Don Quixote could not help laughing at his squire's simplicity, and he

assured him he might complain whenever and however he chose, just as he

liked, for, so far, he had never read of anything to the contrary in the

order of knighthood.

Sancho bade him remember it was dinner-time, to which his master answered

that he wanted nothing himself just then, but that he might eat when he

had a mind. With this permission Sancho settled himself as comfortably as

he could on his beast, and taking out of the alforjas what he had stowed

away in them, he jogged along behind his master munching deliberately,

and from time to time taking a pull at the bota with a relish that the

Advertisement..

thirstiest tapster in Malaga might have envied; and while he went on in

this way, gulping down draught after draught, he never gave a thought to

any of the promises his master had made him, nor did he rate it as

hardship but rather as recreation going in quest of adventures, however

dangerous they might be. Finally they passed the night among some trees,

from one of which Don Quixote plucked a dry branch to serve him after a

fashion as a lance, and fixed on it the head he had removed from the

broken one. All that night Don Quixote lay awake thinking of his lady

Dulcinea, in order to conform to what he had read in his books, how many

a night in the forests and deserts knights used to lie sleepless

supported by the memory of their mistresses. Not so did Sancho Panza

spend it, for having his stomach full of something stronger than chicory

water he made but one sleep of it, and, if his master had not called him,

neither the rays of the sun beating on his face nor all the cheery notes

of the birds welcoming the approach of day would have had power to waken

him. On getting up he tried the bota and found it somewhat less full than

the night before, which grieved his heart because they did not seem to be

on the way to remedy the deficiency readily. Don Quixote did not care to

break his fast, for, as has been already said, he confined himself to

savoury recollections for nourishment.

They returned to the road they had set out with, leading to Puerto

Lapice, and at three in the afternoon they came in sight of it. "Here,

brother Sancho Panza," said Don Quixote when he saw it, "we may plunge

our hands up to the elbows in what they call adventures; but observe,

even shouldst thou see me in the greatest danger in the world, thou must

not put a hand to thy sword in my defence, unless indeed thou perceivest

that those who assail me are rabble or base folk; for in that case thou

mayest very properly aid me; but if they be knights it is on no account

permitted or allowed thee by the laws of knighthood to help me until thou

hast been dubbed a knight."




Most Popular