CHAPTER II.
At that moment the princess entered. She was a middle-aged lady with asmiling face, dressed in a red mantle and light green dress with a goldengirdle around her hips. The princess was followed by the ladies of thecourt; some not yet grown up, some of them older; they had pink and lilacwreaths on their heads, and the majority of them had lutes in theirhands. Some of them carried large bunches of fresh, flowers, evidentlyplucked by the roadside. The room was soon filled, because the ladieswere followed by some courtiers and young pages. All were lively, withmirth on their faces, talking loudly or humming as if they wereintoxicated with the beauty of the night. Among the courtiers, there weretwo _rybalts_;[12] one had a lute and the other had a _gensla_[13] at hisgirdle. One of the girls who was very young, perhaps twelve years old,carried behind the princess a very small lute ornamented with brassnails.
"May Jesus Christ be praised!" said the princess, standing in the centreof the room.
"For ages and ages, amen!" answered those present, in the meanwhilesaluting very profoundly.
"Where is the host?"
The German having heard the call, advanced to the front and kneeled, inthe German fashion, on one knee.
"We are going to stop here and rest," said the lady. "Only be quick,because we are hungry."
The townsmen had already gone; now the two noblemen, and with them Mackoof Bogdaniec and young Zbyszko, bowed again, intending to leave the room,as they did not wish to interfere with the court.
But the princess detained them.
"You are noblemen; you do not intrude, you are acquainted with courtiers.From where has God conducted you?"
Then they mentioned their names,[14] their coats of arms, their nicknamesand the estates from which they received their names. The lady havingheard from _wlodyka_[15] Macko that he had been to Wilno, clapped herhands, and said:
"How well it has happened! Tell us about Wilno and about my brother andsister. Is Prince Witold coming for the queen's confinement and for thechristening?"
"He would like to, but does not know whether he will be able to do so;therefore he sent a silver cradle to the queen for a present. My nephewand I brought that cradle."
"Then the cradle is here? I would like to see it! All silver?"
"All silver; but it is not here. The Basilians took it to Krakow."
"And what are you doing in Tyniec?"
"We returned here to see the procurator of the monastery who is ourrelative, in order to deposit with the worthy monks, that with which thewar has blessed us and that which the prince gave us for a present."
"Then God gave you good luck and valuable booty? But tell me why mybrother is uncertain whether he will come?"
"Because he is preparing an expedition against the Tartars."
"I know it; but I am grieved that the queen did not prophesy a happyresult for that expedition, and everything she predicts is alwaysfulfilled."
Macko smiled.
"Ej, our lady is a prophetess, I cannot deny; but with Prince Witold, themight of our knighthood will go, splendid men, against whom nobody isable to contend."
"Are you not going?"
"No, I was sent with the cradle, and for five years I have not taken offmy armor," answered Macko, showing the furrows made by the cuirass on hisreindeer jacket; "but let me rest, then I will go, or if I do not gomyself then I will send this youth, my nephew, Zbyszko, to Pan[16] Spytkoof Melsztyn, under whose command all our knights will go."
Princess Danuta glanced at Zbyszko's beautiful figure; but furtherconversation was interrupted by the arrival of a monk from the monastery,who having greeted the princess, began to humbly reproach her, becauseshe had not sent a courier with the news that she was coming, and becauseshe had not stopped at the monastery, but in an ordinary inn which wasnot worthy of her majesty. There are plenty of houses and buildings inthe monastery where even an ordinary man will find hospitality, androyalty is still more welcome, especially the wife of that prince fromwhose ancestors and relatives, the abbey had experienced so manybenefits.
But the princess answered mirthfully:
"We came here only to stretch our limbs; in the morning we must be inKrakow. We sleep during the day and we travel during the night, becauseit is cooler. As the roosters were crowing, I did not wish to awaken thepious monks, especially with such a company which thinks more aboutsinging and dancing than about repose."
But when the monk still insisted, she added:
"No. We will stay here. We will spend the time well in singing lay songs,but we will come to the church for matins in order to begin the day withGod."
