WHICH DEALS WITH MATTERS RELATING TO THIS HISTORY AND NO OTHERThe duke and duchess resolved that the challenge Don Quixote had, for thereason already mentioned, given their vassal, should be proceeded with;and as the young man was in Flanders, whither he had fled to escapehaving Dona Rodriguez for a mother-in-law, they arranged to substitutefor him a Gascon lacquey, named Tosilos, first of all carefullyinstructing him in all he had to do. Two days later the duke told DonQuixote that in four days from that time his opponent would presenthimself on the field of battle armed as a knight, and would maintain thatthe damsel lied by half a beard, nay a whole beard, if she affirmed thathe had given her a promise of marriage. Don Quixote was greatly pleasedat the news, and promised himself to do wonders in the lists, andreckoned it rare good fortune that an opportunity should have offered forletting his noble hosts see what the might of his strong arm was capableof; and so in high spirits and satisfaction he awaited the expiration ofthe four days, which measured by his impatience seemed spinningthemselves out into four hundred ages. Let us leave them to pass as we doother things, and go and bear Sancho company, as mounted on Dapple, halfglad, half sad, he paced along on his road to join his master, in whosesociety he was happier than in being governor of all the islands in theworld. Well then, it so happened that before he had gone a great way fromthe island of his government (and whether it was island, city, town, orvillage that he governed he never troubled himself to inquire) he sawcoming along the road he was travelling six pilgrims with staves,foreigners of that sort that beg for alms singing; who as they drew neararranged themselves in a line and lifting up their voices all togetherbegan to sing in their own language something that Sancho could not withthe exception of one word which sounded plainly "alms," from which hegathered that it was alms they asked for in their song; and being, asCide Hamete says, remarkably charitable, he took out of his alforias thehalf loaf and half cheese he had been provided with, and gave them tothem, explaining to them by signs that he had nothing else to give them.They received them very gladly, but exclaimed, "Geld! Geld!""I don't understand what you want of me, good people," said Sancho.On this one of them took a purse out of his bosom and showed it toSancho, by which he comprehended they were asking for money, and puttinghis thumb to his throat and spreading his hand upwards he gave them tounderstand that he had not the sign of a coin about him, and urgingDapple forward he broke through them. But as he was passing, one of themwho had been examining him very closely rushed towards him, and flinginghis arms round him exclaimed in a loud voice and good Spanish, "God blessme! What's this I see? Is it possible that I hold in my arms my dearfriend, my good neighbour Sancho Panza? But there's no doubt about it,for I'm not asleep, nor am I drunk just now."Sancho was surprised to hear himself called by his name and find himselfembraced by a foreign pilgrim, and after regarding him steadily withoutspeaking he was still unable to recognise him; but the pilgrim perceivinghis perplexity cried, "What! and is it possible, Sancho Panza, that thoudost not know thy neighbour Ricote, the Morisco shopkeeper of thyvillage?"Sancho upon this looking at him more carefully began to recall hisfeatures, and at last recognised him perfectly, and without getting offthe ass threw his arms round his neck saying, "Who the devil could haveknown thee, Ricote, in this mummer's dress thou art in? Tell me, who basfrenchified thee, and how dost thou dare to return to Spain, where ifthey catch thee and recognise thee it will go hard enough with thee?""If thou dost not betray me, Sancho," said the pilgrim, "I am safe; forin this dress no one will recognise me; but let us turn aside out of theroad into that grove there where my comrades are going to eat and rest,and thou shalt eat with them there, for they are very good fellows; I'llhave time enough to tell thee then all that has happened me since I leftour village in obedience to his Majesty's edict that threatened suchseverities against the unfortunate people of my nation, as thou hastheard."Sancho complied, and Ricote having spoken to the other pilgrims theywithdrew to the grove they saw, turning a considerable distance out ofthe road. They threw down their staves, took off their pilgrim's cloaksand remained in their under-clothing; they were all good-looking youngfellows, except Ricote, who was a man somewhat advanced in years. Theycarried alforjas all of them, and all apparently well filled, at leastwith things provocative of thirst, such as would summon it from twoleagues off. They stretched themselves on the ground, and making atablecloth of the grass they spread upon it bread, salt, knives, walnut,scraps of cheese, and well-picked ham-bones which if they were pastgnawing were not past sucking. They also put down a black dainty called,they say, caviar, and made of the eggs of fish, a great thirst-wakener.Nor was there any lack of olives, dry, it is true, and without anyseasoning, but for all that toothsome and pleasant. But what made thebest show in the field of the banquet was half a dozen botas of wine, foreach of them produced his own from his alforjas; even the good Ricote,who from a Morisco had transformed himself into a German or Dutchman,took out his, which in size might have