Chapter 22 Chapter Twenty

Mykolaj of Drugolas, having learned of the challenge from Indrak of Kropivnizza, asked both Zbyszko and the foreign knight to give him the promise of a knight, guaranteeing They never fought without the permission of the duke and Comto; he said that if they refused to pledge, he would close the gates and prevent them from leaving the castle.Zbyszko, eager to see Danusia as soon as possible, did not object; de Rausch, though willing to fight if necessary, was not a fighter, and therefore he swore on his knighthood that he would wait until The duel was only after the duke's permission.He was glad to do it, because he had heard so many songs about tournaments, and because he loved great feasts, he preferred to fight in the presence of court, prelates, ladies, etc.; and he believed that such a victory would bring The greater fame will come, and he will win the Golden Spurs more easily.Secondly, he was too anxious to get acquainted with the country and its people, so he preferred to postpone the duel.Mikolaj of Drugolas had been a Germanic captive for a long time, and he spoke Germanic language fluently, so he began to talk to him about how the duke organized hunts to hunt all kinds of wild animals unknown to Western countries. It's all anecdotes.So Zbyszko and he left the castle at midnight and went to Przasnici.They brought armed retinues, and some people held lanterns to defend against wolves.In winter, wolves often come and go in this area, even if there are dozens of well-armed knights, it is dangerous to encounter them.On the side of Cukhanov there is a dense forest; not far from Przasnich, this forest becomes the huge Kobitzka wilderness, the western side of which is inaccessible. The Botraxi Forest, and then Lithuania.It was through these forests that the Lithuanians came to Masovia, and in 1337 they reached Ciechanov and burned the place.De Rausch listened with fascination to the stories told to him by the old guide Matsko of Duroboye.He wanted to fight the Lithuanians, whom he thought, like many other western knights, were Saracens.In fact, he had come on a crusade to gain fame and salvation.He had thought that he would gain eternal happiness by fighting the half-pagan Majurs.So when he arrived in Masovia, he could hardly believe his eyes: what he saw was the church in the town, the crucifixes on the towers, the priests, the knights with the Holy Cross on their armor, very heroic indeed. Those peoples who were ready for battle, the Catholic people, were no more plundering than the Germanic peoples the young knight encountered on his journey.So when he was told that the people here had been Catholic for hundreds of years, he didn't know what to think of the Knights of the Crusaders; Indescribable surprise and exclamation.

① Get the title of knight. He asked Matsko of Sheropoye if there were any dragons in the forest to which they rode, so that the people would sacrifice young girls to honor them, and if there were, he would fight them.But Macko's answer disappointed him greatly. "The forest is full of wild beasts: wolves, bison, and bears, and they are enough to deal with," answered the Majur. "Maybe there are some demons in the swamp; but I've never heard of dragons, and if there were, we don't honor them with young girls, we just kill them. Phew! If there were, the Kirby would have Skinned them to make belts."

"What kind of people are they? Can you fight them?" asked de Lauches. "Anyone can fight them, but it's not desirable," Macko replied: "and it's not suitable for a knight, because they are peasants." "The Swiss are farmers too. Are they Christians?" "There are no infidels in Masovia. They are all our Duke's men. Don't you see the archers in the castle? They are all Kirby, because there are no better archers than them. " "They can't be better than the English and Scots, I've seen them at the Burgundian court..."

"I saw them in Malbork, too," the Majur interrupted the knight. "They were strong," but they could not be compared with the Kirby, among whom children were not allowed to eat until they were seven years old and had to shoot their food with arrows from the tops of the pine trees. " "What are you talking about?" Zbyszko asked suddenly, having heard the word "Kirby" several times. "Talking about English and Colby's archers. The knight says the English and Scots are the best." "I saw them in Wilno. Oh wow! I heard their arrows whizzing through my ears. There were knights from every country there, and they all declared that they could eat us without salt; but After they tried it once or twice, they lost their appetite."

Macko laughed and repeated Zbyszko's words to Herr de Lausch. "I have heard that legend in several different courts," replied the knights of Rothlinger; "they praise your knights for their bravery, but they also blame your knights for helping the heathen against the Knights of the Crusaders. " ① That is De Lausch. "We defend those people who are willing to be baptized against aggression and evil. The Germans want to make them continue to worship evil gods in order to provoke war as an excuse." "God will judge them," de Lauche replied. "Maybe it's time to referee them," Matsko of Duroboye replied.

