noon
He walked the arcaded streets and cursed the flies , he entered the Cathedral and was driven out by the beggars . He leaned over the bridge and watched the green river , and that set him longing for a swim . If his maps told him the truth , some few leagues on the road to Valladolid should discover him a fine wood , the wood of La Huerca , beyond which , skirting it , in fact , should be the Pisuerga . Here he could bathe , loiter away the noon , and take his _ merienda _ , which should be the best Palencia could supply . `` Muera Marta , Y muera harta , '' `` Let Martha die , but not on an empty stomach , '' he said to himself . He knew his Don Quixote better than most Spaniards . He furnished his haversack , then , with bread , ham , sausages , wine and oranges , ordered out his horse , satisfied himself that the ostler had earned his fee , and departed at an ambling pace to seek his amusements .