Summary

In the nineteenth century, the maquis above Porto-Vecchio is home to Corsican shepherds and outlaws. The maquis is a savage wilderness of dense brushwood resulting from the burning of woodland by Corsican farmers, who, to save themselves the trouble of fertilizing, sow seeds in the ashes of the trees. After the grain is harvested, they abandon the fields, which, over time, sprout a tangle of trees and shrubs so dense not even wild sheep can penetrate. This is where the unnamed narrator of "Mateo Falcone" instructs us to go if we have killed a man. With a good rifle and ammunition, an outlaw can live in safety in the maquis, with milk, cheese and chestnuts provided by the shepherds.

Half a league from the maquis is the home of Mateo Falcone, a middle-aged sheep rancher of some means. Small but robust...