But Roethlinger's knights began to ask about Macko as soon as they heard that Zbyszko had been in Wilno, for those chivalrous fights had become famous all over the world.The duel between four Polish knights and four French knights particularly aroused the imagination of Western warriors.The result was that de Rausch began to look upon Zbyszko with greater respect, as one who had fought in such a famous battle; and he was glad that he was about to fight such a knight. So they rode on apparently like a pair of good friends, doing each other little favors at snacks along the way, and urging each other to drink wine.But from the conversation between de Rausch and Matsko of Duroboye, it became clear that Ulrika de Ernay was not a young girl, but a married woman of forty years old. woman, and had six children, and Zbyszko became angry.For the foreigner not only dared to compare Danusia with an old woman, but even asked him to admit that she was the queen of women.

"Do you think," said Zbyszko to Macko, "that the devil has dazzled him? Perhaps the devil is sitting on his head like a worm in a nut, and is If it doesn't jump on me at night, it will jump on you. We must be careful." Matsko of Duropoje looked at Rothelinger's knight with some uneasiness, and finally said: "Sometimes a demonized person has hundreds of demons attached to him; and if they get too crowded, they will gladly run on to someone else. The worst demons are the ones sent out by women." Then he turned suddenly to the knight: "Praise Jesus Christ!"

"I admire him too," replied de Lauches, somewhat surprised. Macko was completely relieved. "No, don't you see," said he, "that if the devil took possession of him, he would immediately foam at the mouth, or fall to the ground, because I asked him suddenly. Let us go away." In short, they moved on quietly.It is not too far from Cuiechanov to Przasnich, and in summer a knight on a good horse can gallop from one city to another in two hours; but because of the dark night and heavy snowfall , they walked very slowly, started after midnight, and arrived at dawn near a forest on the Przasnich side, where the prince's hunting house stood.This wooden mansion is very large, and the window frames are all made of round glass sheets.There were several derricks and two stables in front of the house, and around the mansion were many leather tents and sheds hastily erected from pine branches.In front of the tent were some bright fires, and around the fires stood hunters, all of them wearing sheepskin, fox, wolf, and bear skins.It seemed to M. de Lauche that he saw some beasts walking on two hind legs, because most of these people wore fur hats made of animal heads.Some stood, leaning on their spears or crossbows; It's making breakfast.Behind them came the great pine-trunk and more men; Roethlinger's knight was surprised to see so many people, for he had seldom seen such large hunting before.

"Your lord," said he, "a hunt is as good as a battle." "Yes," replied Matsko of Duropoye; "they have plenty of hunting gear and hands." "What shall we do?" interrupted Zbyszko, "they're still sleeping in the mansion." "Well, we'll have to wait until they get up," Macko answered. "We can't knock on the door and wake our prince." Having said this, he led them to a bonfire, where the Kirby, the beast-driver, threw over some wolf and buffalo hides, and gave them some meat to roast.When people heard foreign languages ​​being spoken, they gathered around to see the Germans.Presently Zbyszko's servants were yelling that there was a knight "from abroad"; news spread, and the crowd was so crowded that the lord of Duropoje was obliged to exercise his authority to protect the foreigner. , lest he be besieged by curious people.De Lauche noticed that some women in the crowd also wore fur coats, and were very beautiful; he asked them if they were also hunting.

Macko explained to him that they did not go hunting, but came only to satisfy their curiosity, or to buy things from the town and sell some goods from the forest.The ducal mansion is like a furnace, and its surroundings are both country and city.The Kirby were loath to leave their wilderness, for they were uneasy if they could not hear the rustle of the woods overhead; so the inhabitants of Przasnich brought their famous ale, which they windmilled and built Flour milled from the water on the Vingierka River, salt, iron, leather, and other handicrafts that are very scarce in the wilderness, are exchanged for animal hides, valuable fur goods, dried mushrooms, nuts, healing herbs, or Kou There are many pieces of amber produced in Biren.So around the duke's mansion there was the noise of a constant market, and it was even more lively at the hunt, for the inhabitants of the depths of the forest were drawn out for service and curiosity.

