The Knights of the Cross, or, Krzyzacy: Historical Romance
They then quickly separated, and the priest began to overwhelm him with
questions. But Hlawa was unable to catch his breath and replied with
difficulty. The priest thought that his condition was owing to fatigue.
But when the news of the finding of Danusia, her rescue and the presence
of her torturer in Spychow was confirmed by Hlawa, he fell upon his knees
to thank God for it. Meanwhile Hlawa quieted down a little, and when the
priest got up, he was able to repeat his story in a more intelligent and
quiet manner in what way Danusia had been found and how they had rescued
her.
"God did not deliver her," the priest said, whilst listening to his
narrative, "in order that her reason and soul should be restored whilst
she was in the darkness and in the power of the unclean. Let Jurand only
lay his saintly hand upon her, and offer only one of his prayers, and he
will restore her reason and health."
"Knight Jurand?" asked the Bohemian, with astonishment. "Does he possess
so much power? Can he become a saint whilst he is alive?"
"Before God he is considered a saint even whilst he is alive. But when he
dies the people will have one more patron saint in heaven;--a martyr."
"But you said, reverend father,'that if he were only to lay his saintly
hands upon the head of his daughter.' Has his right hand grown again? for
I know you prayed for it."
"I said: 'the hands,' as it is customary to say," replied the priest.
"But one hand is enough, if God will."
"Surely," answered Hlawa.
But in his voice there was something discouraging when he thought that it
appeared like a miracle. Jagienka's entrance interrupted further
conversation.
"Now I have informed him carefully of the news," she said. "To avoid the
death, which sudden joy might cause, but he fell with the cross in his
hands and prayed."
"I am sure that he will be in such a condition till morning, as he is
accustomed to lie prostrate in prayer whole nights," said Father Kaleb.
And so it happened; they called to see him several times and each time
they found him stretched on the ground, not asleep but in such a fervent
prayer that it bordered on perfect ecstasy. Now the watchman, whose duty
it was to watch according to custom over Spychow from the top of the
tower, said afterward that he observed that night an extraordinary
brightness in the house of the "Old lord."
Very early on the following morning when Jagienka called again to see
him, he showed his desire to see Hlawa and the prisoner. The prisoner was
brought before him immediately from the dungeon. He was tightly bound
with his hands crossed upon his chest. All, including Tolima, advanced
toward the old man.
But owing to a dark, cloudy day and the insufficient light of a
threatening tempest, which penetrated the bladder panes, the Bohemian was
unable to see Jurand well. But as soon as his keen eyes grew accustomed
to the darkness and looked upon him, he scarcely recognized him. The
gigantic man had dwindled to a giant skeleton. His face was so white that
it did not much differ from his snow-white hair, and when he bowed on the
arm of his chair, with his eyelids closed, he appeared to Hlawa like a
real corpse.
In front of the chair stood a table; upon it were a crucifix, a pitcher
of water, and a loaf of black bread in which stuck the _misericordia_,
that terrible knife which the knights made use of in dispatching the
wounded. Besides bread and water, Jurand enjoyed no other nourishment.
His only garment consisted of coarse sackcloth upon his naked body
fastened with a straw girdle. Such was the manner of living of that once
powerful and terrible knight of Spychow, since his return from his
captivity in Szczytno.
Now, when he heard them arrive, he kicked aside the tame she-wolf which
gnawed at his bare feet, It was then that Jurand appeared to the Bohemian
like a real corpse. There was suspense for a moment, because they
expected some sign from him ordering them to talk: but he sat motionless,
pale, and peaceful; his mouth, a little opened, had the real appearance
of one who is plunged in the everlasting sleep of death.
Jagienka finally announced that Hlawa was there, and gently enquired:
"Do you wish to hear him?"
Old Jurand nodded his head affirmatively, and the Bohemian began, for the
third time, to narrate briefly the story of the battles with the Germans
near Gotteswerder. He told him of the fight with Arnold von Baden and how
they had rescued Danusia. Not wishing to add new pains to the sufferings
of the old martyr and destroy the effect produced by the good news of
Danusia's rescue, he purposely avoided relating that her mind suffered
for a long time on account of terrible distress. But, on the other hand,
as his heart was filled with rancor against the Knights of the Cross, and
thirsting to see Zygfried receive his deserved terrible chastisement, he
purposely mentioned the fact that when they found her she was terrified,
emaciated and sick, and it was evident that they must have treated her as
executioners do, and had she remained longer in their terrible hands she
would have withered and perished as a little flower withers and perishes
when trodden under foot.
Whilst Hlawa recited the news, the sky was overcast and the clouds grew
darker, which showed the approach of a storm. The copper-colored masses
of clouds which hung over Spychow rolled more heavily upon one another.
Jurand was motionless and listened to the recital without any trembling,
so that he appeared to be in deep sleep. Nevertheless, he heard and
understood everything, for when Hlawa told the story of Danusia's woes,
two large drops of tears rolled down his cheeks from the hollows of his
eyes. Only one earthly feeling still remained in his breast, and that was
love for his child.
