The Knights of the Cross, or, Krzyzacy: Historical Romance

by Henryk Sienkiewicz

  CHAPTER IV.

  Mikolaj of Dlugolas having learned from Jendrek of Kropiwnica about thechallenge, required both Zbyszko and the other knight to give him theirknightly word that they would not fight without the prince and the_comthur's_ permission; if they refused, he said he would shut the gatesand not permit them to leave the castle. Zbyszko wished to see Danusia assoon as possible, consequently he did not resist; de Lorche, althoughwilling to fight when necessary, was not a bloodthirsty man, therefore heswore upon his knightly honor, to wait for the prince's consent. He didit willingly, because having heard so many songs about tournaments andbeing fond of pompous feasts, he preferred to fight in the presence ofthe court, the dignitaries and the ladies; he believed that such avictory would bring greater renown, and he would win the golden spursmore easily. Then he was also anxious to become acquainted with thecountry and the people, therefore he preferred a delay. Mikolaj ofDlugolas, who had been in captivity among the Germans a long time, andcould speak the language easily, began to tell him marvelous tales aboutthe prince's hunting parties for different kinds of beasts not known inthe western countries. Therefore Zbyszko and he left the castle aboutmidnight, and went toward Przasnysz, having with them their armedretinues, and men with lanterns to protect them against the wolves, whichgathering during the winter in innumerable packs, it was dangerous evenfor several well armed cavaliers to meet. On this side of Ciechanow therewere deep forests, which a short distance beyond Przasnysz were mergedinto the enormous Kurpiecka wilderness, which on the west joined theimpassable forest of Podlasie, and further on Lithuania. Through theseforests the Lithuanian barbarians came to Mazowsze, and in 1337 reachedCiechanow, which they burned. De Lorche listened with the greatestinterest to the stories, told him by the old guide, Macko of Turoboje. Hedesired to fight with the Lithuanians, whom as many other western knightsdid, he had thought were Saracens. In fact he had come on a crusade,wishing to gain fame and salvation. He thought that a war with theMazurs, half heathenish people, would secure for him entire pardon.Therefore he could scarcely believe his own eyes, when having reachedMazowsze, he saw churches in the towns, crosses on the towers, priests,knights with holy signs on their armor and the people, very daringindeed, and ready for a fight, but Christian and not more rapacious thanthe Germans, among whom the young knight had traveled. Therefore, when hewas told that these people had confessed Christ for centuries, he did notknow what to think about the Knights of the Cross; and when he learnedthat Lithuania was baptized by the command of the late queen, hissurprise and sorrow were boundless.

  He began to inquire from Macko of Turoboje, if in the forest toward whichthey were riding, there were any dragons to whom the people were obligedto sacrifice young girls, and with whom one could fight. But Macko'sanswer greatly disappointed him.

  "In the forest, there are many beasts, wolves, bisons and bears withwhich there is plenty of work," answered the Mazur. "Perhaps in theswamps there are some unclean spirits; but I never heard about dragons,and even if they were there, we would not give them girls, but we woulddestroy them. Bah! had there been any, the Kurpie would have worn beltsof their skins long ago."

  "What kind of people are they; is it possible to fight with them?" askedde Lorche.

  "One can fight with them, but it is not desirable," answered Macko; "andthen it is not proper for a knight, because they are peasants."

  "The Swiss are peasants also. Do they confess Christ?"

  "There are no such people in Mazowsze. They are our people. Did you seethe archers in the castles? They are all the Kurpie, because there are nobetter archers than they are."

  "They cannot be better than the Englishmen and the Scotch, whom I saw atthe Burgundian court."

  "I have seen them also in Malborg," interrupted the Mazur. "They arestrong, but they cannot compare with the Kurpie, among whom a boy sevenyears old, will not be allowed to eat, until he has knocked the food withan arrow from the summit of a pine."

  "About what are you talking?" suddenly asked Zbyszko, who had heard theword "Kurpie" several times.

  "About the English and the Kurpiecki archers. This knight says that theEnglish and the Scotch are the best."

  "I saw them at Wilno. Owa! I heard their darts passing my ears. Therewere knights there from all countries, and they announced that they wouldeat us up without salt; but after they tried once or twice, they losttheir appetite."

  Macko laughed and repeated Zbyszko's words to Sir de Lorche.

  "I have heard about that at different courts," answered the Lotaringer;"they praised your knights' bravery, but they blamed them because theyhelped the heathen against the Knights of the Cross."

  "We defended the nation which wished to be baptized, against invasion andwrong. The Germans wished to keep them in idolatry, so as to have apretext for war."