De Rausch listened to Macko's words and looked at the people around him curiously.These men of the healthy, resinous air, who, like most farmers of the time, ate a great deal of meat, grew strong and tall, and often surprised foreign travelers at the sight of them.Zbyszko kept looking at the doors and windows of the mansion, and could not be quiet for a moment.Only one window was lit, which was evidently the kitchen, for smoke was coming out of the chink in the window frame.Through the small doors next to the house, servants in the uniform of the Duke's court appeared from time to time, busily going to the well to fetch water.People asked these servants if anyone was still sleeping, and the answer was that the court servants were tired from hunting the day before and were still resting, but they were already preparing breakfast.Indeed, from the kitchen window was wafting a smell of roasting meat and saffron, all the way to the fires.Then the main door opened, revealing a brightly lit hall, and in the corridor a figure appeared, which Zbyszko recognized at once as one of the chanters with the princess whom he had seen at Kraków.Seeing him, Zbyszko rushed to the mansion without waiting either for Matsko of Duropoje or for De Lausch.He was running so vigorously that Roethlinger's knight was startled and asked: "What is the matter with the young knight?" "Nothing," replied Matsko of Duropoye; "he is in love with a girl from the princess's court, and he wants to see her right away." "Ah!" replied de Lauches, pressing his hands to his breast.He began to sigh so much that Macko shrugged his shoulders and said to himself: "Is he sighing for the old woman? Maybe he's lost his mind!" At this moment, he led de Lauches into the hall of the mansion.The hall was hung with buffalo horns, mink horns, and stag antlers, and was illuminated by great logs burning in the fire.In the middle of the hall stood a table covered with kilimek and covered with breakfast dishes; there were only a few court servants in the room, with whom Zbyszko was talking.Matsko of Duroboye introduced M. de Rauch to them.The courtiers kept coming in; most were handsome, broad-shouldered, fair-haired, all in hunting attire.The courtiers, who knew Zbyszko and his adventures in Cracow, greeted him like an old friend—it was evident that they all liked him.A court servant said to him: ① Note to the English translation: This is a kind of woolen fabric made by Polish farmers.In several provinces "Kirlimek" is of great artistic value, because of its wonderful design and muted colours. "The Duchess is here, and Mademoiselle Jurand is here, and you will see her soon, my dear child; you will go to the hunt with us." At this moment two of the duke's guests entered.They were knights of the crusader: Master Hugo von Dunwiert, "Comto" of Odanersberg (his relatives had been field marshals), and Siegfried de Lauf , "Comto" of Jansbauke (his family also made meritorious service to the Knights).The first was young, squat, with the face of a drunkard, and thick, moist lips; the other was tall, with stern and imposing features.Zbyszko thought he had seen Dunwiert before at the court of Prince Witout, and he thought that Bishop Henrik of Plotsk had thrown him off his horse in a joust in the jousting arena.These memories were disturbed as soon as Duke Janussi entered, and the two crusading knights and court attendants saluted the Duke.De Rausch, the "Commuters" and Zbyszko also approached the prince, who welcomed them cordially and solemnly.Immediately the trumpet blew, announcing the Duke's arrival for breakfast; the trumpet blew three times; on the third time, a door on the right opened, and Princess Anna came out, with a lute hanging from the shoulder of the accompanied by the attractive blonde girl. ① Note to the English translation: that is, the Polish version of Shitno. Zbyszko immediately took a step forward, dropped to his knees, and prostrated himself with great reverence and admiration.When those present saw this, they murmured, for the Majurs were surprised by Zbyszko's gesture, and some of them were even disgusted.Said the older ones, "He must have learned this custom from some knights abroad, perhaps even from heathens, for even the Germans have no such custom." But the younger "No wonder, she saved his life," said the man. The princess and Mademoiselle Jurand did not recognize Zbyszko at once, for he was kneeling with his back to the fire and his face turned into the darkness. .The Duchess thought some courtier had committed some crime and begged her to intercede with the Duke; but Danusia, with sharp eyes, took a step forward, bent her fair head, and cried out suddenly: "Zbyszko!" At this moment she completely forgot that the whole court and the foreign guests were watching her, and she galloped like a doe to the young knight, put her arms around his neck, kissed his mouth and cheek, and kissed him for a long time. Snuggled up to him, fondled him, and made the Majurs laugh, and the Duchess came and pulled her back. Danusia glanced at those present, was bewildered, slipped behind the princess, and slipped into the folds of the princess's skirt. Then Zbyszko embraced the princess's feet, and the lady welcomed him and asked him whether Macko was alive, and if so, whether he had come with