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

  CHAPTER II.

  Princess Anna was not much surprised at the arrival of Jurand of Spychow.It used to happen, that during the continual attacks and fights withneighboring German knights, a sudden longing for Danusia seized him. Thenhe would appear unexpectedly in Warszawa, in Ciechanow, or whereverPrince Janusz's court was situated for the time being.

  Every time he saw the child, his grief burst forth anew because Danusialooked like her mother. The people thought that his iron heart filledwith feelings of vengeance, would become softer through such grief. Theprincess often tried to persuade him to abandon his bloody Spychow, andremain at the court near Danusia. The prince himself, appreciating hisbravery and importance, and at the same time wishing to spare him thefatigue inevitable in the quarrels on the frontier, offered him theoffice of sword bearer. It was always in vain. The sight of Danusiaopened the old wounds in his heart. After a few days he always lost hisappetite, could not sleep, and became silent. Evidently his heart beganto bleed, and finally he would disappear from the court and returned tothe marshes of Spychow, in order to drown in blood his grief and anger.Then the people used to say: "Woe to the Germans! It is true they are notsheep; but they are sheep to Jurand, because he is a wolf to them." Infact, after a time, the news would spread about the volunteers who, goingto join the Knights of the Cross, were captured on their journey; aboutburned towns, and captured peasants; or about deadly fights from whichthe terrible Jurand always emerged victorious. On account of therapacious disposition of the Mazurs and of the German knights who wereholding the land and the strongholds from the Order, even during thegreatest peace between the prince of Mazowsze and the Order, continualfighting was going on near the frontier. Even when cutting wood in theforests or harvesting in the fields, the inhabitants used to carry theirarms. The people living there felt no certainty for the morrow; were incontinual readiness for war, and were hard-hearted. Nobody was satisfiedwith defence only; but for pillage repaid with pillage; forconflagration, with conflagration; for invasion, with invasion. It oftenhappened that while the Germans were stealing through the forest, toattack some stronghold and to seize the peasants or the cattle, at thesame time, the Mazurs were doing the same. Sometimes they met, then theyfought; but often only the leaders challenged each other for a deadlyfight, after which the conqueror took the retinue of his defeatedadversary. Therefore, when complaints were received at the Warsaviancourt about Jurand, the prince used to reply with complaints about theattacks made by the Germans. Thus both sides asked for justice, butneither was willing to grant it; all robberies, conflagrations andinvasions went unpunished.

  But Jurand dwelling in Spychow, surrounded by marshes overgrown withrushes, and being filled with an unquenchable desire for vengeance, wasso dreaded by his German neighbors, that finally their fear becamegreater than their courage. The lands bordering upon Spychow, were lyingfallow; the forests were overgrown with wild hops and the meadows withreeds. Several German knights tried to settle in the neighborhood ofSpychow; but everyone of them after a time, preferred to abandon hisestate held in fief, his herds and his peasants, rather than live nearthis implacable man. Very often the knights planned a common expeditionagainst Spychow; but everyone ended in defeat. They tried differentmeans. One time they brought from the province of Mein, a knight notedfor his strength and cruelty, and who had always been victorious in allfights. He challenged Jurand. But as soon as they entered the lists, theGerman was so frightened at the sight of the dreadful Mazur, that hewheeled his horse intending to flee; Jurand pierced his defenceless backwith a spear, and in that way dishonored him forever. After that stillgreater fear filled the neighbors, and if a German perceived even fromafar Spychowian smoke, he immediately crossed himself and began to prayto his patron in heaven. It was generally believed that Jurand had soldhis soul to the evil one for the sake of vengeance.

  The people told dreadful tales about Spychow: they said that the pathleading to it through the quaggy marshes which were overgrown with duckweed and had bottomless depths, was so narrow that two men on horsebackcould not ride abreast; that on each side there were many Germans' bones,and that during the night, the heads of drowned men were seen walking onspiders' legs, howling and drawing travelers on horses into the depths.They also said that the gate in the _grodek_ was ornamented withskeletons. These stories were not true. But in the barred pits dug underthe house in Spychow, there were always many groaning prisoners; andJurand's name was more dreadful than those tales about the skeletons anddrowned people.

  Zbyszko having learned of Jurand's arrival, hastened to him, but with acertain uneasiness in his heart because he was Danusia's father. Nobodycould forbid him choose Danusia for the lady of his thoughts; butafterward the princess had betrothed them. What will Jurand say to that?Will he consent? What will happen if he refuse his consent? Thesequestions filled his heart with fear, because he now cared for Danusiamore than for anything else in the world. He was only encouraged by thethought that perhaps Jurand would praise him for having attackedLichtenstein, because he had done it to avenge Danusia's mother; and inconsequence had nearly lost his own head.

  In the meantime he began to question the courtier, who had come toAmylej's for him:

  "Where are you conducting me?" asked he; "to the castle?"

  "Yes, to the castle. Jurand is with the princess' court."

  "Tell me, what kind of a man he is, so that I may know how to talk withhim!"

  "What can I tell you! He is a man entirely different from other men. Theysay that he was mirthful before his blood became seared in his heart!"

  "Is he clever?"

  "He is cunning; he robs others but he does not let others rob him. Hej!He has only one eye, because the other was destroyed by the thrust of aGerman crossbow; but with that one, he can look a man through andthrough. He loves no one except the princess, our lady; and he loves herbecause his wife was a lady from her court, and now his daughter is withher."

  Zbyszko breathed.

  "Then you think that he will not oppose the princess' will?"

