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And so saying, he seized the staff he had driven into the ground,and leaving one half of it fixed there, showed it to be a sheaththat concealed a tolerably long rapier; and, what may he called itshilt being planted in the ground, he swiftly, coolly, and deliberatelythrew himself upon it, and in an instant the bloody point and half thesteel blade appeared at his back, the unhappy man falling to the earthbathed in his blood, and transfixed by his own weapon.

His friends at once ran to his aid, filled with grief at hismisery and sad fate, and Don Quixote, dismounting from Rocinante,hastened to support him, and took him in his arms, and found he hadnot yet ceased to breathe. They were about to draw out the rapier, butthe priest who was standing by objected to its being withdrawnbefore he had confessed him, as the instant of its withdrawal would bethat of this death. Basilio, however, reviving slightly, said in aweak voice, as though in pain, "If thou wouldst consent, cruelQuiteria, to give me thy hand as my bride in this last fatal moment, Imight still hope that my rashness would find pardon, as by its means Iattained the bliss of being thine."

Hearing this the priest bade him think of the welfare of his soulrather than of the cravings of the body, and in all earnestnessimplore God's pardon for his sins and for his rash resolve; to whichBasilio replied that he was determined not to confess unlessQuiteria first gave him her hand in marriage, for that happiness wouldcompose his mind and give him courage to make his confession.

Don Quixote hearing the wounded man's entreaty, exclaimed aloud thatwhat Basilio asked was just and reasonable, and moreover a requestthat might be easily complied with; and that it would be as much toSenor Camacho's honour to receive the lady Quiteria as the widow ofthe brave Basilio as if he received her direct from her father.

"In this case," said he, "it will be only to say 'yes,' and noconsequences can follow the utterance of the word, for the nuptialcouch of this marriage must be the grave."

Camacho was listening to all this, perplexed and bewildered andnot knowing what to say or do; but so urgent were the entreaties ofBasilio's friends, imploring him to allow Quiteria to give him herhand, so that his soul, quitting this life in despair, should not belost, that they moved, nay, forced him, to say that if Quiteria werewilling to give it he was satisfied, as it was only putting off thefulfillment of his wishes for a moment. At once all assailedQuiteria and pressed her, some with prayers, and others with tears,and others with persuasive arguments, to give her hand to poorBasilio; but she, harder than marble and more unmoved than any statue,seemed unable or unwilling to utter a word, nor would she have givenany reply had not the priest bade her decide quickly what she meant todo, as Basilio now had his soul at his teeth, and there was no timefor hesitation.

On this the fair Quiteria, to all appearance distressed, grieved,and repentant, advanced without a word to where Basilio lay, hiseyes already turned in his head, his breathing short and painful,murmuring the name of Quiteria between his teeth, and apparently aboutto die like a heathen and not like a Christian. Quiteria approachedhim, and kneeling, demanded his hand by signs without speaking.Basilio opened his eyes and gazing fixedly at her, said, "OQuiteria, why hast thou turned compassionate at a moment when thycompassion will serve as a dagger to rob me of life, for I have notnow the strength left either to bear the happiness thou givest me inaccepting me as thine, or to suppress the pain that is rapidly drawingthe dread shadow of death over my eyes? What I entreat of thee, O thoufatal star to me, is that the hand thou demandest of me and wouldstgive me, be not given out of complaisance or to deceive me afresh, butthat thou confess and declare that without any constraint upon thywill thou givest it to me as to thy lawful husband; for it is not meetthat thou shouldst trifle with me at such a moment as this, or haverecourse to falsehoods with one who has dealt so truly by thee."

While uttering these words he showed such weakness that thebystanders expected each return of faintness would take his lifewith it. Then Quiteria, overcome with modesty and shame, holding inher right hand the hand of Basilio, said, "No force would bend mywill; as freely, therefore, as it is possible for me to do so, Igive thee the hand of a lawful wife, and take thine if thou givestit to me of thine own free will, untroubled and unaffected by thecalamity thy hasty act has brought upon thee."

"Yes, I give it," said Basilio, "not agitated or distracted, butwith unclouded reason that heaven is pleased to grant me, thus do Igive myself to be thy husband."

"And I give myself to be thy wife," said Quiteria, "whether thoulivest many years, or they carry thee from my arms to the grave."

"For one so badly wounded," observed Sancho at this point, "thisyoung man has a great deal to say; they should make him leave offbilling and cooing, and attend to his soul; for to my thinking hehas it more on his tongue than at his teeth."

