174 THE WONDER-BOOK OF HORSES 



the renowned knight Don Quixote de la Mancha, 

 disdaining soft repose, forsook the sleep-inviting 

 couch, and mounting his famous steed Rozinante, 

 entered the ancient and celebrated plains of 

 Montiel!'" 



And then, as he proceeded on his way, he cried 

 out, " O happy age ! O fortunate times ! decreed 

 to usher into the world my famous achievements ! 

 And thou, venerable sage, wise enchanter, what- 

 ever be thy name; thou whom fate has ordained 

 to be the compiler of my history, forget not, I be- 

 seech thee, my trusty Rozinante, the eternal com- 

 panion of all my adventures ! " 



Thus, confident of the greatness of his mission, 

 he rode bravely out into the world, with lance 

 in hand, ready to combat and overthrow evil 

 wherever he found it. He made some ludicrous 

 mistakes now and then ; in fact, his whole under- 

 taking was a ludicrous mistake, for the days of 

 knight-errantry had ended long before his time. 

 But he was as earnest about it all as ever was 

 the bravest hero of old ; and of course Rozinante 

 could do nothing but serve him faithfully so far 

 as his strength would allow. 



Riding one day with his squire Sancho Panza 

 at his side, the would-be knight saw a number of 