"There will be a mass for the welfare of the gracious prince and thegracious princess," said the monk.
"The prince, my husband, will not come for four or five days."
"The Lord God will be able to grant happiness even from afar, and in themeanwhile let us poor monks at least bring some wine from the monastery."
"We will gladly repay," said the princess.
When the monk went out, she called:
"Hej, Danusia! Danusia! Mount the bench and make our hearts merry withthe same song you sang in Zator."
Having heard this, the courtiers put a bench in the centre of the room.The _rybalts_ sat on the ends, and between them stood that young girl whohad carried behind the princess the lute ornamented with brass nails. Onher head she had a small garland, her hair falling on her shoulders, andshe wore a blue dress and red shoes with long points. On the bench shelooked like a child, but at the same time, a beautiful child, like somefigure from a church. It was evident that she was not singing for thefirst time before the princess, because she was not embarrassed.
"Sing, Danusia, sing!" the young court girls shouted.
She seized the lute, raised her head like a bird which begins to sing,and having closed her eyes, she began with a silvery voice:
"If I only could get The wings like a birdie, I would fly quickly To my dearest Jasiek!"
The _rybalts_ accompanied her, one on the _gensliks_, the other on a biglute; the princess, who loved the lay songs better than anything else inthe world, began to move her head back and forth, and the young girl sangfurther with a thin, sweet childish voice, like a bird singing in theforest:
"I would then be seated On the high enclosure: Look, my dear Jasiulku, Look on me, poor orphan."
And then the _rybalts_ played. The young Zbyszko of Bogdaniec, who beingaccustomed from childhood to war and its dreadful sights, had never inhis life heard anything like it; he touched a Mazur[17] standing besidehim and asked:
"Who is she?"
"She is a girl from the princess' court. We do not lack _rybalts_ whocheer up the court, but she is the sweetest little _rybalt_ of them all,and to the songs of no one else will the princess listen so gladly."
"I don't wonder. I thought she was an angel from heaven and I can't lookat her enough. What do they call her?"
"Have you not heard? Danusia. Her father is Jurand of Spychow, a_comes_[18] mighty and gallant."
"Hej! Such a girl human eyes never saw before!"
"Everybody loves her for her singing and her beauty."
"And who is her knight?"
"She is only a child yet!"
Further conversation was stopped by Danusia's singing. Zbyszko looked ather fair hair, her uplifted head, her half-closed eyes, and at her wholefigure lighted by the glare of the wax candles and by the glare of themoonbeams entering through the windows; and he wondered more and more. Itseemed to him now, that he had seen her before; but he could not rememberwhether it was in a dream, or somewhere in Krakow on the pane of a churchwindow.
And again he touched the courtier and asked in a low voice:
"Then she is from your court?"
"Her mother came from Litwa with the princess, Anna Danuta, who marriedher to Count Jurand of Spychow. She was pretty and belonged to a powerfulfamily; the princess liked her better than any of the other young girlsand she loved the princess. That is the reason she ga
ve the same name toher daughter--Anna Danuta. But five years ago, when near Zlotorja, theGermans attacked the court,--she died from fear. Then the princess tookthe girl, and she has taken care of her since. Her father often comes tothe court; he is glad that the princess is bringing his child up healthyand in happiness. But every time he looks at her, he cries, rememberinghis wife; then he returns to avenge on the Germans his awful wrong. Heloved his wife more dearly than any one in the whole Mazowsze till nowhas loved; but he has killed in revenge a great many Germans."
In a moment Zbyszko's eyes were shining and the veins on his foreheadswelled.
"Then the Germans killed her mother?" he asked.
"Killed and not killed. She died from fear. Five years ago there waspeace; nobody was thinking about war and everybody felt safe. The princewent without any soldiers, only with the court, as usual during peace, tobuild a tower in Zlotorja. Those traitors, the Germans, fell upon themwithout any declaration of war, without any reason. They seized theprince himself, and remembering neither God's anger, nor that from theprince's ancestor, they had received great benefits, they bound him to ahorse and slaughtered his people. The prince was a prisoner a long time,and only when King Wladyslaw threatened them with war, did they releasehim. During this attack Danusia's mother died."
