WHEREIN IS SET DOWN THE BRAYING ADVENTURE, AND THE DROLL
ONE OF THE PUPPET-SHOWMEN, TOGETHER WITH THE MEMORABLE
DIVINATIONS OF THE DIVINING APE
Don Quixote found the man with the arms feeding his mule in the
stable, and he asked the knight to accompany him to a quiet nook when
he had finished this duty to his beast. But Don Quixote's curiosity
knew no bounds, and he offered to help him sift the barley so that he
might begin his story at once. Being a good-natured fellow, the man
acquiesced. He related how a magistrate in his village, which was four
leagues and a half away, had lost a donkey through the carelessness of
a servant. Some weeks later another magistrate of the same village
was hunting in the woods, and when he returned he brought word to his
fellow officer that he had come across the lost beast but that he was
now so wild that no one could approach him. He suggested, however,
that they go together in search for him; and they developed a plan
whereby they thought they should surely be able to capture the animal.
Both of them were expert in braying, and they decided to place
themselves at different ends of the forest, each one braying at
intervals. In this way they thought they should be able to round up
the donkey, for they were certain that he would answer their calls.
But it so happened that both of them brayed at the same time, and when
they ran to look, convinced that the donkey had turned up, they found
not the ass but only each other, so naturally had they brayed. They
tried the same scheme again and again, but every time with the same
result; and at last they came in this way to a place in the woods
where they found the dead donkey devoured by wolves.
The story of the two magistrates going about in the forest braying to
each other like asses soon spread to the villages in the county; and
in one village in particular the habit of braying whenever they
observed any one from the village of the braying magistrates took such
root that it was decided to teach them a lesson by taking arms against
them. The arms he carried with him now, he said, were to be used
against these scoffers, that they might never again behave like asses.
He had just finished his story when some one entered and cried out
that the show of _The Release of Melisendra_ and the divining ape
were coming to the inn, and a minute later Master Pedro himself came
into the yard, where he was greeted by the landlord and all the
guests. Master Pedro's one eye was covered by a piece of green silk;
Don Quixote judged by this that something had befallen him by
accident. He asked the landlord to tell him all he knew of Master
Pedro, and he learned that he traveled with his puppet-show from town
to town, and was greatly renowned throughout the provinces as a
showman. And the ape, the innkeeper said, was like a human being, so
clever was he, and wise.
Soon the show was in readiness inside, and every one gathered around
Master Pedro and his divining ape. Don Quixote and Sancho were eager
to have their fortunes told, and both offered their reals at the same
time; but Master Pedro refused to take any money until the ape had
rendered satisfactory service.
The ape jumped up on his master's shoulder, and began to chatter his
teeth as if he were saying something, all the while keeping his mouth
close to Master Pedro's ear. When he had been chattering long enough
to please himself, he jumped down just as quickly as he had jumped up.
The next instant Don Quixote and Sancho were both frightened and awed
by the showman's suddenly throwing himself before Don Quixote's feet
and embracing his legs, while he exclaimed: "These legs do I embrace
as I would embrace the two pillars of Hercules, O illustrious reviver
of knight-errantry, O prop of the tottering, so long consigned to
oblivion!" But not only were the knight and the squire aghast; the
landlord and the guests were as startled as they were, for they had
never seen Master Pedro act like that before.
But the showman had not finished, for in the next moment he lay at the
feet of Sancho, to whom the divining ape brought cheer from his
Teresa, saying that she was just soothing her feelings by indulging in
wine from a pitcher which she was holding in her left hand and that
had a broken spout.
Don Quixote was not very well pleased with this exhibition, for he
thought it decidedly out of place that an ape should know more than he
or any other human being; and he confided to Sancho that the ape was
possessed by the devil. He brought Sancho to a dark corner in the
stable where he was sure no one could overhear them, and told him
there that he was convinced Master Pedro had made a bargain with the
devil to get rich through the ape, and then sell him his soul, and he
said it surprised him beyond words that the Holy Office had not
already interfered with this dastardly scheme.
At this point Master Pedro came in search of Don Quixote, as the show
was about to begin. Before entering the inn, however, Sancho entreated
his master to ask the ape whether what he saw in the cave of
Montesinos was true. Don Quixote did so, and the ape answered that
some of it was true, some of it was not; and immediately Sancho
scornfully broke in and said that he had told him so already. The ape
intimated that by next Friday he should be able to tell more about the
adventure; his mind was tired now.
They entered and found the stage set for the performance; the tapers
of wax were lit, it was a bright and beautiful scene. Master Pedro
disappeared and took his place behind the scenes, for he was the one
who created the life in the puppets. A lad who acted as interpreter,
calling out the scenes and describing the action of the play, placed
himself outside the theater. Don Quixote, Sancho, the page, and the
scholar seated themselves in the front row; and the show began.