. Silvana hears the dogs bark at my arrival and
meets me at the hitching post. "Hugo's back," she says. I'm surprised that she'd be so bold as
to come out and meet me at midnight. "I don't care what he thinks," she says. She helps me
unsaddle my horse and turn him out to pasture. On our walk to the bunkhouse I can see
Hugo through his kitchen window rolling a cigarette. Silvana goes inside and comes back out
with a plate of food. I take it to my bunk and wish her goodnight. The next morning I make a
point of arriving to work early, wanting Hugo to see my dedication. He turns to me during
work assignments and says, "You have a roof to finish tarring."
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Bell/ In Gaucho Country
Chapter Descriptions
Chapter 4: El Facón (The Knife)
15 Pages
Summary: At an all-estancia dinner Hugo learns about Silvana's and my romance and he
threatens to castrate me. He's only partly joking. At work the next week, he tests me with a
difficult work assignment, as we attempt to reconcile our differences.
The chapter opens at an all-ranch dinner where Hugo has just learned through a
comment made by Carrithers that Silvana and I are having a secret romance. El tenero sabio
nunca se duerme durante epoca de capar - "A wise steer never sleeps during castration season,"
Hugo says. He holds a facón (long knife) in his hand. The threat results in a heavy round of
chastising from everyone at the table. I take the abuse in stride, accepting the consequence of
my actions. Silvana and I are relieved to have the veil of secrecy lifted.
The next day at work, Hugo pulls me off the roof-tarring job and assigns me to help
Norberto dig an irrigation ditch. It's a more "gaucho" job and I sense that Hugo is testing me.
However, the new job has me replacing Norberto's usual partner, Luis, the gaucho who
sabotaged my saddle on the first day. Hugo sends Luis to complete my roof-tarring job and
Luis reacts with hostility toward me (foreshadows a conflict in Chapter 5).
Irrigation is key to agriculture in the arid Andes and the chapter continues with a
description of our ditch-digging project. Norberto is a crack surveyor and he does it without
scientific tools. He charts the course of the canal and clears brush and I follow behind digging
the actual canal. Hugo rides in to check on our progress at the end of the week. The canal is
nearly complete and he watches as we open the waterway and the canal begins to flow. He is
satisfied and rides away. True to the character of a gaucho foreman, Hugo shows no emotion
or appreciation. We return to headquarters that evening and Silvana meets me at the hitching
rail. "Hugo told me to invite you to dinner," she says.
That night, I see Hugo as a family man. He is compassionate with Nehuén, to whom he
is both a grandfather and father-figure. Silvana and I keep a polite distance so as not to make
the evening awkward. During dinner the three of them crowd around one end of the table
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and I sit at the other. It feels like I am applying for a job interview. Afterwards, Hugo rolls a
cigarette to smoke and watches me closely as I play with Nehuén, while Silvana clears the
table. Hugo finishes a glass of wine and then asks, Si yo abro una otra caja, tomaras un vaso? - "If
I open another, will you have a cup?" It breaks the ice and we stay up late drinking and telling
stories about the cowboy life.
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Chapter 5: La Yerra (Branding)
Chapter Descriptions
12 Pages
Summary: At Estancia Ranquilco's yerra (branding), Hugo coaches me on how to wrestle
steers and a conflict with Luis gets dirty.
The chapter opens on the first morning of the yerra. Chipes and I gather cattle from
Vega del Norte and drive them to the branding corrals in Butta Mallin. We crest a ridge
overlooking the expansive basin that dwarfs the corrals where a dozen gauchos work cattle. It
feels like riding onto the set of a Western movie. Only, from here the camera would cut to the
action in the corrals, skipping the middle work. But middle work is the essence of the gaucho
life.
The next section occurs in the roping corrals, where there is an air of competition
among the gauchos. Luis bets Vincente, a high-ranking gaucho from a neighboring estancia,
that he will rope the most cattle. Vincente accepts the challenge and all morning the crowd
keeps a running count, yelling the number of cows each has roped. The competitors are at the
mercy of the cow wrestlers, because we affect how quickly their lazos are turned loose to go
for another catch. As I run across the corral to wrestle a cow for Vincente, Luis intentionally
trips me with his rope. The gauchos start to chastise me for being a slow wrestler. Hugo
notices and quietly pulls me aside to show me a trick to throwing steers faster. I return to the
field and my performance improves. In hope of making peace with Luis, I determine to throw
steers only for him, but he doesn't appear to notice my effort.
The chapter moves forward to late afternoon, when we've worked the last cow of the
day. We gather at a barbeque pit adjacent the bunkhouse to eat fire-roasted asado (barbeque).
Combined with bottles of beer, a scarcity in the Andean backcountry, they're our bonus for the
day of hard work. The first bottle of beer goes to Luis for winning the roping competition. He
takes a long swig and makes a point of skipping Vincente to hand it to me next. The gesture is
meant as an insult to Vincente, that the "gringo" gets to drink before him. But Luis could be
acknowledging my effort to help him win the bet. It's hard to tell which is the case.
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Chapter Descriptions
Chapter 6: San Sebastian
20 Pages
Summary: January 20th is San Sebastian's day, a widely-celebrated holiday in the Andes
Mountains. A breakthrough with Luis leads to an invite to his family's fiesta. There, I witness
gauchos cut loose with excessive drinking, gambling and a knife fight.
The chapter opens on my stone patio where I play guitar one evening, struggling to
learn a gaucho tune I had heard at the yerra. Luis walks by and recognizes what I'm doing.
Surprisingly, he goes to fetch his guitar. He's let his guard down ever since the yerra. He
teaches me a few gaucho tunes and we begin jamming together after work. One evening, he
stops mid-tune and invites Silvana and me to his family's annual San Sebastian fiesta. He
suggests we play our repertoire around the campfire. Our sessions take on new intensity with
the prospect of a performance.
