th phlegmatic dignity. He was
seated at the head of the table, his own guest of honor as it were,
for he found he was the only one present there, excepting a number of
pages who surrounded him. But then he discovered behind himself a
gentleman who turned out to be a physician, and who soon aroused
Sancho's ire. For every time a dish was passed to Sancho, it had first
to be passed upon by the physician; and this dignitary seemed to have
made up his mind that governors were not meant to live, for every dish
was sent back to the kitchen, and Sancho found that a governor's meal
consisted in starvation.

This finally enraged the new governor so that he ordered the doctor
out of his sight, threatening to break a chair over his head if he did
not disappear quickly enough; but just at that moment there arrived a
messenger with a letter for the Governor from the Duke, and Sancho
became so excited that he forgot about his physician's expulsion for
the moment. The majordomo read the letter, which was addressed to the
Governor of the Island of Barataria. In it the Duke warned Sancho that
attacks would be made upon the island some night in the near future by
enemies of the Duke, and also, the Duke said, he had learned that four
men had entered the town in disguise, and that they would make an
attempt upon the Governor's life. He therefore cautioned Sancho to eat
nothing that was offered to him.

At once Sancho decided that the worst conspirator against his life was
the physician, who wanted to kill him by the slow death of hunger. He
said he thought it best to have him thrust into a dungeon. And then he
asked for a piece of bread and four pounds of grapes, feeling sure
that no poison would be in them, announcing at the same time as his
maxim that if he were going to be able to combat enemies he would have
to be well fed.

He then turned to the messenger and bade him say to the Duke that his
wishes would be obeyed; at the same time he sent a request to the
Duchess that she should not forget to have the letter he had written
to his Teresa Panza delivered, together with the bundle, by a
messenger. Last but not least, he asked to be remembered to his
beloved master Don Quixote by a kiss of the hand.

CHAPTERS XLVIII-XLIX

OF WHAT HAPPENED TO SANCHO IN MAKING THE ROUND OF HIS ISLAND

At last the physician felt it to his advantage to consent to prescribe
a good supper for the Governor that evening. The day had been taken up