"And you, sir, were you there? What do they call you? I have forgotten!"
"My name is Mikolaj of Dlugolas and they call me Obuch.[19] I was there.I saw a German with peacock feathers on his helmet, bind her to hissaddle; and then she died from fear. They cut me with a halberd fromwhich I have a scar."
Having said this he showed a deep scar on his head coming from beneathhis hair to his eyebrows.
There was a moment of silence. Zbyszko was again looking at Danusia. Thenhe asked:
"And you said, sir, that she has no knight?"
But he did not receive any answer, because at that moment the singingstopped. One of the _rybalts_, a fat and heavy man, suddenly rose, andthe bench tilted to one side. Danusia tottered and stretched out herlittle hands, but before she could fall or jump, Zbyszko rushed up like awild-cat and seized her in his arms.
The princess, who at first screamed from fear, laughed immediately andbegan to shout:
"Here is Danusia's knight! Come, little knight and give us back our dearlittle girl!"
"He grasped her boldly," some among the courtiers were heard to say.
Zbyszko walked toward the princess, holding Danusia to his breast, whohaving encircled his neck with one arm, held the lute with the other,being afraid it would be broken. Her face was smiling and pleased,although a little bit frightened.
In the meanwhile the youth came near the princess, put Danusia beforeher, kneeled, raised his head and said with remarkable boldness for hisage:
"Let it be then according to your word, my gracious lady! It is time forthis gentle young girl to have her knight, and it is time for me to havemy lady, whose beauty and virtues I shall extol. With your permission, Iwish to make a vow and I will remain faithful to her under allcircumstances until death."
The princess was surprised, not on account of Zbyszko's words, butbecause everything had happened so suddenly. It is true that the customof making vows was not Polish; but Mazowsze, being situated on the Germanfrontier, and often being visited by the knights from remote countries,was more familiar with that custom than the other provinces, and imitatedit very often. The princess had also heard about it in her father'scourt, where all eastern customs were considered as the law and theexample for the noble warriors. Therefore she did not see in Zbyszko'saction anything which could offend either herself or Danusia. She waseven glad that her dear girl had attracted the heart and the eyes of aknight.
Therefore she turned her joyful face toward the girl.
"Danusia! Danusia! Do you wish to have your own knight?"
The fair-haired Danusia after jumping three times in her red shoes,seized the princess by the neck and began to scream with joy, as thoughthey were promising her some pleasure permitted to the older people only.
"I wish, I wish----!"
The princess' eyes were filled with tears from laughing and the wholecourt laughed with her; then the lady said to Zbyszko:
"Well, make your vow! Make your vow! What will you promise her?"
But Zbyszko, who preserved his seriousness undisturbed amidst thelaughter, said with dignity, while still kneeling:
"I promise that as soon as I reach Krakow, I will hang my spear on thedoor of the inn, and on it I will put a card, which a student in writingwill write for me. On the card I will proclaim that Panna DanutaJurandowna is the prettiest and most virtuous girl among all living inthis or any other kingdom. Anyone who wishes to contradict thisdeclaration, I will fight until one of us dies or is taken intocaptivity."
"Very well! I see you know the knightly custom. And what more?"
"I have learned from Pan Mikolaj of Dlugolas that the death of PannaJurandowna's mother was caused by the brutality of a German who wore thecrest of a peacock. Therefore I vow to gird my naked sides with a hempenrope, and even though it eat me to the bone, I will wear it until I tearthree such tufts of feathers from the heads of German warriors whom Ikill."
Here the princess became serious.
"Don't make any joke of your vows!"
And Zbyszko added:
"So help me God and holy cross, this vow I will repeat in church before apriest."
"It is a praiseworthy thing to fight against the enemy of our people; butI pity you, because you are young, and you can easily perish."
