第 36 页

"'Don Quixote,' he must have said, senora," observed Sancho at this,"otherwise called the Knight of the Rueful Countenance."

"That is it," said Dorothea; "he said, moreover, that he would betall of stature and lank featured; and that on his right side underthe left shoulder, or thereabouts, he would have a grey mole withhairs like bristles."

On hearing this, Don Quixote said to his squire, "Here, Sancho myson, bear a hand and help me to strip, for I want to see if I am theknight that sage king foretold."

"What does your worship want to strip for?" said Dorothea.

"To see if I have that mole your father spoke of," answered DonQuixote.

"There is no occasion to strip," said Sancho; "for I know yourworship has just such a mole on the middle of your backbone, whichis the mark of a strong man."

"That is enough," said Dorothea, "for with friends we must notlook too closely into trifles; and whether it be on the shoulder or onthe backbone matters little; it is enough if there is a mole, be itwhere it may, for it is all the same flesh; no doubt my good fatherhit the truth in every particular, and I have made a lucky hit incommending myself to Don Quixote; for he is the one my father spokeof, as the features of his countenance correspond with thoseassigned to this knight by that wide fame he has acquired not onlyin Spain but in all La Mancha; for I had scarcely landed at Osuna whenI heard such accounts of his achievements, that at once my hearttold me he was the very one I had come in search of."

"But how did you land at Osuna, senora," asked Don Quixote, "when itis not a seaport?"

But before Dorothea could reply the curate anticipated her,saying, "The princess meant to say that after she had landed at Malagathe first place where she heard of your worship was Osuna."

"That is what I meant to say," said Dorothea.

"And that would be only natural," said the curate. "Will yourmajesty please proceed?"

"There is no more to add," said Dorothea, "save that in findingDon Quixote I have had such good fortune, that I already reckon andregard myself queen and mistress of my entire dominions, since ofhis courtesy and magnanimity he has granted me the boon ofaccompanying me whithersoever I may conduct him, which will be only tobring him face to face with Pandafilando of the Scowl, that he mayslay him and restore to me what has been unjustly usurped by him:for all this must come to pass satisfactorily since my good fatherTinacrio the Sapient foretold it, who likewise left it declared inwriting in Chaldee or Greek characters (for I cannot read them),that if this predicted knight, after having cut the giant's throat,should be disposed to marry me I was to offer myself at once withoutdemur as his lawful wife, and yield him possession of my kingdomtogether with my person."

"What thinkest thou now, friend Sancho?" said Don Quixote at this."Hearest thou that? Did I not tell thee so? See how we have alreadygot a kingdom to govern and a queen to marry!"

"On my oath it is so," said Sancho; "and foul fortune to him whowon't marry after slitting Senor Pandahilado's windpipe! And then, howillfavoured the queen is! I wish the fleas in my bed were that sort!"

And so saying he cut a couple of capers in the air with every signof extreme satisfaction, and then ran to seize the bridle ofDorothea's mule, and checking it fell on his knees before her, beggingher to give him her hand to kiss in token of his acknowledgment of heras his queen and mistress. Which of the bystanders could have helpedlaughing to see the madness of the master and the simplicity of theservant? Dorothea therefore gave her hand, and promised to make hima great lord in her kingdom, when Heaven should be so good as topermit her to recover and enjoy it, for which Sancho returned thanksin words that set them all laughing again.

"This, sirs," continued Dorothea, "is my story; it only remains totell you that of all the attendants I took with me from my kingdom Ihave none left except this well-bearded squire, for all were drownedin a great tempest we encountered when in sight of port; and he andI came to land on a couple of planks as if by a miracle; and indeedthe whole course of my life is a miracle and a mystery as you may haveobserved; and if I have been over minute in any respect or not asprecise as I ought, let it be accounted for by what the licentiatesaid at the beginning of my tale, that constant and excessive troublesdeprive the sufferers of their memory."