Zbyszko.Zbyszko answered her question vaguely, but looked behind the princess, looking desperately at Danusia.Danusia peeked from under her skirts, and burrowed into the crevices of the ruffles.The Majurs laughed like hell at the sight, and the Duke laughed too.At last the servants brought the hot dishes, and the delighted princess said to Zbyszko: "Serve us, dear little knight, perhaps not only now, but forever and ever." Then she turned to Danusia and said: "Climb out, you rascal, or you'll ruin my dress." Danusia crawled out, blushing and bewildered, looking at Zbyszko with frightened, shy and curious eyes.But she was even more charming; not only Zbyszko, but all the knights present were filled with joy; "Komto" of the Knights of the Crusaders of Scittno unconsciously put both palms on his moist thick lips; De Lauche was greatly surprised and asked: "By St. Jacob of Compostella, who is that girl?" Because of his short stature, "Komto" of Schitno followed the question and answered in a low voice with the ear of the knight of Rotesig: "The devil's daughter." De Lauche glanced at him, then frowned, and said in a nasal voice: "It is not a knight who curses a beauty." "I wear gold spurs, and I am also a priest," answered Hugo von Dunwiert proudly. Rothlinger's knight bowed his head, and after a while he said: "I am a relative of the Duchess of Brabant." "Pay! pay!" cried the Crusader knight, "the honor goes to the wonderful knights and friends of the order who are about to give your lord the golden spurs. I do not demean the girl's beauty; but mind, I want Tell you who her father is." ① Latin, meaning "quiet! Quiet!" But he had no chance to tell him, as the Duke of Janusi was already seated, and beckoned to him as he had previously inquired about the powerful relatives of M. He sits next to him.The Duchess and Danusia sat opposite each other.Zbyszko waited on them, standing behind their chairs, as he had done in Cracow.Danusia hung her head very low to the plate because of her shyness.Zbyszko gazed ecstatically at her little head and pink cheeks.He felt love flooding his chest like a river of spring water.He also felt her sweet kisses on his face, eyes and lips.She used to kiss him like a sister kisses her brother, and he accepted her kisses like a child's kisses.Now, he felt that Danusia was fully grown-in fact, she had grown into a young girl, like a flower in full bloom.Love was always spoken of in her presence, and she was like a bud in the warm sunshine, the colors were brighter, and her eyes were opened to love; Charm, exudes a strong and intoxicating allure, like the warm rays of the sun, or the fragrance of roses. Although Zbyszko felt this, he could not explain it himself.He even forgot that he had to serve the two of them at the dining table.He did not see the courtiers laughing at him and Danusia.He saw neither the astonishment on the face of M. de Rausch nor the greedy eyes of the "Commuter" who was looking intently at Danusia's Sidney. .It was only when the trumpet blew again to remind everyone that it was time to go to the wilderness, and it was only when the Grand Duchess Anna Danu turned to speak to him that he woke up.Duchess said: "If you go with us, you will have the opportunity to express your love to Danusia." After saying that, she went to change her riding clothes with Danusia.Zbyszko hurried to the yard, where the frost-covered horses were standing.There is no longer such a large crowd here, for the men have gone out into the wild with their nets, and it is their duty to surround the beast.The fires were all extinguished; it was fine and cold, and presently the Duke appeared, mounted; and after him was followed by a squire with a crossbow and a spear, so long and heavy that few men moved it; But the duke was easy to use because, like the other descendants of Astor in the Masovians, he was very strong.Even some of the women in that family were so strong that they could turn an iron ax between their fingers.The prince also had two retinues who were ready to serve him in case of any accident; they were chosen from among the landowners of the provinces of Warsaw and Ciechanov; their shoulders were as broad as oak trunks.M. de Lauches watched them with particular wonder. ①Author’s note: Cymbaska was the fourth daughter of Ziemowit, Duke of Masovia, and married Ernest the Iron of the Habsburg Tu Dynasty in 1412.According to fifteenth-century chronicles, she had amazing physical strength. At this moment the Duchess and Danusia emerged; both wore hoods made of ermine.This venerable daughter of Gestadut could draw a bow and set an arrow better than a needle, so her attendants followed her with crossbows.Zbyszko knelt down in the snow, and stretched out his palm, on which the princess stepped as she mounted; then he lifted Danusia into the saddle, and they all set off.The followers formed a long column, turned right from the mansion, and slowly entered the forest. Then the princess turned to Zbyszko and said: "Why don't you talk? Talk to her." Zbyszko, despite this encouragement, was silent for a long time, and then said: "Danuska!" ①The pet name of Danusa. "What, Zbyscigu?" "I love you!" Here he stopped again, not knowing what to say; though he would kneel before the girl like a foreign knight, and respect her in every way, he