_Of the arrival of Clavileno; with the conclusion of this prolix
adventure._
Evening now came on, which was the time when the famous horse
Clavileno was expected to arrive. When lo, on a sudden, four savages
entered the garden, all clad in green ivy, and bearing on their
shoulders a large wooden horse! They set him upon his legs on the
ground, and one of the savages said, "Let the knight mount who has the
courage to bestride this wondrous machine." "Not I," quoth Sancho;
"for neither have I courage, nor am I knight." "And let the squire, if
he has one," continued the savage, "mount the crupper, and trust to
valorous Malambruno; for no other shall do him harm. Turn but the pin
on his forehead, and he will rush through the air to the spot where
Malambruno waits; and to shun the danger of a lofty flight, let the
eyes of the riders be covered till the neighing of the horse shall
give the signal of his completed journey." Having thus spoken, he left
Clavileno, and with courteous demeanour departed with his companions.
The afflicted lady no sooner perceived the horse than, almost with
tears, addressing herself to Don Quixote, "Valorous knight," said she,
"Malambruno has kept his word; here is the horse. Mount, therefore,
with your squire behind you, and give a happy beginning to your
journey." "Madam," said Don Quixote, "I will do it with all my heart,
without waiting for either cushion or spurs: so great is my desire to
see your ladyship and these your unfortunate friends rescued." "That
will not I," quoth Sancho, "either with a bad or a good will; and if
this shaving cannot be done without my mounting, let my master seek
some other squire, or these madams some other barber; for being no
wizard, I have no stomach for these journeys. What will my islanders
say when they hear that their governor goes riding upon the wind?
Besides, it is three thousand leagues from here to Candaya,--what if
the horse should tire upon the road, or the giant be fickle and change
his mind? Seven years, at least, it would take us to travel home, and
by that time I should have neither island nor islanders that would own
me! No, no, I know better things; I know, too, that delay breeds
danger; and when they bring you a heifer, be ready with a rope."
"Friend Sancho," said the duke, "your island neither floats nor stirs,
and therefore it will keep till your return; and as you know that all
offices of any value are obtained by some consideration, what I expect
in return for this government I have conferred upon you, is only that
you attend your master on this memorable occasion; and whether you
return upon Clavileno with the expedition his speed promises, or be it
your fortune to return on foot, like a pilgrim, from house to house,
and from inn to inn,--however it may be, you will find your island
where you left it, and your islanders with the same desire to receive
you for their governor. My good-will is equally unchangeable; and to
doubt that, Signor Sancho, would be a notorious injury to the
inclination I have to serve you." "Good your worship, say no more,"
quoth Sancho; "I am a poor squire, and my shoulders cannot bear the
weight of so much kindness. Let my master mount; let my eyes be
covered, and good luck go with us. But tell me, when we are aloft, may
I not say my prayers, and entreat the saints and angels to help me?"
"Yes, surely," answered the Trifaldi, "you may invoke whomsoever you
please; for Malambruno is a Christian, and performs his enchantments
with great discretion and much precaution." "Well, let us away," quoth
Sancho, "and Heaven prosper us!" "Since the memorable business of the
fulling-mills," said Don Quixote, "I have never seen thee, Sancho, in
such trepidation; and were I as superstitious as some people, this
extraordinary fear of thine would a little discourage me. But come
hither, friend; for, with the leave of these nobles, I would speak a
word or two with thee in private."
Don Quixote then drew aside Sancho among some trees out of hearing;
and taking hold of both his hands said to him: "Thou seest, my good
Sancho, the long journey we are about to undertake; the period of our
return is uncertain, and Heaven alone knows what leisure or
convenience our affairs may admit during our absence; I earnestly beg,
therefore, now that opportunity serves, thou wilt retire to thy
chamber, as if to fetch something necessary for the journey, and
there, in a trice, give thyself, if it be but five hundred lashes, in
part of the three thousand and three hundred for which thou art
pledged; for work well begun is half ended." "By my soul," quoth
Sancho, "your worship is stark mad! Verily, verily, your worship is
out of all reason. Let us go and shave these duennas; and on my
return, I promise to make such despatch in getting out of debt that
your worship shall be contented,--can I say more?" "With that
promise," said Don Quixote, "I feel somewhat comforted, and believe
thou wilt perform it; for though thou art not over wise, thou art
stanch in thy integrity."
