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

  CHAPTER VII.

  During this time Zbyszko was entirely forgotten. Who in the time of suchsorrow and misfortune, could remember about the noble lad or about hisimprisonment in the tower of the castle? Zbyszko had heard, however, fromthe guards, about the queen's illness. He had heard the noise of thepeople around the castle; when he heard their weeping and the tolling ofthe bells, he threw himself on his knees, and having forgotten about hisown lot, began to mourn the death of the worshipped lady. It seemed tohim, that with her, something died within him and that after her death,there was nothing worth living for in this world.

  The echo of the funeral--the church bells, the processional songs and thelamenting of the crowd,--was heard for several weeks. During that time,he grew gloomier, lost his appetite, could not sleep and walked in hisunderground cell like a wild beast in a cage. He suffered in solitude;there were often days during which the jailer did not bring him food norwater. So much was everybody engaged with the queen's funeral, that afterher death nobody came to see him: neither the princess, nor Danusia, norPowala of Taczew, nor the merchant Amylej. Zbyszko thought withbitterness, that as soon as Macko left the city, everybody forgot abouthim. Sometimes he thought that perhaps the law would forget about himalso, and that he would putrefy in the prison till death. Then he prayedfor death.

  Finally, when after the queen's funeral one month passed, and the secondcommenced, he began to doubt if Macko would ever return. Macko hadpromised to ride quickly and not to spare his horse. Marienburg was notat the other end of the world. One could reach it and return in twelveweeks, especially if one were in haste. "But perhaps he has not hurried!"thought Zbyszko, bitterly; "perhaps he has found some woman whom he willgladly conduct to Bogdaniec, and beget his own progeny while I must waithere centuries for God's mercy."

  Finally he lost all trace of time, and ceased altogether to talk with thejailer. Only by the spider web thickly covering the iron grating of thewindow, did he know that fall was near at hand. Whole hours he sat on hisbed, his elbows resting on his knees, his fingers in his long hair. Halfdreaming and stiff, he did not raise his head even when the wardenbringing him food, spoke to him. But at last one day the bolts of thedoor creaked, and a familiar voice called him from the threshold;

  "Zbyszku!"

  "Uncle!" exclaimed Zbyszko, rushing from the bed.

  Macko seized him in his arms, and began to kiss his fair head. Grief,bitterness and loneliness had so filled the heart of the youth, that hebegan to cry on his uncle's breast like a little child.

  "I thought you would never come back," said he, sobbing.

  "That came near being true," answered Macko.

  Now Zbyszko raised his head and having looked at him, exclaimed:

  "What was the matter with you?"

  He looked with amazement at the emaciated and pallid face of the oldwarrior, at his bent figure and his gray hair.

  "What was the matter with you?" he repeated.

  Macko sat on the bed and for a while breathed heavily.

  "What was the matter?" said he, finally.

  "Hardly had I passed the frontier, before the Germans whom I met in theforest, wounded me with a crossbow. _Raubritters!_ You know! I cannotbreathe! God sent me help, otherwise you would not see me here."

  "Who rescued you?"

  "Jurand of Spychow," answered Macko.

  There was a moment of silence.

  "They attacked me; but half a day later he attacked them and hardly halfof them escaped. He took me with him to the _grodek_ and then to Spychow.I fought with death for three weeks. God did not let me die and althoughI am not well yet, I have returned."

  "Then you have not been in Malborg?"

  "On what would I ride? They robbed me of everything and they took theletter with the other things. I returned to ask Princess Ziemowitowa foranother; but I have not met her yet, and whether I will see her or not, Ido not know. I must prepare for the other world!"

  Having said this, he spit on the palm of his hand and stretching ittoward Zbyszko, showed him blood on it, saying:

  "Do you see?"

  After a while he added:

  "It must be God's will."

  They were both silent for a time under the burden of their gloomythoughts; then Zbyszko said:

  "Then you spit blood continually?"

  "How can I help it; there is a spear head half a span long between myribs. You would spit also! I was a little better before I left Jurand ofSpychow; but now I am very tired, because the way was long and Ihastened."

  "He; I why did you hasten?"

