"Some of these people have trainers, like horse trainers to train their roosters," my guide continues. "They put the roosters on a string that's tied between two trees, and leave them there all night. The birds learn to balance on the string as it rocks between the trees, and build up their muscles."
The cock owners remove blade covers from their birds' hind legs, revealing lethal, hook-shaped blades. They hold the fighters firmly around the chest, bouncing each bird almost ritualistically, rhythmically towards the other.
"They want to fire them up, get them nasty," my cultural advisor whispers.
A good win means more than a month's salary in Timor. A loss could mean the family loses a month's worth of meals. In one village outside Baucau, the women have banned cockfighting because of related gambling losses.
