but he was very much deceived in this conclusion, for daylight hadhardly begun to appear when there came up to the inn four men onhorseback, well equipped and outred, with firelocks across theirsaddle-bows. they called out and knocked loudly at the gate of theinn, which was still shut; on seeing which, don quixote, even therewhere he was, did not forget to act as sentinel, and said in a loudand imperious tone, "knights, or squires, or whatever ye be, ye haveno right to knock at the gates of this castle; for it is inenough that they who are within are either asleep, or else are notin the habit of throwing open the fortress until the suns rays arespread over the whole surface of the earth. withdraw to a distance,and wait till it is broad daylight, and then we shall see whether itwill be proper or not to open to you."
"what the devil fortress or castle is this," said one, "to make usstand on such ceremony? if you are the innkeeper bid them open tous; we are travellers who only want to feed our horses and go on,for we are in haste."
"do you think, gentlemen, that i look like an innkeeper?" said donquixote.
"i dont know what you look like," replied the other; "but i knowthat you are talking nonsense when you call this inn a castle."
"a castle it is," returned don quixote, "nay, more, one of thebest in this whole province, and it has within it people who havehad the sceptre in the hand and the crown on the head."
"it would be better if it were the other way," said the traveller,"the sceptre on the head and the crown in the hand; but if so, maybe there is within somepany of yers, with whom it is amonthing to have those crowns and sceptres you speak of; for in such asmall inn as this, and where such silence is kept, i do not believeany people entitled to crowns and sceptres can have taken up theirquarters."
"you know but little of the world," returned don quixote, "since youare ignorant of whatmonly urs in knight-errantry."
but therades of the spokesman, growing weary of the dialoguewith don quixote, renewed their knocks with great vehemence, so muchso that the host, and not only he but everybody in the inn, awoke, andhe got up to ask who knocked. it happened at this moment that one ofthe horses of the four who were seeking admittance went to smellrocinante, who mncholy, dejected, and with drooping ears stoodmotionless, supporting his sorely stretched master; and as he was,after all, flesh, though he looked as if he were made of wood, hecould not help giving way and in return smelling the one who hadeto offer him attentions. but he had hardly moved at all when donquixote lost his footing; and slipping off the saddle, he would have to the ground, but for being suspended by the arm, which causedhim such agony that he believed either his wrist would be cut throughor his arm torn off; and he hung so near the ground that he could justtouch it with his feet, which was all the worse for him; for, findinghow little was wanted to enable him to nt his feet firmly, hestruggled and stretched himself as much as he could to gain a footing;just like those undergoing the torture of the strappado, when they arefixed at "touch and no touch," who aggravate their own sufferings bytheir violent efforts to stretch themselves, deceived by the hopewhich makes them fancy that with a very little more they will reachthe ground.
插pter xliv
in which are continued the unheard-of adventures of the inn
so loud, in fact, were the shouts of don quixote, that thndlord opening the gate of the inn in all haste, came out in dismay,and ran to see who was uttering such cries, and those who were outsidejoined him. maritornes, who had been by this time roused up by thesame outcry, suspecting what it was, ran to the loft and, withoutanyone seeing her, untied the halter by which don quixote wassuspended, and down he came to the ground in the sight of thendlordand the travellers, who approaching asked him what was the matter withhim that he shouted so. he without replying a word took the rope offhis wrist, and rising to his feet leaped upon rocinante, braced hisbuckler on his arm, put hisnce in rest, and making a considerablecircuit of the in came back at a half-gallop eximing:
"whoever shall say that i have been en插nted with just cause,provided mydy the princess micona grants me permission to doso, i give him the lie, 插llenge him and defy him to singlebat."
the newly arrived travellers were amazed at the words of donquixote; but thendlord removed their surprise by telling them whohe was, and not to mind him as he was out of his senses. they thenasked thendlord if by any 插nce a youth of about fifteen yearsof age hade to that inn, one dressed like a muleteer, and ofsuch and such an appearance, describing that of dona ras lover.thendlord replied that there were so many people in the inn hehad not noticed the person they were inquiring for; but one of themobserving the coach in which the judge hade, said, "he is hereno doubt, for this is the coach he is following: let one of us stay atthe gate, and the rest go in to look for him; or indeed it would be aswell if one of us went round the inn, lest he should escape over thewall of the yard." "so be it," said another; and while two of themwent in, one remained at the gate and the other made the circuit ofthe inn; observing all which, thendlord was unable to conjecturefor what reason they were taking all these precautions, though heunderstood they were looking for the youth whose description theyhad given him.
it was by this time broad daylight; and for that reason, as wes in consequence of the noise don quixote had made, everybody wasawake and up, but particrly dona ra and dorothea; for they hadbeen able to sleep but badly that night, the one from agitation athaving her lover so near her, the other from curiosity to see him. donquixote, when he saw that not one of the four travellers took anynotice of him or replied to his 插llenge, was furious and ready todie with indignation and wrath; and if he could have found in theordinances of chivalry that it waswful for a knight-errant toundertake or engage in another enterprise, when he had plighted hisword and faith not to involve himself in any until he had made anend of the one to which he was pledged, he would have attacked thewhole of them, and would have made them return an answer in spite ofthemselves. but considering that it would not be him, nor beright, to begin any new emprise until he had establi射d micona inher kingdom, he was constrained to hold his peace and wait quietlyto see what would be the upshot of the proceedings of those sametravellers; one of whom found the youth they were seeking lying asleepby the side of a muleteer, without a thought of anyoneing insearch of him, much less finding him.
