The Knights of the Cross, or, Krzyzacy: Historical Romance
"Then we will deny them and the letter. Who can prove that we sent them?
And then if there be no outrage, there will be no outcry, and it will not
harm the Order, if Mazury cut several scoundrels into pieces."
Brother Godfried, the youngest of the monks, said:
"I do not understand your policy, nor your fear that it may be known that
the girl was carried off by our command. Because if we have her in our
possession, we will be obliged to send some one to Jurand to tell him:
'Your daughter is with us; if you wish her to be set at liberty, give von
Bergow and yourself in exchange for her.' You cannot do otherwise, and
then it will be known that we ordered the girl to be carried off."
"That is true!" said Sir de Fourcy, who did not like the whole affair.
"Why should we hide that which must come out?"
But Hugo von Danveld began to laugh, and turning to Brother Godfried,
asked:
"How long have you worn the white mantle?"
"It will be six years the first week after the day of the Holy Trinity."
"When you have worn it six years longer, you will understand the affairs
of the Order better. Jurand knows us better than you do. We will tell
him: 'Your daughter is watched by Brother Shomberg; if you say a word,
remember what happened to Witold's children!'"
"And then?"
"Then von Bergow will be free and the Order also will be free from
Jurand."
"No!" exclaimed Brother Rotgier; "everything is planned so cleverly that
God ought to bless our enterprise."
"God blesses all deeds whose purpose is the good of the Order," said the
gloomy Zygfried von Löve.
Then they rode silently, and before them went their retinue, to open the
way, because the road was covered with a heavy snow, which had fallen
during the night. The day was cloudy, but warm; therefore the horses were
steaming. From the forest flocks of crows were flying toward the
villages, filling the air with their gloomy cawing.
Sir de Fourcy remained a little bit behind the Knights of the Cross and
rode along in deep thought. He had been the guest of the Order for
several years, and had participated in the expeditions against the Zmudz,
where he distinguished himself by great bravery. Everywhere he had been
received as the Knights of the Cross knew how to receive the knights from
remote countries; he became attached to them very strongly, and not being
rich, he planned to join their ranks. In the meanwhile he either lived in
Marienburg, or visited the commanderies, searching in his travels for
distractions and adventures. Having just arrived at Lubowa with the rich
von Bergow, and having heard about Jnrand, he desired very much to fight
with the man who was regarded with general dread. The arrival of
Meineger, who was always victorious, precipitated the expedition. The
_comthur_ of Lubowa furnished the men for it, but in the meanwhile he
told them so much not only about Jurand's cruelty, but also about his
cunning and treachery, that when Juvand asked them to send away the
soldiers, they refused to do it, fearing that if they did, he would
surround and exterminate them or else capture and put them into the
Spychowski dungeons. Then Jurand thinking that they cared less about a
knightly fight than about plunder, attacked them and defeated them. De
Fourcy saw von Bergow overthrown with his horse; he saw Meineger with a
piece of a spear in his body, and he saw the men asking in vain for
mercy. He escaped with great difficulty, and wandered for several days in
the forests, where he would have died of hunger or been destroyed by wild
beasts, if by chance he had not reached Ciechanow, where he found
Brothers Godfried and Rotgier. From the expedition he emerged with a
feeling of humiliation and shame, and with a desire for vengeance and a
longing after Bergow, who was his dear friend. Therefore he joined with
his whole soul in the complaint of the Knights of the Cross, when they
asked for the punishment of the Polish knight and the freedom of his
unhappy companion. When their complaint had no effect whatever, in the
first moment he was ready to approve of any plan for vengeance against
Jurand. But now some scruples were aroused in him. Listening to the
conversation of the monks, and especially to what Hugo von Danveld said,
he could not refrain from astonishment. It is true, that having become
well acquainted during the past few years with the Knights of the Cross,
he knew that they were not what they were represented to be in Germany
and in the West. In Marienburg, he knew, however, a few honest and
upright knights who often complained of the corruption of the brothers,
of their lasciviousness and lack of discipline; de Fourcy felt that they
were right, but being himself dissolute and lacking in discipline, he did
not criticise them for those faults, especially because all knights of
the Order redeemed them with bravery. He had seen them at Wilno, fighting
breast to breast with the Polish knights; at the taking of castles,
defended with superhuman stubbornness by Polish garrisons; he had seen
them perishing under the blows of axes and swords, in general assaults or
in single combats. They were merciless and cruel toward the Litwa, but at
the same time, they were as brave as lions.
But now it seemed to Sir de Fourcy, that Hugo von Danveld advised such
actions from which every knight's soul should recoil; and the other
brothers not only were not angry with him, but approved of his words.
Therefore astonishment seized him more and more; finally he became deeply
thoughtful, pondering whether it was proper to join in the performance of
such deeds.
If it were only a question of carrying off the girl and then exchanging
her for Bergow, he would perhaps consent to that, although his heart had
been moved by Danusia's beauty. But evidently the Knights of the Cross
wished for something else. Through her they wished to capture Jurand, and
then murder him, and together with him,--in order to hide the fraud and
the crime--must assuredly murder the girl also.
