Don Quixote Volume 2, Chapter 34

To continue the fun, the Duke and Duchess put together another adventure for Don Quijote, drawing on his experience in Montesino's Cave. They have hunting outfits made for both the lord and squire out of expensive green cloth to wear on the great game hunt they have planned. Don Quijote refuses to wear his; but Sancho is delighted by the outfit with an eye for selling it at a later date.

The day of the hunt arrives with Don Quijote preferring his armor and Sancho, his donkey to a horse of the Duke or Duchess. The Duchess, Duke and Don Quijote dismount and post themselves at a spot known for wild boar traffic. Sancho, afraid his donkey will get hurt, stays astride until not only a wild boar but an entire hunting party comes crashing through the forest. At this point he sees to his own safety and climbs a tree while the boar is gored down. As he climbs out upon one of the branches, it breaks and he falls, only to get caught on a branch and left hanging by his new outfit upside down. Don Quijote finds him with his faithful donkey by his side and unhooks him. Sancho is greatly upset by the damage done to his fine frock. He says that when he is governor he'll not be found out frolicking in the woods, but staying home and governing.

Topic Tracking: Donkey Imagery 8

At dusk, the Duke and Duchess's carefully choreographed nonsense arrives, with glowing torches, trumpets and all manner of instruments blowing and the sounds of a Moorish army producing quite a din. A messenger or herald dressed as and claiming to be the Devil rides up and announces that he is looking for Don Quijote and has a message for him to stay and wait for Montesino, who is riding with six troops of magicians and Dulcinea, to give him the instructions for breaking the Dulcinea's enchantment. The Duke points out to the Devil that Don Quijote is right in front of his nose -- shouldn't the devil be able to recognize him?

"'By God and my conscience,' responded the Devil, 'I paid no attention to him, for my mind was so busy with so many things that, for the moment, I'd almost forgotten what I was up to.'
'Clearly,' said Sancho, 'this devil must be both a good man and a good Christian, or he'd never have sworn "By God and my conscience," I begin to see that, even in Hell, there must be decent people.'" Volume 2, Chapter 34, pg. 545

Sancho and Don Quijote were a bit dumbfounded to find out that the things they had made up (Dulcinea's enchantment and the events in Montesino's Cave) to nevertheless be true! After several oxcarts carrying magicians from various books of chivalry pass by, soothing music starts to play.