In a new segment, it's the day before San Sebastian and we're released from work early
for the extended holiday weekend. Hugo won't go to the fiesta because it's beneath a foreman
to party with his workers, he says. He rides off to visit his wife in town, trusting Silvana and
Nehuén to my care for the weekend. We pack our horses and join the parade of Ranquilco
gauchos riding to the Castillo family camp, some three hours deeper into the Andes. Against
sunset skies, the scene could be straight out of a painting by Molina Campos, a famous gaucho
artist. The segment segues to a comparison of gaucho and cowboy "Western" art.
In camp, Silvana and I stand at the campfire with the extended Castillo family, plus two
dozen gauchos from around the region. One, a Ranquilco gaucho named Iojanes Bacarias,
approaches us. I don't know him well because he tends a cow camp one hour outside of
headquarters. Iojanes is intoxicated and speaks to me aggressively. A los gringos les gustan las
Argentinas, pero porque nunca viene una gringa para buscar un gaucho? - "Gringos sure like
Argentine women, but why don't American women come down for gaucho men?" Silvana
diffuses the situation by suggesting that Iojanes take her out on the dance floor. They join a
group performing the cueca folk dance. He watches me as they dance, smiling crazily, making
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me feel unsettled. Meanwhile, Luis pulls me aside to say that we won't play guitar until the
next night. Some gaucho buddies invited him to go party hopping. We're in the middle of
nowhere, so I ask him what that means. Luis explains that there are many parties in the
mountains that weekend. They plan to ride from one summer camp to the next, an hour ride
between each, looking to meet some girls. I wish him luck, noting the irony that I'm dating the
only bachelorette at this fiesta.
The next morning, I awake to the sound of a horse walking by. I look out of the sleeping
bag to see a man leading a horse to a tree where his saddle hangs over a low-lying branch. It's
daybreak and I leave Silvana and Nehuén sleeping to go to the campfire where Señor Castillo
is organizing a roundup. He expects to get work out of us in exchange for providing the
fiesta's free food and drink. Luis hasn't returned, so I hang out with Iojanes and Norberto. We
help work Castillo's 20 head of cattle. Mid-morning, someone breaks out a box of wine and the
party starts all over again.
Luis returns just as we finish with the last steer and we return to the campfire where an
asado roasts. I'm anxious to get the guitar performance over with, but Luis is in bad need of a
siesta after last night. He says we'll play later. The gauchos invite me to play taba, a game
similar to horseshoes. I gamble too much money and drink a lot more wine. By nightfall, I am
too drunk to play guitar. When Luis and I finally sit down to perform, my coordination is gone
and I fall off the stool. The rest of the night is a blur and the next morning I wake up to find
that most of the camp is deserted. I ask Silvana what happened.
"There was a knife fight between Norberto and Iojanes."
"Over what?"
"The love of Filomena," she says.
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Chapter Descriptions
Chapter 7: Iojanes
6 Pages
Summary: A character sketch of Iojanes Bacarias, a middle-age gaucho heartbroken over a lost
love. The chapter dramatizes their relationship, showing the challenges a gaucho faces in
raising a family. The story sheds light on why Silvana, a rare woman in the Andes, is held in
such high regard on Estancia Ranquilco.
It's a long shot that a gaucho meets a woman, especially one who tolerates the living
conditions of a cattle estancia. Iojanes was in his 40s when he met Filomena, a young woman
from the village of El Cholar. He courted her and she came to live with him on the ranch. They
didn't have money for a marriage license - few villagers do. So when the harsh reality of
country living set in - the constant dirt and grime, the lack of socialization, the alienation from
friends and family - Filomena left Iojanes and moved back to town.
The move brutally affected Iojanes. He lost his best, perhaps only, chance at a family.
He takes it out by bad-mouthing her on occasion. The problem is, Filomena's sister is
Norberto's wife. At the San Sebastian fiesta, Iojanes gets loose lipped and Norberto is forced to
defend his wife's honor. Alcohol is involved, so the knives come out. Iojanes fights drunkenly
and Norberto, who is sober and stronger, prevails. Norberto cuts Iojanes and knocks him
down and then honorably stops the fight. Norberto loads his wife on a horse and they ride out
of camp that night. It's the most recent failure in the lonely life of Iojanes Bacarias.
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Chapter Descriptions
Chapter 8: Sacar Cuero (Taking Skin)
10 Pages
Summary: Iojanes and I are thrust into close quarters at a new worksite and we engage in a
test of wills. Then, on a herding trip into the high country, Iojanes asks the question I hadn't
yet confronted: Will I return to Argentina to be with Silvana, or am I leading her on unfairly?
Fall arrives in the Andes Mountains and a construction project needs completed before
winter. Hugo allocates all resources for a gaucho-style barn raising. This thrusts me into close
contact with Iojanes, who continues to show me animosity over my relationship with Silvana.
Our rivalry takes main stage as he trash-talks and out-gauchos me. It garners Hugo's attention
and he fuels the conflict by assigning Iojanes and I jobs as partners, such as adzing wood
planks, carrying adobe bricks and mixing cement. Silvana, who is onsite to work as camp
cook, coaches me not to back down. Tienes que sacar quero - "You need to take some skin," she
says. That means one-up him, either verbally or with my actions. Tensions with Iojanes
culminate with a log carrying competition. We race across a pasture, each carrying a tree trunk
on a shoulder. We finish dead even, which is like a win for me because Iojanes is much bigger
and stronger.
Hugo witnesses the display of skin-taking and in the fashion of gaucho management,
the next day he assigns us a job off-site. Essentially, he expects us to work out our differences.
Iojanes and I are sent into the high country to gather land-lease payments from tenant gauchos
called puesteros. We strike a truce and the daylong ride through the Andes is enjoyable. At Inta
Mallin, a remote alpine valley leased by a small-time rancher, Iojanes asks about my return to
the United States. I tell him that I leave in two weeks. It's obvious that his problem with me is
rooted in a protection of Silvana and Nehuén.
