Fierro and Sombra woke up the next morning as hides and jerked beef were being embarked for export at Oribe's Puerto del Buceo. They chatted idly by a campfire. Not bound by the “time is money” aphorisms that rule the North, they may head for Brazil today or tomorrow, it makes no difference to them, not least because they are both dead. But they chatted still, and after the Siege of Montevideo, the subject of leadership is as good as any other to test each other on the subject of Leadership.

“There goes meat from a saladero to feed the slaves of Brazil and Cuba!” cried Fierro. “Food for slaves made by emasculated men! What a world, Sombra!”

“Fierro, forget the saladeros, let me tell you the story of the Saraiva Brothers, true heroes on horseback. Today we are heading northeast, toward their land and into Brazil.”

“Go on, Sombra, but waste no time with lawyers and generals; give me men, raw men!”

“Let me tell you something about raw men, Fierro. Raw men, by whom you are likely to mean courageous men, may not be that useful.”

“Can one do without them, Sombra?”

“No, but one cannot do only with them, for they are likely to come with other traits, like disobedience.”

“So what, Sombra? You want obedient men to lead? Be a shepherd then, Sombra, and lead sheep!”

“Fierro, you are confounding me! To build, to make, to create, one needs teams. Teams blend traits; some follow, some lead. It depends on the circumstances and the tasks to be accomplished. What we need to understand is how best to select the right people to lead the followers for the benefit of all.”

“Sombra, it is not that difficult. Just let the people choose the leader!”

“Perhaps you are right, Fierro. Perhaps I have been confounded by reading too much management theory.”

“Leadership theory sounds rather fascistic to me, Sombra! Drop it!”

“Perhaps you are right, Fierro, this is why early leadership theory, about a century after Oribe, focused on traits of leaders.