Basilio and Quiteria having thus joined hands, the priest, deeplymoved and with tears in his eyes, pronounced the blessing upon them,and implored heaven to grant an easy passage to the soul of thenewly wedded man, who, the instant he received the blessing, startednimbly to his feet and with unparalleled effrontery pulled out therapier that had been sheathed in his body. All the bystanders wereastounded, and some, more simple than inquiring, began shouting, "Amiracle, a miracle!" But Basilio replied, "No miracle, no miracle;only a trick, a trick!" The priest, perplexed and amazed, made hasteto examine the wound with both hands, and found that the blade hadpassed, not through Basilio's flesh and ribs, but through a hollowiron tube full of blood, which he had adroitly fixed at the place, theblood, as was afterwards ascertained, having been so prepared as notto congeal. In short, the priest and Camacho and most of those presentsaw they were tricked and made fools of. The bride showed no signsof displeasure at the deception; on the contrary, hearing them saythat the marriage, being fraudulent, would not be valid, she said thatshe confirmed it afresh, whence they all concluded that the affair hadbeen planned by agreement and understanding between the pair,whereat Camacho and his supporters were so mortified that theyproceeded to revenge themselves by violence, and a great number ofthem drawing their swords attacked Basilio, in whose protection asmany more swords were in an instant unsheathed, while Don Quixotetaking the lead on horseback, with his lance over his arm and wellcovered with his shield, made all give way before him. Sancho, whonever found any pleasure or enjoyment in such doings, retreated to thewine-jars from which he had taken his delectable skimmings,considering that, as a holy place, that spot would be respected.

"Hold, sirs, hold!" cried Don Quixote in a loud voice; "we have noright to take vengeance for wrongs that love may do to us: rememberlove and war are the same thing, and as in war it is allowable andcommon to make use of wiles and stratagems to overcome the enemy, soin the contests and rivalries of love the tricks and devicesemployed to attain the desired end are justifiable, provided they benot to the discredit or dishonour of the loved object. Quiteriabelonged to Basilio and Basilio to Quiteria by the just and beneficentdisposal of heaven. Camacho is rich, and can purchase his pleasurewhen, where, and as it pleases him. Basilio has but this ewe-lamb, andno one, however powerful he may be, shall take her from him; these twowhom God hath joined man cannot separate; and he who attempts itmust first pass the point of this lance;" and so saying hebrandished it so stoutly and dexterously that he overawed all whodid not know him.

But so deep an impression had the rejection of Quiteria made onCamacho's mind that it banished her at once from his thoughts; andso the counsels of the priest, who was a wise and kindly disposed man,prevailed with him, and by their means he and his partisans werepacified and tranquillised, and to prove it put up their swords again,inveighing against the pliancy of Quiteria rather than thecraftiness of Basilio; Camacho maintaining that, if Quiteria as amaiden had such a love for Basilio, she would have loved him too asa married woman, and that he ought to thank heaven more for havingtaken her than for having given her.

Camacho and those of his following, therefore, being consoled andpacified, those on Basilio's side were appeased; and the rich Camacho,to show that he felt no resentment for the trick, and did not careabout it, desired the festival to go on just as if he were marriedin reality. Neither Basilio, however, nor his bride, nor theirfollowers would take any part in it, and they withdrew to Basilio'svillage; for the poor, if they are persons of virtue and good sense,have those who follow, honour, and uphold them, just as the richhave those who flatter and dance attendance on them. With them theycarried Don Quixote, regarding him as a man of worth and a stoutone. Sancho alone had a cloud on his soul, for he found himselfdebarred from waiting for Camacho's splendid feast and festival, whichlasted until night; and thus dragged away, he moodily followed hismaster, who accompanied Basilio's party, and left behind him theflesh-pots of Egypt; though in his heart he took them with him, andtheir now nearly finished skimmings that he carried in the bucketconjured up visions before his eyes of the glory and abundance ofthe good cheer he was losing. And so, vexed and dejected though nothungry, without dismounting from Dapple he followed in the footstepsof Rocinante.

CHAPTER XXII

WHERIN IS RELATED THE GRAND ADVENTURE OF THE CAVE OF MONTESINOS INTHE HEART OF LA MANCHA, WHICH THE VALIANT DON QUIXOTE BROUGHT TO AHAPPY TERMINATION

MANY and great were the attentions shown to Don Quixote by the newlymarried couple, who felt themselves under an obligation to him forcoming forward in defence of their cause; and they exalted hiswisdom to the same level with his courage, rating him as a Cid inarms, and a Cicero in eloquence. Worthy Sancho enjoyed himself forthree days at the expense of the pair, from whom they learned that thesham wound was not a scheme arranged with the fair Quiteria, but adevice of Basilio's, who counted on exactly the result they hadseen; he confessed, it is true, that he had confided his idea tosome of his friends, so that at the proper time they might aid himin his purpose and insure the success of the deception.