"Will you return for Silvana?"
Until that moment, I didn't know the answer to that question.
"Yes, I will."
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Chapter Descriptions
Chapter 9: Maté
10 Pages
Summary: During my last week on Estancia Ranquilco, I meet with Hugo and Silvana about
returning for the winter.
The conversation with Iojanes helped make up my mind to return for the winter season
in Argentina. But first, I need Hugo's blessing since it will mean playing a larger role in his
family. I catch Hugo one morning before dawn as he prepares his morning maté. It felt like the
right time to talk hombre a hombre. I explain my feelings for his daughter and grandson and I
ask if it's okay with him if I return. Sos trabajador. De mi parte, estas bienvenido volver - "You're a
hard worker. As far as I'm concerned, you're welcome back," he says.
Next, I breach the topic with Silvana. We'd spoken about it once before, when she broke
down saying: No quiero que te vayas. Sos como un padre a Nehuén - "I don't want you to go. You're
like a father to Nehuén." But I need to know that she sees me as more than just a stepfather.
We go for a horseback ride and I tell her my feelings. Mi amore, yo te quiero come una parte de la
familia. Y por Hugo, sos el hijo que nunca tuvó - "You're like a member of the family and the son
Hugo never had." I'm so honored by her response about Hugo that I don't realize she didn't
say how she felt about me.
The chapter concludes on my last day of work on Estancia Ranquilco that summer.
Hugo assigns me as his partner to ride herd in the mountains. We follow a shortcut trail
known only to him; it’s as if he's sharing with me a secret about the estancia. He talks about
the upcoming winter, when he gets a break from Ranquilco in order to run his own estancia in
the lowlands. We arrive at the cow camp where the gaucho Soto has already done the work of
gathering the herd. Hugo was just checking in on him, not something that required my help. I
realize he brought me along just so that we could chat. It foreshadows our growing father-son
relationship.
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Chapter Descriptions
BOOK TWO: Isla del Burro (Island of the Burro)
Chapter 10: La Caida (The Fall)
6 Pages
Summary: Returning to Argentina, I find that Buenos Aires is reeling from an economic
disaster. I call Silvana to let her know that I'm in the country and she tells me that she's being
stalked by Nehuén's father, Chino.
The chapter opens on Callé Florida, a pedestrian mall in Buenos Aires where I buy a
pair of botas de campo at a saddle shop. This time around, I hope to blend in with the gauchos
by dressing in their fashion, rather than in my cowboy duds. Outside the store I run into a
picket line of protestors in front of a bank. Somebody has spray-painted "ladrones" (thieves) on
the building and police now stand by to keep the peace. Protests and riots are erupting across
Buenos Aires and the idyllic capital city I remember passing through seven months ago is
gone. Since then, Argentina suffered La Caida, "The Crash". The chapter segues into an
explanation of "Dollarization", Argentina's economic policy of the past 10 years that lead to the
crash. The ensuing recession is a thematic backdrop to Book Two.
In a new section, I duck into a telephone booth and call Silvana to check in. She is
waiting for me in her hometown of San Martin de los Andes. Her voice is reserved over the
telephone and I ask her what's wrong. El Chino estaba afuera la casa anoche - "El Chino was
outside the house last night," she says. Word was out in San Martin that Silvana and Nehuén
were in town. When Hugo returned to Ranquilco for the fall cattle sale, Nehuén's blood-father
"El Chino" began stalking the house. I tell Silvana to call the police, but she says she can't
because it's a small town and all the policemen are friends with Chino. I tell her to lock the
doors until my bus arrives the next morning.
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Chapter Descriptions
Chapter 11: Prometidos (Promised)
14 Pages
Summary: After reuniting, Silvana and I are given "promise rings" by her family. It forces us to
define our relationship, exposing that we hold two different perspectives.
Silvana's mother Sarita throws me a welcome-home party in San Martin. Greatgrandmother makes empanadas, my favorite and gives us hand-woven socks. She invokes the
customs of her childhood, when she grew up a campesina (country girl) in neighboring Chile.
At dinner, they seat Silvana and I at the head of the table and give us another gift, a pair of
rings. Ponetelos - "Put them on each other," Sarita instructs. Silvana slips one onto my left-hand
ring finger and I follow suit with her ring. Ahorra que estan prometidos, vamos a comer - "Now
that they're promised, let's eat," great-grandmother says. Later that night, Silvana and I talk in
bed. I ask her what prometidos means. "That we're committed to each other." “As in
marriage?:" "No, but it's a step in that direction." I tell her that I'm not comfortable wearing an
engagement ring, but that I'll wear it on my right finger. Como quieres - "Fine, whatever," she
says.
The next morning we drive north to El Huecú, where Hugo waits for us. Silvana is quiet
and she still wears her ring on the left hand. The emotional impact of our conversation,
combined with the stress of Chino's presence in town has caused her to withdraw emotionally.
When we get to El Huecú, she's relieved to be back under Hugo's protection. He takes over the
wheel and we drive to Isla del Burro, his estancia in the lowlands. At the entrance, I get out to
open the wooden gate. It features a phrase carved into the cross piece: La esperanza de un nieto
gaucho - "The Hope of a Gaucho Grandson." Considering that Hugo built it several years before
Nehuen's birth, it indicates the importance Hugo gives to having a male heir. I get back in the
truck, where Nehuén sits in the front seat with Hugo and I, while Silvana sits in the back seat.
My presence is causing a shift in the Manterola family dynamics.
