第 20 页

"As much as my mother has," said Sancho.

"In truth," said Don Quixote, "thou hast told one of the rareststories, tales, or histories, that anyone in the world could haveimagined, and such a way of telling it and ending it was never seennor will be in a lifetime; though I expected nothing else from thyexcellent understanding. But I do not wonder, for perhaps thoseceaseless strokes may have confused thy wits."

"All that may be," replied Sancho, "but I know that as to mystory, all that can be said is that it ends there where the mistake inthe count of the passage of the goats begins."

"Let it end where it will, well and good," said Don Quixote, "andlet us see if Rocinante can go;" and again he spurred him, and againRocinante made jumps and remained where he was, so well tied was he.

Just then, whether it was the cold of the morning that was nowapproaching, or that he had eaten something laxative at supper, orthat it was only natural (as is most likely), Sancho felt a desireto do what no one could do for him; but so great was the fear that hadpenetrated his heart, he dared not separate himself from his master byas much as the black of his nail; to escape doing what he wantedwas, however, also impossible; so what he did for peace's sake wasto remove his right hand, which held the back of the saddle, andwith it to untie gently and silently the running string which aloneheld up his breeches, so that on loosening it they at once fell downround his feet like fetters; he then raised his shirt as well as hecould and bared his hind quarters, no slim ones. But, thisaccomplished, which he fancied was all he had to do to get out of thisterrible strait and embarrassment, another still greater difficultypresented itself, for it seemed to him impossible to relieve himselfwithout making some noise, and he ground his teeth and squeezed hisshoulders together, holding his breath as much as he could; but inspite of his precautions he was unlucky enough after all to make alittle noise, very different from that which was causing him so muchfear.

Don Quixote, hearing it, said, "What noise is that, Sancho?"

"I don't know, senor," said he; "it must be something new, foradventures and misadventures never begin with a trifle." Once morehe tried his luck, and succeeded so well, that without any furthernoise or disturbance he found himself relieved of the burden thathad given him so much discomfort. But as Don Quixote's sense ofsmell was as acute as his hearing, and as Sancho was so closely linkedwith him that the fumes rose almost in a straight line, it could notbe but that some should reach his nose, and as soon as they did hecame to its relief by compressing it between his fingers, saying ina rather snuffing tone, "Sancho, it strikes me thou art in greatfear."

"I am," answered Sancho; "but how does your worship perceive itnow more than ever?"

"Because just now thou smellest stronger than ever, and not ofambergris," answered Don Quixote.

"Very likely," said Sancho, "but that's not my fault, but yourworship's, for leading me about at unseasonable hours and at suchunwonted paces."

"Then go back three or four, my friend," said Don Quixote, all thetime with his fingers to his nose; "and for the future pay moreattention to thy person and to what thou owest to mine; for it is mygreat familiarity with thee that has bred this contempt."

"I'll bet," replied Sancho, "that your worship thinks I have donesomething I ought not with my person."

"It makes it worse to stir it, friend Sancho," returned Don Quixote.

With this and other talk of the same sort master and man passedthe night, till Sancho, perceiving that daybreak was coming onapace, very cautiously untied Rocinante and tied up his breeches. Assoon as Rocinante found himself free, though by nature he was not atall mettlesome, he seemed to feel lively and began pawing- for as tocapering, begging his pardon, he knew not what it meant. DonQuixote, then, observing that Rocinante could move, took it as agood sign and a signal that he should attempt the dread adventure.By this time day had fully broken and everything showed distinctly,and Don Quixote saw that he was among some tall trees, chestnuts,which cast a very deep shade; he perceived likewise that the soundof the strokes did not cease, but could not discover what caused it,and so without any further delay he let Rocinante feel the spur, andonce more taking leave of Sancho, he told him to wait for him therethree days at most, as he had said before, and if he should not havereturned by that time, he might feel sure it had been God's willthat he should end his days in that perilous adventure. He againrepeated the message and commission with which he was to go on hisbehalf to his lady Dulcinea, and said he was not to be uneasy as tothe payment of his services, for before leaving home he had made hiswill, in which he would find himself fully recompensed in the matterof wages in due proportion to the time he had served; but if Goddelivered him safe, sound, and unhurt out of that danger, he mightlook upon the promised island as much more than certain. Sanchobegan to weep afresh on again hearing the affecting words of hisgood master, and resolved to stay with him until the final issue andend of the business. From these tears and this honourable resolve ofSancho Panza's the author of this history infers that he must havebeen of good birth and at least an old Christian; and the feeling hedisplayed touched his but not so much as to make him show anyweakness; on the contrary, hiding what he felt as well as he could, hebegan to move towards that quarter whence the sound of the water andof the strokes seemed to come.