At that moment Macko of Bogdanice approached, thinking it proper toreassure the princess.
"Gracious lady, do not be frightened about that. Everybody must riskbeing killed in a fight, and it is a laudable end for a _wlodyka_, old oryoung. But war is not new nor strange to this man, because although he isonly a youth, he has fought on horseback and on foot, with spear and withaxe, with short sword and with long sword, with lance and without. It isa new custom, for a knight to vow to a girl whom he sees for the firsttime; but I do not blame Zbyszko for his promise. He has fought theGermans before. Let him fight them again, and if during that fight a fewheads are broken, his glory will increase."
"I see that we have to do with a gallant knight," said the princess.
Then to Danusia, she said:
"Take my place as the first person to-day; only do not laugh because itis not dignified."
Danusia sat in the place of the lady; she wanted to be dignified, but herblue eyes were laughing at the kneeling Zbyszko, and she could not helpmoving her feet from joy.
"Give him your gloves," said the princess.
Danusia pulled off her gloves and handed them to Zbyszko who pressed themwith great respect to his lips, and said:
"I will fix them on my helmet and woe to the one who stretches his handsfor them!"
Then he kissed Danusia's hands and feet and arose. Then his dignity lefthim, and great joy filled his heart because from that time the wholecourt would consider him a mature man. Therefore shaking Danusia'sgloves, he began to shout, half mirthfully, half angrily:
"Come, you dog-brothers with peacock's crests, come!"
But at that moment the same monk who had been there before entered theinn, and with him two superior ones. The servants of the monasterycarried willow baskets which contained bottles of wine and some tidbits.The monks greeted the princess and again reproached her because she hadnot gone directly to the abbey. She explained to them again, that havingslept during the day, she was traveling at night for coolness; thereforeshe did not need any sleep; and as she did not wish to awaken the worthyabbot nor the respectable monks, she preferred to stop in an inn tostretch her limbs.
After many courteous words, it was finally agreed, that after matins andmass in the morning, the princess with her court would breakfast and restin the monastery. The affable monks also invited the Mazurs, the twonoblemen and Macko of Bogdaniec who intended to go to the abbey todeposit his wealth acquire
d in the war and increased by Witold'smunificent gift. This treasure was destined to redeem Bogdaniec from hispledge. But the young Zbyszko did not hear the invitation, because he hadrushed to his wagon which was guarded by his servants, to procure betterapparel for himself. He ordered his chests carried to a room in the innand there he began to dress. At first he hastily combed his hair and putit in a silk net ornamented with amber beads, and in the front with realpearls. Then he put on a "_jaka_" of white silk embroidered with goldengriffins; he girded himself with a golden belt from which was hanging asmall sword in an ivory scabbard ornamented with gold. Everything wasnew, shining and unspotted with blood, although it had been taken asbooty from a Fryzjan knight who served with the Knights of the Cross.Then Zbyszko put on beautiful trousers, one part having red and greenstripes, the other part, yellow and purple, and both ended at the toplike a checkered chessboard. After that he put on red shoes with longpoints. Fresh and handsome he went into the room.
In fact, as he stood in the door, his appearance made a great impression.The princess seeing now what a handsome knight had vowed to Danusia, wasstill more pleased. Danusia jumped toward him like a gazelle. But eitherthe beauty of the young man or the sounds of admiration from thecourtiers, caused her to pause before she reached him, drop her eyessuddenly and blushing and confused, begin to wring her fingers.
After her, came the others; the princess herself, the courtiers, theladies-in-waiting, the _rybalts_ and the monks all wanted to see him. Theyoung Mazovian girls were looking at him as at a rainbow, each regrettingthat he had not chosen her; the older ones admired the costly dress; andthus, a circle of curious ones was formed around him. Zbyszko stood inthe centre with a boastful smile on his youthful face, and turned himselfslightly, so that they could see him better.
"Who is he?" asked one of the monks.