We arrive at La Isla's headquarters, a series of dilapidated adobe buildings on the banks
of the Neuquén River. Soto is there, looking exhausted from the fall arreo. We unload the
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Chapter Descriptions
supplies that Hugo bought in El Huecú and Soto digs into a bag of cigarettes and bread. It's
been a while since he ate a nourishing meal. We go for a driving tour of the estancia, crossing
over onto the neighbor's place where there are remnants of a defunct garlic-growing
production. Que manera de gastar plata - "What a way to waste money," Hugo says. He talks
about the land's potential, but laments a lack of money and time to make it happen. Returning
to the ranch house, he invites Silvana and me to go to the province of Cordoba with him for his
father's birthday and we depart the next morning.
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Chapter 12: Padres y Hijos (Fathers and Sons)
Chapter Descriptions
15 Pages
Summary: We go on vacation to Cordoba to visit Hugo's father and I gain insight into the
patriarchal structure of gaucho families. It casts my relationship with Hugo, Silvana and
Nehuén in a new light.
The chapter opens on Route 40 as we drive north from Neuquén to the province of
Mendoza. In the West is 22,841-foot Mount Aconcagua, the highest point in the Andes
Mountains. This region is where the airplane crash depicted in the book Alive occurred. The
desolation is underscored by locals that have torn up the asphalt for use as bricks to build new
homes. Thriftiness is essential since La Caida and I overheard Hugo telling a friend in El Huecú
that the fall cattle sale enabled him to afford this road trip. In the truck, Nehuén and I are in
the front seat with Hugo, playing a game called "trucker" where I use a pretend CB radio to
communicate with the semi-trucks that pass by. Silvana naps in the backseat and I worry that
she feels left out. Did the promise-rings fiasco do irreparable damage to our relationship? It
must be exhausting to play the roles of Hugo's daughter, Nehuén's unmarried mother and my
girlfriend. It doesn't leave time for Silvana to be herself.
In a new section, I sit with Hugo and his two brothers at a bar in a small town in the
province of Cordoba. The men have chosen very different paths in life, but there is still the
camaraderie of brotherhood between them. But it's as if their birth-order predestined them.
Pablo, the oldest, acts like a spoiled child and has an air of entitlement. He is a struggling
businessman in Buenos Aires. Luis, the youngest, is a mamma's boy. He lives close to the
parents and watches over them, though he doesn't get much credit for it. And Hugo, the
middle child, is the independent one. He left home at the age of 12 to work as a gaucho and
has been his own man ever since. Interestingly, he's the only one still living in the gaucho
tradition in which they were raised.
The section segues into a reflection on the gaucho's parent-child relationship and how
it's played out in Nehuén's life. His grandmother and aunt spoil him endlessly because he's
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Chapter Descriptions
Hugo's first-born male heir. Silvana is slightly more even-handed with her son, but she still
waits on him hand-and-foot and doesn't hold him responsible for his actions. Hugo wants to
enjoy Nehuén's company and so he can't bring himself to discipline the child. And with
Nehuén's blood father out of the picture, it raises the question of who is fathering this child? I
look at Hugo and his brothers and wonder which version of a man Nehuén will grow up to be.
In the chapter's concluding section, we're driving home and are about to pass through a
small town. Nehuén begs for an ice cream cone, his third of the day. A pattern has developed
whereby he drives us crazy begging, we relent, he eats the ice cream and makes a mess in the
truck. Then he drives us crazy by bouncing off the walls with a sugar high. The cycle ends
when Silvana scolds him and puts him in the corner backseat for a time-out. This time, I put
my foot down and say that letting him have another ice cream cone is unfair to everyone. Que
tipo malo que sos, no dando un gelado a un chico - "Are you such a mean man that you'd deny a
kid an ice cream cone?" she asks. Hugo stops at a service station to fill gas and Silvana takes
Nehuén to buy ice cream. Back in the truck, he sits on my lap, the ice cream drips all over and
then he drops it on the seat. I lose my patience and throw it out the window as we drive down
the highway. Silvana is upset with me, but Hugo says to her, Que suponiste pasaria? - "What did
you expect would happen?" Silvana had hoped that I'd play the role of Nehuén's father and
that Hugo would accept me for it. And now that it was happening, Silvana's uncomfortable
with the change.
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Chapter Descriptions
Chapter 13: Mi Rancho (My Ranch House)
8 Pages
Summary: We return from Cordoba to find Soto near death from alcohol poisoning. With
Hugo's best gaucho in the hospital, we're forced to rely on each other to make progress on the
winter's work. Silvana receives a disturbing message over the radio and we make a trip to San
Martin.
While we were in Cordoba, Soto had one of his bi-annual drinking binges. He's so
ravaged with the shakes that, in a brief moment of consciousness, he asks for a drink of
anything with alcohol in it, even vinegar. Hugo gives him wine to calm the fever and then
Hugo and I drive out to call for a paramedic from a rural radio-relay station. It's a two-hour
drive, round trip and along the way Hugo tells the story of how he met Soto. He's been
attempting to rehabilitate Soto for two years because he's one of the best workers he's ever
had. We arrive back at headquarters, the paramedics arrive and rush Soto away.
That night, Hugo says, Barbaro, que hago ahorra? - "Great, what do I do now?" I offer to
work in Soto's place. "But I can't pay you." I tell him it doesn't matter because I work for the
family now. We don't waste any time and get started at dawn the next morning deconstructing
an adobe outhouse brick-by-brick. Hugo speculates that the structure is nearly 100 years old
and he marvels at the quality of workmanship. We turn around and use the bricks to build an
extension on the main building. Silvana and I work side-by-side, mixing cement and handing
bricks to Hugo, who lays them. Nehuén plays with toy trucks in the sand nearby and it feels
like we're forming a family unit. But when Soto returns a week later, he takes Silvana's place at
the worksite. She's growing frustrated at being the lone woman on an island of men.
