The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1920-12-31

babe them release her. Then without
further parley he drove against the
monks, one of whom ran away while
the other fell off his mule. Sancho
nimbly slipped from his ass and be-
gan to strip the luckless man; while
he was engaged In this legitimate ap-
preparation of the spoiIs of the battle,
two mufeteeers of the train oyerset
him, tore out his beard by handfuls,
mauled him and left him senseIess.
Don Quixote engaged in a terrific com
bat with one of the lady's guard who
sliced off half of his helmet and one
Of his ears. Undaunted the knight
pressed the combat to victory, but
Just as he was about to give the finish
ing stroke, the frightened lady begged
him to desist and he complied on con-
dition that the defeated opponent
should go and present himself before
the peerless Dulcinea, who was In
reality buxom woman known
through all la Mancha for her skill in
sailing pork and who had never deign-
ed to look at her amorous neighbor.
A few days later, bruised and bat
tered in untoward adventures, they
came upon a flock of sheep which Don
Quixote conceived to be a prodigious
army composed of an infinite number
| of nations led by mighty kings. He
spurred like thunderbolt from the
top of hillock, shouting his battle
challenge, putting the hapless sheep
to flight and trampling both the living
and the slain. Impatient 70 meet the
commander of the enemy he shouted:
'Where, where art thou, naughty
| Alifanfaron?"
At that moment the shepherds raj
lied in defense of their f1ocks and
overwhelmed the unIucky knight first
with stones and then with cudgels,
leaving him in desperate case, with
nearly all of his teeth knocked out
| or loosened, and his ribs half broken
Did this adventure discourage him?
| Not at all. 1t was all part of chival-
ry. He and Sancho rode on In dolor-
| GUS discourse. They were overtaken
| by night and had no shelter or food,
| Suddenly appeared band of about
| twenty horsemen, all in white robes,
with torches in their hands and fol-
lowed by a hearse draped in black.
1t was the funeral of gentleman of
Segovia; Don Quixote took it to be
the train of some knight either killed
| or desperately wounded, and, assured
that it was his duty to avenge the
| misfortunes of brother-in-arns,
halted the cortege and demanded an
explanation. The replies of the clergy
men failed to satisfy him and he flew
at them in high dudgeon. Encountered
by their robes they became easy vic
tins and all took to flight.
They possessed themselves of the
edibles deserted by the clergymen, but,
, unfortunately, had nothing to drink,
nor did they dare stir from the forest
because of the awful clamof made by
a fulling-mill which Don Quixote sur
posed to be enchantment.
| The next morning they met bal
Der riding on an ass and wearing hi,
brass basin on his head to save his
hat from the rain. Don Quixote rec
ognized this as the golden helmet of
Mambrino and flew at the enemy as
if he would grind him to powder. The
barber fed, leaving his helmet which
Sancho appropriated, though it SEEM
ed to him merely common dish.
| They came to another inn. In the
night Don Quixote, while sound asleep
and dreaming, enjoyed the most IA
nous battle of his career. Dressed
in short shirt which exposed his
lean, long, hairy shanks, and wearing
a greasy red nfghtcap, with blanket
wrapped around his left arm for a
shield, he was repeatedly plunging his
sword into the plump bodies of sew
eral giants. Their blood flowed across
the floor in wide, crimson streams.
Imagine the wrath of the worthy
inn-keeper at discovering that his
famous guest had disemboweled all
his wine-sacks, which were made of
goat-skins with the heads left on.
After this Don Quixote was got
home by the curate and the barber;
but he broke loose again. First he
visited his Dulcin4a, but came away
convinced that through more enchant-
ment she had been changed into a
blubber-cheeked, fiat-nosed country
wench, the pearls of her eyes into gall
nuts, her long golden locks into a
cows tail and her palace into hut.
He had adventures with strolling
actors and lions; he attended the
rich Camacho's wedding; he explored
the deep cave of Montesinos; he rode
on magic bark and visited the name
less duke and duchess, through whose
eomplaisance Sancho was granted his
ambition to rule over an island and
did it with wisdom worthy of Solo
mon. Many more adventures follow
ed, but at last Don Quixote returned
to his home and recovered his senses