The knight and squire now returned to the company; and as they were
preparing to mount Clavileno, Don Quixote said: "Hoodwink thyself,
Sancho, and get up: he that sends for us from countries so remote
cannot, surely, intend to betray us, for he would gain little glory by
deceiving those who confide in him. And supposing the success of the
adventure should not be equal to our hopes, yet of the glory of so
brave an attempt, no malice can deprive us." "Let us begone, sir,"
quoth Sancho, "for the beards and tears of these ladies have pierced
my heart, and I shall not eat to do me good till I see them smooth
again. Mount, sir, and hoodwink first; for if I am to have the
crupper, your worship, who sits in the saddle, must get up first."
"That is true," replied Don Quixote; and pulling a handkerchief out of
his pocket, he requested the afflicted lady to place the bandage over
his eyes; but it was no sooner done than he uncovered them again,
saying, "I remember to have read, in the AEneid of Virgil, that the
fatal wooden horse, dedicated by the Greeks to their tutelary goddess
Minerva, was filled with armed knights, who, by that stratagem got
admittance into Troy, and wrought its downfall. Will it not therefore
be prudent, before I trust myself upon Clavileno, to examine what may
be in his belly?" "There is no need of that," said the Trifaldi; "for
I am confident Malambruno has nothing in him of the traitor: your
worship may mount him without fear; and should any harm ensue, let the
blame fall on me alone." Don Quixote, now considering that to betray
any further doubts would be a reflection on his courage, vaulted at
once into his saddle. He then tried the pin, which he found would turn
very easily; stirrups he had none; so that, with his legs dangling, he
looked like a figure in some Roman triumph, woven in Flemish tapestry.
Very slowly, and much against his will, Sancho then got up behind,
fixing himself as well as he could upon the crupper; and finding it
very deficient in softness, he humbly begged the duke to accommodate
him, if possible, with some pillow or cushion, though it were from the
duchess's state sofa, or from one of the page's beds, as the horse's
crupper seemed rather to be of marble than of wood; but the Trifaldi
interfering, assured him that Clavileno would not endure any more
furniture upon him, but that, by sitting sideways, as women ride, he
would find himself greatly relieved. Sancho followed her advice; and,
after taking leave of the company, he suffered his eyes to be covered.
But, soon after, he raised the bandage, and looking sorrowfully at his
friends, begged them, with a countenance of woe, to assist him at that
perilous crisis with a few Paternosters and Ave-marias, as they hoped
for the same charity from others when in the like extremity.
They were now blindfolded, and Don Quixote feeling himself firmly
seated, put his hand to the peg, upon which all the duennas, and the
whole company raised their voices at once, calling out, "Speed you
well, valorous knight! Heaven guide thee, undaunted squire! Now you
fly aloft!--See how they cut the air more swiftly than an arrow! Now
they mount and soar, and astonish the world below! Steady, steady,
valorous Sancho! you seem to reel and totter in your seat--beware of
falling; for, should you drop from that tremendous height, your fall
will be more terrible than that of Phaeton!" Sancho hearing all this,
pressed closer to his master; and grasping him fast, he said, "How can
they say that we are got so high, when we hear them as plain as if
they were close by us?" "Take no heed of that, Sancho," said Don
Quixote; "for, in these extraordinary flights, to see or hear a
thousand leagues is nothing--but squeeze me not quite so hard, good
Sancho, or thou wilt unhorse me. In truth I see not why thou shouldst
be so alarmed, for I can safely swear an easier-paced steed I never
rode in all my life;--indeed, it goes as glibly as if it did not move
at all! Banish fear, my friend, the business goes on swimmingly, with
a gale fresh and fair behind us." "I think so too," quoth Sancho; "for
I feel the wind here as if a thousand pairs of bellows were puffing at
my tail." And, indeed, this was the fact, as sundry large bellows were
just then pouring upon them an artificial storm: in truth, so well was
this adventure managed and contrived that nothing was wanting to make
it complete. Don Quixote now feeling the wind, "Without doubt," said
he, "we have now reached the second region of the air, where the hail
and snow are formed: thunder and lightning are engendered in the third
region; and if we go on mounting at this rate, we shall soon be in the
region of fire; and how to manage this peg I know not, so as to avoid
mounting where we shall be burnt alive." Just at that time some flax,
set on fire at the end of a long cane, was held near their faces; the
warmth of which being felt, "May I be hanged," said Sancho, "if we are
not already there, or very near it, for half my beard is singed off--I
have a huge mind, sir, to peep out and see whereabouts we are."