In a new section, Silvana's sister Carri sends an urgent message over the radio that
Silvana needs to go to San Martin. We load up for town and Hugo leaves Soto at La Isla with
strict orders not to drink and an impossibly long work list to keep him busy. In San Martin, we
learn that Chino is taking legal action against Silvana and the court has called a custody
hearing. Silvana is distraught and I help her create a defense based on Chino's failure to pay
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Chapter Descriptions
child support for most of Nehuén's life. But as she tells me their history, I realize that Silvana
isn't as innocent as I'd thought. One motivation for living at Ranquilco and La Isla has been to
harbor the child far away from his father.
The chapter concludes with the court's decision to grant Chino once-a-month visitation,
effective immediately. On the day before we leave for the Isla, we watch Chino drive away
with Nehuén for their first afternoon together. Silvana says it's the worst day of her life.
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Chapter 14: Familia
Chapter Descriptions
14 Pages
Summary: Hugo sends me to Estancia Ranquilco to check on headquarters and deliver salary
payments to the gauchos. Tensions with Silvana cause me to go alone, giving us a break from
the pressures of family life. At Ranquilco, I reunite with my gaucho friends and find an electric
surprise.
We stand around Hugo's Ford truck, staring at a flat tire. The spare is completely shot
and another tire has a slow leak. Hugo is frustrated because buying a new set will mean
cutting into his construction funds. It's mid-winter and the adobe building must have a new
roof before spring rains arrive. No entiendo, solo tienen dos años - "I don't get it. They're only two
years old." A further complication is that Hugo must ride into Ranquilco's headquarters to
check on things and to pay employees their monthly salaries. He comes up with a plan. He'll
stay at the Isla and continue working on the house with Soto, while I limp the truck to town
and get the tires repaired. Then, I'll purchase supplies for Ranquilco, pack them in and deliver
the salaries. He estimated that I could make it back in one week. Silvana doesn't want to go. Mi
pappi me necessita aca - "My dad needs me here," she says. But we both know that we could use
a break from each other.
It takes me three hours to drive to town. I'm amazed that Hugo's trick of filling the flat
tire with water actually worked. They used to fill tractor tires with water during the winter to
get better traction in the snow. At the gomeria (tire store), the tire repairman says, "You've been
vandalized." He points inside each flat tire where a row of nails has punctured through in a
symmetrical line. "It looks like someone drove nails into the tires. You should call the police."
No need, I tell him, because I know the culprit is Nehuén. I had taught him to hammer nails
and apparently he picked it up for a hobby. I'm strangely proud of him and keep the nails for a
souvenir.
In a new section, I meet Luis at Estancia Ranquilco's winter point-of-entry, Vilú Mallin. I
haven't seen him in months and he invites me to his mom's house for lunch. His nephew and
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Chapter Descriptions
niece, Nico and Cynth, whom I remember from the San Sebastian fiesta, sit on my lap and ask
about Nehuén. They were hoping he'd come along to play. Gaucho children are so dispersed
geographically that it affects their socialization. I remember that when Nehuén spoke about his
day with Chino, he mentioned playing with several kids, presumably cousins he didn't know
he had. I'm secretly happy for him.
Luis and I pack supplies on a mule and mount our horses to ride up a trail following the
Trocoman River. I've not traveled the route before and marvel at the 800-foot cliffs where
Andean Condors nest. The river rages at the high-water mark, forcing us to follow a
precarious route along jagged cliffs. We come to Garganta del Diablo, Devil's Throat, a notorious
section of trail that descends steeply through a rock chasm. Luis charges his horse down the
rock face fearlessly. We finally make it to the cable car, where Manuel waits to crank us across.
As we hang suspended over the river, Manuel tells me that the cable car was a gift from an
Argentine political official who once visited the ranch, 70 years ago. He witnessed how
Ranquilco residents were stranded during high water, so he paid to install the cable car. We
get across and hike the supplies into headquarters, where I'm stunned to see the compound
illuminated by electric lighting. It looked like the place was on fire. "We fixed the water
turbine. Electricity hasn't worked in 10 years," Manuel says.
The next day I make the rounds, visiting gaucho friends and delivering their paychecks.
At Iojanes's camp, he's surprisingly friendly. Hola gringo. He asks about Silvana and Nehuén
and tells me to give them his saludos. I ride out of the estancia the next morning and arrive
back at La Isla that evening. Hugo, Silvana and Nehuén give me a hero's welcome. Nehuén
wants endless rounds of besos de tres, where Silvana and I kiss him at the same time. Silvana is
loving towards me and it seems that distance has healed our wounds. I worry, though, about
scar tissue.
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Chapter 15: Rumbo Norte (Heading North)
Chapter Descriptions
12 Pages
Summary: On a custody trip to San Martin, I learn that my grandfather died. We rent a cabin
for Silvana in the village of El Huecú and I return to the United States. Our Isla family is
disbanded and I wonder if things will ever be the same.
The chapter opens at a Telefonica (telephone store) in San Martin where Silvana and I sit
with Nehuén in a phone booth. It's the closest we've ever felt to being a family. On the phone,
my mom tells me that my grandfather died. I use the last of my savings to book a flight home,
knowing that I'll have to work a couple months while there to replenish my bank account.
Silvana doesn't like what it probably means for her - returning to Estancia Ranquilco with
Hugo for the summer. Ranquilco is where she grew up, but now she desires an independent
life. Amo mi papi, pero necessito mi espacio, mi hogar - "I love my father, but I need a place of my
own to call home," she says. San Martin isn't an option, because of the Chino situation. She's
already bothered by how much Nehuén has bonded with his father during their brief visits.
We hitch a ride with Hugo to El Huecú, the village adjacent to Ranquilco and drive
around town until we find a cabin for rent. Hugo continues on to the ranch, so we hug adios
and I wish him luck with the coming summer. I tell him that I wish I could stay. Yo tambien "Me too," he says. I help Silvana set up her cabin and then catch a bus to Buenos Aires. Silvana
and Nehuén accompany me to the bus stop. When the bus pulls away, I see that they're
already walking home. Only Nehuén looks back to blow a kiss "goodbye." Our Isla family is
disbanded.
