Chapter XVI
Rather than admit that Don Quixote received a vicious
thrashing from a gang of Yanguesans, Sancho tells the innkeeper
that his master fell and injured himself. The innkeeper’s wife and
beautiful daughter tend to Don Quixote’s wounds. Don Quixote begins
to believe that the daughter has fallen in love with him and that
she has promised to lie with him that night. In actuality, Maritornes,
the daughter’s hunchbacked servant, creeps in that night to sleep
with a carrier who is sharing a room with Don Quixote and Sancho.
As an aside, Cervantes then tells us that Cide Hamete Benengeli
specially mentions the carrier because Benengeli is related to him.
Nearly blind, Maritornes accidentally goes to Don Quixote’s
bed instead of the carrier’s. Don Quixote mistakes her for the beautiful daughter
and tries to woo her, and the carrier attacks him. Maritornes jumps
into Sancho’s bed to hide. Awakened by the commotion, the innkeeper
goes to the bedroom and he, the carrier, and Sancho have a terrific
brawl. An officer staying at the inn hears the fighting and goes
upstairs to break it up. The officer sees Don Quixote passed out
on the bed and believes he is dead. He leaves to get a light to
investigate the scene.
Chapter XVII
Don Quixote tells Sancho that the inn is enchanted and
recounts his version of the evening’s events. He says a princess
came in to woo him and a giant beat him up. Just then, the officer
returns, and Don Quixote insults him, provoking him to beat Don
Quixote. Sancho, angry about his own injuries, rails against Don
Quixote’s story, but Don Quixote promises to make the balsam to
cure Sancho. He tells Sancho not to get angry over enchantments,
since they cannot be stopped.
Don Quixote mixes ingredients and drinks the potion.
He vomits immediately and passes out. Upon waking, he feels much
better and believes he has successfully concocted the mythical balsam.
Sancho also takes the potion, and although it makes him tremendously
ill, he does not vomit. Don Quixote explains that the balsam does
not work on Sancho because he is a squire and not a knight.
As Don Quixote leaves the inn, the innkeeper demands
that he pay for his stay. Surprised that he has stayed in an inn
and not a castle, Don Quixote refuses to pay on the grounds that
knights-errant never pay for lodging. He rides off, slinging insults
at the innkeeper. Several rogues at the inn capture Sancho, who
also refuses to pay, and toss him in a blanket. Don Quixote, too
bruised to dismount from Rocinante, believes that the enchantment
prevents him from helping Sancho. Sancho finally gets away and feels
proud for not having paid. But it turns out that the innkeeper has
stolen Sancho’s saddlebags.
Chapter XVIII
As they ride away from the inn, Sancho complains bitterly
to Don Quixote about the injuries their misadventures cause him.
Suddenly Don Quixote sees clouds of dust coming along the road and
mistakes them for two great armies on the brink of battle. Sancho
warns his master that the two clouds actually come from two herds
of sheep. Unconvinced, Don Quixote describes in great detail the knights
he thinks he sees in the dust. Cervantes eventually cuts off the
account, remarking that Don Quixote is merely reeling off ideas he
has encountered in his “lying books” about chivalry.
