The Count of Monte Cristo

Vampa’s Adolescence and Relationship with Teresa

Vampa’s adolescence is marked by his bond with Teresa, an orphaned girl from Valmontone who tended sheep nearby. As they grew older—Vampa at twelve and Teresa at eleven—their contrasting natures emerged: his moody, sarcastic, and domineering temperament balanced by her lively but coquettish character. Teresa alone could soften his fierce will, and he lavished his earnings from the Count and his wood carvings on her jewelry and adornments, making her the best-dressed peasant in the region.

CAPÍTULO 33. Roman Bandits

Luigi Vampa and Teresa, two young orphans of the Sabine hills, grew up together, filling their days with grand dreams of future greatness—he as a captain or general, she as a lady attended by liveried servants—before descending at night to the humble reality of their shepherd’s life. A turning point came when Vampa repaired a broken gun discarded by the count, carving it a beautiful new stock, and devoted himself to mastering its use on every available mark until he became renowned throughout the region as the most adroit, strong, and courageous contadino for leagues around, his reputation earning him the unspoken but universally acknowledged devotion of the beautiful Teresa. Their quiet pastoral courtship was shadowed by tales of the brigand Cucumetto, who had gathered a fierce band in the Lepini mountains, and the chapter dwells on a particularly tragic episode in which Cucumetto abducted a young girl named Rita, only for her lover Carlini, a trusted brigand, to discover his chief had violated her; Carlini thereupon drew lots for her share, calmly waited, and then plunged a knife into Rita’s breast before the assembled band, declaring her rightfully his, and was later found weeping at her grave beside her father, who had hanged himself from the same oak. These stories of blood and vengeance were a frequent subject between Luigi and Teresa, and the chapter closes as the two young lovers, now pledged to marry when they came of age, were startled from their plans for the future by the sound of firearms and the sudden appearance of a man fleeing from the nearby wood.

Vampa and Teresa’s Shared Childhood Dreams

The two children grew up together, sharing all their time. In their daydreams, Vampa envisioned himself as a ship’s captain, a general, or a provincial governor, while Teresa imagined herself rich, splendidly dressed, and attended by liveried servants. After these flights of fancy, they would separate their flocks and return to the humble reality of their shepherd lives.

Vampa’s Custom Gun Stock Carving

When Vampa reported a wolf prowling around his flock, the count’s steward gave him an old gun. The gun had an excellent Brescia-made barrel with English rifle precision, but the count had broken the stock and discarded it. Vampa, a natural sculptor, examined the broken stock, calculated the modifications needed to fit his shoulder, and carved a new one so beautifully it could have fetched fifteen or twenty piastres.

Vampa’s Marksmanship Practice and Skill

Possessing a weapon fulfilled Vampa’s deepest ambition, as a gun makes a man capable of defense or attack. He devoted all his leisure time to practicing with the gun, using old olive trees, foxes, and eagles as targets. He became so expert that Teresa overcame her initial fear of the report and watched him place his balls wherever he pleased with hand-like accuracy.

Vampa’s Wolf Hunt and Local Renown

One evening, a wolf emerged from a nearby pine-wood, but the animal had scarcely advanced ten yards before Vampa killed it. Proud of the exploit, Vampa carried the dead wolf on his shoulders to the farm. These feats earned him a reputation as the most adroit, strongest, and most courageous contadino for ten leagues around.

Vampa and Teresa’s Unspoken Mutual Affection

Although Teresa was universally recognized as the most beautiful girl of the Sabines, no one spoke to her of love because everyone knew she was beloved by Vampa. The two had never declared their affection, yet had grown together like intertwined trees, their wish to see each other becoming a necessity. They would have preferred death to a day’s separation, with Teresa now sixteen and Vampa seventeen.