Back in the United States, I get my old job back hauling horses. Money is tight so
Silvana and I rarely talk on the phone. Instead, I buy postcards for them in every state I drive
through and mail them to Argentina in one big package. Later, I return to El Huecú after three
months away. Silvana is emotionally distant and accuses me of abandoning her and Nehuén.
She's an independent woman, now. Es mentira que mandasteis cartas. No llegó nada - "It's a lie
that you sent us postcards. Nothing ever arrived," she says. I swear that I did and that we just
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Chapter Descriptions
need to get away and spend quality time together. Ashley, the estancia owner, asked us to
come up to Ranquilco, so I suggest we could go and visit Hugo. She refuses to go. Vayas vos, es
lo que haces mejor - "You go. It's what you do best." She only lets me kiss her on the cheek when
I ride away for Ranquilco.
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Bell/ In Gaucho Country
Chapter 16: Confluencia
Chapter Descriptions
18 Pages
Summary: At Ranquilco, Hugo teaches me to train a horse and we bond closer than ever. I
return to El Huecú to convince Silvana to come back to Ranquilco and she agrees. But old
frictions soon flare up between us.
It's pre-dawn at Ranquilco and Hugo and I work carpentry in the barn making window
frames and doors for the Isla house. We dream about the work of the upcoming winter,
stopping to draw plans and diagrams in the sawdust floor. When the sun comes up, Hugo
takes me to a back pasture where a dapple gray mare grazes. Es tuya si la domas. "She's yours, if
you'll train her," he says. The horse is Confluencia, named after the confluence of the
Trocoman and Picunleo Rivers where she was born. Hugo's tradition is to name a horse for
their natal land because if given the chance, they'll follow their querencia home. "Querencia" is
a term that translates loosely as "heartland," and I wonder if that's what Silvana's discovered in
El Huecú?
The chapter moves forward to a day in the round corrals, when I take my first ride on
Confluencia. Hugo has mentored me on how to train the mare, using exercises that are part
gaucho, part cowboy. He's fascinated by a North American book – True Horsemanship Through
Feel, by Bill Dorrance – loaned to him by Ashley's daughter, Sky. He can't read the text, but he
follows the pictures to learn the training exercises. It's a credit to Hugo that he sets gaucho
pride aside to learn what's best for the horse. But now that I'm about to take my first ride on
the horse, we opt for the gaucho method of using a palenque, or snubbing post. Hugo rides
Ballo, his dun gelding, in the corral to act as a calming presence for the mare. I step up onto
Confluencia and she slightly pulls back at the post. She calms down and Hugo rides up to
loosen the lead rope and we ride out of the corrals and into the campo. Breaking Confluencia
is thematic to my relationship with Silvana. I wonder if she feels similarly teamed-up on by
Hugo and me?
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That night I confide in Hugo that my relationship with Silvana is troubled. He breaks
down. Nunca fui un buen padre, es mi culpa - "It's my fault. I was never a good father," he says. I
tell him that, by being the son Hugo never had, I've circumvented the role she's dreamed of all
her life . Sil ha sido la persona mas fiel de mi vida - "Sil's been the most loyal person in my life," he
says. I tell him to let her know that, because it would make her feel secure about her role in the
family and perhaps relieve the tension between us. No sé si puedo - "I don't think I can," he says.
The crux of the problem is that he's too proud to show emotion towards a daughter.
In a new section, we ride to Butta Mallin where Hugo is to receive a shipment of
supplies. I'm along for the ride because Ashley hired me to guide three Argentine fishermen
coming to Ranquilco. Hugo breaks the silence of the trail. Quizas les podes llevar a los estados
unidos? - "Maybe you could take Silvana and Nehuén to the United States," he says. He's
willing to see them leave the country if it means saving our relationship. I tell him that I'll talk
to her about it, but that it's really important they have a heart-to-heart first. I drive away from
Butta Mallin in Ashley's truck and stop to see Silvana in El Huecú. Llego tus cartas - "Your
postcards arrived," she says. The package was delayed in customs, where they opened the
bulky package to see what was inside. Only a fraction of the postcards made it all the way.
She's conciliatory and agrees to come to Ranquilco to cook for the fishermen. Hugo will swing
by to pick up her and Nehuén and I hope that Hugo will speak honestly with her about his
feelings. It would be key towards fixing our relationship.
In a new section, it's the end of the fishermen's stay. I've been guiding every day,
rounding up horses and taking the fishermen to different parts of the river. At night, I barely
have the energy to throw my dirty clothes in the laundry pile and fall into bed. Silvana's mood
darkened quickly after arriving at Ranquilco. Hugo didn't say anything to her on the drive in
and now she's reminded of where she doesn't want her life to return. On the last morning of
the fishing trip, tempers flare between us when she refuses to wash a load of laundry for me.
I'm frustrated because I need clean clothes to guide, so I can make the money that will help
pay her rent and food. "Can't you just throw the clothes in with Hugo's load?" I say. Es otra
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Chapter Descriptions
cosa. Hugo es mi pappi - "That's different. He's my father," she says. I realize that she no longer
thinks of me as family. When I come back from guiding that night, I invite her and Nehuén to
come away with me to the United States. It's a last-ditch effort to save the relationship. But she
says that she can't because El Huecú is her home. Tienes que buscar una otra - "You need to find
another woman," she says. I walk out of the house and go sleep in my old bunkroom.
In the morning, I'm saddling horses to ride out and take the fishermen to the airport.
Nehuén meets me at the hitching post.
A donde vas? - "Where are you going?" he asks.
Al campo - "Into the country," I say.
Yo quiero ir tambien. - "I want to go, too."
No, me voy solito - "No, I'm going alone."
