"Friend Sancho," said the duke at this, "the island that I havepromised you is not a moving one, or one that will run away; it hasroots so deeply buried in the bowels of the earth that it will be noeasy matter to pluck it up or shift it from where it is; you know aswell as I do that there is no sort of office of any importance that isnot obtained by a bribe of some kind, great or small; well then,that which I look to receive for this government is that you go withyour master Don Quixote, and bring this memorable adventure to aconclusion; and whether you return on Clavileno as quickly as hisspeed seems to promise, or adverse fortune brings you back on foottravelling as a pilgrim from hostel to hostel and from inn to inn, youwill always find your island on your return where you left it, andyour islanders with the same eagerness they have always had to receiveyou as their governor, and my good-will will remain the same; doubtnot the truth of this, Senor Sancho, for that would be grievouslywronging my disposition to serve you."
"Say no more, senor," said Sancho; "I am a poor squire and not equalto carrying so much courtesy; let my master mount; bandage my eyes andcommit me to God's care, and tell me if I may commend myself to ourLord or call upon the angels to protect me when we go towering upthere."
To this the Trifaldi made answer, "Sancho, you may freely commendyourself to God or whom you will; for Malambruno though an enchanteris a Christian, and works his enchantments with greatcircumspection, taking very good care not to fall out with anyone."
"Well then," said Sancho, "God and the most holy Trinity of Gaetagive me help!"
"Since the memorable adventure of the fulling mills," said DonQuixote, "I have never seen Sancho in such a fright as now; were Ias superstitious as others his abject fear would cause me somelittle trepidation of spirit. But come here, Sancho, for with theleave of these gentles I would say a word or two to thee inprivate;" and drawing Sancho aside among the trees of the garden andseizing both his hands he said, "Thou seest, brother Sancho, thelong journey we have before us, and God knows when we shall return, orwhat leisure or opportunities this business will allow us; I wish theetherefore to retire now to thy chamber, as though thou wert going tofetch something required for the road, and in a trice give thyselfif it be only five hundred lashes on account of the three thousandthree hundred to which thou art bound; it will be all to the good, andto make a beginning with a thing is to have it half finished."
"By God," said Sancho, "but your worship must be out of your senses!This is like the common saying, 'You see me with child, and you wantme a virgin.' Just as I'm about to go sitting on a bare board, yourworship would have me score my backside! Indeed, your worship is notreasonable. Let us be off to shave these duennas; and on our returnI promise on my word to make such haste to wipe off all that's dueas will satisfy your worship; I can't say more."
"Well, I will comfort myself with that promise, my good Sancho,"replied Don Quixote, "and I believe thou wilt keep it; for indeedthough stupid thou art veracious."
"I'm not voracious," said Sancho, "only peckish; but even if I was alittle, still I'd keep my word."
With this they went back to mount Clavileno, and as they wereabout to do so Don Quixote said, "Cover thine eyes, Sancho, and mount;for one who sends for us from lands so far distant cannot mean todeceive us for the sake of the paltry glory to be derived fromdeceiving persons who trust in him; though all should turn out thecontrary of what I hope, no malice will be able to dim the glory ofhaving undertaken this exploit."
"Let us be off, senor," said Sancho, "for I have taken the beardsand tears of these ladies deeply to heart, and I shan't eat a bit torelish it until I have seen them restored to their formersmoothness. Mount, your worship, and blindfold yourself, for if I amto go on the croup, it is plain the rider in the saddle must mountfirst."
"That is true," said Don Quixote, and, taking a handkerchief outof his pocket, he begged the Distressed One to bandage his eyes verycarefully; but after having them bandaged he uncovered them again,saying, "If my memory does not deceive me, I have read in Virgil ofthe Palladium of Troy, a wooden horse the Greeks offered to thegoddess Pallas, which was big with armed knights, who wereafterwards the destruction of Troy; so it would he as well to see,first of all, what Clavileno has in his stomach."
"There is no occasion," said the Distressed One; "I will be bail forhim, and I know that Malambruno has nothing tricky or treacherousabout him; you may mount without any fear, Senor Don Quixote; on myhead be it if any harm befalls you."
