unted
on a grey donkey like my own, and he has on his head something that
glitters.'

'What you see,' answered Don Quixote solemnly, 'is the helmet of
Mambrino.[194-1] Go, stand aside and let _me_ deal with him, for without
even speaking to him I will get possession of his helmet, for which my
soul has always longed.'

[194-1] Mambrino was one of the Moorish kings, to whom the helmet
belonged. He who wore it could not be wounded in battle.

Truth to tell, the real story of the helmet, for so Don Quixote took it
to be, was very simple. A rich man who lived in a village only a few
miles away had sent for the nearest barber to shave and bleed him. The
man started, taking with him a brass basin, which he was accustomed to
use, and, as a shower of rain soon came on, he put the basin on his head
to save his hat, which was a new one. The ass, as Sancho Panza rightly
said, was very like his own.

The good man was jogging comfortably along, thinking what he would like
for supper, when suddenly he saw Don Quixote galloping towards him, head
bent and lance in rest. As he drew near he cried loudly:

'Defend yourself, or give me up the helmet, to which you have no right.'

The barber was so taken by surprise that for a moment he did nothing;
then he had only just time to escape the lance thrust by sliding off his
ass and running so swiftly over the plain that even the wind could
scarcely overtake him. In his flight the basin fell from his head, to
the great pleasure of Don Quixote, who bade his squire bring it to him.

'The Unbeliever who wore this helmet first must have had indeed a large
head,' cried he, turning it over in his hands, seeking the vizor; 'yet,
even so, half of it is wanting.'

At this Sancho began to laugh, and his master asked him what he found to
divert him so much.

'I cannot but laugh when I think how large was the head of the
Unbeliever,' replied Sancho gravely, knowing that the knight did not
love the mirth of other men. 'But, to my mind, the helmet looks exactly
like a barber's basin.'

'Listen to me,' answered Don Quixote, 'and I will tell you what has
happened. By a strange accident this famous helmet must have fallen to
the lot of someone who did not know the value of his prize. But, seeing
it was pure gold, he melted half of it for his own uses, and the rest he
made into a barber's basin. Be sure that in the first village where I
can meet with a skilled workman I will have it restored