Read Online The Mystery of Rio by Alberto Mussa, Alex Ladd - Free Book Online
Authors: Alberto Mussa, Alex Ladd
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part of the state of Rio de Janeiro and the southern part of Minas Gerais during the last decades of the 18th century.
He grew rich like a king. But he never did win the love of his life.
His treasure is in a cave lost in the confines of Vargem Pequena, on the edge of the Guaratiba parish, in a seemingly impenetrable place in the Grota Funda hills called Cova de Macacu. I even went there myself when I lived in Recreio, and I have foraged through those woods. They say the slaves who carried the treasure, the only witnesses who knew its hiding place, were murdered shortly after they buried it.
The most extraordinary Carioca treasure, however, is that of the king of the Ivory Coastâor, better said, the treasure belonging to Chica da Silva. The theme here is the subjective value of the treasure, not the impenetrable secrecy that surrounds it.
The king of the Ivory Coast was actually a prince of the mighty Ashanti Empire who came to Brazil to expand the slave trade, dropping anchor in Rio de Janeiro. Here, he praised the beauty of the women and, quite naturally, wanted to meet the queen of the land.
Coincidentally, Chica da Silva had just arrived from Tijuco Township to see the sea for the first time. And she was introduced to the Ashanti embassy as the sovereign ruler of Brazil, which was not exactly a lie.
It seems that the contractor João Fernandes de Oliveira, Chicaâs husband, slept well during the night the two of them spent aboard the princeâs galley. And at the farewell banquet, hosted by the slave trader Manuel Coutinho, Chica da Silva received a huge gift in African gold, jewels, and rich pieces carved in ivory, which astonished all of the guests.
This treasure, however, never made it back to the Castelo da Palha in Tijuco. When João Fernandes ordered the chests opened, he found only sand and shells. The contractor was in an uproar. He summoned his slaves and threatened to kill the responsible party. Chica da Silva took no notice: for someone who would never see the immensity of the sea again, it did not seem like such an unfavorable exchange.
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When the expert Baeta left the House of Swaps at five in the afternoon on Wednesday, June 18th, he had already concluded a series of formal interviews with the doctor, the nurses and house manager, and thus had amassed all of the available information on Fortunata, even the secret list of her major clientsâobtained with great difficultyâwhich would undoubtedly have been of interest to the chief of police, for it included some well-known military and political figures.
Thatâs what the expert thought. But Madame Brigitte, evidently, had not revealed everything. She had omitted one essential fact: that she had detected a contradictionâa lie, actuallyâtold by nurse Cassia, the senior nurse, who had referred Fortunata and insisted so vehemently that she be allowed to work there.
Fortunata and Cassia had been neighbors. Their mothers were each otherâs godmothers, and they themselves had been childhood friends. Madame Brigitte noticed that the two did not show much affection, and never exhibited much intimacy, but she did not pay it any mind; she attributed the behavior to modesty. After all, Fortunata was very reserved with all of them.
The time arrived, however, for Cassia to get married. A former client had asked for her hand three weeks after her childhood friend had come to the House. That excited the imagination of the other girls, who were very hurt when they did not receive an invitation to attend the ceremony. Not even Fortunata was invited, which did not escape the notice of Madame Brigitte.
Madame Brigitte, however, did go. As the guests were congratulating the couple, she was introduced to Cassiaâs mother. She asked her about her friend, and she discreetly mentioned Fortunata. The motherâs look of confusion said it all: the story of the childhood friendship was false. And Madame Brigitte, though
He grew rich like a king. But he never did win the love of his life.
His treasure is in a cave lost in the confines of Vargem Pequena, on the edge of the Guaratiba parish, in a seemingly impenetrable place in the Grota Funda hills called Cova de Macacu. I even went there myself when I lived in Recreio, and I have foraged through those woods. They say the slaves who carried the treasure, the only witnesses who knew its hiding place, were murdered shortly after they buried it.
The most extraordinary Carioca treasure, however, is that of the king of the Ivory Coastâor, better said, the treasure belonging to Chica da Silva. The theme here is the subjective value of the treasure, not the impenetrable secrecy that surrounds it.
The king of the Ivory Coast was actually a prince of the mighty Ashanti Empire who came to Brazil to expand the slave trade, dropping anchor in Rio de Janeiro. Here, he praised the beauty of the women and, quite naturally, wanted to meet the queen of the land.
Coincidentally, Chica da Silva had just arrived from Tijuco Township to see the sea for the first time. And she was introduced to the Ashanti embassy as the sovereign ruler of Brazil, which was not exactly a lie.
It seems that the contractor João Fernandes de Oliveira, Chicaâs husband, slept well during the night the two of them spent aboard the princeâs galley. And at the farewell banquet, hosted by the slave trader Manuel Coutinho, Chica da Silva received a huge gift in African gold, jewels, and rich pieces carved in ivory, which astonished all of the guests.
This treasure, however, never made it back to the Castelo da Palha in Tijuco. When João Fernandes ordered the chests opened, he found only sand and shells. The contractor was in an uproar. He summoned his slaves and threatened to kill the responsible party. Chica da Silva took no notice: for someone who would never see the immensity of the sea again, it did not seem like such an unfavorable exchange.
Â
When the expert Baeta left the House of Swaps at five in the afternoon on Wednesday, June 18th, he had already concluded a series of formal interviews with the doctor, the nurses and house manager, and thus had amassed all of the available information on Fortunata, even the secret list of her major clientsâobtained with great difficultyâwhich would undoubtedly have been of interest to the chief of police, for it included some well-known military and political figures.
Thatâs what the expert thought. But Madame Brigitte, evidently, had not revealed everything. She had omitted one essential fact: that she had detected a contradictionâa lie, actuallyâtold by nurse Cassia, the senior nurse, who had referred Fortunata and insisted so vehemently that she be allowed to work there.
Fortunata and Cassia had been neighbors. Their mothers were each otherâs godmothers, and they themselves had been childhood friends. Madame Brigitte noticed that the two did not show much affection, and never exhibited much intimacy, but she did not pay it any mind; she attributed the behavior to modesty. After all, Fortunata was very reserved with all of them.
The time arrived, however, for Cassia to get married. A former client had asked for her hand three weeks after her childhood friend had come to the House. That excited the imagination of the other girls, who were very hurt when they did not receive an invitation to attend the ceremony. Not even Fortunata was invited, which did not escape the notice of Madame Brigitte.
Madame Brigitte, however, did go. As the guests were congratulating the couple, she was introduced to Cassiaâs mother. She asked her about her friend, and she discreetly mentioned Fortunata. The motherâs look of confusion said it all: the story of the childhood friendship was false. And Madame Brigitte, though
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