OF THE STRANGE ADVENTURE WHICH BEFELL THE VALIANT DON
QUIXOTE WITH THE BOLD KNIGHT OF THE GROVE
They passed that night under some cork-trees, and while they were
eating their supper, Sancho as usual became talkative and again gave
proof of his chronic weakness for proverbs. Every phrase abounded with
them. As ever, he would use them to fit the wrong case, or twist them
so as to fit what he wanted them to fit. Don Quixote had to laugh at
his squire's simplicity, and at the way he tried to imitate his
master's manner of speaking. His words and expressions were indeed a
strange mixture. One moment he would use the most abominable grammar
and the next he would borrow the language of Don Quixote, repeating in
stilted fashion the polite phrases he had heard Don Quixote use in his
flowery discourses on knighthood and chivalry.
Soon after they had fallen asleep, Don Quixote was awakened by the
sound of men's voices. He quickly rose, curious and anxious to learn
who the disturbers were, and was amazed to behold a real knight, clad
in full armor, dismount from his horse, while speaking words that
indicated he was lovesick and in despair. Don Quixote hastened to call
Sancho, who awoke to the tune of a love sonnet sung by the strange
knight, and was as startled as his master had been, though, perhaps,
not greatly thrilled at this promise of a new adventure in the middle
of the night.
But if Don Quixote was surprised when he was awakened, what was his
amazement when he suddenly heard such words as these: "O fairest and
most ungrateful woman on earth! Can it be possible, most serene
Casildea de Vandalia, that thou wilt suffer this thy captive knight to
waste away and perish in ceaseless wanderings and rude and arduous
toils? Is it not enough that I have compelled all the knights of
Navarre, the Leonese, the Tartesians, and the Castilians, and finally
all the knights of La Mancha to confess thee the most beautiful in the
world?"
Don Quixote took exception to this last statement in silence, knowing
that his chance to correct it was at no great distance. But Sancho
soon gave himself and his master away to the Knight of the Grove by
becoming too talkative, and they were hailed by the knight, who
greeted them in the most courteous manner, when he learned who they
were.
The two knights errant soon were engaged in a friendly conversation,
which Sancho could not restrain himself from breaking into; but the
Knight of the Grove was quick to reprimand him, saying he never
permitted his squire to open his mouth. Whereupon Sancho persuaded
himself and the squire of the Grove to remove to a spot where they
could talk between themselves without being overheard by their
superiors, and where they might be undisturbed by any yoke of
knighthood etiquette.
CHAPTERS XIII-XIV
IN WHICH IS CONTINUED THE ADVENTURE OF THE KNIGHT OF THE
GROVE, TOGETHER WITH THE SENSIBLE AND TRANQUIL COLLOQUY
THAT PASSED BETWEEN THE TWO SQUIRES
The two squires drank and talked most of the night, bemoaning the fate of
squires in general. Before they finally fell asleep, the squire of the
Grove suggested that, since they both were tired of knight-errantry, they
give up the life. To this Sancho replied that he would remain in his
master's service until he arrived at Saragossa, when he might decide to
leave him.
In the meantime the two knights also were exchanging confidences; and
the Knight of the Grove told Don Quixote of all the great and famous
errants he had conquered in single combat. Don Quixote was all ear,
but nearly gasped for breath when he heard the knight say that he had
vanquished the famous Don Quixote of La Mancha, and had made him
confess that his own Casildea was more beautiful by far than the La
Mancha knight's Dulcinea. Don Quixote suppressed a scornful smile that
threatened to betray him, and controlled the feelings that the
boasting errant's words provoked, while wondering at the braggart's
audacity. He slyly expressed a doubt, however, that the valiant knight
Don Quixote of La Mancha had let himself be vanquished by any living
being. The Knight of the Grove then gave a description of Don Quixote
which in every detail fitted him.
That drew Don Quixote out of his originally assumed indifference. He
told the knight that he himself was no other than that famed and
illustrious errant, and declared that any other one that had appeared
as Don Quixote, must have been some enchanter who had disguised
himself to resemble him, in order to defraud him of the honor that was
rightly due to him. Then he proceeded to tell the knight how his enemy
had transformed the Lady Dulcinea, and challenged the Knight of the
Grove to single combat if he dared to question what Don Quixote
maintained to be the truth.
To this challenge the Knight of the Grove retorted that since he had
once vanquished the semblance of Don Quixote, he would now welcome the
opportunity of meeting him in combat in his own proper shape. Being a
cautious and cold-blooded knight, however, he suggested to Don Quixote
that they should rest until the morning, when the mighty struggle
could ensue in the light of day. It was further agreed that the
vanquished knight should place himself at the command of the victor,
to fulfill any desire of his within the bounds of chivalry.
Each one was eager to inform his own squire of what the morning was to
behold, so they awoke Sancho and the squire of the Grove and told
them. Sancho was scared that his master might not be the gainer, for
the squire of the Grove had been feeding him with stories of his
master's conquests all that night until they had fallen asleep, drunk
with wine.