The boy begins to cry. He's learned that the men in his life saddle up and disappear
when they go "al campo." As I ride away from Ranquilco, I'm heartbroken not to be any
different.
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Bell/ In Gaucho Country
Chapter Descriptions
Chapter 17: Me Voy Por Otro Camino (Taking a Different Road)
20 Pages
Summary: Hugo sends me to La Isla to prepare for the coming winter. When an apology letter
I send to Silvana never arrives, our relationship officially ends. Stuck at La Isla with Hugo, we
deal with the fallout of our broken dreams.
The chapter opens around the fogón (hearth) at La Isla, where I sit with a gaucho crew
that just arrived with the fall arreo. Hugo sits across the room and for the first time in nearly
two years there's unspoken business between us. He's upset, perhaps with me, but I sense I
shouldn't ask about Silvana. It's Soto's birthday and he plays guitar around the fire. He
performs a haunting rendition of "Saucé Llorón", the story of a man who goes to die under a
weeping willow tree. One of the other gauchos cheers him with a drink of wine, but Soto turns
it down. A wind gust nearly rips the roof off, a sign that atmospheric pressures are changing.
The next day, Hugo leaves to shuttle the gaucho crew back to Ranquilco. He'll stay for
two weeks to winterize the buildings and leaves Soto and me with a lengthy work list. After a
few days of work, Soto tells me he has business to attend to in town. I ask him to buy me some
supplies, to mail a package to my parents and to deliver a letter to Silvana. It's an apology for
the way things ended at Ranquilco and a promise to make it right, even if it means moving to
El Huecú for the winter. A week passes and Soto doesn't return. I ride out to the neighboring
ranch and the Jara family tells me that Soto's gone missing. His saddlebags and horse were
found in El Huecú. Hugo arrives two days later and reports that Soto is in the hospital from
alcohol poisoning. He hands me back the things I'd sent with Soto. Silvana's letter went
undelivered. "Where is she?" I ask Hugo. Sil se fue a Uruguay - "Sil moved to Uruguay," he says.
The next morning, Hugo is gone. He drove off in the middle of the night and now I am left
alone again to fend for myself at the Isla.
Soto finally returns from his bender and now we both have something to prove to
Hugo, so we attack the work list aggressively. Hugo arrives a few days later and there is
enormous tension between all of us. Soto speaks to him in private and gives his formal
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Bell/ In Gaucho Country
Chapter Descriptions
resignation. Hugo calmly tells him to collect a share of the animal herd in lieu of unpaid
wages. On Soto's last day, the three of us work hard to complete a final segment of fence line
and when it's finished Soto mounts up and rides away. That night, Hugo tells me he's going to
San Martin and I ask to come along. My family hasn't heard from me in two months. During
the drive, Hugo is quiet and I ask him what's wrong. Mi hija llevó me nieto a Uruguay, que pasó?
- "My daughter took my grandson to Uruguay. What happened?" he asks. I want to tell him
that if only Soto had delivered my letter, perhaps we would've made up. But it was the second
time that undelivered mail intervened in our relationship. It was an act of fate. Instead, I tell
Hugo that Silvana's and my relationship is over. We were hurting each other too much with all
the arguments and my coming-and-going. And Nehuén suffered, worst of all. I tell him that I
respect Silvana for having the strength to leave. I ask to stay on at the Isla, since I don't have
anywhere else to go and Hugo is now without Soto's help. Besides, I'm still attached to our
dreams. Bueno, como quieres - "Okay, whatever," he says.
In the chapter's final section, we're sitting at dinner in San Martin. It's awkward without
Silvana and I feel her mother's and sister's eyes on me. Finally, the mother speaks up. Lamento
Hugo, pero no puedo callarme - "I'm sorry, Hugo, but I can't keep quiet," she says. He gets up
from the table and walks out of the room.
Ryan, no estas bienvenido mas - "Ryan, you don't belong here," she says. "We love you, but
you must go. It isn't right for you to occupy a place in this home with Silvana gone. It's best
you pack your bags and leave, tonight."
I apologize for the trouble, pack up and walk out into the night. I walk down the road
with a duffel over my shoulder and realize that I've done too good a job at becoming a gaucho.
Too much coming-and-going, putting work first and family second, it has all led me to being
alone. And alone is a very gaucho way to be.
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Chapter Descriptions
Bell/ In Gaucho Country
EPILOGUE
Gaucho en Sepia (Gaucho in Sepia)
6 pages
Summary: One year later, I return to Estancia Ranquilco and encounter Hugo for the first time
since the separation. I'm relieved to learn that he and Silvana repaired their relationship and
that he's forged on, building a new future for the Manterola family.
It's been over a year since Hugo and I parted ways. I'm on a return visit to Estancia
Ranquilco, this time not to work as a cowboy, but to write a story for Western Horseman. One of
the gauchos, Jorge Cuevas, is a talented rawhide braider and I came to interview him for a
story about gaucho gearmakers. I stay a couple days at headquarters, where Carrithers fills me
in on the past year in Hugo's life.
"The Isla house burned down," he says. "They're not sure how it happened, but at least
nobody was hurt."
I feel a deep sorrow, in part at the loss of so much hard work, but also at a dream
turned to ashes. Carrithers also tells me that Hugo resigned as Ranquilco's mayordomo because
he wanted to get away from construction and return to straight gaucho work. Hugo assumed
the role of capataz del ganado, livestock foreman and moved to Butta Mallin, where he now lives
with Chipes as Ranquilco's two gatekeepers. "You might see him when you ride out,"
Carrithers says.
In a new section, I crest a ridge looking down into the Butta Mallin mountain basin.