  "Because I wished to see Princess Alexandra and get another letter fromher. Jurand of Spychow said 'Go and bring the letter to Spychow. I have afew Germans imprisoned here. I will free one of them if he promise uponhis knightly word to carry the letter to the gland master.' For vengeancefor his wife's death, he always keeps several German captives and listensjoyfully when they moan and their chains rattle. He is a man full ofhatred. Understand?"

  "I understand. But I wonder that you did not recover the lost letter, ifJurand captured those who attacked you."

  "He did not capture all of them. Five or six escaped. Such is our lot!"

  "How did they attack you? From ambush?"

  "From behind such thick bushes that one could see nothing. I was ridingwithout armor, because the merchants told me that the country was safe,and it was warm."

  "Who was at the head of the robbers? A Krzyzak?"

  "Not a friar, but a German. Chelminczyk of Lentz, famous for hisrobberies on the highway."

  "What became of him?"

  "Jurand chained him. But he has in his dungeons two noblemen, Mazurs,whom he wishes to exchange for himself."

  There was a moment of silence.

  "Dear Jesus," Zbyszko said, finally; "Lichtenstein is alive, and alsothat robber from Lentz; but we must perish without vengeance. They willbehead me and you will not be able to live through the winter."

  "Bah! I will not live even until winter. If I could only help you in someway to escape."

  "Have you seen anybody here?"

  "I went to see the castellan of Krakow. When I learned that Lichtensteinhad departed, I thought perhaps the castellan would be less severe."

  "Then Lichtenstein went away?"

  "Immediately after the queen's death, he went to Marienburg. I went tosee the castellan; but he answered me thus: 'They will execute yournephew, not to please Lichtenstein, but because that is his sentence. Itwill make no difference whether Lichtenstein be here or not. Even if hedie, nothing will be changed; the law is according to justice and notlike a jacket, which you can turn inside out. The king can show clemency;but no one else.'"

  "And where is the king?"

  "After the funeral he went to Rus'."

  "Well, then there is no hope at all."

  "No." The castellan said still further: "I pity him, because the PrincessAnna begs for his pardon, but I cannot, I cannot!"

  "Then Princess Anna is still here?"

  "May God reward her! She is a good lady. She is still here, becauseJurandowna is sick, and the princess loves her as her own child."

  "For God's sake! Then Danusia is sick! What is the matter with her?"

  "I don't know! The princess says that somebody has thrown a spell overher."

  "I am sure it is Lichtenstein! Nobody else,--only Lichtenstein--adog-brother!"

  "It may be he. But what can you do to him? Nothing!"

  "That is why they all seemed to have forgotten me here; she was sick."

  Having said this, Zbyszko began to walk up and down the room; finally heseized Macko's hand, kissed it, and said:

  "May God reward you for everything! If you die, I will be the cause ofyour death. Before you get any worse, you must do one thing more. Go tothe castellan and beg him to release me, on my knightly word, for twelveweeks. After that time I will return, and they may behead me. But it mustnot be that we both die without vengeance. You know! I will go toMarienburg, and immediately send
a challenge to Lichtenstein. It cannotbe otherwise. One of us must die!"

  Macko began to rub his forehead.

  "I will go; but will the castellan permit?"

  "I will give my knightly word. For twelve weeks--I do not need more."

  "No use to talk; twelve weeks! And if you are wounded, you cannot return;what will they think then?"

  "I will return if I have to crawl. But don't be afraid! In the meanwhilethe king may return and one will be able to beseech him for clemency."

  "That is true," answered Macko.

  But after awhile he added:

  "The castellan also told me this: 'On account of the queen's death, weforgot about your nephew; but now his sentence must be executed.'"

  "Ej, he will permit," answered Zbyszko, hopefully. "He knows that anobleman will keep his word, and it is just the same to him, whether theybehead me now, or after St. Michael's day."

  "Ha! I will go to-day."

  "You better go to Amylej to-day, and rest awhile. He will bandage yourwound, and to-morrow you can go to the castellan."

  "Well, with God then!"

  "With God!"

  They hugged each other and Macko turned toward the door; but he stoppedon the threshold and frowned as if he remembered something unpleasant.

  "Bah, but you do not yet wear the girdle of a knight; Lichtenstein willtell you that he will not fight with you; what can you do then?"