vied with the five others. Theythen began to eat with very great relish and very leisurely, making themost of each morsel--very small ones of everything--they took up on thepoint of the knife; and then all at the same moment raised their arms andbotas aloft, the mouths placed in their mouths, and all eyes fixed onheaven just as if they were taking aim at it; and in this attitude theyremained ever so long, wagging their heads from side to side as if inacknowledgment of the pleasure they were enjoying while they decanted thebowels of the bottles into their own stomachs.Sancho beheld all, "and nothing gave him pain;" so far from that, actingon the proverb he knew so well, "when thou art at Rome do as thou seest,"he asked Ricote for his bota and took aim like the rest of them, and withnot less enjoyment. Four times did the botas bear being uplifted, but thefifth it was all in vain, for they were drier and more sapless than arush by that time, which made the jollity that had been kept up so farbegin to flag.Every now and then some one of them would grasp Sancho's right hand inhis own saying, "Espanoli y Tudesqui tuto uno: bon compano;" and Sanchowould answer, "Bon compano, jur a Di!" and then go off into a fit oflaughter that lasted an hour, without a thought for the moment ofanything that had befallen him in his government; for cares have verylittle sway over us while we are eating and drinking. At length, the winehaving come to an end with them, drowsiness began to come over them, andthey dropped asleep on their very table and tablecloth. Ricote and Sanchoalone remained awake, for they had eaten more and drunk less, and Ricotedrawing Sancho aside, they seated themselves at the foot of a beech,leaving the pilgrims buried in sweet sleep; and without once falling intohis own Morisco tongue Ricote spoke as follows in pure Castilian:"Thou knowest well, neighbour and friend Sancho Panza, how theproclamation or edict his Majesty commanded to be issued against those ofmy nation filled us all with terror and dismay; me at least it did,insomuch that I think before the time granted us for quitting Spain wasout, the full force of the penalty had already fallen upon me and upon mychildren. I decided, then, and I think wisely (just like one who knowsthat at a certain date the house he lives in will be taken from him, andlooks out beforehand for another to change into), I decided, I say, toleave the town myself, alone and without my family, and go to seek outsome place to remove them to comfortably and not in the hurried way inwhich the others took their departure; for I saw very plainly, and so didall the older men among us, that the proclamations were not mere threats,as some said, but positive enactments which would be enforced at theappointed time; and what made me believe this was what I knew of the baseand extravagant designs which our people harboured, designs of such anature that I think it was a divine inspiration that moved his Majesty tocarry out a resolution so spirited; not that we were all guilty, for somethere were true and steadfast Christians; but they were so few that theycould make no head against those who were not; and it was not prudent tocherish a viper in the bosom by having enemies in the house. In short itwas with just cause that we were visited with the penalty of banishment,a mild and lenient one in the eyes of some, but to us the most terriblethat could be inflicted upon us. Wherever we are we weep for Spain; forafter all we were born there and it is our natural fatherland. Nowhere dowe find the reception our unhappy condition needs; and in Barbary and allthe parts of Africa where we counted upon being received, succoured, andwelcomed, it is there they insult and ill-treat us most. We knew not ourgood fortune until we lost it; and such is the longing we almost all ofus have to return to Spain, that most of those who like myself know thelanguage, and there are many who do, come back to it and leave theirwives and children forsaken yonder, so great is their love for it; andnow I know by experience the meaning of the saying, sweet is the love ofone's country."I left our village, as I said, and went to France, but though they gaveus a kind reception there I was anxious to see all I could. I crossedinto Italy, and reached Germany, and there it seemed to me we might livewith more freedom, as the inhabitants do not pay any attention totrifling points; everyone lives as he likes, for in most parts they enjoyliberty of conscience. I took a house in a town near Augsburg, and thenjoined these pilgrims, who are in the habit of coming to Spain in greatnumbers every year to visit the shrines there, which they look upon astheir Indies and a sure and certain source of gain. They travel nearlyall over it, and there is no town out of which they do not go full up ofmeat and drink, as the saying is, and with a real, at least, in money,and they come off at the end of their travels with more than a hundredcrowns saved, which, changed into gold, they smuggle out of the kingdomeither in the hollow of their staves or in the patches of their pilgrim'scloaks or by some device of their own, and carry to their own country inspite of the guards at the posts and passes where they are searched. Nowmy purpose is, Sancho, to carry away the treasure that I left buried,which, as it is outside the town, I shall be able to do without risk, andto write, or cross over from Valencia, to my daughter and wife, who Iknow are at Algiers, and find some means of