Chapter 81 Chapter 25 The Disturbance of Learning to Bray, the Puppet Artist and the Magical Monkey

Don Quixote is like an ant on a hot pot, eager to learn about the marvels that the man who brought the arms promised to tell on the way.According to the shopkeeper's instructions, he found that person and asked that person to tell him those things immediately anyway.The man replied: "The wonders I tell must be told slowly, not standing up. My good lord, let me feed the mules before I tell you. I will surprise you with what I tell .” "Then don't waste time," said don Quixote, "I will help you." As he spoke, he started to sieve barley and clean the manger.Seeing his eagerness, the man was also willing to fulfill his request.The bearer sat down on a stone bench, and don Quixote sat down beside him.The lads, the youths, Sancho and the shopkeepers all came together to listen.The man said:

"You have probably heard that a town councilor lost a donkey about four miles and a half from this inn. In fact, it was the fault of one of his housemaids, and it would be a long story. Although the councilor He tried every means to find the donkey, but he couldn't find it. Fifteen days later, the MP who lost the donkey met another local MP in the square. The MP said to him: "Please, my friend, your donkey is looking for it." It's ready." "I'm here, no problem, man," said the Senator, "but tell me, where's my donkey?" "On the hill," said the Senator who found it, "I saw Yes. He's lost his pack-saddle and yoke, and it's a pitiful look. I'd like to bring him back to you, but he's gone wild, and won't see people. I just walked up to him, It ran away and went deep into the mountains. We can go find it if you want, but you must let me go home and settle my donkey. I will be right back.''If you I can help you,' said the councilor who lost the donkey, 'I will thank you very much.' This is what I have said, and so have those who know the truth. So the two councilors climbed up the hill together, and went to the place to look for the donkey. But they searched and couldn't find it. They searched the surrounding area carefully, but still couldn't find it. Then the MP who found the donkey said to the MP who lost the donkey: "Listen to me, man, I have now thought of a way. With this method, we can find the donkey even if it is hidden in the ground, not to mention in the mountains. I am very good at meowing like a donkey. If you can also meow like a donkey, this will be done. ''You mean meow like a donkey, buddy?' asked the MP who lost the donkey. 'My God, I'm as good as anyone when it comes to meowing like a donkey, even a donkey.' 'Then let's try ,' another said, 'I think this way: you go up from one side of the mountain, and I go up from the other side, and we walk around the mountain. Every time you walk, you bray like a donkey, and I follow suit. As long as the donkey is in the mountains, it will definitely hear us and answer us.' The congressman who lost the donkey said: 'Man, your idea is really good, you are so smart.'

"So the two split up. As a result, the two of them learned to bray almost at the same time. Both were deceived by the other's braying, thinking that the donkey they were looking for had appeared, so they followed the sound. After the two met, they lost the donkey. The congressman said: "Man, wasn't it my donkey that was braying just now?" "No, it was me." Another congressman said. It's no different from a donkey's bray, I've never heard anyone do it like that in my life.'' You deserve that compliment, but I don't take it, man. I swear to God, there's no better way to bray than a donkey. The person most like you is only half as good as you. Your voice is high-pitched, long-lasting, cadenced, and full of color. Anyway, in a word, I can only fall behind, and I am willing to bow down.' "From this point of view," said the MP who lost his donkey, " I can be proud of it, which shows that I still have some skills and skills. I used to think that I learned how to bray well, but I never thought that I was as good as you said.''I can still say,'that congressman Said, "Some stunts have been lost in this world, that is because some people who don't know how to use them use them improperly." It won't work anywhere else. For that alone, we'll have to pray to God that this feat will always work for us.'

"After speaking, the two of them split up and started to bray again, but they were fooled by each other again and reunited. Finally, the two agreed on a code, and the two consecutive brawls were their own brays, not the donkey's. In this way, they bleated twice from time to time, and walked all over a large mountain, but the donkey still did not answer. How could the poor and unlucky donkey have an echo, it has been eaten by wolves deep in the dense forest Later, two councilors found the remains of the donkey. The donkey owner said, "I wondered why it didn't answer. If it hadn't died, it would have barked when it heard our voices, otherwise it wouldn't be a donkey." Still, I heard you bray so well that it was not in vain for me to find a donkey, though I found a dead donkey.' 'You're not bad, man,' said another councilor, 'great teacher. What a great apprentice!' After speaking, the two returned to the town with hoarse voices and dejected, and told their friends, neighbors and acquaintances about the process of finding the donkey, and praised each other for learning how to bray like a donkey. The people in the village and town knew about it, and spread the word. The devil didn’t sleep, it always liked to stir up troubles everywhere, and as a result, the people in the neighboring villages and towns would bray like donkeys when they saw the people in our town, obviously to humiliate us Members of Parliament bray like donkeys.

