#4 South American Black Dog & Werewolves Chronicles
The Story of “Macho”, the Mysterious Black dog of the Brealito Lagoon, Salta Province, Argentine
As we said in a previous story, in the expedition that three young men and me made to the Brealito lagoon in 1963, a black dog joined us in the last part of the way. And just as it mysteriously appeared, in the same way it disappeared as soon as we crossed the gate of the Luracatao farm.
The "black dog", as we nicknamed him, approached us that night as we began the last stretch of the 22 kilometers between Seclantás and the lagoon. We then discussed whether we would accept it or not, after one of the group rejected it: “black dogs are a sign of bad luck and this dog has whole ears,” Yaravigo Ruiz said grumpily. The fact is that when, after discussion, we admitted it, the dog accompanied us to the entrance gate. From there, we forgot about him when the beauty of the lagoon dazzled us and only at dawn did we realize his absence.
The next day, when we asked the lagoon farmer Don Milagro Liendro if he had not seen the black dog that came with us, he responded that that animal was a “ghost” and that although it always accompanied walkers at night, it never crossed the Luracatao gate. . “There will be time to tell you the story of that ghost,” he said seriously.
The revelation left us speechless. In any case, we didn't waste time asking Don Milagro to tell us about the dog. And so it was that on the second night around the campfire, the man began to tell the story.
“According to my grandfather, Don Lorenzo Liendro, a long time ago many fishermen used to come to try their luck with silversides. Sometimes large groups came and stayed for several days and, as happens with fishing, they caught bugs and other times they returned empty-handed.
Many of those from here arrived with their little dogs, as was the case of Don Jacinto Sulca who went everywhere with “Macho”, a medium-sized black dog, short hair, shiny and well-known.
And so it was that for one Holy Week, Don Jacinto came to fish even though the bugs hardly come out on that date. Along the rock on the side of the little town he went down to the lagoon to cast his hook. He says that my grandfather spied on him all day from this same place and saw that he didn't get anything done. And when it became night she saw him light a little fire that little by little went out.
The grandfather moved to the place where was Sulquita , but suddenly something like a gale blew over this bonfire while a horrible dog howl came clearly from the other side of the lagoon. Perhaps the sudden gust of wind did not let him hear where that painful howl that dogs make when they are beaten was coming from. Then he thought that maybe someone had wanted to tell him something.
The next day, the first thing my grandfather did was look to the side where Sulca was fishing. He looked closely and didn't see him, although he was surprised that only his black dog was left in the place. The little animal was motionless, staring at the water. The fact is that upon seeing the animal alone, he immediately imagined a tragedy and staggered off to Sulquita's place. He surrounded the lagoon and when he arrived he only found his saddlebag, the fishing rod and an empty bottle. The dog was not there and I had just seen it from the other side. He observed the place and the footprints on the muddy ground, he warned him that Sulquita had almost certainly fallen into the water. He left things as they were and when he remembered Macho - that was the name of Sulca's little dog - he called him, he whistled for him, but nothing about Macho and no matter how hard he looked for him, he couldn't find him anywhere. It was as if he had been swallowed by the earth or the water, and that increased his suspicions.”
And continuing with her story, Milagro added: “My grandfather returned to the house, saddled the horse and according to instructions he had for such cases, he got ready to go to Seclantás and notify the police of the news. When he was leaving for the town, he looked towards Sulca and to his surprise there was
There was the dog again, sitting and looking at the water. Thinking that now he could get closer to the little animal to see its behavior, he trotted to the place but when he arrived Macho was no longer there. And that was not all, his horse, as gentle as a lamb, began to kick and neigh fiercely. At that, scared, he walked away quickly towards Seclantás. In the afternoon he was just returning with two police officers, nooses, hooks to search the water and a donkey in case a deceased person had to be transported, but since it was already the prayer, the soldiers decided to go for the supposed drowned person the next day."
Howling and restless waters
“That night,” the lagooner continued, “the soldiers came to my grandfather's campfire to chat. While they were talking about lost oxen, a long and pitiful howl came from the other side of the lagoon. The horses reared and again a gale almost put out their fire, although everything immediately subsided, even the horrible howling. The only one that didn't move a hair was the donkey, which continued motionless as if nothing had happened and pretending to be opa. After that, it says that the grandfather looked at the sky and said: last night at this same time Sulquita surely drowned. Everyone remained silent and the soldiers quickly went to sleep, although surely that night no one slept a wink.
Early the next day they left for Sulquita and then from afar they saw Macho. There he was as always, sitting and looking at the water, but when they wanted to approach the dog, he was no longer there and when the grandfather called him, the soldiers were afraid and asked him to shut up, not to call him again. After pulling the hook several times and finding nothing, they filed papers, picked up the missing person's belongings and returned to the house to wait for the body to float on its own.
That night the soldiers locked themselves in their room and did not want to go out to talk in front of the bonfire. At midnight the mournful howl again made everyone tremble except the donkey, while the water of the lagoon shook violently. No one slept that night either, but the next day, when they went to Sulquita again, they found her body floating in the same place that Macho was pointing with his snout. They took him out, covered him, and on the donkey's back the soldiers took him to
Seclantás, with his grandfather as a witness.
Only at night did my grandfather return. He was pale, trembling, and then he said that back on the sandy slope of the pass, Sulca's black dog had approached him. He said that he was quiet and that when he got closer he moaned as if from grief. When he perked up and called him by name, the little animal responded by moaning and wagging his tail. He was wet as if he had just crossed a river and, standing next to him, he accompanied him the entire journey, close to the horse's legs, but when he reached the gate, he stopped there and although his grandfather called him by name, he did not move. not a single step. Then he got off the horse to pick it up and take it with him to his house, but as soon as he hugged it to lift it, he realized that it was not a dog but a ghost or a soul in the shape of a dog. His body was cold and hardened like a deceased person and up close he saw his hollow eyes. From the impression that came to him, he almost threw it to the ground, but something strange stopped him and then gently put it on the ground. As best he could, he mounted his horse, crossed the gate and, trembling, barely reached his house. Since then, no one has ever been able to cure my grandfather's fright, and so it was that he was very skinny after a year.
According to those who know, Macho also died that night of Holy Week while trying to help his master. And that's just how it has to be because the dog never returned to his house in Seclantás Adentro. Since then Macho always appears in the sandy area, accompanies the fishermen to the gate and then mysteriously disappears,” concluded the lagoon farmer.
After listening to Don Milagro Liendro, we brave expedition members were frozen. For us, that dog on the sandy beach was a real dog, but perhaps because of the rain that night we did not notice the cold or the stiffness of the deceased.
By Luis Borelli
Source:El Tribuno (Salta) October 31, 2021
