Chapter 5 charts the column's passage across Bahia, the region made famous by Euclides da Cunha. The rebels expected that the people of Bahia, long oppressed by strongmen coronéis, would flock to overthrow their abusers. These expectations never materialized: communities in Bahia did not help the column fight against the coronéis, nor did they hand over food, clothing, or weapons, let alone volunteer as soldiers. Unable to obtain sufficient supplies on their initial march across Bahia, the rebels soon turned around and began their journey to exile. In what proved to be the most intense wave of violence throughout the column's entire march, during their retreat back across the state the rebels vented their frustrations by raiding farms, burning homes, and assaulting women. Despite unmet expectations in Bahia, the column's heroic myth continued to grow.