Chapter 23 Chapter 21

In order to facilitate shooting arrows with crossbows and crossbows, the forest guards, under the guidance of the leader of the hunters, lined up the hunters in a long line, hiding behind the forest, facing the clearing in the forest.Nets were fastened on both sides of the clearing, and behind the nets were guards, whose business it was to drive the beasts to the hunters, and to kill them with spears if they got caught in the nets.Many kirbys were sent to drive all the animals from the depths of the forest to the clearing.Behind the hunters there was another net; if any wild animal passed through the ranks of the hunters, it would be caught in the net and killed in one fell swoop.

The Duke stood in the middle of a small valley that stretched across the glade.Mrokotei of Mokashif, chief hunter, had chosen that position for the Duke because he expected the biggest beasts to run across the valley.The Duke has a crossbow, and a heavy spear is leaning against a tree beside him; not far behind him stand two burly "guards" with axes on their backs and crossbows, ready to hand them to the Duke at any time .The Duchess and Mademoiselle Jurand did not dismount, because the Duke would not allow them to dismount, out of concern for the buffalo; and the wild beasts had gone wild, and it was easier to escape on horseback than on foot.As for de Rauch, although the duke invited him to take a place in front of his right, he asked that he stay with the ladies of the court, in order to protect them.Zbyszko stuck his gun in the snow, put his crossbow on his back, and stood by Danusia's horse, whispering to her and sometimes kissing her.He was silent only when Mrokotei of Mokashif ordered him to be quiet, for Mrokotei in the forest would have even the Duke himself to blame.

Then, far away in the wilderness, the horns of the Kirby sounded, echoing the sound of the "Kerchvula" in the glade; and then there was silence.From time to time one could hear the squeak of squirrels in the tops of the pine trees.The hunters looked out into the snowy glade, where only the wind stirred the bushes, and wondered which animal would come first.They look forward to plentiful prey, as the wilderness is plentiful with bison and boar.The Kirbys had smoked a few bears, and they were prowling the jungle, angry, hungry, and wary. ① A horn. But the hunters had to wait a long time, for those who drove the game into the clearing searched a wide area of ​​the forest, and were so far away that the barking of the dogs that were let out after the horn sounded, they also heard. did not hear it.

After a while, several wolves appeared at the edge of the forest, but as soon as they spotted the man, they rushed into the forest, apparently looking for another way out.Then several wild boars came running from the wilderness, forming a long black line, running on the snowy ground, looking like a herd of domestic pigs from a distance.They paused to listen--turned to listen again, then turned and ran towards the net, but as soon as they smelled the scent, they walked towards the hunters, snorting, and walking more and more cautiously; There was the clang of the iron crank of the crossbow and the roar of the bent arrow, and the first pool of blood was stained on the white snow.

Then there was a terrible shriek, and the whole herd scattered, as if struck by a thunderclap; some wild boars rushed straight ahead blindly, some ran towards the net, and some ran past the other herds in the clearing.The sound of the horn is very clear, mixed with the barking of dogs and the gallop of people rushing out of the deep forest.Wild beasts driven out of the forest by the hunters immediately filled the clearing.It is impossible to see such sights in foreign countries or even in other provinces of Poland; nowhere else is there such a wilderness as Masovia.Although these crusader knights had been to Lithuania where bison attacked the army in groups and caused riots, they were still very surprised by such a large group of wild beasts, and Mr. de Rausch was especially surprised.He saw running in front of him herds of yellow deer and elk with heavy pronged horns. The two animals were mixed together, running in the open space, scurrying about in fright, and couldn't find a single one after searching. A safe place, the blood of Gestadut on the Duchess was boiling. Seeing this scene, she shot arrow after arrow. When a deer or elk was shot, she stood up and landed heavily. When kicking on the snow and falling down, the Duchess cried out with joy.Some of the court ladies also shot arrows, because everyone loves hunting.Only Zbyszko did not think of hunting; he put his elbows on Danusia's knees, put his head on his hands, and looked straight into her eyes.Danusia, flushed and smiling, managed to close Zbyszko's eyelids with her fingers, as if she couldn't stand the gaze.