Sancho followed him on foot, leading by the halter, as his customwas, his ass, his constant comrade in prosperity or adversity; andadvancing some distance through the shady chestnut trees they cameupon a little meadow at the foot of some high rocks, down which amighty rush of water flung itself. At the foot of the rocks weresome rudely constructed houses looking more like ruins than houses,from among which came, they perceived, the din and clatter of blows,which still continued without intermission. Rocinante took fright atthe noise of the water and of the blows, but quieting him DonQuixote advanced step by step towards the houses, commending himselfwith all his heart to his lady, imploring her support in that dreadpass and enterprise, and on the way commending himself to God, too,not to forget him. Sancho who never quitted his side, stretched hisneck as far as he could and peered between the legs of Rocinante tosee if he could now discover what it was that caused him such fear andapprehension. They went it might be a hundred paces farther, when onturning a corner the true cause, beyond the possibility of anymistake, of that dread-sounding and to them awe-inspiring noise thathad kept them all the night in such fear and perplexity, appearedplain and obvious; and it was (if, reader, thou art not disgustedand disappointed) six fulling hammers which by their alternate strokesmade all the din.

When Don Quixote perceived what it was, he was struck dumb and rigidfrom head to foot. Sancho glanced at him and saw him with his headbent down upon his breast in manifest mortification; and Don Quixoteglanced at Sancho and saw him with his cheeks puffed out and his mouthfull of laughter, and evidently ready to explode with it, and in spiteof his vexation he could not help laughing at the sight of him; andwhen Sancho saw his master begin he let go so heartily that he hadto hold his sides with both hands to keep himself from bursting withlaughter. Four times he stopped, and as many times did his laughterbreak out afresh with the same violence as at first, whereat DonQuixote grew furious, above all when he heard him say mockingly, "Thoumust know, friend Sancho, that of Heaven's will I was born in this ouriron age to revive in it the golden or age of gold; I am he for whomare reserved perils, mighty achievements, valiant deeds;" and herehe went on repeating the words that Don Quixote uttered the first timethey heard the awful strokes.

Don Quixote, then, seeing that Sancho was turning him into ridicule,was so mortified and vexed that he lifted up his pike and smote himtwo such blows that if, instead of catching them on his shoulders,he had caught them on his head there would have been no wages topay, unless indeed to his heirs. Sancho seeing that he was gettingan awkward return in earnest for his jest, and fearing his mastermight carry it still further, said to him very humbly, "Calm yourself,sir, for by God I am only joking."

"Well, then, if you are joking I am not," replied Don Quixote. "Lookhere, my lively gentleman, if these, instead of being fulling hammers,had been some perilous adventure, have I not, think you, shown thecourage required for the attempt and achievement? Am I, perchance,being, as I am, a gentleman, bound to know and distinguish soundsand tell whether they come from fulling mills or not; and that, whenperhaps, as is the case, I have never in my life seen any as you have,low boor as you are, that have been born and bred among them? But turnme these six hammers into six giants, and bring them to beard me,one by one or all together, and if I do not knock them head overheels, then make what mockery you like of me."

"No more of that, senor," returned Sancho; "I own I went a littletoo far with the joke. But tell me, your worship, now that peace ismade between us (and may God bring you out of all the adventuresthat may befall you as safe and sound as he has brought you out ofthis one), was it not a thing to laugh at, and is it not a good story,the great fear we were in?- at least that I was in; for as to yourworship I see now that you neither know nor understand what eitherfear or dismay is."