  "God shall judge them," answered de Lorche.

  "Perhaps He will judge them soon," answered Macko of Turoboje.

  But the Lotaringer having heard that Zbyszko had been at Wilno, began toquestion Macko, because the fame of the knightly combats fought there,had spread widely throughout the world. That duel, fought by four Polishand four French knights, especially excited the imagination of westernwarriors. The consequence was that de Lorche began to look at Zbyszkowith more respect, as upon a man who had participated in such a famousbattle; he also rejoiced that he was going to fight with such a knight.

  Therefore they rode along apparently good friends, rendering each othersmall services during the time for refreshment on the journey andtreating each other with wine. But when it appeared from the conversationbetween de Lorche and Macko of Turoboje, that Ulryka von Elner was not ayoung girl, but a married woman forty years old and having six children,Zbyszko became indignant, because this foreigner dared not only tocompare an old woman with Danusia, but even asked him to acknowledge herto be the first among women.

  "Do you not think," said he to Macko, "that an evil spirit has turned hisbrain? Perhaps the devil is sitting in his head like a worm in a nut andis ready to jump on one of us during the night. We must be on our guard."

  Macko of Turoboje began to look at the Lotaringer with a certainuneasiness and finally said:

  "Sometimes it happens that there are hundreds of devils in a possessedman, and if they are crowded, they are glad to go in other people. Theworst devil is the one sent by a woman."

  Then he turned suddenly to the knight:

  "May Jesus Christ be praised!"

  "I praise him also," answered de Lorche, with some astonishment.

  Macko was completely reassured.

  "No, don't you see," said he, "if the devil were dwelling in him, hewould have foamed immediately, or he would have been thrown to the earth,because I asked him suddenly. We can go."

  In fact, they proceeded quietly. The distance between Ciechanow andPrzasnysz is not great, and during the summer a cavalier riding a goodhorse can travel from one city to the other in two hours; but they wereriding very slowly on account of the darkness and the drifts of snow.They started after midnight and did not arrive at the prince's huntinghouse, situated near the woods, beyond Przasnysz, until daybreak. Thewooden mansion was large and the panes of the windows were made of glassballs. In front of the house were the well-sweeps and two barns forhorses, and round the mansion were many tents made of skins and boothshastily built of the branches of pine trees. The fires shone brightly infront of the tents, and round them were standing the huntsmen who weredressed in coats made of sheepskins, foxskins, wolfskins and bearskins,and having the hair turned outside. It seemed to Sir de Lorche that hesaw some wild beasts standing on two legs, because the majority of thesemen had caps made of the heads of animals. Some of them were standing,leaning on their spears or crossbows; others were busy winding enormousnets made of ropes; others were turning large pieces of urus and elk meatwhich was hanging over the fire, evidently preparing for breakfast.Behind them were the trunks of enormous pines and more people; the greatnumber of people astonished the Lotaringer who wa
s not accustomed to seesuch large hunting parties.

  "Your princes," said he, "go to a hunt as if to a war."

  "To be sure," answered Macko of Turoboje; "they lack neither huntingimplements nor people."

  "What are we going to do?" interrupted Zbyszko; "they are still asleep inthe mansion."

  "Well, we must wait until they get up," answered Macko; "we cannot knockat the door and awaken the prince, our lord."

  Having said this, he conducted them to a fire, near which the Kurpiethrew some wolfskins and urusskins, and then offered them some roastedmeat. Hearing a foreign speech, the people began to gather round to seethe German. Soon the news was spread by Zbyszko's attendants that therewas a knight "from beyond the seas," and the crowd became so great thatthe lord of Turoboje was obliged to use his authority to shield theforeigner from their curiosity. De Lorche noticed some women in the crowdalso dressed in skins, but very beautiful; he inquired whether they alsoparticipated in the hunt.

  Macko explained to him that they did not take part in the hunting, butonly came to satisfy their womanly curiosity, or to purchase the productsof the towns and to sell the riches of the forest. The court of theprince was like a fireplace, round which were concentrated twoelements--rural and civic. The Kurpie disliked to leave their wilderness,because they felt uneasy without the rustling of the trees above theirheads; therefore the inhabitants of Przasnysz brought their famous beer,their flour ground in wind mills or water mills built on the riverWengierka, salt which was very rare in the wilderness, iron, leather andother fruits of human industry, taking in exchange skins, costly furs,dried mushrooms, nuts, herbs, good in case of sickness, or clods of amberwhich were plentiful among the Kurpie. Therefore round the prince's courtthere was the noise of a continual market, increased during the huntingparties, because duty and curiosity attracted the inhabitants from thedepths of the forests.