the manid hold of him by the arm, saying, "it bes you wellindeed, senor don luis, to be in the dress you wear, and well thebed in which i find you agrees with the luxury in which your motherreared you."
the youth rubbed his sleepy eyes and stared for a while at him whoheld him, but presently recognised him as one of his fathersservants, at which he was so taken aback that for some time he couldnot find or utter a word; while the servant went on to say, "thereis nothing for it now, senor don luis, but to submit quietly andreturn home, unless it is your wish that my lord, your father,should take his departure for the other world, for nothing else can bethe consequence of the grief he is in at your absence."
"but how did my father know that i had gone this road and in thisdress?" said don luis.
"it was a student to whom you confided your intentions," answeredthe servant, "that disclosed them, touched with pity at the distres射 saw your father suffer on missing you; he therefore despatched fourof his servants in quest of you, and here we all are at yourservice, better pleased than you can imagine that we shall return sosoon and be able to restore you to those eyes that so yearn for you."
"that shall be as i please, or as heaven orders," returned don luis.
"what can you please or heaven order," said the other, "except toagree to go back? anything else is impossible."
all this conversation between the two was overheard by themuleteer at whose side don luisy, and rising, he went to reportwhat had taken ce to don fernando, cardenio, and the others, whohad by this time dressed themselves; and told them how the man hadaddressed the youth as "don," and what words had passed, and how hewanted him to return to his father, which the youth was unwilling todo. with this, and what they already knew of the rare voice thatheaven had bestowed upon him, they all felt very anxious to knowmore particrly who he was, and even to help him if it was attemptedto employ force against him; so they hastened to where he was stilltalking and arguing with his servant. dorothea at this instant cameout of her room, followed by dona ra all in a tremor; and callingcardenio aside, 射 told him in a few words the story of themusician and dona ra, and he at the same time told her what hadhappened, how his fathers servants hade in search of him; butin telling her so, he did not speak low enough but that dona raheard what he said, at which 射 was so much agitated that had notdorothea hastened to support her 射 would have fallen to theground. cardenio then bade dorothea return to her room, as he wouldendeavour to make the whole matter right, and they did as hedesired. all the four who hade in quest of don luis had noweinto the inn and surrounded him, urging him to return and consolehis father at once and without a moments dy. he replied that hecould not do so on any ount until he had concluded some business inwhich his life, honour, and heart were at stake. the servantspressed him, saying that most certainly they would not returnwithout him, and that they would take him away whether he liked itor not.
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"what the devil fortress or castle is this," said one, "to make usstand on such ceremony? if you are the innkeeper bid them open tous; we are travellers who only want to feed our horses and go on,for we are in haste."
"do you think, gentlemen, that i look like an innkeeper?" said donquixote.
"i dont know what you look like," replied the other; "but i knowthat you are talking nonsense when you call this inn a castle."
"a castle it is," returned don quixote, "nay, more, one of thebest in this whole province, and it has within it people who havehad the sceptre in the hand and the crown on the head."
"it would be better if it were the other way," said the traveller,"the sceptre on the head and the crown in the hand; but if so, maybe there is within somepany of yers, with whom it is amonthing to have those crowns and sceptres you speak of; for in such asmall inn as this, and where such silence is kept, i do not believeany people entitled to crowns and sceptres can have taken up theirquarters."
"you know but little of the world," returned don quixote, "since youare ignorant of whatmonly urs in knight-errantry."
but therades of the spokesman, growing weary of the dialoguewith don quixote, renewed their knocks with great vehemence, so muchso that the host, and not only he but everybody in the inn, awoke, andhe got up to ask who knocked. it happened at this moment that one ofthe horses of the four who were seeking admittance went to smellrocinante, who mncholy, dejected, and with drooping ears stoodmotionless, supporting his sorely stretched master; and as he was,after all, flesh, though he looked as if he were made of wood, hecould not help giving way and in return smelling the one who hadeto offer him attentions. but he had hardly moved at all when donquixote lost his footing; and slipping off the saddle, he would have to the ground, but for being suspended by the arm, which causedhim such agony that he believed either his wrist would be cut throughor his arm torn off; and he hung so near the ground that he could justtouch it with his feet, which was all the worse for him; for, findinghow little was wanted to enable him to nt his feet firmly, hestruggled and stretched himself as much as he could to gain a footing;just like those undergoing the torture of the strappado, when they arefixed at "touch and no touch," who aggravate their own sufferings bytheir violent efforts to stretch themselves, deceived by the hopewhich makes them fancy that with a very little more they will reachthe ground.
