Sancho, finding himself attacked so suddenly, laying fast hold of the pannel with one hand, with the other gave the Barber such a buffet that he bathed his teeth in blood. But for all that the Barber held fast his grip of the pannel, and cried out so loud that all within the house came to the noise and scuffle.

'Help, here, in the name of the King and justice,' shouted the Barber. 'For this thief and robber by the highways goeth about to kill me because I seek to get back my own goods.'

'Thou liest,' cried Sancho, 'for I am not a robber of the highways. And my Lord Don Quixote won these spoils in a fair battle.'

By this time Don Quixote himself had come to the spot, not a little proud to see how his Squire defended himself and attacked his enemy, and he took him from that moment to be a man of valour, and resolved in his own mind to dub him Knight on the first occasion that should offer, because he thought that the order of Knighthood would be well bestowed on him.

'Sirs,' said the puzzled and angry Barber, 'this pannel is as certainly mine, and I know it as well as if I had bred it, and there is my ass in the stable who will not let me lie; so do but try it on him, and if it fit him not to a hair, I am willing to be called infamous. And I can say more, that on the very day on which they took my pannel from me, they robbed me likewise of a new brazen basin which had never been used, and cost me a crown.'

Here Don Quixote could no longer contain himself from speaking, and, thrusting himself between the two, to part them asunder, he caused the pannel to be placed publicly upon the ground until the dispute should be decided, and said: 'To the end that you may understand the clear mistake which this good Squire labours under, see how he calls that a basin, which was, and is, and always shall be, the helmet of Mambrino, which I took from him by force in fair battle, and made myself lord thereof in a lawful and warlike manner. In regard to the pannel I meddle not; but I can say that my Squire Sancho asked leave of me to take away the trappings of this vanquished coward's horse, that he might adorn his own withal. I gave him leave to do it, and he took them. As for these being turned from a horse's furniture to an ass's pannel, I can give no other reason than the common one in affairs of Knighthood, that this is done by enchantment. And to confirm the truth of all I say, run, friend Sancho, speedily, and bring me out the helmet which this good fellow declares to be a basin.'

'By my faith, Sir,' said Sancho, 'if we have no better proof of our story than what you say, the helmet of Mambrino is as arrant a basin as this fellow's trappings are a pack-saddle.'

'Do what I command,' replied Don Quixote, 'for I cannot believe that all things in this Castle are governed by enchantment.'

Sancho went for the basin and brought it, and as soon as Don Quixote saw it, he took it in his hands and said: 'See, Sirs, with what face can this impudent Squire declare that this is a basin, and not the helmet that I have mentioned. I swear to you by the order of Knighthood which I profess, that this is the very same helmet which I won from him, without having added or taken anything from it.'

'There is no doubt of that,' said Sancho, 'for, since the time my Lord won it until now, he never fought but one battle with it, when he delivered the unlucky chained men. And but for his basin, I mean helmet, he had not escaped so free as he did, so thick a shower of stones rained all the time of that battle.'