"The young people were also involved, and they even talked and gestured in a mess, and all the villages and towns were full of donkeys, so that people in our town could be recognized at a glance everywhere, as distinct as black and white. In the end, this kind of mockery developed to the point that we, the mocked, took gangs of guys to fight with those who mocked us several times, and the fight was inextricable, and no one would be outdone. I guess tomorrow or someday, we this People from Donkey's Town go to fight with people from a place two miles away from our town, and people from that place are especially hard on us. You see, I bought these spears and halberds for that purpose. That's what I A strange anecdote to tell you. If you don't think it's an anecdote, I don't know anything else."

Just as the weapon delivery man finished speaking, a man came to the door of the inn. He was wearing sheepskin socks, fat-leg pants, and a waistcoat.The man said loudly: "My lord, do you have a room? The divination monkey and the cast of "The Escape of Melisendra" are coming soon." "My God," said the shopkeeper, "it's Maestro Pedro! It's such a lively night." I forgot to mention just now that Master Pedro's left eye and almost half of his face are covered with a plaster made of green taffeta. It seems that there is something wrong with that half of his face.The owner went on to say:

"Welcome, Master Pedro. Where are the monkeys and props? Why didn't I see them?" "It's very close," said Master Pedro, "I'll come first to see if there is any room." "Even if the Duke of Alva lives here, he must give up the room to Maestro Pedro!" said the shopkeeper. "Bring in the monkey and the props. There are guests in the shop tonight, and they want to see your play and your performance." Just pay for the monkey performance." "The timing is good," said Master Pedro. "I will definitely make a compromise, as long as I keep the money. I will go and urge the cart pulling the monkeys and props to come quickly."

After speaking, he turned and walked out of the inn. Don Quixote asked the shopkeeper who Master Pedro was, and what monkeys and props he brought.The owner replied: "He is a well-known puppeteer, and he has been performing "The famous Don Gafelos freeing Melisendra" in Mancha, near Aragon, for many days. It is a film that has not been seen in this area for many years. It is an excellent repertoire, and the performance is very good. He has a monkey, very smart, let alone compared with monkeys, even compared with people. If you ask it, it will listen carefully, and then climb on the shoulder of the owner , close to the master's ear and tell the master the answer, and then Master Pedro will tell everyone the answer. It mainly talks about the past, not much about the future. Although it does not always answer accurately, everyone Part of it is right. So we think it is possessed by the devil. Every time the monkey answers a question, I mean after it whispers to the master, the master charges two reals for every question answered for him, so everyone thinks this Maestro Pedro was rich. He was a flamboyant man, a 'good mate' in Italian, lived the most comfortable life in the world, talked more than six, drank more than twelve Much, it all depends on his mouth, that monkey, and that puppet troupe."

At this time, Master Pedro came back, and there was a car with props and a monkey.The monkey is not small, has no tail, and has a hairy buttocks, but the monkey's face is not ugly.As soon as don Quixote saw the monkey, he asked: "Please tell me, Mr. Divination, what is our fate? These are two reals." Don Quixote asks Sancho to give two reales to Master Pedro.Pedro answered for the monkey: "My lord, this monkey does not answer questions about the future, it only talks about the past, and it can also say a little about the present." "No reason!" said Sancho. "I would never pay a penny to be told what happened to me. Who can know better about myself? I already know what I know But, since you know what's going on, here are two reals, please tell me, my lord, what my wife Teresa Panza is doing and how she kill time?"

Maestro Pedro had no intention of picking up the two reals, but said: "I can't get paid for what I haven't done." As he spoke, he patted his left shoulder twice with his right hand, so the monkey jumped onto his shoulder, put its mouth close to the owner's ear, twitched its teeth rapidly, and jumped back to the ground after a while.In an instant Maestro Pedro knelt down before don Quixote, embraced his legs, and said: "I hug these two legs as if I hugged the two pillars of Hercules! Great revitalizer of the forgotten chivalry! No matter how much praise you deserve, Don Quixote, knight of Mancha You are the elf who summons the fainting, the support of those who are about to fall, the protector of the fallen, and the consolation of all the unfortunate!"