could not express his love in words. , so he says: "My love for you is overwhelming." "I love you too, Zbysigu!" she said hastily. "Hi, my dearest! Hi, my dear girl!" cried Zbyszko. "Hi!" Then he was silent again, full of happiness; but again the kind and curious Duchess came to his aid. "Tell her," said she, "how lonely you feel in her absence, and when we are in the jungle you can kiss her; that will be the best proof of your love." Then he told how lonely he felt without her when he waited on Macko and visited neighbors in Bogdaniec.But the clever fellow, who did not say a word about Jagienka, bent down on her and kissed her as soon as he was in the jungle, away from the court and the guests. As winter came and the leaves of the hazel trees were all gone, Hugo von Dunwiert and M. de Lauches saw him kissing the girl; several of the courtiers saw it and talked about it. : "He kissed her in front of the duchess! The lady will prepare for their wedding in no time." "He is a bold boy, but Jurand is also fiery!" "They're like flint and steel, but this girl looks very still. Don't worry, they'll spark!" So they talked and laughed; but the "comto" of Schüttnot turned his wicked, goat-like face and asked M. de Rauch: "Your Excellency, are you glad that some Mao Ling used his magic to transform you into that young knight?"① ①Author's Note: The knight Ute fell in love with the chaste Igna, the wife of Duke Golas.With the help of the magician Merlin, the knight dressed up as Gorus, and gave birth to King Arthur with Igna.Riding Ganwut is a legendary figure in English folk mythology about King Arthur. "And you, sir?" asked de Lauches. The crusader knight was obviously very jealous. Hearing this job, he reined in his horse and shouted: "To be honest, I want it!" But at this moment, he regained his composure, lowered his head and said: "I am a priest and have vowed to remain a virgin for life." He quickly glanced at the knights of Rothlinger, worried that the other party would smile, because the knights had a bad reputation among the common people, and Hugo von Dunwiert had the worst reputation.A few years ago he had been deputy consul in Shambia.The number of cases against him at that time was innumerable, and although the Knights of Marburg were very laissez-faire in such cases, the grand master had to transfer him to be the consul of the garrison of Sztno.In the past few days, he was sent to the Duke's court on a secret mission. Whenever he saw the beautiful Miss Jurand, he had a strong desire for her. He didn't even restrain Danusia because of her young age. own desire.But Dunwiert also knew what family the girl was from, and Jurand's name was associated with painful memories in his memory. M. de Lauche asked him: "My lord, you call that pretty girl the devil's daughter; why do you call her that?" Dunwiert told the story of Zrodorya: how they captured the Duke and his courtiers while the castle was being restored, and how Miss Jurand's mother died in that battle. and how from that time Jurand took revenge at the sight of a crusader knight.Dunwiert recounted it with conspicuous hatred, for he also had a personal grudge against Jurand.Two years before, he had met Jurand in an encounter; at the sight of the dreaded "Sbykhof's boar," he was terrified, and hastily deserted his two relatives and retainers, It was the first time in his life that he had escaped to Scittno.The Grand Marshal of the Order consigned him to the Court of Knights for this cowardice; and he swore that it was his inability to handle his mount, which had forced him out of the field.It was that incident that cut off his path to promotion within the Order.Dunwiert, of course, did not mention the matter at all in front of M. de Rausch; on the contrary, he took the initiative to complain about Jurand's cruelty and the audacity of the entire Polish nation, so that the knights of Roethlinger could not understand the meaning of his words. , said: "But we are in the land of the Majurs, not in the land of the Poles." "Although this is an independent principality, it belongs to the same nation as the Poles," replied "Commuter." "They also hold a grudge against the Knights. May God allow the Germanic sword to wipe out this race!" "You are right, sir; I have never heard, even among pagans, of such an illegal thing, that this duke should build his castle on other people's land," said de Lauches. "He built this castle against us, but Zrodorya is on his land, not ours." "Glory to Christ, then, for he has given you victory! What was the result of that battle?" "There was no war." "And what do you mean by your victory at Zrodorya?" "God has given us grace; the duke has no army, but only courtiers and maids of honor." At this moment De Rausch looked at the crusader knight in amazement. "What? In time of peace, you race to raid women and a duke who is building a castle on his own land?" "To the honor of the Knights and the Catholic nation." "And that terrible knight is only taking revenge for killing his young wife in peacetime?" "No matter who it is, as long as it offends a crusader knight, it is the son of the devil." M. de Lauches became pensive at this; but he had no time to answer Dunwiert, for they had reached a large snow-covered glade, and the duke and his court were all Dismounted here.