Don Quixote Volume 1, Chapter 18

Traveling along, Don Quijote and Sancho disagree about whether enchantment caused all the incidents at the inn. Sancho says the blanket tossers had very human names like Juan Palomeque the Lefty (innkeeper's name), and that he wants to go home because all these adventures bring only misadventures.

They see two huge clouds of dust approaching them from opposite directions; Don Quijote says they are opposing armies and as they near he goes on to describe and name all the feature players from his latest fantasy by regurgitating endless details from the bunches of books he has read. So thorough is he, that he hoodwinks Sancho again into believing this alternate reality, until Don Quijote brandishes his sword and attacks. Sancho then realizes that it is two groups of shepherds with sheep; he stays back from this adventure, while trying to yell some sense into Don Quijote's ears from a safe distance.

Don Quijote manages to kill four of the animals before the shepherds, with slingshots and stones, remove four of his teeth and finally, him from his horse. During the repeated blows from the rock missiles, Don Quijote had drunk some of his magic balm. After the shepherds flee, Sancho peers into Don Quijote's mouth. As the squire takes inventory of his master's lost molars, the knight empties the contents of his stomach upon Sancho's poor head which, in turn, inspires Sancho to spill his guts too. They soon realize they have no saddlebags, and no food. Don Quijote tries to cheer Sancho up. He tells him that after so much bad luck -- good luck must be right around the corner. Also, all these misfortunes have nothing to do with Sancho!

Topic Tracking: Grandiosity 12