"He is a knight, nephew of that _wlodyka_" answered the princess,pointing to Macko; "he has made a vow to Danusia."
The monks did not show any surprise, because such a vow did not bind himto anything. Often vows were made to married women, and among thepowerful families where the eastern custom was known, almost every womanhad a knight. If a knight made a vow to a young girl, he did not thusbecome her fiance; on the contrary he usually married another; he wasconstant to his vow, but did not hope to be wedded to her, but to marryanother.
The monks were more astonished at Danusia's youth, and even not much atthat, because in those times sixteen year old youths used to becastellans. The great Queen Jadwiga herself, when she came from Hungary,was only fifteen years old, and thirteen year old girls used to marry. Atany rate, at that moment they were more occupied looking at Zbyszko thanat Danusia; they also listened to Macko's words, who, proud of hisnephew, was telling how the youth came in possession of such beautifulclothes.
"One year and nine weeks ago," said he, "we were invited by the Saxonknights. There was another guest, a certain knight, from a far Fryzjannation, who lived there on the shores of a sea. With him was his son whowas three years older than Zbyszko. Once at a banquet, that son began totaunt Zbyszko because he has neither moustache nor beard. Zbyszko beingquick tempered, was very angry, and immediately seized him by hismoustache, and pulled out all the hair. On account of that I afterwardfought until death or slavery."
"What do you mean?" asked the Pan of Dlugolas.
"Because the father took his son's part and I took Zbyszko's part;therefore we fought, in the presence of the guests, on level ground. Theagreement was, that the one who conquered, should take the wagons,horses, servants and everything that belonged to the vanquished one. Godhelped us. We killed those Fryzes, although with great labor, becausethey were brave and strong. We took much valuable booty; there were fourwagons, each one drawn by two horses, four enormous stallions, tenservants, and two excellent suits of armor which are difficult to find.It is true we broke the helmets in the fight, but the Lord Jesus rewardedus with something else; there was a large chest of costly clothing; thosein which Zbyszko is now dressed, we found there also."
Now the two noblemen from the vicinity of Krakow, and all the Mazursbegan to look with more respect on both the uncle and the nephew, and thePan of Dlugolas, called Obuch, said:
"I see you are terrible fellows, and not lazy."
"We now believe that this youngster will capture three peacocks' crests."
Macko laughed, and in his face there really appeared an expressionsimilar to that on the face of a beast of prey.
But in the meanwhile, the servants of the monastery had taken the wineand the dainties from the willow baskets, and the servant girls werebringing large dishes full of steaming boiled eggs, surrounded bysausage, from which a strong and savory smell filled the whole room. Thissight excited everybody's appetite, and they rushed to the tables.
But nobody sat down until the princess was seated at the head of thetable; she told Zbyszko and Danusia to sit opposite her and then she saidto Zbyszko:
"It is right for you both to eat from one dish; but do not step on herfeet under the table, nor touch her with your knees, as the other knightsdo to their ladies, because she is too young."
To this he answered:
"I shall not do it, gracious lady, for two or three years yet, until theLord Jesus permits me to accomplish my vow, and then this little berrywill be ripe; as for stepping on her feet, even if I would like to do itI can not, because they do not touch the floor."
"True," answered the princess; "but it is pleasant to see that you havegood manners."
Then there was silence because everybody was busy eating. Zbyszko pickedthe best pieces of sausage, which he handed to Danusia or put directlyinto her mouth; she was glad that such a famous knight served her.
After they had emptied the dishes, the servants of the monastery began topour out the sweet-smelling wine--abundantly for the men, but not muchfor the ladies. Zbyszko's gallantry was particularly shown when theybrought in the nuts which had been sent from the monastery. There werehazel nuts and some very rare nuts imported from afar, called Italians;they all feasted so willingly, that after awhile there was heard no soundin the whole room but the cracking of shells, crushed between the jaws.But Zbyszko did not think only about himself; he preferred to show to theprincess and Danusia his knightly strength and abstinence. Therefore hedid not put the nuts between his jaws, as the others did, but he crushedthem between his fingers, and handed to Danusia the kernels picked fromthe shells. He even invented for her an amusement; after having pickedout the kernel, he placed his hand near his mouth and, with his powerfulblowing, he blew the shells to the ceiling. Danusia laughed so much, thatthe princess fearing that the young girl would choke, was obliged to askhim to stop the amusement; but perceiving how merry the girl was, sheasked her:
"Well, Danusia, is it good to have your own knight?"
