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The courier came in, perspiring and intimidated, and after taking a sealed letter from inside his shirt, he placed it in the hands of the governor, and Sancho placed it in those of the steward, whom he ordered to read the address, which said: To Don Sancho Panza, governor of the Ínsula Barataria, to be delivered into his own hands or those of his secretary. Hearing this, Sancho said:

“Who here is my secretary?”

And one of those present responded:

“I am, Señor, because I know how to read and write, and because I’m Basque.”7

“With that little addition,” said Sancho, “you could be secretary to the emperor himself. Open that letter and see what it says.”

The newly born secretary did so, and having read what it said, he said it was a matter that required privacy. Sancho ordered the hall cleared, with only the steward and the butler remaining; all the rest, including the physician, left, and then the secretary read the letter, which said:

It has come to my attention, Señor Don Sancho Panza, that certain enemies of mine and of the ínsula will launch a furious attack, but I do not know on which night; it is advisable to keep watch and stay on guard so that they do not catch you unprepared. I have also learned through trusted spies that four per-sons in disguise have come to that place to take your life, for they fear your cleverness; keep your eyes open, be aware of who comes to speak to you, and do not eat anything that is offered to you. I shall be sure to come to your aid if you find yourself in difficulty, and in everything you will act with your customary intelligence. From this place, the sixteenth of August, at four in the morning.

Your friend,

THE DUKE

Sancho was astounded, as all the bystanders seemed to be as well, and turning to the steward, he said:

“What has to be done now, and done right away, is to put Dr. Recio in jail, because if anybody’s going to kill me, it’ll be him, with the slow, painful death that comes from starvation.”

“It also seems to me,” said the butler, “that your grace shouldn’t eat anything that is on this table because it was prepared by nuns, and as the saying goes, behind the cross lurks the devil.”

“I don’t deny it,” responded Sancho, “and for now give me a piece of bread and about four pounds of grapes, because they really can’t be poisoned, and I can’t get by without eating, and if we have to be ready for those battles that are threatening us, we’ll need to be well-fed, because a full belly gives you courage and not the other way around. And you, Secretary, answer my lord the duke and tell him that all his orders will be carried out as ordered, to the letter; and send my lady the duchess a kiss on the hand from me, and say that I beg her not to forget to send a messenger with my letter and my bundle to my wife, Teresa Panza, and I’ll be very grateful, and I’ll be sure to serve her to the best of my ability; and while you’re at it you can include a kiss on the hand for my master, Don Quixote of La Mancha, so that he can see that I’m grateful; and you, like a good secretary and a good Basque, can add anything you want that’s to the point. Now clear the table and give me something to eat, and then I’ll take on all the spies and killers and enchanters who want to attack me and my ínsula.”

At this moment a page came in and said:

“There’s a farmer here, a petitioner, who wants to talk to your lordship about a matter that he says is very important.”

“It’s strange,” said Sancho, “about these petitioners. Is it possible they’re so foolish they can’t see that this isn’t the right time of day to come with their petitions? By some chance aren’t those of us who are governors and judges men of flesh and blood, too, and don’t we need to have time to rest, or do they think we’re made of marble? By God and my conscience, if my governorship lasts (and I have an idea it won’t), I’ll get these petitioners under control. Now tell this good man to come in, but make sure first that he isn’t one of those spies, or a killer who wants to