The Knights of the Cross/Volume 2/Chapter 43
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CHAPTER XLIII. Though Hlava adored Yagenka, and his heart was growing more and more toward the beautiful Anulka, his young and brave soul was rushing forth to war first of all. It is true that he turned back to Spyhov at Matsko's order because he was commanded; still he found a certain consolation in the idea that he would be to both ladies a guard and protector. But when Yagenka herself said, which moreover was true, that nothing threatened them in Spyhov, and that his duty was at the side of Zbyshko, he accepted the statement with gladness. Matsko was not his immediate superior, hence he could easily excuse himself before the old knight by saying that he had not remained in Spyhov because his rightful lady had commanded him to go to Zbyshko. Yagenka thought that a man of Hlava's strength and skill could always be of service to Zbyshko, and might rescue him from more than one strait. He had for that matter given evidence of this during the prince's hunt, where Zbyshko had almost lost his life by the wild bull. All the more might he be of service in war, especially a war like that on the Lithuanian boundary. Hlava was in such a hurry to the field, that while returning with Yagenka from visiting Yurand, he implored her, and said,— "I wish to bow down before your grace to beg a kind word for the journey." "How is that?" inquired Yagenka; "do you wish to go to-day even?" "To-morrow morning before daylight, so that the horses may rest the night through. Jmud is terribly distant!" "Then go, for thou wilt overtake the knight Matsko more easily." "It would be difficult to do so. The old man is very strong in every labor, and he is a number of days in advance of me. Besides, he will go through Prussia to shorten the road, while I must go through forests. He has letters from Lichtenstein which he can show on the way; I have nothing to show but this to open a free passage before me." And he placed his hand on the sword hilt at his side, seeing which Yagenka exclaimed,— "Ah, but be careful! Since thou art going it is needful to reach the end of thy journey, and not stop in some dungeon of the Order. And in forests have a care for thyself, for there many wicked demons are living whom people honored before they turned to Christ. I remember how the knights Matsko and Zbyshko spoke of those things at my father's house." "I remember, but I have no fear; for those are poor things without power, they have no influence. I will take care of those demons and the Germans also, should I meet any, if war only breaks out in earnest." "But has it not broken out? Tell me, what hast thou heard among the Germans of war?" At this the prudent fellow knitted his brows, was silent a moment, and said,— "It has, and it has not. We inquired carefully about everything, and especially did the knight Matsko inquire, for he is cunning and can circumvent any German. He asks, as it were, about something else, or pretends friendship, but he never betrays himself in any way; and he hits the quick every time, and from each man draws out news as a fish is drawn out with a hook. Should your grace wish to listen patiently, I will tell. Prince Vitold, some years ago, having plans against the Tartars and wishing peace on the German side, yielded Jmud to the Order. There was great accord and friendship. He permitted the Knights to build castles; he even helped them. He and the Grand Master met on an island, they drank, they ate, they declared mutual friendship. Even hunting in those forests was not forbidden the Knights of the Cross, and when the poor Jmud men rose against the dominion of the Order, Prince Vitold helped the Germans, and sent his forces to aid them, whereupon people murmured throughout all Lithuania because he was attacking his own blood. The under-voyt of Schytno told us all this and praised the rule of the Knights in Jmud, saying that they sent to the people of that region priests who were to baptize them, and in time of hunger sent wheat to feed them also. Perhaps they sent wheat, for the Grand Master, who has more fear of God than others, ordered it, but the Knights carried off the children to Prussia, and insulted the women before the eyes of their brothers and husbands. If any man opposed they hanged him, and for that reason, young lady, there is war now." "But Prince Vitold?" "The Prince closed his eyes for a good while to the wrongs of this people and loved the Knights of the Order. Not long since the princess, his wife, went to Prussia, to Malborg itself, on a visit. They received her there as if she had been Queen of Poland. And this was not long ago, just lately! They covered her with gifts, and what feasts, tournaments, and various wonders there were no man could reckon. People thought that love would last forever between the Knights and Prince Vitold, till all on a sudden the heart changed in him." "I think, from what my late father and Matsko said about Vitold that his heart changes often." "Toward honest men never, but toward the Knights of the Cross often through this cause, that they themselves never keep faith in anything. Just now they wished Vitold to render up fugitives, and he answered