  Zbyszko was filled with sorrow, but only for a moment, then he said:

  "How is it during war? Is it necessary that a knight choose onlyknights?"

  "War is war; a single combat is quite different."

  "True, but wait. You must find some way. Well, there is a way! PrinceJanusz will dub me a knight. If the princess and Danusia ask him, he willdo it. In the meantime I will fight in Mazowsze with the son of Mikolajof Dlugolas."

  "What for?"

  "Because Mikolaj, the same who is with the princess and whom they callObuch, called Danusia, 'bush.'"

  Macko looked at him in amazement. Zbyszko, wishing to explain betterabout what had occurred, said further:

  "I cannot forgive that, but I cannot fight with Mikolaj, because he mustbe nearly eighty years old."

  To this Macko said:

  "Listen! It is a pity that you should lose your head; but there will notbe a great loss of brains, because you are stupid like a goat."

  "Why are you angry?"

  Macko did not answer, but started to leave. Zbyszko sprang toward him andsaid:

  "How is Danusia? Is she well yet? Don't be angry for a trifle. You havebeen absent so long!"

  Again he bent toward the old man who shrugged his shoulders and saidmildly:

  "Jurandowna is well, only they will not let her go out of her room yet.Good-bye!"

  Zbyszko remained alone, but he felt as if he had been regenerated. Herejoiced to think that he might be allowed to live three months more. Hecould go to remote lands; he could find Lichtenstein, and engage indeadly combat with him. Even the thought about that filled him with joy.He would be fortunate, to be able to ride a horse, even for twelve weeks;to be able to fight and not perish without vengeance. And then--lethappen what would happen--it would be a long time anyhow! The king mightreturn and forgive him. War might break out, and the castellan himselfwhen he saw the victor of the proud Lichtenstein, might say: "Go now intothe woods and the fields!"

  Therefore a great hope entered his heart. He did not think that theywould refuse to grant him those three months. He thought that perhapsthey would grant hem more. The old _Pan_ of Tenczyn would never admitthat a nobleman could not keep his word.

  Therefore when Macko came to the prison, the next day toward evening,Zbyszko, who could hardly sit quiet, sprang toward him and asked:

  "Granted?"

  Macko sat on the truckle-bed, because he could not stand on account ofhis feebleness; for a while he breathed heavily and finally said:

  "The castellan said: 'If you wish to divide your land, or attend to yourhousehold, then I will release your nephew for a week or two on hisknightly word, but for no longer.'"

  Zbyszko was so much surprised, that for a while he could not say a word.

  "For two weeks?" asked he, finally. "But I could not even reach thefrontier in two weeks! How is it? You did not tell the castellan why Iwished to go to Marienburg?"

  "Not only I, but the Princess Anna begged for you."

  "And what then?"

  "What? The old man told her that he did not want your head, and that hepitied you. 'If I could find,' said he, 'some law in his favor, or only apretext, I would release him altogether; but I cannot. There would be noorder in a country in which the people shut their eyes to the law, andacted according to friendship; I will not do it; even if it wereToporczyk, who is a relative of mine, or even my own brother, I wouldnot. Such hard people are here!' And he said still further; 'We do notcare about the Knights of the Cross; but we cannot bring reproach onourselves. What would they think of us, and all our guests, coming fromall parts of the world, if I release a nobleman sentenced to death, inorder to give him a chance to fight? Would they believe that he will bepunished, and that there is some law in our country? I prefer to orderone head cut off, than to bring contempt on the king and the kingdom.'The princess told him that that was strange justice, from which even aking's relative could not obtain anything by her prayer; but the old mananswered: 'The king may use clemency; but he will not toleratelawlessness.' Then they began to quarrel because the princess grew veryangry: 'Then,' said she, 'don't keep him in the prison!' And thecastellan replied to this: 'Very well! To-morrow I will order a scaffoldbuilt on the market square.' Then they departed. Only the Lord Jesus canhelp you."

  There was a long moment of silence.

  "What?" he said, gloomily. "Then it will be immediately?"