"They shall not deprive me of mine, exalted and worthy princess,"said Don Quixote, "however great and unexampled those which I shallendure in your service may be; and here I confirm anew the boon I havepromised you, and I swear to go with you to the end of the world untilI find myself in the presence of your fierce enemy, whose haughty headI trust by the aid of my arm to cut off with the edge of this- Iwill not say good sword, thanks to Gines de Pasamonte who carried awaymine"- (this he said between his teeth, and then continued), "and whenit has been cut off and you have been put in peaceful possession ofyour realm it shall be left to your own decision to dispose of yourperson as may be most pleasing to you; for so long as my memory isoccupied, my will enslaved, and my understanding enthralled by her-I say no more- it is impossible for me for a moment to contemplatemarriage, even with a Phoenix."

The last words of his master about not wanting to marry were sodisagreeable to Sancho that raising his voice he exclaimed withgreat irritation:

"By my oath, Senor Don Quixote, you are not in your right senses;for how can your worship possibly object to marrying such an exaltedprincess as this? Do you think Fortune will offer you behind everystone such a piece of luck as is offered you now? Is my ladyDulcinea fairer, perchance? Not she; nor half as fair; and I will evengo so far as to say she does not come up to the shoe of this one here.A poor chance I have of getting that county I am waiting for if yourworship goes looking for dainties in the bottom of the sea. In thedevil's name, marry, marry, and take this kingdom that comes to handwithout any trouble, and when you are king make me a marquis orgovernor of a province, and for the rest let the devil take it all."

Don Quixote, when he heard such blasphemies uttered against his ladyDulcinea, could not endure it, and lifting his pike, without sayinganything to Sancho or uttering a word, he gave him two such thwacksthat he brought him to the ground; and had it not been that Dorotheacried out to him to spare him he would have no doubt taken his life onthe spot.

"Do you think," he said to him after a pause, "you scurvy clown,that you are to be always interfering with me, and that you are tobe always offending and I always pardoning? Don't fancy it, impiousscoundrel, for that beyond a doubt thou art, since thou hast set thytongue going against the peerless Dulcinea. Know you not, lout,vagabond, beggar, that were it not for the might that she infuses intomy arm I should not have strength enough to kill a flea? Say,scoffer with a viper's tongue, what think you has won this kingdom andcut off this giant's head and made you a marquis (for all this I countas already accomplished and decided), but the might of Dulcinea,employing my arm as the instrument of her achievements? She fightsin me and conquers in me, and I live and breathe in her, and owe mylife and being to her. O whoreson scoundrel, how ungrateful you are,you see yourself raised from the dust of the earth to be a titledlord, and the return you make for so great a benefit is to speakevil of her who has conferred it upon you!"

Sancho was not so stunned but that he heard all his master said, andrising with some degree of nimbleness he ran to place himself behindDorothea's palfrey, and from that position he said to his master:

"Tell me, senor; if your worship is resolved not to marry this greatprincess, it is plain the kingdom will not be yours; and not being so,how can you bestow favours upon me? That is what I complain of. Letyour worship at any rate marry this queen, now that we have got herhere as if showered down from heaven, and afterwards you may go backto my lady Dulcinea; for there must have been kings in the world whokept mistresses. As to beauty, I have nothing to do with it; and ifthe truth is to be told, I like them both; though I have never seenthe lady Dulcinea."

"How! never seen her, blasphemous traitor!" exclaimed Don Quixote;"hast thou not just now brought me a message from her?"

"I mean," said Sancho, "that I did not see her so much at my leisurethat I could take particular notice of her beauty, or of her charmspiecemeal; but taken in the lump I like her."

"Now I forgive thee," said Don Quixote; "and do thou forgive methe injury I have done thee; for our first impulses are not in ourcontrol."

"That I see," replied Sancho, "and with me the wish to speak isalways the first impulse, and I cannot help saying, once at anyrate, what I have on the tip of my tongue."

"For all that, Sancho," said Don Quixote, "take heed of what thousayest, for the pitcher goes so often to the well- I need say nomore to thee."

"Well, well," said Sancho, "God is in heaven, and sees all tricks,and will judge who does most harm, I in not speaking right, or yourworship in not doing it."

"That is enough," said Dorothea; "run, Sancho, and kiss yourlord's hand and beg his pardon, and henceforward be more circumspectwith your praise and abuse; and say nothing in disparagement of thatlady Toboso, of whom I know nothing save that I am her servant; andput your trust in God, for you will not fail to obtain some dignity soas to live like a prince."

