"This I cannot tell Your Highness."
"Ho! and why?"
"Never a word could I ever get from those people. There I saw many philosophers, travellers, and students, with whom I would gladly have spent half an hour in learned converse. They all seemed to be full of business, running about hither and yon, and yet had little to do."
"And what do those busy, silent people live on?"
"I don't know how they contrive to live, Your Highness, for once I tried a bunch of their fine ripe cherries. They had no manner of taste, and, although I was hungry enough that day, I could neither
THE LAND OF SATIN
chew nor swallow them, but my mouth seemed filled with what I could have sworn was tufted silk."
" Strange ! " said Pantagruel. " I wish I had looked closer at those pictures. The next time you want to speak to me, good Xeno-manes, shout! I may hear you then."
CHAPTER XXXVI.
PANURGE BARGAINS WITH DINDENO FOR A RAM, AND THROWS HIS RAM OVERBOARD.
FIVE days after leaving the Land of Pictures, the flag-ship being in the lead, Pantagruel's keen eyes caught sight, away off to the windward, of a large merchant-ship making her way slowly towards them. There was great joy among all the men on all the ships. Those on the Heet were glad, because they hoped, through the sail in sight, to hear news of the sea; and those on the merchant-ship because her passengers expected to get news from the main-land. When the flag-ship met with the stranger, and when the two were side by side, Pantagruel, curious to see a merchantman, went with his friends on board the latter.
The skipper of the merchantman, cap in hand, told Pantagruel that he had come from Lanternland. As soon as this was known everybody tried to put in a question about the country, —how it had got its name, and what were the habits of the Lantern people. It was learned that, towards the end of each July, the Lanternists held their great Fair, which, if the Giant wished to see for himself how much could be made of lanterns, whether single or strung in rows, by twos; by threes ; by fours, and so on; or piled in columns ; or ranged in arches; or spanning streets ; or hung on trees; or sparkling on country roads ; or swinging along the whole coast, making it as bright as in sunshine, —why, all he would have to do was to go there, if not that year, then the next.
While all this pleasant little talk was going on between the Giant and the skipper, Panurge had already got into a wrangle with a French sheep-seller, named Dindeno, who happened to have a large cargo of sheep on board. This sheep-seller was a very bad-tongued fellow ; and, seeing Panurge passing by, with his glasses tied to his cap, and looking at his stock, he called out sneeringly to his shepherds,— " Just look at that long-nosed dandy, with his glasses tied to his cap !"
PAXTJRGE WANTS A SHEEJ'.
Panurge, whose ears were as keen as his nose was sharp, retorted,—
"What dost thou say, thou sheep-barber?
" Sheep-barber ! Ha! I am no sheep-barber, I let thee know, thou long-nosed dandy."
"Thou art no sheep-barber, eh! Prithee, tell me, then, rude fellow, what are so many sheared sheep doing here? Who sheared them, if thou didst not?"
" Thou art a rogue ; and I will kill thee as I would a rain !" shrieked the sheep-seller, while trying to draw his sword; but the blade stuck close to the scabbard, as often happens on sea, from the rust caused by salt-water. Panurge, who was not armed, and who, from his cradle, had been a coward, ran for safety towards Pantagruel, who was not looking at what was going on. But Friar John, always on the watch, with his strong arm caught hold of Dindeno. Then Pantagruel, turning round and seeing a man struggling with Friar John, knew for the first time that there was a quarrel. At this moment the skipper stepped up, and, with many bows and prayers that there should be no bad name given to his ship, begged his Giantship to order peace. This was done, and Panurge and Dindeno shook hands, apparently the best of friends.
A short time after, Pauurge winked at Episteinon and Friar John, as much as to say, " I want to have a word with you." As soon as they came near, Panurge whispered, " Stand about here for a while, and you shall see rare sport."
Having no idea of what was coming, Friar John and Epistemon stepped to one side, and waited.
Then Panurge, turning to Dindeno, begged him to be good enough to sell him one of his sheep.
"Hello! my good friend and neighbor," cried the sheep-seller, " dost thou want to play tricks on poor people ? How long since thou hast been a buyer of sheep ?"
"Whatever I may have been," said Panurge, gently, "be so kind as to sell me one of thy sheep there. Now, how much wilt thou ask for one ? "
"See here, friend and neighbor, these are noble creatures. These are long-woolled sheep. It was from the fathers of these very sheep that Jason took his famous Golden Fleece."
" I do not doubt thy word," said Panurge ; " but fix thy price for one of those precious sheep. Here is thy money ready for thee."
" My friend and neighbor, now listen to me !"
"I am listening."
" I shall make a bargain with thee ! We have a pair of scales on board. Get thee on one scale. I shall put my prize ram on the other. I am willing to bet thee a peck of Busch oysters that, in weight, value, and general worth, my ram shall outweigh thee !
"That may be all so; but I beg thee, good Dindeno, without further word, to be so kind as to sell me one of thy sheep; I care not which one."
With that, he pulled out his purse, and showed it bursting with new gold-pieces, with the face of good King Gargantua stamped on each piece.
Dindeno's eyes flashed at the glitter of so much gold ; but he had made up his mind to insult Panurge until he made him angry.
"My friend and neighbor," he said, " my sheep are meat
only for kings and princes. They are too nice and dainty for such as thou."
"Be patient now, and please grant my request. Only set thy price for one, and I will pay thee like a king."
"Thou art a fine fellow, truly," sneered Dindeno; " but tell me first, hast thou ever seen such shoulders, such legs, such knuckles, such backs and breasts as thou canst see here? Such strong ribs, out of which the small people in Pigmy-land make cross-bows to shoot with cherry-stones those long-legged cranes in their country? Think of all this for a second ! "
"Peace, good man, I pray thee!" Panurge was about to say more, when he was stopped all of a sudden by the skipper, who had just drawn near at the sound of loud voices, and had heard Dindeno's sharp tones. "Enough ! Enough ! Too much talk here ! " he cried. "Dindeno, if thou wantest to sell, sell. If thou wilt not, have done with it."
PANURGE BUYS A RAM.
" I am willing to sell, Captain, for thy sake ; but for thy sake alone," said the sheep-seller. " But he must pay me three French livres for his pick and choice."
"That is a big price," said Panurge, gently. ' In my own country, I can buy five, nay, six fine rams for that much money."
"But not such sheep as mine ! " yelled Dindeno, who was getting very angry that he had not vexed Panurge.
"Really, sweet sir, thou art getting a little warm. Come, now, the bargain is ended. Here is thy price. Give me my ram."
Dindeno, in clutching angrily at the money, rudely pulled it out of the hands of the patient Panurge. Holding himself as straight as he could, with an innocent smile upon his face, Panurge — having at last got what he wanted — looked around to make his choice. He soon picked out the finest ram in all the flock. The moment he caught hold of his ram, and began to haul it along, the poor beast set up a pitiful bleating. As soon as the rest of the sheep heard their leader bleating, they, too, set to crying and bleating, while staring at him with all their eyes wide open. Meanwhile, Dindeno, full of rage, was whispering to his shepherds, —