"Halt, knights, or whosoever ye may be, and render me account of who ye

are, whence ye come, where ye go, what it is ye carry upon that bier,

for, to judge by appearances, either ye have done some wrong or some

wrong has been done to you, and it is fitting and necessary that I should

know, either that I may chastise you for the evil ye have done, or else

that I may avenge you for the injury that has been inflicted upon you."

"We are in haste," answered one of the encamisados, "and the inn is far

off, and we cannot stop to render you such an account as you demand;" and

spurring his mule he moved on.

Don Quixote was mightily provoked by this answer, and seizing the mule by

the bridle he said, "Halt, and be more mannerly, and render an account of

what I have asked of you; else, take my defiance to combat, all of you."

The mule was shy, and was so frightened at her bridle being seized that

rearing up she flung her rider to the ground over her haunches. An

attendant who was on foot, seeing the encamisado fall, began to abuse Don

Quixote, who now moved to anger, without any more ado, laying his lance

in rest charged one of the men in mourning and brought him badly wounded

to the ground, and as he wheeled round upon the others the agility with

which he attacked and routed them was a sight to see, for it seemed just

as if wings had that instant grown upon Rocinante, so lightly and proudly

did he bear himself. The encamisados were all timid folk and unarmed, so

they speedily made their escape from the fray and set off at a run across

the plain with their lighted torches, looking exactly like maskers

running on some gala or festival night. The mourners, too, enveloped and

swathed in their skirts and gowns, were unable to bestir themselves, and

so with entire safety to himself Don Quixote belaboured them all and

drove them off against their will, for they all thought it was no man but

a devil from hell come to carry away the dead body they had in the

litter.

Sancho beheld all this in astonishment at the intrepidity of his lord,

and said to himself, "Clearly this master of mine is as bold and valiant

as he says he is."

A burning torch lay on the ground near the first man whom the mule had

thrown, by the light of which Don Quixote perceived him, and coming up to

him he presented the point of the lance to his face, calling on him to

yield himself prisoner, or else he would kill him; to which the prostrate

man replied, "I am prisoner enough as it is; I cannot stir, for one of my

legs is broken: I entreat you, if you be a Christian gentleman, not to

kill me, which will be committing grave sacrilege, for I am a licentiate

and I hold first orders."




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