Two men butcher a steer in a pasture adjacent to the bunkhouse. It's Chipes, the foulmouthed
cattle driver and Hugo. I sit and watch them work. Horses and cattle graze in the distance, a
flock of ibis fly low over the mountain basin and the scene looks like a cowboy land-beforetime. I'm uncertain what Hugo's reaction to me will be. He was clearly upset after Silvana and
I broke up. Si me acera, le pegaré - "If he comes near me, I'll punch him," he had told Carrithers.
But I know that Hugo is a one-emotion kind of guy and it wasn't surprising if love and hate
got confused. My instincts tell me he was hurt because I kept my distance for the past year. But
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Chapter Descriptions
he, Silvana and Nehuén needed space to heal their wounds without me around. And
according to reports from my gaucho buddies, they did better than I'd expected. Luis reported
that Silvana returned from Uruguay that winter to her cabin in El Huecú. She enrolled Nehuén
in preschool and they went to visit Hugo at the Isla on the weekends. And during the spring
arreo, Silvana drove Hugo's truck as the support vehicle. It meant that he must've taught her to
drive, something he swore he'd never do. Silvana finally forged the relationship with her
father that she'd always wanted.
I dismount at the bunkhouse and walk the short distance to where they butcher the
steer. Buenas tardes - "Good afternoon," I say. Hugo's looking down at his work, apparently
stalling while he considers how to answer me. There's a facón in his hand. He sets it down,
wipes his hand clean with the cow hide and says: Hola Ryan. I've missed him so much, it's hard
to keep my composure. We make polite talk about the weather and the spring cattle drive and
then I excuse myself to leave. I don't want to overstay my welcome. No pasas por un drago? "You won't stay for a drink?" he asks. Por supuesto - "Of course, I will," I say. I'll do anything for
Hugo. After all, he's my gaucho mentor. And we were almost like family. Almost.
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Bell/ In Gaucho Country
Appendix
Accolades for Ryan T. Bell
“Ryan brings to life some of the colorful personalities of his adopted second homeland
(Argentina), a country closely connected to its frontier days and, in many ways, paralleling the
American West in its imagery and mythology.”
-- A.J. Mangum, editor, Western Horseman
"This is writing, not reporting; sharing intimacies, not a meaningless peck on the cheek. More
than learning about what (photographer Adam Jahiel) does – interesting in itself – we learn
why he does it through the world the author paints for the reader. You get done reading this,
you want to see Jahiel’s photos. More than that, you want to go visit the ranches and cowboys
and see them as Jahiel does. The brush strokes of prose are elegant, measured, carefully
chosen. The use of information and quotes is masterful. This is the clear winner."
-- "In Search of the Last Cowboy," Best Feature 2008, American Horse
Publications Awards
"Give Ryan T. Bell a raise. I've never met the man, but his writing is great. His latest piece
about the gauchos in Argentina was especially well-crafted. Please tell him that he has a fan in
Childress, Texas."
-- Jim Schmitmeyer, letter to the editor, Western Horseman
"This note is to express my appreciation for Ryan T. Bell's February 2010 article, 'Up the Andes,
Back in Time.' Each of his articles have, over the years, been of interest, not only for their
content but also for his renditions of the Argentine dialect of the (Spanish) language."
-- J.D. Denton, letter to the editor, Western Horseman
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Bell/ In Gaucho Country
Appendix
"I am a huge fan of your work. I don’t skip anything you write and enjoy reading every detail
you put into your stories. They make me feel as though I am there with you and when you are
down in Argentina I wish I was."
-- Dusty McDaniel, write-in comment on ryantbell.com
50
Appendix
Bell/ In Gaucho Country
Curriculum Vitae
Ryan T. Bell
P.O. Box 1116
Ennis, MT 59729
Phone:
Email:
Website:
406.682.4586
info@ryantbell.com
www.ryantbell.com
Date of Birth: 20th November, 1976
Profile
Ryan T. Bell chronicles cowboy life and backcountry experiences in the Rocky
Mountains, where he lives in Montana. Born in New Mexico and raised in Colorado,
Ryan is a product of the American West. He received a degree in U.S. History from the
University of Colorado, and has worked for a decade in the ranching and outfitting
industries. First published in 2003, Bell's work has since appeared in Outside, Western
Horseman, EQUUS, and Wildlife Art.
Education
Bachelor of Arts, U.S. History, Italian Language
UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO, Boulder, CO (May 2001)
Memberships
American Horse Publications - Affiliate Member (since 2008)
Western Writers of America - Associate Member (since 2008)
Society of American Travel Writers - Associate Member (2010)
Awards
American Horse Publications
Image: "Shipping Ridge"
Finalist, Annual Photography Contest, 2009
American Horse Publications
"In Search of the Last Cowboy"
Best Feature Article, 2008
Western and English Trade Association
"In Search of the Last Cowboy"
Best Feature Article, 2008
Best In Show, 2008
Selected Works
Western Horseman
"Up the Andes, Back In Time"
"Ian Tyson: The Raven Within"
"MSU: Horsepower in Bobcat Country"
"Gauchos Go North"
February 2010
January 2010
January 2010
November 2009
51
Appendix
Bell/ In Gaucho Country
"La Pialada"
“Up Snake River”
“Catch the Train to Elko”
“Adam Jahiel: In Search of the Last Cowboy”
“The Fiddler’s Legacy: Oregon Horseman John Sharp”
“Esteban Mera: A Horsemanship Crossroads”
“Rawhide Saddlery: The Art of the Gaucho”
“Gone Gaucho: Riding With the Cowboys of Argentina”
July 2009
February 2009
January 2009
March 2007
December 2006
June 2006
April 2006
June 2005
Outside
"Obama Wets A Line In Montana" (Online)
"Gliding in the Andes" (Magazine)
August 17, 2009
December, 2006
Others
"Getting Ready for the Long Haul",
"Searching the Forest Through the Trees"
"From Hemisphere to Hemisphere on Horseback"
July 2004
EQUUS
March/April 2004 Wildlife Art
September 2003
Horses All
52