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To which the driver responded:

“The wagon is mine; inside are two fierce lions in cages that the General of Oran is sending to court as a present for His Majesty; the flags belong to our master, the king, as a sign that what’s inside is his.”

“And are the lions big?” asked Don Quixote.

“So big,” responded the man riding at the door of the wagon, “that no lions bigger, or even as big, have ever been brought over from Africa to Spain; I’m the lion keeper, and I’ve brought over other lions, but none like these. They’re male and female; the male’s in this first cage and the female’s in the one behind, and they’re hungry now because they haven’t eaten today, and so, your grace, move out of the way because we have to hurry to the place where we can feed them.”

To which Don Quixote, smiling slightly, said:

“You talk of lions to me? To me you speak of these little lions, and at this hour? Well, by God, those gentlemen who sent them here will see if I am a man who is frightened by lions! Get down, my good man, and since you are the lion keeper, open those cages and bring out those beasts, for in the middle of these fields I shall let them know who Don Quixote of La Mancha is, in spite of and in defiance of the enchanters who have sent them to me.”

“Well, that proves it!” said the gentleman to himself. “Our good knight has shown exactly who he is: the curds, no doubt, have softened his head and ripened his brains.”

At this moment Sancho came up to him and said:

“Señor, for the love of God, your grace, do something to stop my master, Don Quixote, from doing battle with these lions; if he fights them, they’ll tear us all to pieces.”

“Well, is your master so crazy,” responded the gentleman, “that you fear and believe he’ll fight with such savage animals?”

“He isn’t crazy,” responded Sancho, “he’s just reckless.”

“I’ll do what I can to keep him from daring too much,” replied the gentleman.

And going up to Don Quixote, who was urging the lion keeper to open the cages, he said:

“Señor Knight, knights errant ought to undertake adventures that promise some hope of success, not those that are completely devoid of hope, for the valor that crosses over into temerity has more to do with madness than courage, particularly because these lions are not attacking your grace, or even dreaming of doing so: they are gifts to His Majesty, and it would not be wise to stop them or interfere with their journey.”

“Señor,” responded Don Quixote, “your grace should go and see to your tame decoy partridge and your bold ferret, and let each man do his work. This is mine, and I know whether or not these noble lions are attacking me.”

And turning to the lion keeper, he said:

“I swear, Don Scoundrel, that if you do not open the cages immediately, I shall pin you to the wagon with this lance!”

The driver, who saw the determination of that armed apparition, said:

“Señor, if it please your grace, I beg you, let me unyoke the mules and take them somewhere safe before the lions show themselves, because if they kill them, I’ll be ruined for life; the only thing I own is this wagon and these mules.”

“O man of little faith!” responded Don Quixote. “Get down, and unyoke them, and do whatever you wish, for soon you will see that you labored in vain and could have spared yourself the effort.”

The driver climbed down and quickly unyoked the mules, and the lion keeper cried out:

“Let all those here present bear witness that I have been forced against my will to open the cages and set free the lions, and that I declare to this gentleman that he is answerable and accountable for all the harm and damage these beasts may do, as well as for my salaries and fees. Your graces should take cover before I let them out, though I’m sure they won’t hurt me.”

Once again the gentleman tried to persuade him not to commit an act of such madness, for to engage in something so foolish was to tempt God. To which Don Quixote responded that he knew what he was doing. The gentleman responded