But Don Quixote made no account of their stones, and galloping to and fro everywhere cried out: 'Where art thou, proud Alifamfaron? Where art thou? Come to me, for I am but one Knight alone, who desires to prove my strength with thee, man to man, and make thee yield thy life for the wrong thou hast done to the valorous Pentapolin.'
At that instant a stone gave him such a blow that it buried two of his ribs in his body. Finding himself so ill-treated he thought for certain that he was killed or sorely wounded, and recollecting his Balsam, he drew out his oil pot and set it to his mouth to drink. But before he could take as much as he wanted, another stone struck him full on the hand, broke the oil pot into pieces, and carried away with it three or four teeth and grinders out of his mouth, and sorely crushed two fingers of his hand. So badly was he wounded by these two blows that he now fell off his horse on to the ground.
The Shepherds ran up, and believing that they had killed him, they collected their flocks in great haste, and carrying away their dead muttons, of which there were seven, they went away without caring to inquire into things any further.
Sancho was all this time standing on the hill looking at the mad pranks his Master was performing, and tearing his beard and cursing the hour when they had first met. Seeing, however, that he was fallen on the ground, and the Shepherds had gone away, he came down the hill and went up to his Master, and found him in a very bad way, although not quite insensible.
'Did I not tell you, Sir Don Quixote,' said Sancho mournfully, 'did I not tell you to come back, for those you went to attack were not armies but sheep?'
'That thief of an Enchanter, my enemy, can alter things and make men vanish away as he pleases. Know, Sancho, that it is very easy for those kind of men to make us seem what they please, and this malicious being who persecutes me, envious of the glory that I was to reap from this battle, hath changed the Squadrons of the foe into flocks of sheep. If thou dost not believe me, Sancho, get on thine Ass and follow them fair and softly, and thou shalt see that when they have gone a little way off they will return to their original shapes, and, ceasing to be sheep, become men as right and straight as I painted them to you at first.'
At this moment the Balsam that Don Quixote had swallowed began to make him very sick, and Sancho Panza ran off to search in his wallet for something that might cure him. But when he found that his wallet was not upon his Ass, and remembered for the first time that it was left at the Inn, he was on the point of losing his wits. He cursed himself anew, and resolved in his heart to leave his Master and return to his house, even though he should lose his wages and the government of the promised Island.
Don Quixote had now risen, and with his left hand to his mouth that the rest of his teeth might not fall out, with the other he took Rozinante by the bridle, and went up to where his Squire stood leaning against his Ass with his head in his hand, looking the picture of misery.
Don Quixote, seeing him look so miserable, said to him: 'Learn, Sancho, not to be so easily downcast, for these storms that befall us are signs that the weather will soon be fair. Therefore thou shouldst not vex thyself about my misfortunes, for sure thou dost not share in them.'
'How not?' replied Sancho; 'mayhap he they tossed in a blanket yesterday was not my father's son? And the wallet which is missing to-day with all my chattels, is not that my misfortune?'