Sancho advanced hanging his head and begged his master's hand, whichDon Quixote with dignity presented to him, giving him his blessingas soon as he had kissed it; he then bade him go on ahead a little, ashe had questions to ask him and matters of great importance to discusswith him. Sancho obeyed, and when the two had gone some distance inadvance Don Quixote said to him, "Since thy return I have had noopportunity or time to ask thee many particulars touching thymission and the answer thou hast brought back, and now that chance hasgranted us the time and opportunity, deny me not the happiness thoucanst give me by such good news."

"Let your worship ask what you will," answered Sancho, "for Ishall find a way out of all as as I found a way in; but I implore you,senor, not not to be so revengeful in future."

"Why dost thou say that, Sancho?" said Don Quixote.

"I say it," he returned, "because those blows just now were morebecause of the quarrel the devil stirred up between us both theother night, than for what I said against my lady Dulcinea, whom Ilove and reverence as I would a relic- though there is nothing of thatabout her- merely as something belonging to your worship."

"Say no more on that subject for thy life, Sancho," said DonQuixote, "for it is displeasing to me; I have already pardoned theefor that, and thou knowest the common saying, 'for a fresh sin a freshpenance.'"

While this was going on they saw coming along the road they werefollowing a man mounted on an ass, who when he came close seemed to bea gipsy; but Sancho Panza, whose eyes and heart were there wherever hesaw asses, no sooner beheld the man than he knew him to be Gines dePasamonte; and by the thread of the gipsy he got at the ball, his ass,for it was, in fact, Dapple that carried Pasamonte, who to escaperecognition and to sell the ass had disguised himself as a gipsy,being able to speak the gipsy language, and many more, as well as ifthey were his own. Sancho saw him and recognised him, and theinstant he did so he shouted to him, "Ginesillo, you thief, give up mytreasure, release my life, embarrass thyself not with my repose,quit my ass, leave my delight, be off, rip, get thee gone, thief,and give up what is not thine."

There was no necessity for so many words or objurgations, for at thefirst one Gines jumped down, and at a like racing speed made off andgot clear of them all. Sancho hastened to his Dapple, and embracinghim he said, "How hast thou fared, my blessing, Dapple of my eyes,my comrade?" all the while kissing him and caressing him as if he werea human being. The ass held his peace, and let himself be kissed andcaressed by Sancho without answering a single word. They all came upand congratulated him on having found Dapple, Don Quixoteespecially, who told him that notwithstanding this he would not cancelthe order for the three ass-colts, for which Sancho thanked him.

While the two had been going along conversing in this fashion, thecurate observed to Dorothea that she had shown great cleverness, aswell in the story itself as in its conciseness, and the resemblance itbore to those of the books of chivalry. She said that she had manytimes amused herself reading them; but that she did not know thesituation of the provinces or seaports, and so she had said athaphazard that she had landed at Osuna.

"So I saw," said the curate, "and for that reason I made haste tosay what I did, by which it was all set right. But is it not a strangething to see how readily this unhappy gentleman believes all thesefigments and lies, simply because they are in the style and mannerof the absurdities of his books?"

"So it is," said Cardenio; "and so uncommon and unexampled, thatwere one to attempt to invent and concoct it in fiction, I doubt ifthere be any wit keen enough to imagine it."

"But another strange thing about it," said the curate, "is that,apart from the silly things which this worthy gentleman says inconnection with his craze, when other subjects are dealt with, hecan discuss them in a perfectly rational manner, showing that his mindis quite clear and composed; so that, provided his chivalry is nottouched upon, no one would take him to be anything but a man ofthoroughly sound understanding."

While they were holding this conversation Don Quixote continuedhis with Sancho, saying:

"Friend Panza, let us forgive and forget as to our quarrels, andtell me now, dismissing anger and irritation, where, how, and whendidst thou find Dulcinea? What was she doing? What didst thou say toher? What did she answer? How did she look when she was reading myletter? Who copied it out for thee? and everything in the matterthat seems to thee worth knowing, asking, and learning; neither addingnor falsifying to give me pleasure, nor yet curtailing lest you shoulddeprive me of it."