OF THE MISHAP THAT BEFELL SANCHO PANZA THROUGH THE VISIT TO THEGALLEYS, AND THE STRANGE ADVENTURE OF THE FAIR MORISCO
PROFOUND were Don Quixote's reflections on the reply of theenchanted head, not one of them, however, hitting on the secret of thetrick, but all concentrated on the promise, which he regarded as acertainty, of Dulcinea's disenchantment. This he turned over in hismind again and again with great satisfaction, fully persuaded thathe would shortly see its fulfillment; and as for Sancho, though, ashas been said, he hated being a governor, still he had a longing to begiving orders and finding himself obeyed once more; this is themisfortune that being in authority, even in jest, brings with it.
To resume; that afternoon their host Don Antonio Moreno and histwo friends, with Don Quixote and Sancho, went to the galleys. Thecommandant had been already made aware of his good fortune in seeingtwo such famous persons as Don Quixote and Sancho, and the instantthey came to the shore all the galleys struck their awnings and theclarions rang out. A skiff covered with rich carpets and cushions ofcrimson velvet was immediately lowered into the water, and as DonQuixote stepped on board of it, the leading galley fired her gangwaygun, and the other galleys did the same; and as he mounted thestarboard ladder the whole crew saluted him （as is the custom when apersonage of distinction comes on board a galley） by exclaiming "Hu,hu, hu," three times. The general, for so we shall call him, aValencian gentleman of rank, gave him his hand and embraced him,saying, "I shall mark this day with a white stone as one of thehappiest I can expect to enjoy in my lifetime, since I have seen SenorDon Quixote of La Mancha, pattern and image wherein we see containedand condensed all that is worthy in knight-errantry."
Don Quixote delighted beyond measure with such a lordly reception,replied to him in words no less courteous. All then proceeded to thepoop, which was very handsomely decorated, and seated themselves onthe bulwark benches; the boatswain passed along the gangway andpiped all hands to strip, which they did in an instant. Sancho, seeingsuch a number of men stripped to the skin, was taken aback, andstill more when he saw them spread the awning so briskly that itseemed to him as if all the devils were at work at it; but all thiswas cakes and fancy bread to what I am going to tell now. Sancho wasseated on the captain's stage, close to the aftermost rower on theright-hand side. He, previously instructed in what he was to do,laid hold of Sancho, hoisting him up in his arms, and the wholecrew, who were standing ready, beginning on the right, proceeded topass him on, whirling him along from hand to hand and from bench tobench with such rapidity that it took the sight out of poor Sancho'seyes, and he made quite sure that the devils themselves were flyingaway with him; nor did they leave off with him until they had sent himback along the left side and deposited him on the poop; and the poorfellow was left bruised and breathless and all in a sweat, andunable to comprehend what it was that had happened to him.
Don Quixote when he saw Sancho's flight without wings asked thegeneral if this was a usual ceremony with those who came on boardthe galleys for the first time; for, if so, as he had no intentionof adopting them as a profession, he had no mind to perform such featsof agility, and if anyone offered to lay hold of him to whirl himabout, he vowed to God he would kick his soul out; and as he said thishe stood up and clapped his hand upon his sword. At this instantthey struck the awning and lowered the yard with a prodigiousrattle. Sancho thought heaven was coming off its hinges and going tofall on his head, and full of terror he ducked it and buried itbetween his knees; nor were Don Quixote's knees altogether undercontrol, for he too shook a little, squeezed his shoulders togetherand lost colour. The crew then hoisted the yard with the same rapidityand clatter as when they lowered it, all the while keeping silenceas though they had neither voice nor breath. The boatswain gave thesignal to weigh anchor, and leaping upon the middle of the gangwaybegan to lay on to the shoulders of the crew with his courbash orwhip, and to haul out gradually to sea.
When Sancho saw so many red feet （for such he took the oars to be）moving all together, he said to himself, "It's these that are the realchanted things, and not the ones my master talks of. What can thosewretches have done to be so whipped; and how does that one man whogoes along there whistling dare to whip so many? I declare this ishell, or at least purgatory!"