  "In two or three days. There is no help. I have done what I could. I fellat the castellan's knees; I implored him for mercy, but he repeated:'Find a law, or a pretext.' But what can I find? I went to see the_ksiondz_ Stanislaw of Skarbimierz, and I begged him to come to you. Atleast you will have this honor, that the same priest who heard thequeen's confession will hear yours. But I did not find him home; he hadgone to Princess Anna."

  "Perhaps for Danusia!"

  "Not at all. The girl is better. I will go see him to-morrow early in themorning. They say that if he bears one's confession, salvation is as sureas if you had it in your pocket."

  Zbyszko put his elbows on his knees and dropped his head so that his haircovered his face entirely. The old man looked at him a long time andfinally began to call him softly:

  "Zbyszku! Zbyszku!"

  The boy raised his head. His face had an expression of anger and of coldhatred, but not of weakness.

  "What?"

  "Listen carefully; perhaps I have found a way of escape."

  Having said this, he approached and began to whisper:

  "Have your heard about Prince Witold, who at one time, being imprisonedby our king in Krewo, went out from the prison disguised in a woman'sdress. There is no woman who will remain here instead of you, but take my_kubrak_.[57] Take my cowl and go--understand? They will not notice. Itis dark behind the door. They will not flash a light into your eyes. Theysaw me yesterday going out; but they did not look at me closely. Be quietand listen. They will find me here to-morrow--and what then? Will theycut my head off? That will be no satisfaction, because I will die anyhowin three or four weeks. And you, as soon as you are out of here, tohorse, and go straight to Prince Witold. You will present yourself tohim; you will bow before him; he will receive you and you will be as safewith him as if you were sitting at God's right hand. They say here thatthe _kniaz_'s armies have been defeated by the Tartars, because the latequeen prophesied defeat. If it be true, the _kniaz_ will need soldiersand he will welcome you. You must remain with him, because there is nobetter service in the world. If our king were defeated in a war, it wouldbe his end; but there is such an amount of shrewdness in _Kniaz_ Witold,tha
t after a defeat he grows still more powerful. And he is liberal also,and he loves our family. Tell him everything that happened. Tell him thatyou wanted to go with him against the Tartars; but you could not becauseyou were imprisoned in the tower. If God permit, he will give you someland and peasants; he will dub you a knight and he will intercede for youwith the king. He is a good protector--you will see!--What?"

  Zbyszko listened silently, and Macko, as if he was excited by his ownwords, spoke further:

  "You must not perish young, but return to Bogdaniec. And when you return,you must immediately take a wife so that our family does not perish. Onlywhen you have children, may you challenge Lichtenstein to fight untildeath; but before that, you must abstain from seeking vengeance. Take my_kubrak_ now, take my cowl and go, in God's name."

  Having said this, Macko stood up and began to undress; but Zbyszko arosealso, stopped him and said:

  "I will not do it, so help me God and Holy Cross."

  "Why?" asked Macko, astonished.

  "Because I will not!"

  Macko became pale with anger.

  "I wish you had never been born!"

  "You told the castellan," said Zbyszko, "that you would give your head inexchange for mine."

  "How do you know that?"

  "The _Pan_ of Taczew told me."

  "What of it?"

  "What of it? The castellan told you that disgrace would fall on me and onall my family Would it not be a still greater disgrace, if I escaped fromhere, and left you to the vengeance of the law?"

  "What vengeance? What can the law do to me, when I must die just thesame? Have common sense, for God's mercy!"

  "May God punish me if I abandon you now when you are old and sick. Tfu!shame!"

  There was silence; one could only hear the heavy, hoarse breathing ofMacko, and the archers' calls.

  "Listen," Macko said, finally, in broken tones, "it was not shameful for_Kniaz_ Witold to escape from Krewo; it would not be for you, either."

  "Hej!"' answered Zbyszko, with sadness "You know! _Kniaz_ Witold is agreat _kniaz_; he received a crown from the king's hand, also riches anddominion; but I, a poor nobleman, have only my honor."

  After a while he exclaimed in a sudden burst of anger:

  "Then you do not understand that I love you, and that I will not giveyour head instead of mine?"

  At this, Macko stood on his trembling feet, stretched out his hands, andalthough the nature of the people of those days, was hard, as if forgedof iron, he cried suddenly in a heartbroken voice:

  "Zbyszku!"