Don Quixote thought that to say anything further with regard tohis safety would be putting his courage in an unfavourable light;and so, without more words, he mounted Clavileno, and tried the peg,which turned easily; and as he had no stirrups and his legs hung down,he looked like nothing so much as a figure in some Roman triumphpainted or embroidered on a Flemish tapestry.
Much against the grain, and very slowly, Sancho proceeded tomount, and, after settling himself as well as he could on the croup,found it rather hard, and not at all soft, and asked the duke if itwould be possible to oblige him with a pad of some kind, or a cushion;even if it were off the couch of his lady the duchess, or the bed ofone of the pages; as the haunches of that horse were more likemarble than wood. On this the Trifaldi observed that Clavileno wouldnot bear any kind of harness or trappings, and that his best planwould be to sit sideways like a woman, as in that way he would notfeel the hardness so much.
Sancho did so, and, bidding them farewell, allowed his eyes to hebandaged, but immediately afterwards uncovered them again, and lookingtenderly and tearfully on those in the garden, bade them help him inhis present strait with plenty of Paternosters and Ave Marias, thatGod might provide some one to say as many for them, whenever theyfound themselves in a similar emergency.
At this Don Quixote exclaimed, "Art thou on the gallows, thief, orat thy last moment, to use pitiful entreaties of that sort?Cowardly, spiritless creature, art thou not in the very place the fairMagalona occupied, and from which she descended, not into the grave,but to become Queen of France; unless the histories lie? And I whoam here beside thee, may I not put myself on a par with the valiantPierres, who pressed this very spot that I now press? Cover thineeyes, cover thine eyes, abject animal, and let not thy fear escape thylips, at least in my presence."
"Blindfold me," said Sancho; "as you won't let me commend myselfor be commended to God, is it any wonder if I am afraid there is aregion of devils about here that will carry us off to Peralvillo?"
They were then blindfolded, and Don Quixote, finding himself settledto his satisfaction, felt for the peg, and the instant he placed hisfingers on it, all the duennas and all who stood by lifted up theirvoices exclaiming, "God guide thee, valiant knight! God be withthee, intrepid squire! Now, now ye go cleaving the air more swiftlythan an arrow! Now ye begin to amaze and astonish all who are gazingat you from the earth! Take care not to wobble about, valiantSancho! Mind thou fall not, for thy fall will be worse than thatrash youth's who tried to steer the chariot of his father the Sun!"
As Sancho heard the voices, clinging tightly to his master andwinding his arms round him, he said, "Senor, how do they make out weare going up so high, if their voices reach us here and they seem tobe speaking quite close to us?"
"Don't mind that, Sancho," said Don Quixote; "for as affairs of thissort, and flights like this are out of the common course of things,you can see and hear as much as you like a thousand leagues off; butdon't squeeze me so tight or thou wilt upset me; and really I know notwhat thou hast to be uneasy or frightened at, for I can safely swear Inever mounted a smoother-going steed all the days of my life; onewould fancy we never stirred from one place. Banish fear, my friend,for indeed everything is going as it ought, and we have the windastern."
"That's true," said Sancho, "for such a strong wind comes against meon this side, that it seems as if people were blowing on me with athousand pair of bellows;" which was the case; they were puffing athim with a great pair of bellows; for the whole adventure was sowell planned by the duke, the duchess, and their majordomo, thatnothing was omitted to make it perfectly successful.
Don Quixote now, feeling the blast, said, "Beyond a doubt, Sancho,we must have already reached the second region of the air, where thehail and snow are generated; the thunder, the lightning, and thethunderbolts are engendered in the third region, and if we go onascending at this rate, we shall shortly plunge into the region offire, and I know not how to regulate this peg, so as not to mount upwhere we shall be burned."
And now they began to warm their faces, from a distance, with towthat could be easily set on fire and extinguished again, fixed onthe end of a cane. On feeling the heat Sancho said, "May I die if weare not already in that fire place, or very near it, for a good partof my beard has been singed, and I have a mind, senor, to uncoverand see whereabouts we are."