  "I know what you would like to learn, and therefore I will tell you whatI heard. The princess spoke to him about your betrothment, because itwould not be proper to conceal it from him; but it is not known what hesaid in reply."

  While thus speaking, they arrived at the gate. The captain of thearchers, the same who had conducted Zbyszko to the scaffold, now salutedthem. After having passed the guards, they entered the court-yard andturned to the left toward the part of the castle occupied by theprincess.

  The courtier meeting a servant in the doorway, asked:

  "Where is Jurand of Spychow?"

  "In the '_krzywy_[62] room' with his daughter."

  "It is there," said the courtier, pointing at the door.

  Zbyszko crossed himself, raised the curtain in the doorway, and enteredwith throbbing heart. But he did not perceive Jurand and Danusia at once,because the room was not only "crooked" but dark also. But after a whilehe saw the fair head of the girl, who was sitting on her father's lap.They did not hear him when he entered; therefore e stopped near the door,and finally he said:

  "May He be blessed!"

  "For ages and ages," answered Jurand, rising.

  At that moment Danusia sprang toward the young knight and having seizedhim with both hands, began to scream:

  "Zbyszku! _Tatus_[63] is here!"

  Zbyszko kissed her hands; then he approached Jurand, and said:

  "I came to bow to you; you know who I am."

  And he bent slightly, making a movement with his hands as if he wished toseize Jurand by his knees. But Jurand grasped his hand, turned him towardthe light and began to look at him.

  Zbyszko had already regained his self-possession; therefore he lookedwith curiosity at Jurand. He beheld before him a gigantic man with fallowhair and moustache, with a face pitted with smallpox and one eye ofiron-like color. It seemed to him as if this eye would pierce him, and heagain became confused. Finally, not knowing what to say, but wishing
tosay something to break the embarrassing silence, he asked:

  "Then you are Jurand of Spychow, Danusia's father?"

  But the other only pointed to an oaken bench, standing beside the chairon which he sat himself and continued to look at Zbyszko, who finallybecame impatient, and said:

  "It is not pleasant for me to sit as though I were in a court."

  Then Jurand said:

  "You wanted to fight with Lichtenstein?"

  "Yes!" answered Zbyszko.

  In the eye of the Lord of Spychow shone a strange light and his sternface began to brighten. After awhile he looked at Danusia and asked;

  "And was it for her?"

  "For no other! My uncle told you that I made a vow to her to tear thepeacock tufts from German heads. But now there shall be not only three ofthem, but at least as many as I have fingers on both hands. In that way Iwill help you to avenge the death of Danusia's mother."

  "Woe to them!" answered Jurand.

  Then there was silence again. But Zbyszko, having noticed that by showinghis hatred of the Germans, he would capture Jurand's heart, said:

  "I will not forgive them! They nearly caused my death."

  Here he turned to Danusia and added:

  "She saved me."

  "I know," said Jurand.

  "Are you angry?"

  "Since you made a vow to her, you must serve her, because such is theknightly custom."

  Zbyszko hesitated; but after awhile, he began to say with evidentuneasiness:

  "Do you know that she covered my head with her veil? All the knights andalso the Franciscan who was with me holding the cross, heard her say: 'Heis mine!' Therefore I will be loyal to her until death, so help me God!"

  Having said this, he kneeled, and wishing to show that he was familiarwith the customs of chivalry, he kissed both of Danusia's shoes withgreat reverence. Then he arose and having turned to Jurand, asked him:

  "Have you ever seen another as fair as she?"

  Jurand suddenly put his hands behind his head, and having closed hiseyes, he said loudly:

  "I have seen one other; but the Germans killed her."

  "Then listen," said Zbyszko, enthusiastically; "we have the same wrongand the same vengeance. Those dog-brothers also killed my people fromBogdaniec. You cannot find a better man for your work. It is no new thingfor me! Ask my uncle. I can fight either with spear or axe, short swordor long sword! Did my uncle tell you about those Fryzjans? I willslaughter the Germans for you like sheep; and as for the girl, I vow toyou on my knees that I will fight for her even with the _starosta_ ofhell himself, and that I will give her up neither for lands nor forherds, nor for any other thing! Even if some one offered me a castle withglass windows in it but without her, I would refuse the castle and followher to the end of the world."

  Jurand sat for awhile with his head between his hands; but finally heawakened as from a dream, and said with sadness and grief:

  "I like you, young man, but I cannot give her to you; she is not destinedfor you, my poor boy."

  Zbyszko hearing this, grew dumb and began to look at Jurand withwondering eyes.

  But Danusia came to his help. Zbyszko was dear to her, and she waspleased to be considered not "a bush" but "a grown-up girl." She alsoliked the betrothal and the dainties which the knight used to bring herevery day; therefore when she understood that she was likely to lose allthis, she slipped down from the arm chair and having put her head on herfather's lap, she began to cry:

  "_Tatulu, Tatulu!_"[64] He evidently loved her better than anything else,for he put his hand softly on her head, while from his face disappearedall trace of deadly grudge and anger; only sadness remained.

  In the meantime Zbyszko recovered his composure, and now said:

  "How is it? Do you wish to oppose God's will?"

  To this Jurand replied:

  "If it be God's will, then you will get her; but I cannot give you myconsent. Bah! I would be glad to do it, but I cannot."

  Having said this, he arose, took Danusia in his arms, and went toward thedoor. When Zbyszko tried to detain him, he stopped for a moment and said:

  "I will not be angry with you if you render her knightly services; but donot ask me any questions, because I cannot tell you anything."

  And he went out.