The Knights of the Cross, or, Krzyzacy: Historical Romance
"And they captured her!" suddenly exclaimed Zbyszko. Then he hurried out
of the room, and running to the stables he ordered horses to be saddled
and harnessed to wagons, not knowing well himself why he did so. He only
knew that it was necessary to go to Danusia's assistance--at once--and
as far as Prussia--and there to tear her out of the foe's hands or
perish.
He then returned to the room to tell Jurand that the weapons and horses
would soon be ready. He was sure that Jurand would accompany him. His
heart was burning with rage, pain and sorrow,--but at the same time he
did not lose hope; it seemed to him that he and the formidable knight of
Spychow together would be able to accomplish everything--and that they
were equal to attacking the whole Teutonic force.
In the room, besides Jurand, he met Father Wyszoniek and the princess,
also the prince and de Lorche, as well as the old knight of Dlugolas,
whom the prince, having heard of the affair, summoned also to council on
account of his wisdom and extensive knowledge of the Teutons, who had
kept him for a number of years in slavery.
"It is necessary to set about it prudently, so as not to commit a sin in
blind fury and so lose the girl," said the knight of Dlugolas.
"A complaint must be instantly filed with the master and I will ride
thither, if His Highness will give me a letter to him."
"I will give the letter, and go with it," said the prince. "We will not
allow the child to be lost, so help me God and Holy Cross! The master
dreads war with the Polish king, and he is anxious to win over Semka, my
brother and myself.... They did not capture her at his command--and he
will order her return."
"And if it was by his orders?" inquired Father Wyszoniek.
"Although he is a Teuton, there is more honesty in him than in the
others," replied the prince; "and, as I told you, he would rather
accommodate me than make me angry now. The Jagiellonian power is no
laughter. Hej! They poured hog's grease under our skin as long as they
could, but they did not perceive that if also we Mazurs should assist
Jagiello, then it would be bad...."
But the knight of Dlugolas said, "That is true. The Teutons do nothing
foolishly; therefore, I think that if they have captured the girl, it is
either to disarm Jurand, or to demand a ransom, or to exchange her." Here
he turned to the knight of Spychow:
"Whom have you now among your prisoners of war?"
"Herr von Bergow," replied Jurand.
"Is he important?"
"It seems so."
De Lorche, hearing the name von Bergow, began to inquire about him, and,
having found out, said: "He is a relative of the Duke of Geldryi, a great
benefactor of the Order, and devoted to the Order from his birth."
"Yes," said the knight of Dlugolas, translating his words to those
present. "Von Bergow held high rank in the Order."
"Danveld and von Löve strongly demanded him," remarked the prince.
"Whenever they opened their mouths, they said that von Bergow must be
free. As God is in Heaven they undoubtedly captured the girl, in order to
liberate von Bergow."
"Hence they will return her," said the prince.
"But it would be better to know where she is," replied the knight of
Dlugolas. "But suppose the master asks: 'Whom shall I order to return
her?' what shall we say then?"
"Where is she?" said Jurand, in a hollow voice. "They certainly are not
keeping her on the border, for fear that I might recover her, but they
have taken her somewhere to a far secret hold or to the sea."
But Zbyszko said: "I will find and recover her."
The prince now suddenly burst out with suppressed anger: "Villains
carried her off from my court, disgracing me as well, and this shall not
be forgiven as long as I live. I have had enough of their treacheries!
enough of their assaults! I would rather have wolves for neighbors! But
now the master must punish these lords and return the girl, and send
messengers with apologies to me, otherwise I will send out a call to
arms!"
Here he struck the table with his fist and added:
"Owa! The lord of Plock will follow me, and Witold and King Jagiello's
forces! Following enough! Even a saint would snort away his patience. I
have had enough!"
All were silent, waiting until his anger had quieted down; but Anna
Danuta rejoiced that the prince took Danusia's affair so to heart; she
knew that he was long-suffering, but stubborn also, and when he once
undertook anything he never relinquished it until he attained his object.
Then Father Wyszoniek rose to speak. "There was of old a rule in the
Order," he said, "that no lord was permitted to do anything on his own
responsibility without the permission of the assembly or the master.
Therefore God gave them such extensive territories that they almost
exceed all other earthly powers. But now they know neither obedience,
truth, honesty, nor belief. Nothing but greed and such ravage as if they
were wolves and not human beings. How can they obey the master's commands
or those of the assembly, if they do not even obey God's commandments?
Each one resides in his castle like an independent prince--and one
assists another in doing evil. I shall complain to the master--but they
will deny it. The master will order them to restore the girl, but they
will refuse to do so, or they will say: 'She is not here, because we have
not captured her.' He will command them to take oath and they will do so.
What shall we do then?"
"What to do?" rejoined the knight of Dlugolas. "Let Jurand go to Spychow.
If they did carry her off for ransom, or to exchange her for von Bergow,
then they must and will inform no one but Jurand."
"Those who used to visit the Forest Court captured her," said the priest.
"Then the master will submit them to trial, or order them to give Jurand
the field."