Don Quixote, observing how attentively Sancho regarded what wasgoing on, said to him, "Ah, Sancho my friend, how quickly andcheaply might you finish off the disenchantment of Dulcinea, if youwould strip to the waist and take your place among those gentlemen!Amid the pain and sufferings of so many you would not feel your ownmuch; and moreover perhaps the sage Merlin would allow each of theselashes, being laid on with a good hand, to count for ten of thosewhich you must give yourself at last."
The general was about to ask what these lashes were, and what wasDulcinea's disenchantment, when a sailor exclaimed, "Monjui signalsthat there is an oared vessel off the coast to the west."
On hearing this the general sprang upon the gangway crying, "Nowthen, my sons, don't let her give us the slip! It must be someAlgerine corsair brigantine that the watchtower signals to us." Thethree others immediately came alongside the chief galley to receivetheir orders. The general ordered two to put out to sea while hewith the other kept in shore, so that in this way the vessel could notescape them. The crews plied the oars driving the galleys so furiouslythat they seemed to fly. The two that had put out to sea, after acouple of miles sighted a vessel which, so far as they could make out,they judged to be one of fourteen or fifteen banks, and so she proved.As soon as the vessel discovered the galleys she went about with theobject and in the hope of making her escape by her speed; but theattempt failed, for the chief galley was one of the fastest vesselsafloat, and overhauled her so rapidly that they on board thebrigantine saw clearly there was no possibility of escaping, and therais therefore would have had them drop their oars and give themselvesup so as not to provoke the captain in command of our galleys toanger. But chance, directing things otherwise, so ordered it that justas the chief galley came close enough for those on board the vessel tohear the shouts from her calling on them to surrender, two Toraquis,that is to say two Turks, both drunken, that with a dozen more were onboard the brigantine, discharged their muskets, killing two of thesoldiers that lined the sides of our vessel. Seeing this the generalswore he would not leave one of those he found on board the vesselalive, but as he bore down furiously upon her she slipped away fromhim underneath the oars. The galley shot a good way ahead; those onboard the vessel saw their case was desperate, and while the galleywas coming about they made sail, and by sailing and rowing once moretried to sheer off; but their activity did not do them as much good astheir rashness did them harm, for the galley coming up with them ina little more than half a mile threw her oars over them and took thewhole of them alive. The other two galleys now joined company andall four returned with the prize to the beach, where a vastmultitude stood waiting for them, eager to see what they brought back.The general anchored close in, and perceived that the viceroy of thecity was on the shore. He ordered the skiff to push off to fetchhim, and the yard to be lowered for the purpose of hanging forthwiththe rais and the rest of the men taken on board the vessel, aboutsix-and-thirty in number, all smart fellows and most of them Turkishmusketeers. He asked which was the rais of the brigantine, and wasanswered in Spanish by one of the prisoners （who afterwards provedto he a Spanish renegade）， "This young man, senor that you see here isour rais," and he pointed to one of the handsomest and mostgallant-looking youths that could be imagined. He did not seem to betwenty years of age.
"Tell me, dog," said the general, "what led thee to kill mysoldiers, when thou sawest it was impossible for thee to escape? Isthat the way to behave to chief galleys? Knowest thou not thatrashness is not valour? Faint prospects of success should make menbold, but not rash."
The rais was about to reply, but the general could not at thatmoment listen to him, as he had to hasten to receive the viceroy,who was now coming on board the galley, and with him certain of hisattendants and some of the people.
"You have had a good chase, senor general," said the viceroy.
"Your excellency shall soon see how good, by the game strung up tothis yard," replied the general.
"How so?" returned the viceroy.
"Because," said the general, "against all law, reason, and usages ofwar they have killed on my hands two of the best soldiers on boardthese galleys, and I have sworn to hang every man that I have taken,but above all this youth who is the rais of the brigantine," and hepointed to him as he stood with his hands already bound and the roperound his neck, ready for death.
The viceroy looked at him, and seeing him so well-favoured, sograceful, and so submissive, he felt a desire to spare his life, thecomeliness of the youth furnishing him at once with a letter ofrecommendation. He therefore questioned him, saying, "Tell me, rais,art thou Turk, Moor, or renegade?"