"Heaven forbid such rashness!" said Don Quixote; "remember the true
story of the licentiate Torralvo, who was carried by magicians,
hoodwinked, riding on a cane, with his eyes shut, and in twelve hours
reached Rome; where, lighting on the tower of Nona, he saw the tumult,
witnessed the assault and death of the constable of Bourbon, and the
next morning returned to Madrid, where he gave an account of all that
he had seen. During his passage through the air, he said that he was
tempted to open his eyes, which he did, and found himself, as he
thought, so near the body of the moon that he could have laid hold of
it with his hand; but that he durst not look downwards to the earth
lest his brain should turn. Therefore, Sancho, let us not run the risk
of uncovering in such a place, but rather trust to him who has taken
charge of us, as he will be responsible: perhaps we are just now
soaring aloft to a certain height, in order to come souse down upon
the kingdom of Candaya, like a hawk upon a heron; and, though it seems
not more than half-an-hour since we left the garden, doubtless we have
travelled through an amazing space." "As to that I can say nothing,"
quoth Sancho Panza; "I can only say that, if Madam Magalona was
content to ride upon this crupper without a cushion, her flesh could
not have been the tenderest in the world."
[Illustration: DON QUIXOTE. P. 317.]
This conversation between the two heroes was overheard by the duke and
duchess, and all who were in their garden, to their great diversion;
and, being now disposed to finish the adventure, they applied some
lighted flax to Clavileno's tail; upon which, his body being full of
combustibles, he instantly blew up with a prodigious report, and threw
his riders to the ground. The Trifaldi, with the whole bearded
squadron of duennas, vanished, and all that remained in the garden
were laid stretched on the ground as if in a trance. Don Quixote and
Sancho got upon their legs in but an indifferent plight, and looking
round, were amazed to find themselves in the same garden with such a
number of people strewed about them on all sides; but their wonder was
increased when, on a huge lance sticking in the earth they beheld a
sheet of white parchment attached to it by silken strings, whereon was
written, in letters of gold, the following words:
"The renowned knight Don Quixote de la Mancha has achieved the
stupendous adventure of Trifaldi the Afflicted, and her companions in
grief, only by attempting it. Malambruno is satisfied, his wrath is
appeased, the beards of the unhappy are vanished, and Don Clavijo and
Antonomasia have recovered their pristine state. When the squirely
penance shall be completed, then shall the white dove, delivered from
the cruel talons of the pursuing hawks, be enfolded in the arms of her
beloved turtle:--such is the will of Merlin, prince of enchanters."
Don Quixote having read the prophetic decree, and perceiving at once
that it referred to the disenchantment of Dulcinea, he expressed his
gratitude to Heaven for having, with so much ease, performed so great
an exploit, whereby many venerable females had been happily rescued
from disgrace. He then went to the spot where the duke and duchess lay
on the ground, and taking the duke by the arm, he said, "Courage,
courage, my good lord; the adventure is over without damage to the
bars, as you will find by that record." The duke gradually, as if
awaking from a sound sleep, seemed to recover his senses, as did the
duchess and the rest of the party; expressing, at the same time, so
much wonder and affright that what they feigned so well seemed almost
reality to themselves. Though scarcely awake, the duke eagerly looked
for the scroll; and having read it, with open arms embraced Don
Quixote, declaring him to be the bravest of knights. Sancho looked all
about for the afflicted dame, to see what kind of face she had when
beardless, and whether she was now as goodly to the sight as her
stately presence seemed to promise; but he was told that, when
Clavileno came tumbling down in the flames through the air, the
Trifaldi, with her whole train, vanished with not a beard to be seen
among them--every hair was gone, root and branch!
