A hunter and his dog. A cold, wintry morning in the Alto Alentejo. Suddenly, the dog barks and makes a hare jump. Lesto, the hunter takes aim. Two dry thuds echo across the plain.
The dog runs towards the piece, turns around and returns with the hare trapped in its mouth, which it places at its master’s feet. Having unloaded the rifle, the hunter takes two cartridges from the cartridge case to load the gun. The dog has already set off sniffing the air and the ground in search of more game…
This is how I remember some of the hunting stories told by my grandfather Ramiro. And I’ve always imagined what those days were like, which Grandpa talked about with such affection and gusto, with his trusty Já Te Disse, his rifle in his shoulder and the cartridge drawn on his chest, as if they were old friends.
Cautious of his hunting gear, he always looked after it with care and, as a prudent man, kept it out of our reach and sight, lest we, the grandchildren, be tempted to want to touch and play with objects that held such a fascination for two boys who wanted to imitate Grandpa Ramiro’s steps and gestures on his hunting days. In fact, as I’ve already mentioned, it was with Grandpa that I took my first shots.
After his disappearance in 1997, the memories remained in old photographs, what was left – so I imagine – of that happy time when I enjoyed his company, his affection and all his wisdom and attention.
One day, not so long ago, my mother gave me a great and unexpected surprise: she placed in my hands the old leather cartridge that her father had used for more than three decades when he hunted.
You can imagine her emotion when she received such a treasured possession, which she thought was lost and which her daughter had guarded religiously for 28 years to pass on to the next generation…
The image of Grandpa Ramiro, whom I miss very much, is still very much alive in my memory, in these simple objects, in this cartridge case which has a sentimental value beyond measure and which I wanted to share with everyone in these photographs and in this simple story.
Pedro Patrício
Mar|25