M. de Lauche's attention was drawn to a gigantic bear, gray on its shoulders and back, which leaped unexpectedly from the thicket near the hunters.The duke shot it with his crossbow, and rushed forward with his boar-piercing spear; and with a terrible growl, and rearing up on his forefeet, the beast, in the presence of all the court, with extraordinary skill and great agility, Piercing the beast with his spear spared the use of axes for both Guards.The young Rothelinger's knight was in Nahann, and he had never seen any other prince dare to engage in such entertainments in so many courts he visited on the way. He believed that it would be difficult for the knights to conquer such a duke and such a people.Afterwards he saw other hunters shoot down in the same way many boars much larger and more ferocious than those seen in the Lower Rothlinger Forest and on the German Moor.Such skilful hunters, such profound confidence in their powers, M. de Lauche had never seen; Accustomed to using crossbows and spears since childhood, he is very skilled with these weapons.

The clearing was finally covered with the carcasses of all kinds of wild animals, but the hunt was not over.In fact, the funniest and most dangerous time came when the hunters encountered a dozen or so bison.The bearded bull walked ahead of the herd, with his head low on the ground, pausing every now and then, as if considering where to attack.Their huge lungs let out a low roar, like a rumbling of thunder, and steam shot from their nostrils; while they kept probing the snow with their front feet, they seemed to be using their hands, which were hidden deep under their manes. Bloodshot eyes wary of their foes.Then the hunters cried out in unison, and the cry was echoed on all sides; the trumpets and fifes blew together, and echoed from the remotest corners of the wilderness; A shivering bark rushed into the glade.The presence of the dogs irritated the females in the herd who were with the calves.The herd, which had hitherto been pacing, broke up suddenly and ran wildly about the clearing.A bison, a huge old yellow bull, first rushed at the hunters standing aside, then stopped when he saw the horses in the jungle, and roared and dug the ground with his horns, as if to encourage it. Like his own fighting spirit.

Seeing this, the people shouted even louder.A frightened voice among the hunters was heard shouting: "Princess! Duchess! Go to the rescue of the princess!" Zbyszko seized the spear stuck in the ground behind him, and hurried to the edge of the forest; Several Lithuanians rushed up after him, all swearing to defend the daughter of "Gestutt"; but in a blink of an eye, the crossbow in the lady's hand clattered, and an arrow screamed, and shot from the head of the beast. into its neck. "Shot!" cried the Duchess. "There is no escape." But suddenly the buffalo let out a terrible roar, which made the frightened horses stand upright, and with the roar, the buffalo rushed straight at the lady; He rushed out from under the tree, leaned on his horse, stretched out his spear, and stabbed at the beast like a knight in a martial arts tournament.

In an instant, those who were near saw the spear thrust into the neck of the beast, which bent at once like a bow, and then broke into pieces; and the huge horned head disappeared completely in Germany. Mr. Rausch's horse was under the belly, and De Rausch was thrown into the air with his horse and people. The hunters rushed out of the forest to rescue the foreign knight.Zbyszko, who was most concerned for the safety of the princess and Danusia, was the first to arrive, and thrust his spear into the bison's shoulder-blade.He struck so hard that the spear broke in his hand as the buffalo turned sharply, and he himself fell with his face on the ground. "He's dead! He's dead!" shouted the Majurs who came flying to save him.The buffalo's head fell on Zbyszko, pinning him to the ground.Two of the prince's powerful "guards" also arrived; but they were too late; fortunately, Hlava, the Czech whom Jagienka had given to Zbyszko, was ahead of them, with his big ax in both hands , and slammed down on the bison's curved neck next to the horn.

The blow of the ax was so powerful that the buffalo fell as if struck by lightning, its head almost parted from its neck.But the huge body fell on top of Zbyszko.Two "guards" quickly dragged it away.The princess and Danusia had dismounted, and came to the wounded young man. Zbyszko, pale and covered with his own blood and the blood of the beast, tried to get up, but staggered and fell back down, knelt on the ground, propping himself up on his hands, and could only cry out. corpse: "Danuska." Blood gushed from his mouth.Danusia took hold of his shoulders, but as she could not hold him up, she cried for help.The hunters rubbed him with snow, and poured wine into his mouth; at last Murokote of Mokashif, the chief huntsman, bade them put him on a cloak, and stanch the bleeding with tinder from the tree.

