Don Quixote Standing in Prow of Boat, Sancho Gesticulating in Stern

Gustave Doré illustrated the 1863 French publication of Cervantes' "L'ingénieux hidalgo don Quichotte de la Manche," published in Paris by Librairie de L. Hachette et Cie. His designs were engraved by Héliodore Joseph Pisan. The same plates were used for an English translation from 1870, "The History of Don Quixote," published in London by Cassell, Petter, and Galpin. The English edition, with its vivid illustrations by Doré, helped popularize Cervantes' tale among British and American audiences.
This scene illustrates a passage from Volume 2, Chapter 29. Here, Don Quixote and his peasant squire Sancho Panza cross the river Ebro on a small boat without oars. Despite Sancho's objections, they tied the donkey Dapple and the horse Rocinante to a tree. Don Quixote assumes that an enchantment has allowed them to cross thousands of miles in a matter of minutes, though Sancho points out that they can still see Rocinante and Dapple on shore.