Chapter 13 Chapter Eleven

The day after Macko and Zbyszko's arrival in Bogdaniec, they looked around the neighborhood of their old house; they immediately realized that what Zikh of Zgortsyriti had told them was correct, and indeed they will feel uncomfortable. Farming is going well.Several fields were being worked by farmers who had been placed there by the abbot.Bogdaniec originally had a lot of arable land; but after the battle of Plovcui, the "Graki" tribe suffered all casualties and lacked labor force; later, it was invaded by the Germans in Silesia, and then Naren Zhitong The war between the two families of Irzymarchik made the fertile fields overgrown with trees.There was nothing Macko could do.For several years, he has been trying to get a group of farmers from Kirsisny and lease them back for them to plant. Unfortunately, it took a lot of effort, and they refused to come, preferring to stay on their own small piece of land. , unwilling to cultivate other people's land.But after all, his recruitment attracted some homeless people; in previous wars, he captured several slaves, married them, and let them live here; thus, the population of the village prospered Woke up.However, this was a heavy job for him; so he mortgaged the whole of Bogdaniec at the first opportunity, thinking that the powerful abbot would settle the peasants to the land. It would be easier to come up, and he imagined that the war would bring men and money to him and Zbyszko.In fact, the abbot was very energetic.He sent five peasant households to supplement Bogdaniec's labor; he added cattle and horses, and later built a granary, a stable, and a cowshed.But because he does not live in Bogdaniec, the house was not repaired.Macko had hoped that when he returned the town would have been surrounded by ditches and fences, but it turned out that everything was the same as when he had left it, except that the walls were more slanted than before, and it seemed to be still there. It was lower, because the walls sank deeper into the ground.

The house has a hall, two large rooms with en-suites and a kitchen.The rooms had windows made of cow bladders; in the center of each room was a lime stove, from which the smoke escaped through a hole in the ceiling.From the ceiling, now blackened by smoke, there used to always be smoked boar legs, bear legs, deer legs, elk haunches, a side of beef, and a roll of sausage.But now those hooks, and the shelves on the wall for pots and crockery dishes, were empty.Only the half of the wall under the shelf was not empty, for Zbyszko had ordered his servants to hang there a helmet, a breastplate, a longsword and a short sword, and then the boar-piercing spear and fork. , jacket and saddle.Smoke tended to blacken these weapons, and they had to be cleaned frequently, but Macko was careful, and he ordered the servants to put the expensive clothes in the suite where he slept.

In the front room, near the windows, were some pine tables and pine stools, on which the lordships always sat to dine with all their servants.People who are used to the battlefield are always easy to be satisfied; but Bogdaniec had no bread, no flour, and no saucer.The peasants sent what they had; Macko expected that the neighbors would help him, according to the helpful fashion of their time; The next day, old "Vrodika" was sitting on a log in front of the house, enjoying himself in the clear autumn light, when Jagienka came on her black horse; she dismounted and went to Macko; his face was as red as an apple, out of breath from riding so fast all the way.she says:

"May God bless you! 'Daduro' sent me to inquire about your health." "I'm no worse," Macko answered; "at least I'm sleeping in my room." "But you will never be well. The patient needs some attention." "We are tough fellows. It was not very comfortable at first, it is true, but we were not starving. We had ordered a cow and two sheep to be slaughtered so that we could eat the meat. The women brought some flour and eggs; worst of all, we have no saucers." "Well, I ordered my servants to bring up two wagons. One had two beds and some dishes, and the other had food of all kinds. There were cakes, flour, pork, and dried mushrooms; and There was a great cask of ale and a great cask of mead; and a little of everything we had in the house."

Matsko was very grateful for this kindness, and stroking Jagienka's head, he said: "May God repay your father and you. When our family's situation improves a little, we will definitely return the food." "You're smart! We don't take back what the Germans give to others." "Well, then you have to pray to God to reward you. Your father told us that you were a very capable housekeeper, and that you took care of Zgotrilici for a whole year?" "Yes! If you need anything else, send someone; only someone who knows what is needed, for a stupid servant never knows what he is sent for.

At this point Jagienka began to look around, Macko saw it, smiled, and asked: "Who are you looking for?" "I'm not looking for anyone!" "I must send Zbyszko to thank you and your father. Do you like Zbyszko?" "I didn't even see him clearly." "Then take a closer look now, he just came." Zbyszko really came from the stables; he wore a reindeer-skin coat and a felt hat, like the kind that goes under a helmet; his hair was not netted, and his eyebrows were neatly trimmed. Well-proportioned, with locks of blond hair hanging down his shoulders; he approached the girl briskly as soon as he saw the girl; he was tall and elegant, and looked like a squire of a nobleman.