that people of low estate he would give, but a free man he did not think of giving, since a free man has the right to live where it pleases him. Therefore the Knights and Vitold began to dispute, they wrote letters with complaints, they threatened each other. When the Jmud men heard of this they rose straightway and fell on the Germans. They cut down garrisons, they stormed castles, and now they are attacking even Prussia. Vitold not only is not restraining them, but he smiles at German vexation and sends aid to the Jmud men in secret." "I understand," said Yagenka. "But if the aid is secret, there is no war yet." "There is war with the Jmud men openly, and with Vitold in fact. The Germans are going from all sides to defend their outlying castles, and they would be glad to make a great raid on Jmud; but they must wait for this yet a long time, that is till winter, for the country is swampy and the Knights cannot fight there. Where a Jmud man goes safely, a German will stick fast; for that reason winter is the friend of the Germans. When frost comes the whole force of the Order will move, and Prince Vitold will go to strengthen the Jmud men—and he will go with permission of the King of Poland, for the king is his liege lord and is above the Grand Prince and all Lithuania." "Then perhaps there will be a war with the King of Poland?" "People say so; both there among Germans and here among us. For this reason the Knights are begging aid at all courts, and the cowls are burning their foreheads, as is usual with scoundrels, for of course the strength of the King is no jest, and Polish knights, should any one mention the Knights of the Cross, would spit on the palms of their hands that same instant." Yagenka sighed on hearing this, and said,— "A man has always a pleasanter life in this world than a woman, for, to take an example, thou wilt go to the war, just as Zbyshko and Matsko will, but we shall stay here in the house at Spyhov." "How can it be otherwise, young lady? You will be here, but in all safety. Terrible even to-day is the name of Yurand to the Germans; I myself saw in Schytno how dread seized them straightway when they learned that Yurand is now in Spyhov." "They will not come here, we know that, for the swamp defends us, and old Tolima, but it is grievous to stay here and have no tidings." "When anything happens I will inform you. I knew before our visit to Schytno that two good fellows were preparing to go to the war of their own will from this place. Tolima cannot prevent them, for they are nobles from Lenkavitsa. Now they will go with me, and in case of need, I will hurry one of them hither immediately." "God reward thee. I have known always that thou hast strong sense in every position, but I shall be grateful till death for thy kind heart and for thy good-will toward me." "Not wrong of any sort, but benefactions, have I received from you. The knight, your father, took me captive and gave me freedom without ransom, but to serve you was dearer to me than freedom. God grant me, my lady, to shed my blood for you." "God conduct thee, and go with thee!" answered Yagenka, extending her hand to him. But he preferred to bend down and kiss her feet, thus giving her greater honor; that done, he lifted his head, and without rising from his knees, said with timidity and submission,— "I am a simple man, but a noble, and I am your faithful servant—so give me some keepsake for my journey. Do not refuse this! You may be sure that the hour of battle harvest is approaching, and Saint George is my witness that I shall be at the front, and not in the rear ranks of it." "For what keepsake do you ask?" inquired Yagenka, somewhat astonished. "Provide me with any little scrap for the road, so that should it happen me to die, it would be easier for me to die beneath your ensign." Again he bowed to her feet, and a second time he joined his hands and entreated, looking into her eyes; but on Yagenka's face sad distress appeared, and after a moment she answered, as with an outburst of involuntary sorrow,— "But, my dear, do not ask me for that, for nothing could come of a gift from me. Whoever is happy, let her give a gift to thee, for that person might bring thee happiness. But to speak truth, what is there in me?—nothing but sadness! And what is there before me?—nothing save misery! Oi! I cannot get happiness for thee, or for any one, since I do not possess it myself, and I cannot bestow it. Oh, my poor Hlava! it is evil in the world at this time, it is, it is—" She stopped suddenly, feeling that if she were to say one word more she would burst into weeping; and, as it was, something like a cloud passed before her eyesight. Hlava was moved immensely, for he understood that it was bitter for her to go home to the neighborhood of the attacking Stan and Vilk, and also bitter to remain in Spyhov, to which place earlier or later Zbyshko might return with Danusia. Hlava understood perfectly what was passing in the heart of the maiden, but he saw no help for her misfortune, hence he only embraced her feet again, repeating,— "Hei! if I could die for you! If I could die for you! " But she said,— "Rise! Let Anulka gird thee for battle, or give thee some other remembrance, for she looks on thee