nd and courteous;
and Don Quixote replied that his duty to the world consisted in giving
succor to those in despair and need. He implored the youth to tell him
the name of the one who had caused his misfortune, that he might
revenge him. The Ragged One stared at him strangely and said: "If you
will give me to eat, I will tell you my story."

Sancho and the goatherd gave the youth something to appease his
hunger; and he ate it ravenously. When he had finished, he motioned
to them to follow him, and they came to a spot where green grass grew
and all stretched themselves on the ground in silence. Before he began
his story, the youth warned them not to interrupt him, for then it
would come to an end. Don Quixote promised solemnly for all of them.

The youth told of his love for one Luscinda, and how his best friend,
Don Fernando, son of a grandee of Spain, had stolen her love away from
him; but suddenly he was interrupted by Don Quixote, and refused to
continue. Whereupon Don Quixote nearly lost his senses--for his
curiosity was aroused beyond words--and called the Ragged One a
villain.

The Ragged One broke into a violent fit when he heard himself called
names and picked up a stone which he hurled against the knight
errant's breast with such force that it placed him flat on his back.
Seeing this, Sancho Panza flew at the madman; but the youth seemed to
possess supernatural strength, for he felled Sancho to the ground with
one single blow, and then jumped on his chest and buckled his ribs.
Having also beaten the old goatherd, he went into the woods again.

When Sancho had seen the last of him, he turned loose his rage on the
poor old goatherd, whom he cursed for not having warned them that the
youth might be taken with fits. Words led to blows; the two grabbed
each other by their beards, and had it not been for Don Quixote, their
fray might have had a sad ending. He calmed his squire by absolving
the old man of all blame. Then he asked him--for he was still aching
with curiosity to learn the end of the story--whether he knew where
he might find Cardenio (that being the youth's name). The goatherd
answered that if he remained in the neighborhood long enough he could
not help meeting him; but as to his mood, he could not answer for
that.

CHAPTER XXV

WHICH TREATS OF THE STRANGE THINGS THAT HAPPENED TO THE
STOUT KNIGHT OF LA MANCHA IN THE SIERRA MORENA

Don Quixote and Sancho Panza now made their way into unk