  De Lorche listened to Macko, looking with curiosity at the people, who,living in the healthy resinous air and eating much meat as was the customwith the majority of the peasants in those days, astonished the foreigntravelers by their strength and size. Zbyszko was continually looking atthe doors and windows of the mansion, hardly able to remain quiet. Therewas light in one window only, evidently in the kitchen, because steam wascoming out through the gapes between the panes.

  In the small doors, situated in the side of the house, servants in theprince's livery appeared from time to time, hurrying to the wells forwater. These men being asked if everybody was still sleeping, answeredthat the court, wearied by the previous day's hunting, was still resting,but that breakfast was being prepared. In fact through the window of thekitchen, there now issued the smell of roasted meat and saffron,spreading far among the fires. Finally the principal door was opened,showing the interior of a brightly lighted hall, and on the piazzaappeared a man whom Zbyszko immediately recognized as one of the_rybalts_, whom he had seen with the princess in Krakow. Having perceivedhim, and waiting neither for Macko of Turoboje, nor for de Lorche,Zbyszko rushed with such an impetus toward the mansion, that theastonished Lotaringer asked:

  "What is the matter with the young knight?"

  "There is nothing the matter with him," answered Macko of Turoboje; "heis in love with a girl of the princess' court and he wants to see her assoon as possible."

  "Ah!" answered de Lorche, putting both of his hands on his heart. Hebegan to sigh so deeply that Macko shrugged his shoulders and said tohimself:

  "Is it possible that he is sighing for that old woman? It may be that hissenses are impaired!"

  In the meanwhile he conducted de Lorche into the large hall of themansion which was ornamented with the horns of bisons, elks and deer, andwas lighted by the large logs burning in the fireplace. In the middle ofthe hall stood a table covered with _kilimek_[96] and dishes forbreakfast; there were only a few courtiers present, with whom Zbyszko wastalking. Macko of Turoboje introduced Sir de Lorche to them. Morecourtiers were coming at every moment; the majority of them were finelooking men, with broad shoulders and fallow hair; all were dressed forhunting. Those who were acquainted with Zbyszko and were familiar withhis adventure in Krakow, greeted him as an old friend--it was evidentthat they liked him. One of them said to him:

  "The princess is here and Jurandowna also; you will see her soon, my dearboy; then you will go with us to the hunting party."

  At this moment the two guests of the prince, the Knights of the Cross,entered: brother Hugo von Danveld, _starosta_ of Ortelsburg,[97] andZygfried von Loeve, bailiff of Jansbork. The first was quite a young man,but stout, having a face like a beer drunkard, with thick, moist lips;the other was tall with stern but noble features. It seemed to Zbyszkothat he had seen Danveld before at the court of Prince Witold and thatHenryk, bishop of Plock, had thrown him from his horse during the combatin the lists. These reminiscences were disturbed by the entrance ofPrince Janusz, whom the Knights of the Cross and the courtiers saluted.De Lorche, the _comthurs_ and Zbyszko also approached him, and hewelcomed them cordially but with dignity. Immediately the trumpetsresounded, announcing that the prince was going to breakfast; theyresounded three times; and the third time, a large door to the right wasopened and Princess Anna appeared, accompanied by the beautiful blondegirl who had a lute hanging on her shoulder.

  Zbyszko immediately stepped forward and kneeled on both knees in aposition full of worship and admiration. Seeing this, those present beganto whisper, because Zbyszko's action surprised the Mazurs and some ofthem were even scandalized. Some of the older ones said: "Surely helearned such customs from some knights living beyond the sea, or perhapseven from the heathen themselves, because there is no custom like it evenamong the Germans." But the younger ones said: "No wonder, she saved hislife." But the princess and Jurandowna did not recognize Zbyszko at once,because he kneeled with his back toward the fire and his face was in theshadow. The princess thought that it was some courtier, who, having beenguilty of some offence, besought her intervention with the prince; butDanusia having keener sight, advanced one step, and having bent her fairhead, cried suddenly:

  "Zbyszko!"

  Then forgetting that the whole court and the foreign guests were lookingat her, she sprang like a roe toward the young knight and encircling hisneck with her arms, began to kiss his mouth and his cheeks, nestling tohim and caressing him so long that the Mazurs laughed and the princessdrew her back.

  Then Zbyszko embraced the feet of the princess; she welcomed him, andasked about Macko, whether he was alive or not, and if alive whether hehad accompanied Zbyszko. Finally when the servants brought in warmdishes, she said to Zbyszko:

  "Serve us, dear little knight, and perhaps not only now at the table, butforever."

