José Maria, assigned to Saturdays, began to show signs of deep psychological suffering. As a religious man who had learned to read through the Bible, he understood the moral dimension of what he was being forced to do. During the third Saturday of encounters, José Maria refused to enter the back house. He remained outside, kneeling, praying in a low voice.
Colonel Augusto, furious with the disobedience, threatened him with lashes. But José Maria maintained his position, explaining that he would rather die than continue sinning against God and against the lady. The situation created the first major conflict of the agreement. The Colonel could not simply punish José Maria physically without running the risk of compromising the entire plan.
Injured or marked slaves would draw attention, and discretion was fundamental to the success of the undertaking. Dona Esperança, who had developed a special respect for José Maria due to his education and religiosity, interceded for the slave. She suggested to her husband that they find a way to replace him without causing an outcry.
It was the first time since the beginning of the agreement that she had taken any initiative. The solution found was to transfer José Maria to work on a smaller family farm located three days’ journey away. Officially, he was being promoted to supervise production on a smaller property. In reality, he was being removed to avoid problems.
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