Jagienka turned to Macko, as if to show that she had come to see him specially; but Zbyszko welcomed her cheerfully, took her hand and raised it to his lips, and she couldn't help her reluctance. . "Why did you kiss my hand?" she asked. "Am I a priest?" "This is the rule, you can't resist." "Even if he kissed both of your hands," Macko said, "it wouldn't be enough to show our gratitude for what you sent us." "What have you brought?" asked Zbyszko, looking around the yard, seeing only the black horse tied to the post.

"The carriage hasn't come yet, but it's coming," answered Jagienka. Macko began to enumerate what she had brought; but when he mentioned the two beds, Zbyszko said: "I'm content to sleep on the buffalo hide; but I thank you, too, for thinking of me." "It's not I who think of you, but Daduro," replied the girl, blushing. "If you like to sleep on buffalo hides, sleep well." "I'd rather sleep with whatever I have. Sometimes after a war I sleep with the dead body of a crusader under my head as a pillow." "Are you telling me you killed a crusader knight? I'm sure you didn't."

Zbyszko made no answer, but laughed.But Macko exclaimed: "My God, girl, you don't know him! He's good at nothing but killing Germans. He can fight with an axe, a spear, or anything; if he sees a German from afar man, you have to tie him with a rope, or he will rush up and attack people. In Krakow, he wanted to kill the messenger Lichtenstein, for which he almost had his head chopped off. He is Such people! I will also tell you about the two Frisians, whose squires we have taken, and from whom we have taken so many valuable spoils that Bogdaniec can be redeemed for half of them."

Macko then began to tell of his duel with the two Frisians; also of their other adventures and the deeds they had established.He spoke of how they fought the greatest foreign knights behind their walls, in the wilderness, with the Germans, French, English, and Burgundians.He also told her what they had seen: they had seen the red-brick castle of the Crusader Knights, the Lithuanian wooden "Grogetri" and the church, than could be seen near Bogdaniec and saw great cities and terrible wildernesses where the Lithuanian ghosts howled at night, and many other strange things; Always invincible, the greatest knights were therefore amazed by him.

