undo his armour, so that he may partake of food. His improvised visor may not be taken off; the servants feed him whilst he holds it up, and the innkeeper devises a hollow reed through which he drinks. The picture is a humorous one. Don Cíochóté takes the inn for a castle, the innkeeper for a knight, and servant girls for grand dames.
III.
Our hero takes the man of the house into a room and kneels down in his presence. The other protests, but all to no purpose. Don Cíochóté will not get up until his host promises to comply with his request. The proprietor realising the situation, viz., that he himself is a knight, at least in the Don’s imagination, and that his guest is mentally deficient, agrees to knight him in the morning. He entertains the Don with stories of his own exploits, omitting, of course, to tell that it was by highway robbery he had made his money. The innkeeper inquires whether he has any money. The hero of the story replies that books make no mention of knights taking money with them on their journeys. His host replies that books are silent as it was understood by everyone that they did. He dilates on its necessity, as well as the need of a knight-errant taking “cures” with him. The Don keeps watch over his arms through the night, as became one who is to be knighted. The man of the house entertains the household with the humour of the situation. The Don fells the two carmen who had come to fetch water for their horses. He invokes the aid of Dulsinea. The other carmen come and attack him and wound him. The host comes on the scene, humours the Don, and eventually performs the ceremony of knighthood. The servant girls, Tolosa and Molinera, put on him his spurs and sword. He returns thanks to all in the flowing language of the books, mounts his steed, and departs.
IV.
As soon as the new knight-errant gets on the road, he feels a thrill of joy pervade his whole being. He thinks, as advised, that he should have money and an attendant. There was a man at home who would suit. Rosinante develops wonderful speed on the way. The Don hears the cry of a human being from a wood beside the road; goes in and finds a man beating his shepherd-boy. He saves the boy, and commands the man to pay him all wages due. Don Cíochóté fancies that all such work becomes a knight. The master makes a claim for the price of three pairs of boots he had given the boy, but the Don decides that the leather of the boots and the skin of the boy’s back should weigh against each other. Shan Aldudo pleads that he has no money, but invites the boy to accompany him home and says he will pay him. No sooner is Don Cíochoté out