bringing them to some Frenchport and thence to Germany, there to await what it may be God's will todo with us; for, after all, Sancho, I know well that Ricota my daughterand Francisca Ricota my wife are Catholic Christians, and though I am notso much so, still I am more of a Christian than a Moor, and it is alwaysmy prayer to God that he will open the eyes of my understanding and showme how I am to serve him; but what amazes me and I cannot understand iswhy my wife and daughter should have gone to Barbary rather than toFrance, where they could live as Christians."To this Sancho replied, "Remember, Ricote, that may not have been open tothem, for Juan Tiopieyo thy wife's brother took them, and being a trueMoor he went where he could go most easily; and another thing I can tellthee, it is my belief thou art going in vain to look for what thou hastleft buried, for we heard they took from thy brother-in-law and thy wifea great quantity of pearls and money in gold which they brought to bepassed.""That may be," said Ricote; "but I know they did not touch my hoard, forI did not tell them where it was, for fear of accidents; and so, if thouwilt come with me, Sancho, and help me to take it away and conceal it, Iwill give thee two hundred crowns wherewith thou mayest relieve thynecessities, and, as thou knowest, I know they are many.""I would do it," said Sancho; "but I am not at all covetous, for I gaveup an office this morning in which, if I was, I might have made the wallsof my house of gold and dined off silver plates before six months wereover; and so for this reason, and because I feel I would be guilty oftreason to my king if I helped his enemies, I would not go with thee ifinstead of promising me two hundred crowns thou wert to give me fourhundred here in hand.""And what office is this thou hast given up, Sancho?" asked Ricote."I have given up being governor of an island," said Sancho, "and such aone, faith, as you won't find the like of easily.""And where is this island?" said Ricote."Where?" said Sancho; "two leagues from here, and it is called the islandof Barataria.""Nonsense! Sancho," said Ricote; "islands are away out in the sea; thereare no islands on the mainland.""What? No islands!" said Sancho; "I tell thee, friend Ricote, I left itthis morning, and yesterday I was governing there as I pleased like asagittarius; but for all that I gave it up, for it seemed to me adangerous office, a governor's.""And what hast thou gained by the government?" asked Ricote."I have gained," said Sancho, "the knowledge that I am no good forgoverning, unless it is a drove of cattle, and that the riches that areto be got by these governments are got at the cost of one's rest andsleep, ay and even one's food; for in islands the governors must eatlittle, especially if they have doctors to look after their health.""I don't understand thee, Sancho," said Ricote; "but it seems to me allnonsense thou art talking. Who would give thee islands to govern? Isthere any scarcity in the world of cleverer men than thou art forgovernors? Hold thy peace, Sancho, and come back to thy senses, andconsider whether thou wilt come with me as I said to help me to take awaytreasure I left buried (for indeed it may be called a treasure, it is solarge), and I will give thee wherewithal to keep thee, as I told thee.""And I have told thee already, Ricote, that I will not," said Sancho;"let it content thee that by me thou shalt not be betrayed, and go thyway in God's name and let me go mine; for I know that well-gotten gainmay be lost, but ill-gotten gain is lost, itself and its owner likewise.""I will not press thee, Sancho," said Ricote; "but tell me, wert thou inour village when my wife and daughter and brother-in-law left it?""I was so," said Sancho; "and I can tell thee thy daughter left itlooking so lovely that all the village turned out to see her, andeverybody said she was the fairest creature in the world. She wept as shewent, and embraced all her friends and acquaintances and those who cameout to see her, and she begged them all to commend her to God and OurLady his mother, and this in such a touching way that it made me weepmyself, though I'm not much given to tears commonly; and, faith, many aone would have liked to hide her, or go out and carry her off on theroad; but the fear of going against the king's command kept them back.The one who showed himself most moved was Don Pedro Gregorio, the richyoung heir thou knowest of, and they say he was deep in love with her;and since she left he has not been seen in our village again, and we allsuspect he has gone after her to steal her away, but so far nothing hasbeen heard of it.""I always had a suspicion that gentleman had a passion for my daughter,"said Ricote; "but as I felt sure of my Ricota's virtue it gave me nouneasiness to know that he loved her; for thou must have heard it said,Sancho, that the Morisco women seldom or never engage in amours with theold Christians; and my daughter, who I fancy thought more of being aChristian than of lovemaking, would not trouble herself about theattentions of this heir.""God grant it," said Sancho, "for it would be a bad business for both ofthem; but now let me be off, friend Ricote, for I want to reach where mymaster Don Quixote is to-night.""God be with thee, brother Sancho," said Ricote; "my comrades arebeginning to stir, and it is time, too, for us to continue our journey;"and then they both embraced, and Sancho mounted Dapple, and Ricote leantupon his staff, and so they parted.