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.
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