"True enough," said Don Quixote; and the boy went on: "See what anumerous and glittering crowd of horsemen issues from the city inpursuit of the two faithful lovers, what a blowing of trumpets thereis, what sounding of horns, what beating of drums and tabors; I fearme they will overtake them and bring them back tied to the tail oftheir own horse, which would be a dreadful sight."
Don Quixote, however, seeing such a swarm of Moors and hearingsuch a din, thought it would be right to aid the fugitives, andstanding up he exclaimed in a loud voice, "Never, while I live, will Ipermit foul play to be practised in my presence on such a famousknight and fearless lover as Don Gaiferos. Halt! ill-born rabble,follow him not nor pursue him, or ye will have to reckon with me inbattle!" and suiting the action to the word, he drew his sword, andwith one bound placed himself close to the show, and with unexampledrapidity and fury began to shower down blows on the puppet troop ofMoors, knocking over some, decapitating others, maiming this one anddemolishing that; and among many more he delivered one down strokewhich, if Master Pedro had not ducked, made himself small, and got outof the way, would have sliced off his head as easily as if it had beenmade of almond-paste. Master Pedro kept shouting, "Hold hard! SenorDon Quixote! can't you see they're not real Moors you're knocking downand killing and destroying, but only little pasteboard figures!Look- sinner that I am!- how you're wrecking and ruining all thatI'm worth!" But in spite of this, Don Quixote did not leave offdischarging a continuous rain of cuts, slashes, downstrokes, andbackstrokes, and at length, in less than the space of two credos, hebrought the whole show to the ground, with all its fittings andfigures shivered and knocked to pieces, King Marsilio badly wounded,and the Emperor Charlemagne with his crown and head split in two.The whole audience was thrown into confusion, the ape fled to the roofof the inn, the cousin was frightened, and even Sancho Panza himselfwas in mighty fear, for, as he swore after the storm was over, hehad never seen his master in such a furious passion.
The complete destruction of the show being thus accomplished, DonQuixote became a little calmer, said, "I wish I had here before me nowall those who do not or will not believe how useful knights-errant arein the world; just think, if I had not been here present, what wouldhave become of the brave Don Gaiferos and the fair Melisendra!Depend upon it, by this time those dogs would have overtaken themand inflicted some outrage upon them. So, then, long liveknight-errantry beyond everything living on earth this day!"
"Let it live, and welcome," said Master Pedro at this in a feeblevoice, "and let me die, for I am so unfortunate that I can say withKing Don Rodrigo-
Yesterday was I lord of Spain
To-day I've not a turret left
That I may call mine own.Not half an hour, nay, barely a minute ago, I saw myself lord of kingsand emperors, with my stables filled with countless horses, and mytrunks and bags with gay dresses unnumbered; and now I find myselfruined and laid low, destitute and a beggar, and above all withoutmy ape, for, by my faith, my teeth will have to sweat for it beforeI have him caught; and all through the reckless fury of sir knighthere, who, they say, protects the fatherless, and rights wrongs, anddoes other charitable deeds; but whose generous intentions have beenfound wanting in my case only, blessed and praised be the highestheavens! Verily, knight of the rueful figure he must be to havedisfigured mine."
Sancho Panza was touched by Master Pedro's words, and said to him,"Don't weep and lament, Master Pedro; you break my heart; let metell you my master, Don Quixote, is so catholic and scrupulous aChristian that, if he can make out that he has done you any wrong,he will own it, and be willing to pay for it and make it good, andsomething over and above."
"Only let Senor Don Quixote pay me for some part of the work hehas destroyed," said Master Pedro, "and I would be content, and hisworship would ease his conscience, for he cannot be saved who keepswhat is another's against the owner's will, and makes no restitution."
"That is true," said Don Quixote; "but at present I am not awarethat I have got anything of yours, Master Pedro."
"What!" returned Master Pedro; "and these relics lying here on thebare hard ground- what scattered and shattered them but the invinciblestrength of that mighty arm? And whose were the bodies they belongedto but mine? And what did I get my living by but by them?"
