missed their aim this
time, i' troth! My master is a wise man, and must needs know that I
had neither curds nor milk, nor anything of that kind; and if I had
met with curds, I should sooner have put them in my belly than in the
helmet."--"Well," said Don Quixote, "there may be something in that."

The gentleman had observed these passages, and stood amazed, but
especially when Don Quixote, having put on the helmet again, fixed
himself well in the stirrups, tried whether his sword were loose
enough in his scabbard, and rested his lance. "Now," cried he, "come
what will come; here am I, who dare encounter the devil himself in
person." By this time the wagon with the flags was come up with them,
attended only by the carter, mounted on one of the mules, and another
man that sat on the forepart. Don Quixote making up to them, "Whither
go ye, friends?" said he. "What wagon is this? What do you convey in
it? And what is the meaning of these flags?"--"The wagon is mine,"
answered the wagoner; "I have there fast two brave lions, which the
general of Oran is sending to his majesty, and these colors of our
lord the king are to let the people understand that what goes here
belongs to him."--"And are the lions large?" inquired Don
Quixote.--"Very large," answered the man at the door of the wagon;
"there never came bigger from Afric into Spain. I am their keeper,"
added he, "and have had charge of several others, but I never saw the
like of these before. In the foremost cage is a he-lion and in the
other, behind, a lioness. By this time they are hungry, for they have
not eaten to-day; therefore, pray, good sir, ride out of the way, for
we must make haste to get to the place where we intend to feed
them."--"What!" said Don Quixote, with a smile, "lion whelps against
me! Against me those puny beasts! And at this time of day? Well, I
will make those gentlemen that sent their lions this way know whether
I am a man to be scared with lions. Get off, honest fellow; and since
you are the keeper, open their cages, and let them both out; for,
maugre and in despite of those enchanters that have sent them to try
me, I will make the creatures know, in the midst of this very field,
who Don Quixote de la Mancha is."--"So," thought the gentleman to
himself, "now has our poor knight discovered who he is; the curds, I
find, have softened his skull, and mellowed his brains."

On this, Sancho came up to him. "O good dear sir!" cried he, "for
pity's sa