The duchess inquired of Sancho how he had fared during that long
voyage? "Why, truly, madam," answered he, "I have seen wonders; for,
as we were passing through the region of fire, as my master called it,
I had, you must know, a mighty mind to take a peep; and, though my
master would not consent to it, I, who have an itch to know
everything, and a hankering after whatever is forbidden, could not
help, softly and unperceived, shoving the cloth a little aside, when
through a crevice I looked down, and there I saw (Heaven bless us!)
the earth so far off that it looked to me no bigger than a grain of
mustard-seed, and the men that walked upon it little bigger than
hazel-nuts!--only think, then, what a height we must have been!" "Take
care what you say, friend," said the duchess; "had it been so, you
could not have seen the earth for the people upon it; a hazel-nut,
good man, would have covered the whole earth." "Like enough," said
Sancho; "but, for all that, I had a side-view of it, and saw it all."
"Take heed, Sancho," said the duchess; "for one cannot see the whole
of anything by a side-view." "I know nothing about views," replied
Sancho; "I only know that your ladyship should remember that, since we
flew by enchantment, by enchantment I might see the whole earth, and
all the men upon it, in whatever way I looked; and, if your ladyship
will not credit that, neither will you believe me when I tell you
that, thrusting up the kerchief close to my eyebrows, I found myself
so near the sky that it was not above a span from me, and it so fell
out that we passed close by the place where the seven she-goats are
kept; and, truly, having been a goatherd in my youth, I no sooner saw
them but I longed to play with them awhile; and, had I not done it, I
verily think I should have died; so what does I but, without saying a
word, softly slide down from Clavileno, and play with the sweet little
creatures, which are like so many violets, for almost three quarters
of an hour; and all the while Clavileno seemed not to move from the
place, nor stir a foot." "And while honest Sancho was diverting
himself with the goats," quoth the duke, "how did Signor Don Quixote
amuse himself?" To which the knight answered: "As these and suchlike
concerns are out of the order of nature, I do not wonder at Sancho's
assertions; for my own part, I can truly say I neither looked up nor
down, and saw neither heaven nor earth, nor sea nor sands. It is,
nevertheless, certain that I was sensible of our passing through the
region of the air, and even touched upon that of fire; but, that we
passed beyond it, I cannot believe; for, the fiery region lying
between the sphere of the moon and the uppermost region of the air, we
could not reach that place where the seven goats are which Sancho
speaks of without being burnt; and, since we were not burnt, either
Sancho lies or Sancho dreams." "I neither lie nor dream," answered
Sancho: "only ask me the marks of these same goats, and by them you
may guess whether I speak the truth or not." "Tell us what they were,
Sancho," quoth the duchess. "Two of them," replied Sancho, "are green,
two carnation, two blue, and one motley-coloured." "A new kind of
goats are those," said the duke; "in our region of the earth we have
none of such colours." "The reason is plain," quoth Sancho; "your
highness will allow that there must be some difference between the
celestial goats and those of this lower world." They did not choose to
question Sancho any more concerning his journey, perceiving him to be
in the humour to ramble all over the heavens, and tell them all that
was passing there, without having stirred a foot from the place where
he mounted.
Thus concluded the adventure of the afflicted duenna, which furnished
the duke and duchess with a subject of mirth, not only at the time,
but for the rest of their lives, and Sancho something to relate had he
lived for ages. "Sancho," said Don Quixote (whispering him in the
ear), "if thou wouldst have us credit all thou hast told us just now,
I expect thee to believe what I saw in Montesinos' cave--I say no
more."