PART II - CHAPTER XXX.

by Miguel de Cervantes

　　OF DON QUIXOTE'S ADVENTURE WITH A FAIR HUNTRESSThey reached their beasts in low spirits and bad humour enough, knightand squire, Sancho particularly, for with him what touched the stock ofmoney touched his heart, and when any was taken from him he felt as if hewas robbed of the apples of his eyes. In fine, without exchanging a word,they mounted and quitted the famous river, Don Quixote absorbed inthoughts of his love, Sancho in thinking of his advancement, which justthen, it seemed to him, he was very far from securing; for, fool as hewas, he saw clearly enough that his master's acts were all or most ofthem utterly senseless; and he began to cast about for an opportunity ofretiring from his service and going home some day, without entering intoany explanations or taking any farewell of him. Fortune, however, orderedmatters after a fashion very much the opposite of what he contemplated.It so happened that the next day towards sunset, on coming out of a wood,Don Quixote cast his eyes over a green meadow, and at the far end of itobserved some people, and as he drew nearer saw that it was a hawkingparty. Coming closer, he distinguished among them a lady of gracefulmien, on a pure white palfrey or hackney caparisoned with green trappingsand a silver-mounted side-saddle. The lady was also in green, and sorichly and splendidly dressed that splendour itself seemed personified inher. On her left hand she bore a hawk, a proof to Don Quixote's mind thatshe must be some great lady and the mistress of the whole hunting party,which was the fact; so he said to Sancho, "Run Sancho, my son, and say tothat lady on the palfrey with the hawk that I, the Knight of the Lions,kiss the hands of her exalted beauty, and if her excellence will grant meleave I will go and kiss them in person and place myself at her servicefor aught that may be in my power and her highness may command; and mind,Sancho, how thou speakest, and take care not to thrust in any of thyproverbs into thy message.""You've got a likely one here to thrust any in!" said Sancho; "leave mealone for that! Why, this is not the first time in my life I have carriedmessages to high and exalted ladies.""Except that thou didst carry to the lady Dulcinea," said Don Quixote, "Iknow not that thou hast carried any other, at least in my service.""That is true," replied Sancho; "but pledges don't distress a good payer,and in a house where there's plenty supper is soon cooked; I mean there'sno need of telling or warning me about anything; for I'm ready foreverything and know a little of everything.""That I believe, Sancho," said Don Quixote; "go and good luck to thee,and God speed thee."Sancho went off at top speed, forcing Dapple out of his regular pace, andcame to where the fair huntress was standing, and dismounting kneltbefore her and said, "Fair lady, that knight that you see there, theKnight of the Lions by name, is my master, and I am a squire of his, andat home they call me Sancho Panza. This same Knight of the Lions, who wascalled not long since the Knight of the Rueful Countenance, sends by meto say may it please your highness to give him leave that, with yourpermission, approbation, and consent, he may come and carry out hiswishes, which are, as he says and I believe, to serve your exaltedloftiness and beauty; and if you give it, your ladyship will do a thingwhich will redound to your honour, and he will receive a mostdistinguished favour and happiness.""You have indeed, squire," said the lady, "delivered your message withall the formalities such messages require; rise up, for it is not rightthat the squire of a knight so great as he of the Rueful Countenance, ofwhom we have heard a great deal here, should remain on his knees; rise,my friend, and bid your master welcome to the services of myself and theduke my husband, in a country house we have here."Sancho got up, charmed as much by the beauty of the good lady as by herhigh-bred air and her courtesy, but, above all, by what she had saidabout having heard of his master, the Knight of the Rueful Countenance;for if she did not call him Knight of the Lions it was no doubt becausehe had so lately taken the name. "Tell me, brother squire," asked theduchess (whose title, however, is not known), "this master of yours, ishe not one of whom there is a history extant in print, called 'TheIngenious Gentleman, Don Quixote of La Mancha,' who has for the lady ofhis heart a certain Dulcinea del Toboso?""He is the same, senora," replied Sancho; "and that squire of his whofigures, or ought to figure, in the said history under the name of SanchoPanza, is myself, unless they have changed me in the cradle, I mean inthe press.""I am rejoiced at all this," said the duchess; "go, brother Panza, andtell your master that he is welcome to my estate, and that nothing couldhappen me that could give me greater pleasure."Sancho returned to his master mightily pleased with this gratifyinganswer, and told him all the great lady had said to him, lauding to theskies, in his rustic phrase, her rare beauty, her