  Danusia was blushing and confused, but was so beautiful, that not onlyZbyszko but all the knights present were filled with pleasure; the_starosta_ of Szczytno, put the palm of his hands to his thick, moistlips; de Lorche was amazed, and asked:

  "By Saint Jacob of Compostella, who is that girl?"

  To this the _starosta_ of Szczytno, who was short, stood on his toes andwhispered in the ear of the Lotaringer:

  "The devil's daughter."

  De Lorche looked at him; then he frowned and began to say through hisnose:

  "A knight who talks against beauty is not gallant."

  "I wear golden spurs, and I am a monk," answered Hugo von Danveld,proudly.

  The Lotaringer dropped his head; but after awhile he said:

  "I am a relative of the princess of Brabant."

  "_Pax! Pax!_" answered the Knight of the Cross. "Honor to the mightyknights and friends of the Order from whom, sir, you shall soon receiveyour golden spurs. I do not disparage the beauty of that girl; butlisten, I will tell you who is her father."

  But he did not have time to tell him, because at that moment, PrinceJanusz seated himself at the table; and having learned before from thebailiff of Jansbork about the mighty relatives of Sir de Lorche, heinvited him to sit beside him. The princess and Danusia were sea
tedopposite. Zbyszko stood as he did in Krakow, behind their chairs, toserve them. Danusia held her head as low as possible over the plate,because she was ashamed. Zbyszko looked with ecstasy at her little headand pink cheeks; and he felt his love, like a river, overflowing hiswhole breast. He could also feel her sweet kisses on his face, his eyesand his mouth. Formerly she used to kiss him as a sister kisses abrother, and he received the kisses as from a child. Now Danusia seemedto him older and more mature--in fact she had grown and blossomed. Lovewas so much talked about in her presence, that as a flower bud warmed bythe sun, takes color and expands, so her eyes were opened to love;consequently there was a certain charm in her now, which formerly shelacked, and a strong intoxicating attraction beamed from her like thewarm beams from the sun, or the fragrance from the rose.

  Zbyszko felt it, but he could not explain it to himself. He even forgotthat at the table one must serve. He did not see that the courtiers werelaughing at him and Danusia. Neither did he notice Sir de Lorche's face,which expressed great astonishment, nor the covetous eyes of the_starosta_ from Szczytno, who was gazing constantly at Danusia. Heawakened only when the trumpets again sounded giving notice that it wastime to go into the wilderness, and when the princess Anna Danuta,turning toward him said:

  "You will accompany us; you will then have an opportunity to speak toDanusia about your love."

  Having said this, she went out with Danusia to dress for the ride onhorseback. Zbyszko rushed to the court-yard, where the horses coveredwith frost were standing. There was no longer a great crowd, because themen whose duty it was to hem in the beasts, had already gone forward intothe wilderness with the nets. The fires were quenched; the day was brightbut cold. Soon the prince appeared and mounted his horse; behind him wasan attendant with a crossbow and a spear so long and heavy, that very fewcould handle it; but the prince used it very easily, because like theother Mazovian Piasts, he was very strong. There were even women in thatfamily so strong that they could roll iron axes,[98] between theirfingers. The prince was also attended by two men, who were prepared tohelp him in any emergency: they had been chosen from among the landownersof the provinces of Warszawa and Ciechanow; they had shoulders like thetrunks of oak trees. Sir de Lorche gazed at them with amazement.

  In the meanwhile, the princess and Danusia came out; both wore hoods madeof the skins of white weasels. This worthy daughter of Kiejstut could_stitch_ with a bow better than with a needle; therefore her attendantscarried a crossbow behind her. Zbyszko having kneeled on the snow,extended the palm of his hand, on which the princess rested her footwhile mounting her horse; then he lifted Danusia into her saddle and theyall started. The retinue stretched in a long column, turned to the rightfrom the mansion, and then began slowly to enter the forest.

  Then the princess turned to Zbyszko and said:

  "Why don't you talk? Speak to her."

  Zbyszko, although thus encouraged, was still silent for a moment; but,after quite a long silence, he said:

  "Danuska!"

  "What, Zbyszku?"

  "I love you!"

  Here he again stopped, searching for words which he could not find;although he kneeled before the girl like a foreign knight, and showed herhis respect in every way, still he could not express his love in words.Therefore he said:

  "My love for you is so great that it stops my breathing."

  "I also love you, Zbyszku!" said she, hastily.