"If his ribs and back hadn't been broken, he could have been cured," he said, turning to the Duchess.At this time, several ladies-in-waiting, with the help of other hunters, were watching over M. de Lauches.They turned him over, looking for holes or gaps in his armor where the horns of the buffalo had gone; but they could find no holes or gaps, except snow that had seeped into the joints of the iron plates.The buffalo in particular took revenge on the horse, which lay dead beside the knight; as for M. de Lauches, he was not seriously injured.He passed out and sprained his right hand.They took off his helmet for him, poured some wine into his mouth, and when he opened his eyes, he saw the sad faces of the two beautiful maids of honor who were bending over him, and said in Germanic words: "I must have been in heaven, and two angels are waiting by my side." The ladies of the court could not understand what he was saying; but they laughed with pleasure when they saw that he opened his eyes and spoke again; they helped him up with the help of the hunters; he felt pain in his right hand , groaned, and put his left hand on the shoulder of an "angel"; he stood motionless for a moment, not daring to take a step, because he felt so weak.Then he looked around and saw the dead yellow bison, Danusia rubbing his hands, and Zbyszko lying on his cloak. "Is that the knight who rushed to my rescue?" he asked. "Is he still alive?" "He is badly wounded," replied a courtier who spoke Germanic. "From now on, I'm not going to duel with him, but to fight for him!" said the knight of Rotelinger. At this moment the prince, who had been standing near Zbyszko, came up to Monsieur de Lauches and praised him for protecting the princess and the other ladies of the court, whose lives might have been thanks to his bravery. ;for this deed, in addition to being rewarded with the title of knight, he will be famous not only at that time, but also in future generations. "In this unheroic age," said he, "few true knights travel the world; therefore you must be my guest here as long as you can; forever if possible. In Mazovia. You have won my favor here, and you will easily win the love of the people by your real achievements." Monsieur de Rausch, hearing the Duke's words, realized that he had accomplished such a feat of chivalry, and had won such admiration in this remote Polish land (of which there are many anecdotes in the East). , he was filled with joy.He knew that a knight who could tell at the court of Burgundy or at the court of Braponte that he had saved the life of the Duchess of Masovia at a hunting party would be famous forever.Zbyszko regained consciousness, smiled at Danusia, and fell unconscious again.The hunters, seeing his clenched fists and gaping mouth, all remarked that he would not live long; only the experienced Kirbys (many of whom had bear claws, boar teeth, or buffalo horns) It is certain that the buffalo's horn had indeed struck the knight in the ribs, perhaps breaking a rib or two, but not the back, otherwise he would not have been able to stand.They also pointed out that Zbyszko had fallen on a snowdrift, which had saved his life: because the snow was soft, the beast could not crush his chest when it struck him with its horns, nor Pressing down on his spine. Unfortunately, the Duke's doctor, the Abbe Vishoniak of Gevana, did not come to the hunt, because he was busy at the castle with the Eucharist.The Czechs immediately galloped to fetch him, while the Kirbys carried Zbyszko to the prince's palace.The crusader Tigo von Dunwiert put Danusia on his horse, and rode beside her, following those who carried Zbyszko, so low that she was alone. Hearable Polish says: ①Note to the English translation: In Poland, Hungary, Bohemia and some other countries, there is a custom: at the welcome party and banquet, on Christmas Eve and the two days after, the Eucharist is cut open to express congratulations Prosperity and happiness.Eucharist is distributed in the diocese and administered by priests or lower monastic officials.The so-called "Holy Eucharist" is the holy wafer used during the Holy Communion. "In Scitno I have a wonderful ointment, which I got from a hermit in the Hechinsky Forest, and I will bring it to you in three days." "God will reward you," Danusia replied. "God records every act of mercy; but will you also repay me?" "What can I give you in return?" The crusader rode up to her, evidently about to say something, but hesitated; and after a while he said: "In the knight order, besides mages, there are also nuns. One of them will bring healing ointment. At that time, I will tell you what I want you to give me in return."