graceful gaiety, andher courtesy. Don Quixote drew himself up briskly in his saddle, fixedhimself in his stirrups, settled his visor, gave Rocinante the spur, andwith an easy bearing advanced to kiss the hands of the duchess, who,having sent to summon the duke her husband, told him while Don Quixotewas approaching all about the message; and as both of them had read theFirst Part of this history, and from it were aware of Don Quixote's crazyturn, they awaited him with the greatest delight and anxiety to make hisacquaintance, meaning to fall in with his humour and agree witheverything he said, and, so long as he stayed with them, to treat him asa knight-errant, with all the ceremonies usual in the books of chivalrythey had read, for they themselves were very fond of them.Don Quixote now came up with his visor raised, and as he seemed about todismount Sancho made haste to go and hold his stirrup for him; but ingetting down off Dapple he was so unlucky as to hitch his foot in one ofthe ropes of the pack-saddle in such a way that he was unable to free it,and was left hanging by it with his face and breast on the ground. DonQuixote, who was not used to dismount without having the stirrup held,fancying that Sancho had by this time come to hold it for him, threwhimself off with a lurch and brought Rocinante's saddle after him, whichwas no doubt badly girthed, and saddle and he both came to the ground;not without discomfiture to him and abundant curses muttered between histeeth against the unlucky Sancho, who had his foot still in the shackles.The duke ordered his huntsmen to go to the help of knight and squire, andthey raised Don Quixote, sorely shaken by his fall; and he, limping,advanced as best he could to kneel before the noble pair. This, however,the duke would by no means permit; on the contrary, dismounting from hishorse, he went and embraced Don Quixote, saying, "I am grieved, SirKnight of the Rueful Countenance, that your first experience on my groundshould have been such an unfortunate one as we have seen; but thecarelessness of squires is often the cause of worse accidents.""That which has happened me in meeting you, mighty prince," replied DonQuixote, "cannot be unfortunate, even if my fall had not stopped short ofthe depths of the bottomless pit, for the glory of having seen you wouldhave lifted me up and delivered me from it. My squire, God's curse uponhim, is better at unloosing his tongue in talking impertinence than intightening the girths of a saddle to keep it steady; but however I maybe, allen or raised up, on foot or on horseback, I shall always be atyour service and that of my lady the duchess, your worthy consort, worthyqueen of beauty and paramount princess of courtesy.""Gently, Senor Don Quixote of La Mancha," said the duke; "where my ladyDona Dulcinea del Toboso is, it is not right that other beauties shouldbe praised."Sancho, by this time released from his entanglement, was standing by, andbefore his master could answer he said, "There is no denying, and it mustbe maintained, that my lady Dulcinea del Toboso is very beautiful; butthe hare jumps up where one least expects it; and I have heard say thatwhat we call nature is like a potter that makes vessels of clay, and hewho makes one fair vessel can as well make two, or three, or a hundred; Isay so because, by my faith, my lady the duchess is in no way behind mymistress the lady Dulcinea del Toboso."Don Quixote turned to the duchess and said, "Your highness may conceivethat never had knight-errant in this world a more talkative or a drollersquire than I have, and he will prove the truth of what I say, if yourhighness is pleased to accept of my services for a few days."To which the duchess made answer, "that worthy Sancho is droll I considera very good thing, because it is a sign that he is shrewd; for drolleryand sprightliness, Senor Don Quixote, as you very well know, do not takeup their abode with dull wits; and as good Sancho is droll and sprightlyI here set him down as shrewd.""And talkative," added Don Quixote."So much the better," said the duke, "for many droll things cannot besaid in few words; but not to lose time in talking, come, great Knight ofthe Rueful Countenance-""Of the Lions, your highness must say," said Sancho, "for there is noRueful Countenance nor any such character now.""He of the Lions be it," continued the duke; "I say, let Sir Knight ofthe Lions come to a castle of mine close by, where he shall be given thatreception which is due to so exalted a personage, and which the duchessand I are wont to give to all knights-errant who come there."By this time Sancho had fixed and girthed Rocinante's saddle, and DonQuixote having got on his back and the duke mounted a fine horse, theyplaced the duchess in the middle and set out for the castle. The duchessdesired Sancho to come to her side, for she found infinite enjoyment inlistening to his shrewd remarks. Sancho required no pressing, but pushedhimself in between them and the duke, who thought it rare good fortune toreceive such a knight-errant and such a homely squire in their castle.