The squires went to get the horses ready, and on the way Sancho was
aghast to learn that he would have to fight the friendly squire of the
Grove in cold blood, this squire maintaining that such was a rule
among knights errant. Sancho said he would rather give two pounds of
wax to the church than fight with him; furthermore, he said, he could
not, for he had no sword, and never had had one. Whereupon the
friendly squire told him that did not matter, and proceeded to make
ready two linen bags, both of the same size, saying they could fight
their duel in this fashion. This was most pleasing to Sancho, until he
perceived the other squire filling the bags with pebbles, when he
remonstrated, saying he thought their masters could settle the whole
affair without their interference. But his friend the squire insisted
that they fight, even if it should be only for half an hour, and
offered--if he should have any difficulty in rousing himself to the
occasion--to give Sancho a few cudgels and whacks to act as an
inspiration.
By this time it was beginning to dawn, and Sancho was watching the
sunrise. As he looked around, the first object that he saw the sunrays
strike was the nose of the squire of the Grove, protruding out of the
opened visor of his helmet. It was an object so fearful to look at
that Sancho Panza was paralyzed with fright. The nose was so large it
seemed uncanny. It was covered with warts and was bent at a tremendous
angle, and it hung down way beneath his chin, while its color was that
of an eggplant. It was a face so horrible and ugly to look at that
Sancho's eyes nearly rolled out of his head. He acted as if he were
about to have convulsions, for he began to tremble from head to foot.
When Don Quixote beheld the squire's countenance, even he began to
show signs of feebleness, but his bravery overcame his fears. He
shrugged his shoulders as if shaking off an evil spirit, and was ready
for the combat with his adversary.
Before the battle began, Sancho pleaded with his master to help him up
into a tree; so afraid was he of this monstrous squire with the awful
nose. But while Don Quixote was hoisting his faithful one up into a
cork-tree, he suddenly heard the knight approach on his steed behind
him, and not knowing whether it was squire or master, and being
subconsciously afraid of the nose, one blow of which might have felled
him, it seemed, he turned around and made straight for the knight.
The facts were that this gentleman was trying to limber up the joints
of his charger--a hack of the same caliber as Rocinante--and was just
taking his horse on a tour of exercise, making him skip hither and
thither, wherever his master's agonized spurring would carry him. Each
time he would land heavily on his stiff legs, and it was when Don
Quixote suddenly heard the sound of such a landing behind him that he
turned. But by the time Rocinante had completed the turn, which was a
movement of much contemplation and hesitation on his part, the back of
the Knight of the Grove shone in the distance. Charging by sound and
instinct rather than by sight, not seeing whether the knight was
coming or going, Don Quixote set upon him with such blind fury that
with one thrust of his lance he sent the bespangled gentleman flying
out of his saddle, so that he fell flat on the ground, seemingly dead.
Now, when Sancho saw what an auspicious beginning and ending the
adventure had had for his master, he heaved a sigh of relief and
contentment and climbed down from his tree, approaching the lifeless
monster with caution and superstitious awe. But he had taken only one
look into his face, when he began to cross himself with so many
motions and contortions that Don Quixote thought his squire had gone
insane. Turning to his master, who had been contemplating his victory
with pride from the back of Rocinante, Sancho begged him to thrust his
sword into the mouth of his vanquished foe. Scarcely had he made this
suggestion before Don Quixote drew his sword and advanced to carry it
out, when the squire of the Grove, now minus the drooping nose, ran
forward, wildly exclaiming: "Mind what you are about to do, Senor Don
Quixote! That is your friend the bachelor, Samson Carrasco, you have
at your feet, and I am his squire!"
"And the nose?" Sancho broke in, unable to restrain his amazed
senses.
"I have it here in my pocket," answered the squire of the Grove, as he
pulled out and showed him a false nose of immense proportions.
Whereupon Sancho eyed the squire more carefully, and suddenly cried
out: "Holy Mary be good to me! Isn't it Tom Cecial, my neighbor and
gossip!"
And Tom was only too glad to confess that he was.
At this very moment the bachelor returned from the dead, and when Don
Quixote saw him open his eyes, he pointed his sword at his face and
swore that the Knight of the Mirrors--thus he called the Knight of the
Grove because of his shining regalia--would be a dead man if he did
not pronounce the Lady Dulcinea del Toboso the most beautiful woman in
the world. Furthermore, he demanded that he swear to present himself
before the Peerless One in the city of El Toboso, that she might deal
out judgment upon him. Having been dealt with by her, the Knight of
the Grove was to return to inform him of the punishment, giving a full
account of what had passed between them.
The fallen Samson gladly confessed to everything, including his belief
in the true identity of his conqueror. He felt an urgent need for
medicine and plaster, and he and his squire departed quickly to seek
such aid in the nearest village, while Don Quixote and Sancho took the
road which lead to Saragossa.