OF THE FAMOUS ADVENTURE OF THE ENCHANTED BARK
It took them two days to reach the river. The very first thing that
struck the knight's eye when he got there, was a boat without oars,
tied to a tree. Immediately Don Quixote insisted that the boat had
been sent by magic to fetch him to some great knight or other person
in need of his help; and all Sancho's contradictions were fruitless.
Finally the proverb, "Do as thy master bids thee, and sit down to
table with him," had its effect on Sancho, and, although certain he
was about to give up his life, he tied the beasts to a tree on the
bank, and seated himself in the boat, trembling like a leaf. Then the
knight cut the rope, and they started to drift out into the stream,
while Dapple was braying and Rocinante was trying to break away and
plunge in after them. Seeing this, Sancho began to weep convulsively,
but his master had no patience with him, and told him to control
himself.
Soon they had reached midstream, and Don Quixote, much to Sancho's
perplexity, began to talk about cosmography, the three hundred and
sixty degrees of the globe, and the equinoctial line, which, the
knight said, they were just then passing. A sure sign by which all
seafaring Spaniards determined the passing of this latitude, Don
Quixote went on, was that all lice died on everybody on board ship.
So, in accordance with this custom, he asked his squire to take the
test. Sancho let his hand creep stealthily into the hollow of his left
knee, and he promptly told his master that either was the test not to
be relied upon, or they had not passed the line that had just been
mentioned by name.
"Why, how so?" asked Don Quixote; "hast thou come upon aught?"
"Ay, and aughts," replied Sancho, and in replying he let the stream
wash his fingers.
Just then they came in view of some large floating mills, moored in
midstream. At once Don Quixote became excited, crying to Sancho that
there must be some fair princess or high-born lady in captivity in
this castle.
Sancho did his best to make his master believe they were not castles
but only mills that ground corn; but to no avail. Don Quixote insisted
that either his squire or the mills were enchanted. They came closer
and closer to them, and soon shouts were heard from some of the
millers, who realized the danger of the boat's being upset by the
suction of the water, and dragged into the mill wheels.
The men quickly got hold of some sticks and poles, and tried to stave
off the boat, and when Don Quixote saw their white, flour-covered
faces he turned to Sancho and begged him to take a good look at the
monsters that had been sent to oppose him. The men were all the time
crying out, unable to fathom such dare-deviltry or folly: "Devils of
men, where are you going to? Are you mad? Do you want to drown
yourselves, or dash yourselves to pieces among these wheels?"
In reply to these well-meant exclamations, Don Quixote stood up in the
boat and began to swing his sword in a ferocious manner, calling them
evil rabble, and demanding that they set free the princess who was
imprisoned in the fortress; while Sancho said all the prayers he could
think of, crawling on the bottom of the swaying boat, which was now
close to the rushing water.
At last the millers caught the boat with their hooks, but in so doing
Don Quixote and his squire both fell into the river. Don Quixote in
his heavy armor made two trips to the bottom, but both he and Sancho
were rescued, thanks to the devils in white. As soon as they had come
ashore, Sancho sank upon his knees and thanked the Lord for having
been saved from such a death as that from drinking too much water, and
prayed that he should be delivered from all future temptations to risk
his life in any more foolish causes.
As this moment the fishermen who owned the boat came running up,
claiming damages for the wrecked craft, and after having failed to
strike a bargain with this rabble for the delivery of the enchanted
fair maiden in the castle, Don Quixote, wearied by their stupidity,
paid them fifty reals for the boat, exclaiming: "God help us, this
world is all machinations and schemes at cross purposes one with the
other! I can do no more." Then, turning toward the water mills, he
burst out into lamentations, confessing to the imagined captive
princess his inability to set her free at this time; while the
fishermen stood by, wondering what it was all about.
Having ceased his lamentations, Don Quixote and Sancho joined their
faithful beasts, and set out to find new adventures.