"Oj! Very!" answered the girl.
And then she touched Zbyszko's white silk "_jaka_" with her pink finger,and asked:
"And will he be mine to-morrow?"
"To-morrow, and Sunday, and until death," answered Zbyszko.
Supper lasted a long time, because after the nuts, sweet cakes withraisins were served. Some of the courtiers wished to dance; others wishedto listen to the _rybalts_ or to Danusia's singing; but she was tired,and having with great confidence put her little head on the knight'sshoulder, she fell asleep.
"Does she sleep?" asked the princess. "There you have your 'lady.'"
"She is dearer to me while she sleeps than the others are while theydance," answered Zbyszko, sitting motionless so as not to awaken thegirl.
But she was awakened neither by the _rybalts_' music nor by the singing.Some of the courtiers stamped, others rattled the dishes in time to themusic; but the greater the noise, the better she slept.
She awoke only when the roosters, beginning to crow, and the church bellto ring, the company all rushed from the benches, shouting:
"To matins! To matins!"
"Let us go on foot for God's glory," said the princes
s.
She took the awakened Danusia by the hand and went out first, followed bythe whole court.
The night was beginning to whiten. In the east one could see a lightglare, green at the top, then pink below, and under all a golden red,which extended while one looked at it. It seemed as though the moon wasretreating before that glare. The light grew pinker and brighter. Moistwith dew, the rested and joyous world was awakening.
"God has given us fair weather, but there will be great heat," said thecourtiers.
"No matter," answered the Pan of Dlugolas; "we will sleep in the abbey,and will reach Krakow toward evening."
"Sure of a feast."
"There is a feast every day now, and after the confinement andtournaments, there will be still greater ones."
"We shall see how Danusia's brave knight will acquit himself."
"Ej! They are of oak, those fellows! Did you hear what they said aboutthat fight for four knights on each side?"
"Perhaps they will join our court; they are consulting with each othernow."
In fact, they were talking earnestly with each other; old Macko was notvery much pleased with what had happened; therefore while walking in therear of the retinue, he said to his nephew:
"In truth, you don't need it. In some way I will reach the king and itmay be he will give us something. I would be very glad to get to somecastle or _grodek_[20]---- Well we shall see. We will redeem Bogdaniecfrom our pledge anyhow, because we must hold that which our forefathersheld. But how can we get some peasants to work? The land is worth nothingwithout peasants. Therefore listen to what I am going to tell you: if youmake vows or not to anyone you please, still you must go with the Pan ofMielsztyn to Prince Witold against the Tartars. If they proclaim theexpedition by the sound of trumpets before the queen's confinement, thendo not wait either for the lying-in, or for the tournaments; only go,because there will be found some profit. Prince Witold is munificent, asyou know; and he knows you. If you acquit yourself well, he will rewardyou liberally. Above all, if God help you, you will secure many slaves.The Tartars swarm in the world. In case of victory, every knight willcapture three-score of them."
At this, Macko being covetous for land and serfs, began to fancy:
"If I could only catch fifty peasants and settle them in Bogdaniec! Onewould be able to clear up quite a piece of forest. You know that nowherecan you get as many as there."
But Zbyszko began to twist his head.
"Owa! I will bring hostlers from the stables living on horse carrion andnot accustomed to working on the land! What use will they be inBogdaniec? Then I vowed to capture three German crests. Where will I findthem among the Tartars?"
"You made a vow because you were stupid; but your vow is not worthanything."
"But my honor of _wlodyka_ and knight? What about that?"
"How was it with Ryngalla?"