"That," said Don Quixote, "is not and ought not to be calleddeception which aims at virtuous ends;" and the marriage of lovershe maintained to be a most excellent end, reminding them, however,that love has no greater enemy than hunger and constant want; for loveis all gaiety, enjoyment, and happiness, especially when the loveris in the possession of the object of his love, and poverty and wantare the declared enemies of all these; which he said to urge SenorBasilio to abandon the practice of those accomplishments he wasskilled in, for though they brought him fame, they brought him nomoney, and apply himself to the acquisition of wealth by legitimateindustry, which will never fail those who are prudent and persevering.The poor man who is a man of honour (if indeed a poor man can be a manof honour) has a jewel when he has a fair wife, and if she is takenfrom him, his honour is taken from him and slain. The fair woman whois a woman of honour, and whose husband is poor, deserves to becrowned with the laurels and crowns of victory and triumph. Beautyby itself attracts the desires of all who behold it, and the royaleagles and birds of towering flight stoop on it as on a dainty lure;but if beauty be accompanied by want and penury, then the ravens andthe kites and other birds of prey assail it, and she who stands firmagainst such attacks well deserves to be called the crown of herhusband. "Remember, O prudent Basilio," added Don Quixote, "it was theopinion of a certain sage, I know not whom, that there was not morethan one good woman in the whole world; and his advice was that eachone should think and believe that this one good woman was his ownwife, and in this way he would live happy. I myself am not married,nor, so far, has it ever entered my thoughts to be so; neverthelessI would venture to give advice to anyone who might ask it, as to themode in which he should seek a wife such as he would be content tomarry. The first thing I would recommend him, would be to look to goodname rather than to wealth, for a good woman does not win a goodname merely by being good, but by letting it he seen that she is so,and open looseness and freedom do much more damage to a woman's honourthan secret depravity. If you take a good woman into your house itwill he an easy matter to keep her good, and even to make her stillbetter; but if you take a bad one you will find it hard work to mendher, for it is no very easy matter to pass from one extreme toanother. I do not say it is impossible, but I look upon it asdifficult."

Sancho, listening to all this, said to himself, "This master ofmine, when I say anything that has weight and substance, says Imight take a pulpit in hand, and go about the world preaching finesermons; but I say of him that, when he begins stringing maximstogether and giving advice not only might he take a pulpit in hand,but two on each finger, and go into the market-places to his heart'scontent. Devil take you for a knight-errant, what a lot of thingsyou know! I used to think in my heart that the only thing he knewwas what belonged to his chivalry; but there is nothing he won'thave a finger in."

Sancho muttered this somewhat aloud, and his master overheard him,and asked, "What art thou muttering there, Sancho?"

"I'm not saying anything or muttering anything," said Sancho; "I wasonly saying to myself that I wish I had heard what your worship hassaid just now before I married; perhaps I'd say now, 'The ox that'sloose licks himself well.'"

"Is thy Teresa so bad then, Sancho?"

"She is not very bad," replied Sancho; "but she is not very good; atleast she is not as good as I could wish."

"Thou dost wrong, Sancho," said Don Quixote, "to speak ill of thywife; for after all she is the mother of thy children." "We arequits," returned Sancho; "for she speaks ill of me whenever shetakes it into her head, especially when she is jealous; and Satanhimself could not put up with her then."

In fine, they remained three days with the newly married couple,by whom they were entertained and treated like kings. Don Quixotebegged the fencing licentiate to find him a guide to show him theway to the cave of Montesinos, as he had a great desire to enter itand see with his own eyes if the wonderful tales that were told ofit all over the country were true. The licentiate said he would gethim a cousin of his own, a famous scholar, and one very much givento reading books of chivalry, who would have great pleasure inconducting him to the mouth of the very cave, and would show him thelakes of Ruidera, which were likewise famous all over La Mancha, andeven all over Spain; and he assured him he would find himentertaining, for he was a youth who could write books good enoughto be printed and dedicated to princes. The cousin arrived at last,leading an ass in foal, with a pack-saddle covered with aparti-coloured carpet or sackcloth; Sancho saddled Rocinante, gotDapple ready, and stocked his alforjas, along with which went those ofthe cousin, likewise well filled; and so, commending themselves to Godand bidding farewell to all, they set out, taking the road for thefamous cave of Montesinos.