"I do not deny," said Don Quixote, "that what happened to us maybe worth laughing at, but it is not worth making a story about, for itis not everyone that is shrewd enough to hit the right point of athing."

"At any rate," said Sancho, "your worship knew how to hit theright point with your pike, aiming at my head and hitting me on theshoulders, thanks be to God and my own smartness in dodging it. Butlet that pass; all will come out in the scouring; for I have heard say'he loves thee well that makes thee weep;' and moreover that it is theway with great lords after any hard words they give a servant togive him a pair of breeches; though I do not know what they give afterblows, unless it be that knights-errant after blows give islands, orkingdoms on the mainland."

"It may be on the dice," said Don Quixote, "that all thou sayestwill come true; overlook the past, for thou art shrewd enough toknow that our first movements are not in our own control; and onething for the future bear in mind, that thou curb and restrain thyloquacity in my company; for in all the books of chivalry that Ihave read, and they are innumerable, I never met with a squire whotalked so much to his lord as thou dost to thine; and in fact I feelit to be a great fault of thine and of mine: of thine, that thouhast so little respect for me; of mine, that I do not make myself morerespected. There was Gandalin, the squire of Amadis of Gaul, thatwas Count of the Insula Firme, and we read of him that he alwaysaddressed his lord with his cap in his hand, his head bowed down andhis body bent double, more turquesco. And then, what shall we say ofGasabal, the squire of Galaor, who was so silent that in order toindicate to us the greatness of his marvellous taciturnity his name isonly once mentioned in the whole of that history, as long as it istruthful? From all I have said thou wilt gather, Sancho, that theremust be a difference between master and man, between lord andlackey, between knight and squire: so that from this day forward inour intercourse we must observe more respect and take lessliberties, for in whatever way I may be provoked with you it will bebad for the pitcher. The favours and benefits that I have promised youwill come in due time, and if they do not your wages at least will notbe lost, as I have already told you."

"All that your worship says is very well," said Sancho, "but Ishould like to know (in case the time of favours should not come,and it might be necessary to fall back upon wages) how much did thesquire of a knight-errant get in those days, and did they agree by themonth, or by the day like bricklayers?"

"I do not believe," replied Don Quixote, "that such squires wereever on wages, but were dependent on favour; and if I have nowmentioned thine in the sealed will I have left at home, it was witha view to what may happen; for as yet I know not how chivalry willturn out in these wretched times of ours, and I do not wish my soul tosuffer for trifles in the other world; for I would have thee know,Sancho, that in this there is no condition more hazardous than that ofadventurers."

"That is true," said Sancho, "since the mere noise of the hammers ofa fulling mill can disturb and disquiet the heart of such a valianterrant adventurer as your worship; but you may be sure I will not openmy lips henceforward to make light of anything of your worship's,but only to honour you as my master and natural lord."

"By so doing," replied Don Quixote, "shalt thou live long on theface of the earth; for next to parents, masters are to be respected asthough they were parents."

CHAPTER XXI

WHICH TREATS OF THE EXALTED ADVENTURE AND RICH PRIZE OF MAMBRINO'SHELMET, TOGETHER WITH OTHER THINGS THAT HAPPENED TO OUR INVINCIBLEKNIGHT

IT NOW began to rain a little, and Sancho was for going into thefulling mills, but Don Quixote had taken such an abhorrence to them onaccount of the late joke that he would not enter them on anyaccount; so turning aside to right they came upon another road,different from that which they had taken the night before. Shortlyafterwards Don Quixote perceived a man on horseback who wore on hishead something that shone like gold, and the moment he saw him heturned to Sancho and said:

"I think, Sancho, there is no proverb that is not true, all beingmaxims drawn from experience itself, the mother of all the sciences,especially that one that says, 'Where one door shuts, anotheropens.' I say so because if last night fortune shut the door of theadventure we were looking for against us, cheating us with the fullingmills, it now opens wide another one for another better and morecertain adventure, and if I do not contrive to enter it, it will be myown fault, and I cannot lay it to my ignorance of fulling mills, orthe darkness of the night. I say this because, if I mistake not, therecomes towards us one who wears on his head the helmet of Mambrino,concerning which I took the oath thou rememberest."