At the banks of the River Ebro, where they have now arrived, Don Quixote spies a little boat moored to the shore. He is convinced that "this boat lies here for no other reason but to invite me to embark in it," and, with Sancho trembling with fear, they enter the boat and begin to drift. Exclaiming at the distances they travel, Don Quixote tells his squire that they are approaching the "equinoctal line," but Sancho points out he can still see Dapple and Rosinante tied to the tree on shore. Slowly they drift toward a water mill, and Sancho is fearful that they will be sucked into the rapids and flung down the falls. But the millers, all covered with flour, rush out with poles to arrest the drift of the boat. Don Quixote slashes at these goblins with his sword. The boat overturns; knight and squire are rescued from the water by some millers. Don Quixote offers the angry fisherman payment for the ruined boat provided that the evil company release the prisoner in the castle dungeons. The millers are mystified, and the knight, assuming it is a task for some other brave paladin to free the captive, returns with Sancho to their beasts.
As knight and squire emerge from the wood, they see a noble hunting party. Leading her attendants, the lovely lady with a goshawk appears to be a person of high quality. Don Quixote dispatches Sancho to greet the fair huntress in the name of the Knight of the Lions. Receiving his embassy courteously, the duchess begs them both to be guests in her castle nearby. Meanwhile, she sends a message to her husband the duke to inform him of their strange visitors. Since both have read the first part of the History of the Ingenious Knight, they are eager to find diversion from their guests. The duke and duchess are as much entertained by the impertinences of Sancho as by the extravagances of the knight.