Don Quixote is at a loss, Sancho is stunned, the young man is bewildered, the young man is puzzled, the sender of the weapon is in a fog, and the shopkeeper is even more at a loss as to what to do.In short, everyone who heard these words was stunned.The puppeteer went on: "And you, good Sancho! You are the best squire of the best knight in the world, and you should be content. Your good wife Teresa is well now, and she is combing a pound of flax at the moment." said To be more specific, there is a broken wine jar beside her, which contains a lot of wine. She is drinking as she is doing." "I think that is very well," said Sancho, "she is a very lucky creature. When she is not jealous, I would not trade her the giantess Andandona. According to my master, it is a A perfect and useful giant. My Teresa is the kind of person who would rather wrong her children than wrong herself." "Let me tell you," said Don Quixote, "a man who reads a lot will see a lot, and he will be well-informed. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes right now, how could I believe that there are monkeys who can divination in the world?" I am what this monkey calls Don Quixote of Mancha, although its praise is exaggerated. But whatever I am, thank God I am a good-hearted person who is always kind to everyone People, never wronged anyone." "If I had money," said the young man, "I would ask the monkey what would happen to me on this journey." At this time, Master Pedro had stood up from Don Quixote's side.He said: "As I said just now, this little beast does not answer questions about future events. If it can answer, it doesn't matter if you don't have money. In order to express my willingness to serve Lord Don Quixote present, I am willing to give up all my interests. Since I should and would, and I'm going to set up the stage, so that it will be a free entertainment for all in the inn." The shopkeeper was overjoyed when he heard it, and hurried to point out the place where the stage should be set up.The stage was set up in a short while. Don Quixote was not very satisfied with monkey divination, and felt that it was inappropriate for a monkey to come forward, whether it was talking about the past or the future.So, while Maestro Pedro was busy setting up the stage, he went with Sancho to a corner of the stable where no one could hear them, and said to Sancho: "Listen to me, Sancho, I have thought about it carefully. This monkey's ability is very strange. I think whether it is plain text or tacit understanding, its owner, Master Pedro, must have made a contract with the devil." "If it is a platform for the devil, it must be very dirty," said Sancho. "But what good will Maestro Pedro build a platform for the devil?" "You don't understand me, Sancho, I mean he must have had some cooperation with the devil. He makes a living by working the devil's tricks on monkeys, and when he gets rich, he gives his soul to the devil. , and this is what the devil, who is the enemy of all mankind, dreams of. I believe this is because the monkey only answers about the past and the present. Isn't the devil's wisdom limited to this? It can be guessed, and not every time. Only God knows all the time; for God, there is no past or future, everything is now. "That being the case, the monkey was obviously talking like a devil. It amazes me that no one reported it to the Inquisition, investigated it, and found out exactly who was doing the divination? Whether it was the monkey Neither the monkey nor its owner knows that kind of astrology. It is very popular in Spain now, whether it is a woman or a child, or an old man who repairs shoes, they can take a few cards and spread them on the ground, relying on their Ignorance and lies to ruin the sacred truth of science. I heard that a lady asked a fortune teller, if her little bitch was pregnant, how many puppies of what color can she produce. The fortune teller said after some calculations, If her puppies are pregnant, she can have three puppies in a litter, one blue, one flesh-colored, and one mottled, but it must be between eleven o'clock and twelve o'clock during the day or night. and it had to be on a Monday or Saturday. Two days later, the bitch ate too much and died. The fortune-teller, like all or most fortune-tellers, was known locally as a 'bitch clear'." "However, I would like you to ask Maestro Pedro to ask the monkey if what happened to you in the cave of Montesinos is true," said Sancho. It's a lie, or at least an illusion." "That is quite possible," said don Quixote; "I will do as you tell me; but I am still a little apprehensive." It so happened that Master Pedro came to Don Quixote and said that the stage was ready, and he invited Don Quixote to watch the play, which was worth watching.Don Quixote told Master Pedro what he thought, and asked him to ask his monkey at once whether the events in the cave of Montesinos were illusion or fact.Don Quixote himself felt that it was both.Maestro Pedro brought the monkey again without saying a word, and asked it in the presence of Don Quixote: "Monsieur, the knight wants to know whether what he saw in a cave called Montesinos is true or not." He gestured again as usual, and the monkey jumped on his left shoulder in a way that seemed to whisper to him, and Maestro Pedro said: "The monkey said, what you saw or encountered in that hole was partly false and partly true. That's all it knows about what you asked. If you want to know anything else, you'll have to wait until Friday, and it I can answer you. Now, its divine power has been exhausted, and as I said just now, it will not recover until Friday." "Didn't I say, my lord?" said Sancho, "that I never believed, not even in half, what you said about the cave to be true." "Facts will tell, Sancho," said don Quixote, "time will reveal all things, even those that are buried in the ground will eventually be brought to light. So that's all, let us go and see Maestro Pedro's play, I think there must be something new about it." "Why is it a little bit?" said Maestro Pedro, "there are tens of thousands of novelties in my play. I can tell you, Don Quixote, that it is the most worth seeing in the world. Hearing is believing, seeing is believing, let's go now, or it will be too late. I still have a lot to say and perform." Don Quixote and Sancho followed Maestro Pedro to the amphitheatre.Candles are lit everywhere on the stage, which looks brilliant and eye-catching.As soon as they arrived, Maestro Pedro got into the stage, where he was to manipulate the puppets.There was a boy standing outside the stage, and Master Pedro asked him to explain the content of the play.Holding a small stick in his hand, he pointed at the characters in the play one by one according to the order of appearance. Everyone in the inn came, and some had to stand still.Don Quixote, Sancho, the young man, and the lad sat in the best seats at the play.The lecturer begins to explain.See the next chapter for what he said and did.