of the Palladium of Troy, a
wooden horse the Greeks offered to the goddess Pallas, which was big
with armed knights, who afterwards destroyed Troy; so it would be as
well to see, first of all, what Clavileno has in his stomach."

"There is no occasion," said the Distressed One; "I will be bail for
him, and I know that Malambruno has nothing tricky or treacherous about
him; you may mount without any fear, Senor Don Quixote; on my head be it
if any harm befalls you."

Don Quixote thought that to say anything further with regard to his
safety would be putting his courage in an unfavorable light; and so,
without more words, he mounted Clavileno, and tried the peg, which
turned easily; and as he had no stirrups and his legs hung down, he
looked like nothing so much as a figure in some Roman triumph painted or
embroidered on a Flemish tapestry.

Much against the grain, and very slowly, Sancho proceeded to mount, and,
after settling himself as well as he could on the croup, found it rather
hard and not at all soft, and asked the duke if it would be possible to
oblige him with a pad of some kind, or a cushion; even if it were off
the couch of his lady the duchess, or the bed of one of the pages; as
the haunches of that horse were more like marble than wood. On this the
Trifaldi observed that Clavileno would not bear any kind of harness or
trappings, and that his best plan would be to sit sideways like a woman,
as in that way he would not feel the hardness so much.

Sancho did so, and bidding them farewell, allowed his eyes to be
bandaged, but immediately afterwards uncovered them again, and looking
tenderly and tearfully on those in the garden, bade them help him in his
present strait with plenty of Paternosters and Ave Marias, that God
might provide some one to say as many for them, whenever they found
themselves in a similar emergency.

At this Don Quixote exclaimed, "Art thou on the gallows, thief, or at
thy last moment, to use pitiful entreaties of that sort? Cover thine
eyes, cover thine eyes, abject animal, and let not thy fear escape thy
lips, at least, in my presence."

"Let them blindfold me," said Sancho; "as you won't let me commend
myself or be commended to God, is it any wonder if I am afraid there is
a legion of devils about here that will carry us off?"

They were then blindfolded, and Don Quixote, finding himself settled to
his satisfaction, felt for the peg, and the instant he placed his
fingers on it,