"Now am I fully convinced," said Don Quixote, "of what I had manya time before believed; that the enchanters who persecute me donothing more than put figures like these before my eyes, and thenchange and turn them into what they please. In truth and earnest, Iassure you gentlemen who now hear me, that to me everything that hastaken place here seemed to take place literally, that Melisendra wasMelisendra, Don Gaiferos Don Gaiferos, Marsilio Marsilio, andCharlemagne Charlemagne. That was why my anger was roused; and to befaithful to my calling as a knight-errant I sought to give aid andprotection to those who fled, and with this good intention I didwhat you have seen. If the result has been the opposite of what Iintended, it is no fault of mine, but of those wicked beings thatpersecute me; but, for all that, I am willing to condemn myself incosts for this error of mine, though it did not proceed from malice;let Master Pedro see what he wants for the spoiled figures, for Iagree to pay it at once in good and current money of Castile."
Master Pedro made him a bow, saying, "I expected no less of the rareChristianity of the valiant Don Quixote of La Mancha, true helperand protector of all destitute and needy vagabonds; master landlordhere and the great Sancho Panza shall be the arbitrators andappraisers between your worship and me of what these dilapidatedfigures are worth or may be worth."
The landlord and Sancho consented, and then Master Pedro picked upfrom the ground King Marsilio of Saragossa with his head off, andsaid, "Here you see how impossible it is to restore this king to hisformer state, so I think, saving your better judgments, that for hisdeath, decease, and demise, four reals and a half may be given me."
"Proceed," said Don Quixote.
"Well then, for this cleavage from top to bottom," continuedMaster Pedro, taking up the split Emperor Charlemagne, "it would notbe much if I were to ask five reals and a quarter."
"It's not little," said Sancho.
"Nor is it much," said the landlord; "make it even, and say fivereals."
"Let him have the whole five and a quarter," said Don Quixote;"for the sum total of this notable disaster does not stand on aquarter more or less; and make an end of it quickly, Master Pedro, forit's getting on to supper-time, and I have some hints of hunger."
"For this figure," said Master Pedro, "that is without a nose, andwants an eye, and is the fair Melisendra, I ask, and I am reasonablein my charge, two reals and twelve maravedis."
"The very devil must be in it," said Don Quixote, "if Melisendra andher husband are not by this time at least on the French border, forthe horse they rode on seemed to me to fly rather than gallop; soyou needn't try to sell me the cat for the hare, showing me here anoseless Melisendra when she is now, may be, enjoying herself at herease with her husband in France. God help every one to his own, MasterPedro, and let us all proceed fairly and honestly; and now go on."
Master Pedro, perceiving that Don Quixote was beginning to wander,and return to his original fancy, was not disposed to let himescape, so he said to him, "This cannot be Melisendra, but must be oneof the damsels that waited on her; so if I'm given sixty maravedis forher, I'll be content and sufficiently paid."
And so he went on, putting values on ever so many more smashedfigures, which, after the two arbitrators had adjusted them to thesatisfaction of both parties, came to forty reals andthree-quarters; and over and above this sum, which Sancho at oncedisbursed, Master Pedro asked for two reals for his trouble incatching the ape.
"Let him have them, Sancho," said Don Quixote; "not to catch theape, but to get drunk; and two hundred would I give this minute forthe good news, to anyone who could tell me positively, that the ladyDona Melisandra and Senor Don Gaiferos were now in France and withtheir own people."
"No one could tell us that better than my ape," said Master Pedro;"but there's no devil that could catch him now; I suspect, however,that affection and hunger will drive him to come looking for meto-night; but to-morrow will soon be here and we shall see."
In short, the puppet-show storm passed off, and all supped inpeace and good fellowship at Don Quixote's expense, for he was theheight of generosity. Before it was daylight the man with the lancesand halberds took his departure, and soon after daybreak the cousinand the page came to bid Don Quixote farewell, the former returninghome, the latter resuming his journey, towards which, to help him, DonQuixote gave him twelve reals. Master Pedro did not care to engagein any more palaver with Don Quixote, whom he knew right well; so herose before the sun, and having got together the remains of his showand caught his ape, he too went off to seek his adventures. Thelandlord, who did not know Don Quixote, was as much astonished athis mad freaks as at his generosity. To conclude, Sancho, by hismaster's orders, paid him very liberally, and taking leave of him theyquitted the inn at about eight in the morning and took to the road,where we will leave them to pursue their journey, for this isnecessary in order to allow certain other matters to be set forth,which are required to clear up this famous history.CHAPTER XXVII
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