"They must give me the field," exclaimed Zbyszko, "because I challenged
them first!"
And Jurand removed his hands from his face and inquired: "Which of them
were in the Forest Court?"
"There were Danveld, old von Löve, and two brethren, Godfried and
Rotgier," replied the priest.
"They made complaint and wished the prince to order you to release von
Bergow from imprisonment. But the prince, being informed by de Fourcy
that the Germans were the first to attack you, rebuked and dismissed them
without satisfaction."
"Go to Spychow," said the prince, "because they will apply to you there.
They failed to do it till now, because this young knight's follower
crushed Danveld's arm when bearing the challenge to them. Go to Spychow,
and if they apply, inform me. They will send your daughter back in
exchange for von Bergow, but I shall nevertheless take vengeance, because
they disgraced me also by carrying her off from my court."
Here the prince began to get angry again, for the Teutons had entirely
exhausted his patience, and after a moment he added:
"Hej! They blew and blew the fire, but they will end by burning their
mouths."
"They will deny it," repeated the priest Wyszoniek.
"If they once inform Jurand that the girl is with them, then they will
not be able to deny it," somewhat impatiently replied Mikolaj of
Dlugolas. "He believes that they are not keeping her on the border, and
that, as Jurand has justly pointed out, they have carried her to some
distant castle or to the seashore, but if there be proof that they are
the perpetrators, then they will not disclaim it before the master."
But Jurand said in a strange and, at the same time, terrible tone:
"Danveld, von Löve, Godfried and Rotgier."
Mikolaj of Dlugolas also recommended that experienced and shrewd people
be sent to Prussia, to find out whether Jurand's daughter was there, and
if not, whither she had been taken; then the prince took the staff in his
hand and went out to give the necessary orders; the princess again turned
to Jurand to speak encouraging words:
"How are you?" she inquired.
He did not reply for a moment, as if he had not heard the question, but
then he suddenly said:
"As if one had struck me in an old wound."
"But trust in God's mercy; Danusia will come back as soon as you return
von Bergow to them. I would willingly sacrifice my own blood."
The princess hesitated whether to say anything about the marriage now,
but, considering a little, she did not wish to add new worries to
Jurand's already great misfortunes, and at the same time she was seized
with a certain fear. "They will look for her with Zbyszko; may he find an
occasion to tell him," she said to herself, "otherwise he may entirely
lose his mind." She therefore preferred to discuss other matters.
"Do not blame us," she said. "People wearing your livery arrived with a
writing under your seal, informing us that you were ill, that your eyes
were closing, and that you wished to look once more upon your child. How
could we oppose it and not obey a father's command?"
But Jurand embraced her feet. "I do not blame anybody, gracious lady."
"And know also that God will return her to you, because His eye is upon
her. He will send her succor, as He did at the last hunt, when a fierce
wild bull attacked us--and Jesus inspired Zbyszko to defend us. He almost
lost his own life, and was ill for a long time afterward, but he saved
Danusia and me, for which he received a girdle and spurs from the prince.
You see!... God's hand is over her. Surely, the child is to be pitied! I,
myself, am greatly grieved. I thought she would arrive with you, and that
I should see the dear child, but meanwhile" ... and her voice trembled,
tears fell from her eyes, and Jurand's long repressed despair burst out
for a moment, sudden and terrible as a tempest. He took hold of his long
hair, and began to beat his head against the wall, groaning and repeating
in husky tones: "Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!"
But Zbyszko sprang to his side, and shaking him by the shoulders with all
his might, exclaimed:
"We must go! To Spychow!"
CHAPTER IV.
"Whose retinue is this?" inquired Jurand, suddenly starting from musing,
as if from sleep, beyond Radzanow.
"Mine," replied Zbyszko.
"And did all my people perish?"
"I saw them dead in Niedzborz."
"Have you no old comrades?"
Zbyszko made no reply, and they traveled on in silence, but hurriedly,
because they wanted to get to Spychow as quickly as possible, hoping
possibly to meet some Teutonic messengers there. To their good fortune
the frosts set in again, and the highways were firm, so that they could
make haste.
Toward evening Jurand spoke again, and began to inquire about those
brethren of the Order who were at the Forest Court, and Zbyszko narrated
everything--their complaints, their departure, the death of de Fourcy,
his follower's action in crushing Danveld's arm so terribly, and, as he
spoke, one circumstance recurred strikingly to his mind, namely the
presence in the Forest Court of that woman who brought the healing
balsams from Danveld. During the bait, he commenced therefore to inquire
of the Bohemian and Sanderus about her, but neither knew exactly what had
become of her. It seemed to them, that she had left either in company
with those people, who came for Danusia, or soon after them. It now
occurred to Zbyszko's mind, that this might have been some one sent for
the purpose of warning the people in case Jurand should happen to be at
the court in person. In that case they would not claim to have come from
Spychow, but could have prepared another missive to give to the princess
instead of Jurand's fictitious letter. All this had been arranged with
hellish dexterity, and the young knight, who so far had known the Teutons
only from the battlefield, thought for the first time, that the fist was
not sufficient for them, but that they must be overcome with the head as