插pter xliv
in which are continued the unheard-of adventures of the inn
so loud, in fact, were the shouts of don quixote, that thndlord opening the gate of the inn in all haste, came out in dismay,and ran to see who was uttering such cries, and those who were outsidejoined him. maritornes, who had been by this time roused up by thesame outcry, suspecting what it was, ran to the loft and, withoutanyone seeing her, untied the halter by which don quixote wassuspended, and down he came to the ground in the sight of thendlordand the travellers, who approaching asked him what was the matter withhim that he shouted so. he without replying a word took the rope offhis wrist, and rising to his feet leaped upon rocinante, braced hisbuckler on his arm, put hisnce in rest, and making a considerablecircuit of the in came back at a half-gallop eximing:
"whoever shall say that i have been en插nted with just cause,provided mydy the princess micona grants me permission to doso, i give him the lie, 插llenge him and defy him to singlebat."
the newly arrived travellers were amazed at the words of donquixote; but thendlord removed their surprise by telling them whohe was, and not to mind him as he was out of his senses. they thenasked thendlord if by any 插nce a youth of about fifteen yearsof age hade to that inn, one dressed like a muleteer, and ofsuch and such an appearance, describing that of dona ras lover.thendlord replied that there were so many people in the inn hehad not noticed the person they were inquiring for; but one of themobserving the coach in which the judge hade, said, "he is hereno doubt, for this is the coach he is following: let one of us stay atthe gate, and the rest go in to look for him; or indeed it would be aswell if one of us went round the inn, lest he should escape over thewall of the yard." "so be it," said another; and while two of themwent in, one remained at the gate and the other made the circuit ofthe inn; observing all which, thendlord was unable to conjecturefor what reason they were taking all these precautions, though heunderstood they were looking for the youth whose description theyhad given him.
it was by this time broad daylight; and for that reason, as wes in consequence of the noise don quixote had made, everybody wasawake and up, but particrly dona ra and dorothea; for they hadbeen able to sleep but badly that night, the one from agitation athaving her lover so near her, the other from curiosity to see him. donquixote, when he saw that not one of the four travellers took anynotice of him or replied to his 插llenge, was furious and ready todie with indignation and wrath; and if he could have found in theordinances of chivalry that it waswful for a knight-errant toundertake or engage in another enterprise, when he had plighted hisword and faith not to involve himself in any until he had made anend of the one to which he was pledged, he would have attacked thewhole of them, and would have made them return an answer in spite ofthemselves. but considering that it would not be him, nor beright, to begin any new emprise until he had establi射d micona inher kingdom, he was constrained to hold his peace and wait quietlyto see what would be the upshot of the proceedings of those sametravellers; one of whom found the youth they were seeking lying asleepby the side of a muleteer, without a thought of anyoneing insearch of him, much less finding him.
the manid hold of him by the arm, saying, "it bes you wellindeed, senor don luis, to be in the dress you wear, and well thebed in which i find you agrees with the luxury in which your motherreared you."
the youth rubbed his sleepy eyes and stared for a while at him whoheld him, but presently recognised him as one of his fathersservants, at which he was so taken aback that for some time he couldnot find or utter a word; while the servant went on to say, "thereis nothing for it now, senor don luis, but to submit quietly andreturn home, unless it is your wish that my lord, your father,should take his departure for the other world, for nothing else can bethe consequence of the grief he is in at your absence."
"but how did my father know that i had gone this road and in thisdress?" said don luis.
"it was a student to whom you confided your intentions," answeredthe servant, "that disclosed them, touched with pity at the distres射 saw your father suffer on missing you; he therefore despatched fourof his servants in quest of you, and here we all are at yourservice, better pleased than you can imagine that we shall return sosoon and be able to restore you to those eyes that so yearn for you."
"that shall be as i please, or as heaven orders," returned don luis.
"what can you please or heaven order," said the other, "except toagree to go back? anything else is impossible."
all this conversation between the two was overheard by themuleteer at whose side don luisy, and rising, he went to reportwhat had taken ce to don fernando, cardenio, and the others, whohad by this time dressed themselves; and told them how the man hadaddressed the youth as "don," and what words had passed, and how hewanted him to return to his father, which the youth was unwilling todo. with this, and what they already knew of the rare voice thatheaven had bestowed upon him, they all felt very anxious to knowmore particrly who he was, and even to help him if it was attemptedto employ force against him; so they hastened to where he was stilltalking and arguing with his servant. dorothea at this instant cameout of her room, followed by dona ra all in a tremor; and callingcardenio aside, 射 told him in a few words the story of themusician and dona ra, and he at the same time told her what hadhappened, how his fathers servants hade in search of him; butin telling her so, he did not speak low enough but that dona raheard what he said, at which 射 was so much agitated that had notdorothea hastened to support her 射 would have fallen to theground. cardenio then bade dorothea return to her room, as he wouldendeavour to make the whole matter right, and they did as hedesired. all the four who hade in quest of don luis had noweinto the inn and surrounded him, urging him to return and consolehis father at once and without a moments dy. he replied that hecould not do so on any ount until he had concluded some business inwhich his life, honour, and heart were at stake. the servantspressed him, saying that most certainly they would not returnwithout him, and that they would take him away whether he liked itor not.
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