"Ryngalla poisoned the prince, and the hermit gave me absolution."
"Then in Tyniec, the abbot will absolve you from this vow also. The abbotis greater than a hermit."
"I don't want absolution!"
Macko stopped and asked with evident anger:
"Then how will it be?"
"Go to Witold yourself, because I shall not go."
"You knave! And who will bow to the king? Don't you pity my bones?"
"Even if a tree should fall on your bones, it would not crush them; andeven if I pity you, I will not go to Witold."
"What will you do then? Will you turn _rybalt_ or falconer at theMazowiecki court?"
"It's not a bad thing to be a falconer. But if you would rather grumblethan to listen to me, then grumble."
"Where will you go? Don't you care for Bogdaniec? Will you plow with yournails without peasants?"
"Not true! You calculated cleverly about the Tartars! You have forgottenwhat the Rusini[21] told us, that it is difficult to catch any prisonersamong the Tartars, because you cannot reach a Tartar on the steppes. Onwhat will I chase them? On those heavy stallions that we captured fromthe Germans? Do you see? And what booty can I take? Scabby sheep-skincoats but nothing else! How rich then I shall return to Bogdaniec! Thenthey will call me _comes_!"
Macko was silent because there was a great deal of truth in Zbyszko'swords; but after a while he said:
"But Prince Witold will reward you."
"Bah, you know; to one he gives too much, to another nothing."
"Then tell me, where will you go?"
"To Jurand of Spychow."
Macko angrily twisted the belt of his leather jacket, and said:
"May you become a blind man!"
"Listen," answered Zbyszko quietly. "I had a talk with Mikolaj ofDlugolas and he said that Jurand is seeking revenge on the Germans forthe death of his wife. I will go and help him. In the first place, yousaid yourself that it was nothing strange for us to fight the Germansbecause we know them and their ways so well. _Secundo_, I will thus moreeasily capture those peacock's crests; and _tercio_, you know thatpeacock's crests are not worn by knaves; therefore if the Lord Jesus willhelp me to secure the crests, it will also bring booty. Finally: theslaves from those parts are not like the Tartars. If you settle suchslaves in a forest, then you will accomplish something."
"Man, are you crazy? There is no war at present and God knows when therewill be!"
"How clever you are! The bears make peace with the bee-keepers and theyneither spoil the beehives, nor eat the honey! Ha! ha! ha! Then it isnews to you, that although the great armies are not fighting and althoughthe king and the grand master stamped the parchment with their seals,still there is always great disturbance on the frontiers? If some cattleare seized, they burn several villages for one cow's head and besiege thecastles. How about capturing peasants and their girls? About merchants onthe highways? Remember former times, about which you told me yourself.That Nalencz, who captured forty knights going to join the Knights of theCross, and kept them in prison until the grand master sent him a cartfull of _grzywien_;[22] did he not do a good business? Jurand of Spychowis doing the same and on the frontier the work is always ready."
For a while they walked along silently; in the meanwhile, it was broaddaylight and the bright rays of the sun lighted up the rocks on which theabbey was built.
"God can give good luck in any place," Macko said, finally, with a calmvoice; "pray that he may bless you."
"Sure; all depends on his favor!"
"And think about Bogdaniec, because you cannot persuade me that you go toJurand of Spychow for the sake of Bogdaniec and not for that duck'sbeak."
"Don't speak that way, because it makes me angry. I will see her gladlyand I do not deny it. Have you ever met a prettier girl?"
"What do I care for her beauty! Better marry her, when she is grown up;she is the daughter of a mighty _comes_."
Zbyszko's face brightened with a pleasant smile.
"It must be. No other lady, no other wife! When your bones are old, youshall play with the grandchildren born to her and myself."
Now Macko smiled also and said:
"Grady! Grady![23]---- May they be as numerous as hail. When one is old,they are his joy; and after death, his salvation. Jesus, grant us this!"
The Knights of the Cross, or, Krzyzacy: Historical Romance Page 3