They had threatened her already with the same fate that Witold's children
met, in case Jurand should dare to complain. "They do not intend to keep
any promise, but to cheat both and kill both," said de Fourcy, to
himself, "although they wear the cross, and ought to guard their honor
more than anybody else."
He became more and more indignant at such effrontery, and he determined
to verify his suspicions; therefore he rode near Danveld and asked:
"If Jurand give himself up to you, will you set the girl at liberty?"
"If we let her go free, the whole world would immediately say that we had
captured both of them," answered Danveld.
"Then, what do you propose to do with her?"
At this Danveld bent toward the knight, and laughing, showed his rotten
teeth from beneath his thick lips.
"Do you mean what will be done with her, before or after?"
But Fourcy, surmising already that which he wished to know, became
silent; for a while he seemed to struggle with himself; then he raised
himself in his stirrups and said so loudly that he could be heard by all
four of the monks:
"The pious brother, Ulrych von Jungingen, who is an example and an
ornament of knighthood, said to me: 'Among the old knights in Marienburg,
one can still find worthy Knights of the Cross; but those who control the
commanderies near the frontier, only bring shame upon the Order.'"
"We are all sinful, but we serve the Saviour," answered Hugo.
"Where is your knightly honor? One cannot serve the Saviour by shameful
deeds. You must know that I will not put my hand to anything like that,
and that I also will prevent you."
"What will you prevent?"
"The artifice, the treachery, the shame!"
"How can you do it? In the fight with Jurand, you lost your retinue and
wagons. You are obliged to live on the generosity of the Order, and you
will die from hunger if we do not throw you a piece of bread; and then,
you are alone, we are four--how could you prevent us?"
"How can I prevent you?" repeated de Fourcy. "I can return to the mansion
and warn the prince; I can divulge your plans to the whole world."
Here the brothers of the Order looked at one another, and their faces
changed in the twinkling of an eye. Hugo von Danveld, especially, looked
questioningly into Zygfried von Löve's eyes; then he turned to Sir de
Fourcy:
"Your ancestors," said he, "used to serve in the Order, and you wished to
join it also; but we do not receive traitors."
"And I do not wish to serve with traitors."
"Ej! you shall not fulfill your threat. The Order knows how to punish not
only the monks----"
Sir de Fourcy being excited by these words, drew his sword, and seized
the blade with his left hand; his right hand he put on the hilt and said:
"On this hilt which is in the form of the cross, on St. Denis, my
patron's head, and on my knightly honor, I swear that I will warn the
Mazowiecki prince and the grand master."
Hugo von Danveld again looked inquiringly at Zygfried von Löve, who
closed his eyelids, as if consenting to something.
Then Danveld said in a strangely muffled and changed voice:
"St. Denis could carry his head after he was beheaded, but when yours
once falls down----"
"Are you threatening me?" interrupted de Fourcy.
"No, but I kill!" answered Danveld. And he thrust his knife into de
Fourcy's side with such strength, that the blade disappeared up to the
hilt. De Fourcy screamed dreadfully; for a while he tried to seize his
sword which he held in his left hand, with his right, but he dropped it;
at the same time, the other three brothers began to pierce him
mercilessly with their knives, in the neck, in the back, and in the
stomach, until he fell from his horse.
Then there was silence. De Fourcy bleeding dreadfully from several
wounds, quivered on the snow. From beneath the leaden sky, there came
only the cawing of the crows, which were flying from the silent
wilderness, toward human habitations.
Then there began a hurried conversation between the murderers:
"Our servants did not see anything!" said Danveld, panting.
"No. The retinues are in front; we cannot see them," answered von Löve.
"Listen: we will have cause for a new complaint. We will publish the
statement that the Mazowiecki knights fell upon us and killed our
companion. We will shout aloud--they will hear us in Marienburg--that the
prince sent murderers even after his guests. Listen! we must say that
Janusz did not wish to listen to our complaints against Jurand, but that
he ordered the accuser to be murdered."
In the meanwhile, de Fourcy turned in the last convulsion on his back and
then remained motionless, with a bloody froth on his lips and with dread
pictured in his widely-opened dead eyes. Brother Rotgier looked at him
and said:
"Notice, pious brothers, how God punishes even the thought of treachery."
"What we have done, was done for the good of the Order," answered
Godfried. "Glory to those----"
But he stopped, because at that moment, behind them, at the turn of the
snowy road, there appeared a horseman, who rushed forward as fast as his
horse could go. Having perceived him, Hugo von Danveld quickly exclaimed:
"Whoever this man is--he must die." And von Löve, who although the oldest
among the brothers, had very keen eyesight, said:
"I recognize him; it is that shield-bearer who killed the bison with an
axe. Yes; it is he!"
"Hide your knives, so that he may not become frightened," said Danveld.
"I will attack him first, you shall follow me."
In the meanwhile, the Bohemian arrived and reined in his horse at a
distance of eight or ten steps. He noticed the corpse lying in the pool
of blood, the horse without a rider, and astonishment appeared on his
face; but it lasted only for the twinkling of an eye. After a while, he