gladly this long time." And she called her. Anulka came out soon from the adjoining chamber, for, listening near the door, she had failed to show herself merely through timidity, since the wish of taking farewell of the shapely attendant was seething in the maiden. Hence she came out confused, frightened, with throbbing heart, with eyes in which there were both tears and a dreamy expression, and dropping her lids, she stood before him bright as an apple blossom, and speechless. For Yagenka, Hlava felt, besides the profoundest attachment, both reverence and honor, but he dared not rise to her in thought; as to Anulka, since he felt hot blood in his veins, he could not escape her enchantment. Now her beauty seized him by the heart, and especially her tears and confusion, through which love appeared, as the golden bed of a river appears through clear water. So he turned to her. "You know that I am going to the war," said he; "perhaps I shall fall in it. Do you grieve for me?" "I grieve!" answered she, in a thin, girlish voice. And that instant she began to shed tears, for she had them always in readiness. Hlava was moved to the uttermost and fell to kissing her hands, repressing, in presence of Yagenka, the desire for still more intimate kisses. "Gird him, or give him a remembrance for the journey so that he may fight under your ensign," said Yagenka. But it was not easy for Anulka to give him anything, for she was wearing a man's dress. She began to search; neither a ribbon nor a knot of any kind. The dresses of the two women were still in bark boxes, unopened since they had left Zgorzelitse; she fell therefore into no small anxiety, from which Yagenka relieved her by advising to give him her head net. "In God's name! let it be the net!" said Hlava, rejoiced somewhat. "I will put it on my helmet—and unhappy will the mother of that German be who tries to remove it!" Anulka raised both hands to her head, and after a little, bright streams of hair were scattered over her neck and shoulders; when Hlava looked at her thus, dishevelled and charming, his face changed. His cheeks flushed, and then he grew pale; he took the net, kissed it, and put it in his bosom, embraced still again the knees of Yagenka, and then Anulka with greater energy than was needed. "Let it be that way!" said he, and went out of the room without uttering another syllable. Though he was road-weary and unrefreshed, he did not lie down to sleep; he drank to kill that night, with the two nobles from Lenkavitsa, who were going to Jmud with him. But he did not lose his head; at the first dawn he was in the courtyard, where horses were waiting, ready saddled. In the rear wall a membrane window was pushed aside slightly, and through the opening blue eyes looked into the courtyard. Hlava saw this, and wished to move toward them to show the net fixed to his helmet, and to take one more farewell, but Father Kaleb and old Tolima hindered him. They had come down to give counsel for the journey. "Go to the court of Prince Yanush," said Father Kaleb. "Maybe the knight Matsko has stopped there. In every case thou wilt find sure tidings, since for thee there is no lack of acquaintances in that place. The roads from there to Lithuania are known, and it is easy to find a guide through the forests. If thou wish surely to go to Pan Zbyshko, go not to Jmud directly, for a Prussian force is there, but take the road through Lithuania. Look to this too: the Jmud men might kill thee before thou couldst say who thou art, but the case is different if thou come from Prince Vitold. For the rest, God bless thee, and the two other knights. May ye return in health and bring back the maiden, for which intention I shall lie in cross form each day after vespers till the first stars appear." "I thank you, father, for the blessing," said Hlava. "To rescue that victim from those devilish hands is not easy; still, all things are in the hands of the Lord Jesus, and it is better to be cheerful than downcast." "Of course it is; therefore I do not lose hope. Yes—hope strengthens us, though the heart's warnings are not useless. The worst is that Yurand himself, if her name is but mentioned, points toward the sky, as if he were showing her there." "Indeed, he may see her there, after he lost his eyes." And the priest began to speak partly to Hlava and partly to himself,— "It does happen this way: when a man loses his earthly eyes, just then he sees that which no one else can see. It happens this way, it happens! But it does seem impossible that God should permit wrong to such an innocent. For what harm had she done to the Knights of the Cross? None! And, mind thee, she was as innocent as a lily of the Lord, and so good to people, and she was like a bird of the field, which is singing its song! God loves children and has pity for human suffering. Nay, if they have killed her He might resurrect her, as he did Piotrovin, who, after he had risen from the grave, lived for years. Go in health, and may the hand of God guard you all and guard her." Then he returned to the chapel to say morning mass. Hlava mounted his horse, bowed still again before the closed window, and rode away, for day had come entirely.
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