  "Hej, my dearest! hej, my sweet girl" exclaimed Zbyszko. "Hej!" Then hewas silent, full of blissful emotion; but the good-hearted and curiousprincess helped them again.

  "Tell her," said she, "how lonesome you were without her, and when wecome to a thicket, you may kiss her; that will be the best proof of yourlove."

  Therefore he began to tell how lonesome he was without her in Bogdaniec,while taking care of Macko and visiting among the neighbors. But thecunning fellow did not say a word about Jagienka. When the first thicketseparated them from the courtiers and the guests, he bent toward her andkissed her.

  During the winter there are no leaves on the hazel bushes, therefore Hugovon Danveld and Sir de Lorche saw him kiss the girl; some of thecourtiers also saw him and they began to say among themselves:

  "He kissed her in the presence of the princess! The lady will surelyprepare the wedding for them soon."

  "He is a daring boy, but Jurand's blood is warm also!"

  "They are flint-stone and fire-steel, although the girl looks so quiet.Do not be afraid, there will be some sparks from them!"

  Thus they talked and laughed; but the _starosta_ of Szczytno turned hisevil face toward Sir de Lorche and asked:

  "Sir, would you like some Merlin to change you by his magic power intothat knight?"[99]

  "Would you, sir?" asked de Lorche.

  To this the Knight of the Cross, who evidently was filled with jealousy,drew the reins of his horse impatiently, and exclaimed:

  "Upon my soul!"

  But at that moment he recovered his composure, and having bent his head,he said:

  "I am a monk and have made a vow of chastity."

  He glanced quickly at the Lotaringer, fearing he would perceive a smileon his face, because in that respect the Order had a bad reputation amongthe people; and of all among the monks, Hugo von Danveld had the worst. Afew years previous he had been vice-bailiff of Sambia. There were so manycomplaints against him there that, notwithstanding the tolerance withwhich the Order looked upon similar cases in Marienburg, the grand masterwas obliged to remove him and appoint him _starosta_ of the garrison inSzczytno. Afterward he was sent to the prince's court on some secretmission, and having perceived the beautiful Jurandowna, he conceived aviolent passion for her, to which even Danusia's extreme youth was nocheck. But Danveld also knew to what family the girl belonged, andJurand's name was united in his memory with a painful reminiscence.

  De Lorche began to question him:

  "Sir, you called that beautiful girl the devil's daughter; why did youcall her that?"

  Danveld began to relate the story of Zlotorja: how during the restorationof the castle, they captured the prince with the court, and how duringthat fight Jurandowna's mother died; how since that time Jurand avengedhimself on all the Knights of the Cross. Danveld's hatred was apparentduring the narration, because he also had some personal reasons forhating Jurand. Two years before, during an encounter, he met Jurand; butthe mere sight of that dreadful "Boar of Spychow" so terrified him forthe first time in his life that he deserted two of his relatives and hisretinue, and fled to Szczytno. For this cowardly act the grand marshal ofthe Order brought a knightly suit against him; he swore that his horsehad become unmanageable and had carried him away from the battlefield;but that incident shut his way to all higher positions in the Order. Ofcourse Danveld did not say anything to Sir de Lorche about thatoccurrence, but instead he complained so bitterly about Jurand'satrocities and the audacity of the whole Polish nation, that theLotaringer could not comprehend all he was saying, and said:

  "But we are in the country of the Mazurs and not of the Polaks."

  "It is an independent principality but the same nation," answered the_starosta_; "they feel the same hatred against the Order. May God permitthe German swords to exterminate all this race!"

  "You are right, sir; I never heard even among the heathen of such anunlawful deed, as the building of a castle on somebody else's land, asthis prince tried to do," said de Lorche.

  "He built the castle against us, but Zlotorja is situated on his land,not on ours."

  "Then glory be to Christ that he granted you the victory! What was theresult of the war?"

  "There was no war then?"

  "What was the meaning of your victory at Zlotorja?"

  "God favored us; the prince had no army with him, only his court and thewomen."

  Here de Lorche looked at the Knight of the Cross with amazement.

  "What? During the time of peace you attacked the women and the prince,who was building a castle on his own land?"

/>   "For the glory of the Order and of Christendom."

  "And that dreadful knight is seeking vengeance only for the death of hisyoung wife, killed by you during the time of peace?"

  "Whosoever raises his hand against a Knight of the Cross, is a son ofdarkness."

  Hearing this, Sir de Lorche became thoughtful; but he did not have timeto answer Danveld, because they arrived at a large, snow-covered glade inthe woods, on which the prince and his courtiers dismounted.