① That is, a fortress or a castle. Jagienka, sitting on a log near Macko, opened her mouth agape, and looked at the young knight with growing admiration and wonder.At last, when Macko had finished, she sighed and said: "Too bad I'm not a boy!" Zbyszko, too, was watching Jagienka carefully while listening to Macko, but he seemed to be thinking of something else, for he said suddenly: "What a beautiful girl you have grown up to be!" Jagienka answered both unwillingly and sadly: "You have seen many people who are more beautiful than me." But Zbyszko answered her sincerely that he had not seen many people as beautiful as her, because Jagienka was a healthy, young, and strong girl.No wonder the old abbot used to say that she looked like a pine tree.There was nothing unbeautiful about her: a slender figure, a broad breast that seemed to be carved out of marble, bright red lips, vivid blue eyes.She also dressed better than when she was hunting in the forest.Around his neck hung a necklace of red beads, and he wore a double-breasted leather coat with a green cloth top, a hand-woven skirt, and new boots.Even old Macko noticed the beautiful dress, and after looking at her for a while, he said: "Why are you dressed as if you were going to church?" But she did not answer, but cried: "The carriage is coming!" The carriage did arrive, and she jumped over it, and Zbyszko followed.It took quite a long time to unload the truck, and Matsko felt very satisfied, and he wanted to praise Jagienka when he saw something.It was dusk when the girl started home.She was about to mount when Zbyszko suddenly embraced her and lifted her into the saddle before she could speak.At this time, she blushed like the morning glow, turned her head, and said to him softly: "What a strong young man you are!" He didn't notice her confusion and blushing, because it was dark, so he just smiled and said: "Aren't you afraid of wild beasts? It's night!" "There's a boar spear in the wagon. Bring it to me." Zbyszko went up to the carriage, took the boar spear, gave it to Jagienka, and said: "wish you health!" "I wish you well!" she replied. "May God repay you! Tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, I will come to Zgotrilici to thank Zich and you for your kindness." "Come on! Welcome!" She galloped away and disappeared into the jungle beside the road. Zbyszko went back to his uncle. "You should go in." Macko did not move from the log, but replied: "Hey! What a girl! She's graced our yard!" "That's the truth!" There was a moment of silence.Macko, looking at the stars, seemed to be thinking of something; then he spoke, as if to himself: "She's pretty and a good housekeeper, though she's only fifteen." "Yes!" replied Zbyszko. "That's why old Zich loved her very much." "And he said that Mochitori's property would be her dowry; there was a herd of mares and a lot of foals in the pasture there." "Didn't the land of Mochitori include a lot of marshes?" "Yes, there are still many otters in the swamp." Again there was silence.Macko looked at Zbyszko with concern for a while, and finally asked: "What are you thinking?" "Seeing Jagienka reminded me of Danusia, and something pricked my heart." "Let's go inside," answered old "Wrodika." "It's getting late." Macko stood up with difficulty, leaned on Zbyszko, and he led him into the apartment. The next day Zbyszko went to Zgotriliti, because Macko kept urging him.He also insisted that he take two servants to show the scene, and that he put on his best clothes to show Zihe's respect and gratitude.Zbyszko did as he was told, and dressed as if for a wedding; he wore his white satin "yaka" with gold tassels and gold "griffins" embroidered on it.Zikh received him with open arms, heartfelt joy and singing; Jagienka, having entered, stopped as if rooted in the ground, and almost dropped the cask of wine she was holding. ; she thought it was a prince.She became shy, and sat there silently, wiping her eyes from time to time, as if to wake herself up from a dream.The unworldly Zbyszko thought that there must be some reason for her reluctance to speak to him, which he did not understand, so he talked only to Tsykh, extolling his generosity, and the house of Zgotzlitri. ; Speaking of this house, it is indeed very different from Bogdaniec's house. Comfort and opulence appear everywhere.The windows in the room are made of thin slices of horn cut and ground to be as transparent as glass.There is no fireplace in the center of the room, but large chimneys at the corners.The floor was made of larch, and the walls were hung with suits of armor, with many polished plates and silver spoons.The floor is covered with expensive carpets brought back from the war.There are massive bison hides with horns under many of the tables.Zikh happily pointed to his wealth, saying that it was all Jagienka's.He led Zbyszko into a suite smelling of pine resin and mint.There hung from the ceiling great bundles of wolf, fox, otter, and marten skins.He showed him cheese, honey, beeswax, barrels of flour, boxes of dry bread, hemp and dried mushrooms, and so on.Then he went with him to see barns, storerooms, stables, cowsheds, and cabins full of hunting gear and fishing nets.Zbyszko was so dazzled by these riches that he could not refrain from admiring them at supper. "What a joy it is to live in Zgortri!" he exclaimed. "There are almost the same properties in Mochita," replied Zikh. "Do you remember Mochitori? It's not far from Bogdaniets. Our ancestors once quarreled over borders and challenged each other, but I will never quarrel." Having said this, he filled Zbyszko's mug with mead, and asked: "Perhaps you like to sing?" "No," replied Zbyszko, "but I am glad to hear you sing." "Zgotrilitre will be owned by the cubs in the future." "What do you mean by cub?" "Oh, that's Jagienka's brothers." "Hey! They don't suck their paws in winter." ①It means that you will not suffer from cold or hunger. "Indeed. But Jagienka will also have her fortune in Mochita." "It's true!" "Why don't you eat or drink? Jagienka, pour us some wine." "I'm eating and drinking as much as I can." "Loosen your belt so you can eat and drink more. What a beautiful belt you have! You must have had a lot of spoils in Lithuania!" "We have nothing to complain about," replied Zbyszko, who happily seized the opportunity that the descendants of Yueming Bogdaniec would no longer be poor "Vrodika". "We sold part of the spoils in Cracow for forty silver 'grivins'." "Not necessarily! Why, this money can buy a fortune." "Yes. There was a set of armor made in Milan, which my uncle sold for a good price because he thought it was going out of style." "I know! Well, it's worth going to Lithuania. I'd like to go too, but