Then his blue lips began to move in prayer. The first distant
thunderclaps were heard outside. Now and then lightning illuminated the
windows. He prayed long, and again the tears trickled down upon his white
beard. When he finally ceased to pray, long silence reigned, which was so
much prolonged as to cause uneasiness to those present because they did
not know what to do.
Finally, old Tolima, who was Jurand's right hand, his companion in all
battles, and the chief guard of Spychow, said:
"That man of Hades, that werewolf Knight of the Cross who tortured you
and your child stands now before you. Give a sign what shall be done to
him, and in what manner we shall chastise him!"
Upon hearing these words, rays of light crossed Jurand's face and he
nodded to them to bring the prisoner near him. And in the twinkling of an
eye, two men grasped him by the shoulders and placed him in front of the
old man, who stretched out his hand to Zygfried's face, which he touched
as though to feel the outlines and recognize it for the last time. Then
he lowered his hand to Zygfried's chest upon which he felt his bound
hands, touched the fastening ropes, again closed his eyelids and bowed
his head.
They thought that he was absorbed in thought, but whether that was so or
not, it was not of long duration, because after a while he started out of
his reverie and pointed with his hand in the direction of the loaf of
bread, in which the ill-omened _misericordia_ stuck.
Then, Jagienka, the Bohemian, even old Tolima and all present held their
breath. It was a hundredfold well-deserved punishment, a righteous
revenge. Yet their hearts palpitated at the thought that the half-alive
old man should be groping to slash the bound prisoner.
But Jurand, seizing the knife in the middle, ran his finger along its
sharp edge, so that he might feel the thing he was cutting, and began to
sever the bonds upon Zygfried's arms.
At that sight, all were seized with amazement, because they understood
his desire and could scarcely believe it. However, that was too much for
them. Hlawa was the first to murmur; he was followed by Tolima and the
other men. Only the priest Kaleb began to ask, in a voice broken with
unrestrained weeping:
"Brother Jurand, what are your wishes? Do you intend to give the prisoner
his liberty?"
"It is so!" replied Jurand, nodding his head affirmatively.
"No punishment for him, nor vengeance? Is that your desire?"
"It is!" and he nodded again.
Open discontent was shown in the murmurs and anger of the men, but the
priest did not wish to belittle such an unheard-of deed of mercy. He
turned to the murmurers and exclaimed:
"Now who dares to oppose the saint? Down upon your knees!"
Then he knelt down himself and began to say:
"Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom
come...."
And he repeated the Lord's Prayer to the end. At the words: "And forgive
us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us," he
directed his eyes involuntarily toward Jurand, whose face actually
assumed an unearthly radiance.
That sight, and that expressive prayer crushed the hearts of all present;
even old Tolima, the confirmed, hardened warrior, made the sign of the
Holy Cross, and immediately embraced Jurand's feet and said:
"Lord, if you want your wishes to be accomplished, then the prisoner
should be led to the frontier."
"Yes!" nodded Jurand.
The storm approached nearer and nearer and the lightning more frequently
illuminated the windows.
CHAPTER IV.
Two horsemen, in the midst of the storm and pouring rain, reached the
frontier of Spychow. They were Zygfried and Tolima. The last mentioned
accompanied the German to protect him from the waylaying peasants and the
servants of Spychow, who burned with hatred and revenge toward him.
Zygfried was unarmed, but he was not fettered. The rainstorm, driven by
the tempest, had already overtaken them. Now and then, when it suddenly
thundered, the horses reared. They traveled in deep silence in a ravine.
Owing to the narrowness of the road, they were at times so near that they
struck each other's stirrups. Tolima, who had been accustomed to guard
prisoners for many years, frequently looked at Zygfried watchfully, as
though he were guarding against his escaping suddenly, and an involuntary
shudder seized him every time he looked at Zygfried, because his eyes
appeared to him to be shining in the darkness like the eyes of an evil
spirit, or of a vampire. It struck Tolima that it would be advisable to
make the sign of the cross over Zygfried, but he refrained from doing so,
because, he thought, that under the sign of the cross, he would hear
unearthly voices, and Zygfried would be transformed into a hideous being.
His teeth chattered and his fear increased. The old soldier who could
fight singly against a whole band of Germans and fall fearlessly upon
them, as a hawk swoops upon a flock of partridges, was nevertheless
afraid of unclean spirits, and wanted to have nothing to do with them. He
would have preferred simply to point out to the German the road and
return; but he was ashamed of himself, therefore he led him as far as the
frontier.
It was then, when they had drawn near the border of the Spychow forest,
that the rain ceased, and the clouds were lit up with a strange yellowish
light, that Zygfried's eyes lost that above-mentioned unnatural glare.
But Tolima was seized with another temptation: "They ordered me," he said
to himself, "to lead this mad dog safely as far as the frontier. I have
done that; but must the torturer of my master and his daughter leave
without revenge and punishment? Would it not be a proper and God-pleasing
deed to kill him? Ay! I should like to challenge him to deadly combat,
but he is not armed. Very soon at _Pan_ Warcimow's farm, about a mile
from here, they will supply him with some weapon, and then I will
challenge him. With God's help I shall overthrow him, then kill him, and