I'm afraid." "Afraid of what? Afraid of the Crusader Knights?" "Well, who's afraid of the Germans? I'm afraid of the pagan ghosts. There seem to be plenty of ghosts in the woods." "They have nowhere else to hide because their temples have been burned. They were doing fine before; but now they have to live on fungi and ants." "Have you seen it?" "No, I haven't seen it myself; but I've heard it from people who have. Sometimes one of them sticks out a hairy paw from behind a tree, and wags it to and fro, begging for food. " "Matsko told me so," replied Jagienka. "Yes! He also told me on the way." Zich added. "Well, it's not surprising! We have it in our country too, although we have long been a Catholic country, we can hear laughter in the moor; It's always good to eat on a plate; otherwise, they'll scratch the walls and make you sleepless. Jagienka, my dearest, put a plate on the ridge." Jagienka took a taxi bowl full of egg macaroni and cheese and set it on the threshold.Zich said: "The priest will scold! But the Lord Jesus will not lose his temper over a plate of macaroni; and a God, whose stomach is full, will protect you from fire and from theft." Then he said to Zbyszko: "You widen your belt, sing a song!" "You'd better sing, or Miss Jagienka will do." "We want everyone to take turns singing," Zich shouted. "We have a servant who plays the wooden flute to accompany us. Call the man!" They called the servant.He sat on the bench, put the fife to his lips, and waited for someone to accompany him. No one wants to be the first to sing.At last Zikh called Jagienka to sing; and Jagienka, though ashamed by Zbyszko's presence, got up from her stool, put her hands under the curtain, and began to sing: if I have The tiny wings of the gosling, I will fly to Yasik of Silesia. Zbyszko jumped up with his eyes wide open, and exclaimed; "Where did you learn this song?" Jagienka looked at him in surprise. "Everyone can sing. What's the matter with you?" Thinking that Zbyszko was a little drunk, Zikh turned his cheerful face towards him and said: "Brace yourself! It will make you feel better!" Zbyszko stood for a while with astonishment on his face; then, having recovered his feelings, he said to Jagienka: "Forgive me, I suddenly remembered something. Go on." "Didn't you feel sad when you heard this song?" "Nuan, that's not the case at all!" He replied, his voice trembling. "It's all right to tell me to listen to this song all night." So he sat down, covered his face with his hands, and listened. Jagienka sang another verse; but when she had finished, she saw a large tear drop on Zbyszko's finger. So she sat down lightly next to him and nudged him. "What's the matter with you? I don't want to make you cry. Tell me, what's the matter with you?" "Nothing! Nothing!" replied Zbyszko with a sigh. "It's a long story. But it's over. I feel happy now." "Perhaps you would like some wine?" "Good girl!" cried Zich. "Call him Zbyszko, and you, Jagienka, you've known each other since childhood." So he said to his daughter: "Don't be afraid because you were beaten by him when you were a child, he won't beat people now." "I will not hit anyone!" replied Zbyszko cheerfully. "If she wants to punish me, she can still beat me now." To please him, Jagienka played with her little fists. "Bring us wine!" cried the merry Lord Zgortriet. Jagienka ran to the closet and brought out a bottle of wine, two beautiful silver glasses, and two pieces of cheese, the glasses had been carved by a Wroclav silversmith. ① Note to the English translation: that is, North Leslau in Germanic. Zich was a little drunk, hugged the bottle tightly, and talked to it as if it were his own daughter: "Oh, my dear girl! What shall I do, poor wretch I am, when they have taken you from Zgotrilici?" "Oh, you'll have to marry her off soon!" cried Zbyszko. Zich laughed. "Hey! Hey! This girl is only fifteen years old and she likes to approach boys so much! When she sees a young man from afar, she will walk over quickly!" "Datuti, if you keep talking, I'm leaving," said Jagienka. "Don't go! You'd better stay here." And he went on to Zbyszko: "Two lads used to come to our house. One of them was little Wilk, the son of old Wilk of Borzodova; the other was Chedan of Rogoff. If they met you here, they would surely will gnash their teeth at you like they gnashed their teeth at each other." ① Qidang is the abbreviation of Pushzlaw. "Oh!" said Zbyszko, and asked Jagienka: "Which one do you like?" "I don't like any of them." "Wilker is a fantastic lad," Zich said. "Let it be called to others!" ①The original meaning of the word "Wilker" is "wolf", so it says "call to others!", which is a pun.Translated from the Russian translation. "Then what about Qidang?" Jagienka laughed: "Chedan," she said to Zbyszko, "his face is so hairy as a goat's that he can hardly see his eyes; he has as much fat as a bear." At this moment, Zbyszko patted his head with his hands, as if remembering something important, and said: "Ah! I must ask you for one more thing; do you have bear fat? I want some for my uncle's medicine, and I can't find any in Bogdaniec." "We had some," answered Jagienka, "but the men used up some of the bows, and the dogs ate the rest." "Is there nothing left?" "Not at all!" "Well, then, I'll go look for it in the woods to-morrow." "A bear hunt is going to be organized; there are plenty of bears in the woods; if you want hunting tools, we'll be sure to lend you." "I can't wait. I'll be going over to Bazy's (hive) these nights." "You have to take some hunters with you." "No, no need, that would scare the beast away." "At least you must bring a crossbow!" "What's the use of carrying a crossbow at night? There's no moon now! I'll take a fork and a sharp axe, and I'll go alone tomorrow." Jagienka was silent for a moment; but her face showed a very disturbed expression. "Last year," she said, "we had a hunter named Bezduh who was killed by a bear. It's a dangerous thing, because the bear sees someone approaching 'Bazy' and immediately uses its front legs Jump over." "If it gets away, I can't get it," replied Zbyszko. At this moment, Zihe, who had dozed off, suddenly woke up and began to sing: You are hard Kuba, I am Machik the idler, Take your yoke and go out to the field in the morning, I'm having fun with Kai'Sa. jump!jump! Then he said to Zbyszko: "You know that? There are two of them, Wilk of Borzozovar and Chedang of Rogoff; what about you?" Jagienka, fearing that Zikh would talk too much, went up to Zbyszko and asked: "When are you going? Tomorrow?" "Tomorrow after sunset." "To which 'bazi'?" "To our one in Bogdaniets, not far from your border, near the Radekov marshes. They tell me it's easy to hunt a bear there."