Chapter 24 Chapter Twenty Two

After dressing Zbyszko's wound, Father Vishoniak said that he had only one broken rib; but he could not be sure that day whether the patient would save his life, because he could not tell whether the patient's heart had been wounded.Until late at night, Mr. de Lauche was still very ill and had to lie on the bed. The second brother suffered from sore bones all over his body and could not move his hands and feet.The Duchess, Danusia, and several other ladies of the court attended the two patients and prepared them various ointments and potions according to the prescriptions of the Abbe Vishoniak.But Zbyszko was so badly wounded that he often spewed blood from his mouth, and Father Vyschenek was very worried.But his senses were clear, and the next day, although he was very weak, when Danusia told him who had saved his life, he called Halava, thanked him, and wanted to reward him.He remembered that the Czech had been given to him by Jagienka, and if it had not been for Jagienka's kindness, he would have been ruined.He was worried that he would not be able to repay the kind girl's kindness, but would bring her sorrow instead.

"I have sworn to my lady," said Halava, "that by my honor as a 'Vrodica' I will protect you; therefore I will do so without payment. Your life It is due to her favor." Zbyszko made no answer, but took a heavy breath; the Czech was silent for a while, and said: "If you want me to go to Bogdaniec at once, I will. Perhaps you will be glad to see the old gentleman, because God only knows if you will recover." "What did Father Vishoniak say?" asked Zbyszko. "Father Vishoniak says we won't know until the new moon rises. There are four days before the new moon rises."

"Hey! Then you don't need to go to Bogdaniec, because when my uncle comes, I'll be well sooner than die sooner." "Aren't you going to send a letter to Bogdaniec? Sandrus will write it. Send a letter and let them know how you are, and they can say Mass for you." "Let me rest and rest, for I am very ill. If I die, you go back to Zgotrilici and tell them all that has happened, and they will say a mass for me. I Think they'll bury me here or in Ciechanov." "I think they'll bury you in Ciechanov or Przasnich, because only Kirby's are buried in the woods when they're dead, and wolves howl on their graves. Return to Ciechanov with the court within a few days, and then to Warsaw."

"They won't leave me here alone," Zbyszko replied. He guessed correctly, the Duchess asked the Duke's permission that very day to stay in the house on the moor with Danusia, the ladies of the court, and the Abbe Vyscheneck, who objected to the Zbyszby. Ko took him to Przasnici.After two days, M. de Lauche felt better and was able to get up; but he heard that the ladies of the court intended to stay, so he stayed too, in order to accompany them on the journey, in case the Saracens came. Assault them, and he can defend them.Where the Saracens might come from, Rothelinger's knights did not know.It is true that the Lithuanians are always called Saracens by the Orientals; but to this daughter of "Gestudot", sister of Witout, and first cousin of the mighty "King of Cracow" Achaean , the Lithuanians pose no danger.However, M. de Rausch has been in the Crusader Order for too long, so although he has heard of the baptism of Lithuanians in Masovia, although he has heard that the original two crowns are now worn in one. As for the sovereign, he still refused to count on the kindness of the Lithuanians.This idea was instilled in him by the Crusader knights, and he has not completely lost faith in their words.

At this moment an accident occurred which cast a shadow between Duke Janusi and his guests.It turned out that on the day before the court personnel left, the priests Godfried and Rotgier, who had been staying in Cuiechanov, were accompanied by M. de Fauci, and de Fauci gave the two crusading knights Bad news: it turned out that there were several foreign guests in a "comto" on the part of Lupoval's knights of the crusader; they were M. ;The families of these two people have made a lot of contributions to the Knights.They had heard many stories about Jurand of Spyhof, and they resolved to lead this famous warrior out into the wilderness, and to see for themselves whether he was as powerful as they were said to be.This "Commuter" objected to the plan, on the grounds that at present there was peace between the Knights and the dukes of Masovia; Man, not only did he acquiesce in this expedition, he even provided some armed "Knecht".The three knights sent a challenge to Jurand, who immediately accepted the challenge, but asked them to withdraw their soldiers, and all three of them joined him and his two companions at Silesia and Spyhof. place to duel.But they refused to withdraw their soldiers, refused to retreat from the land of Spyhof, who suddenly attacked them, destroyed the "Knehet", pierced Meinger with a spear, and captured Monsieur de Bergove, in the dungeons of Spychof.De Fauci escaped alone, wandered for three days in the forests of Masovia, learned from some asphalt burners that there were some mages of the order in Ciechanov, and at last he found them.He and the mages of the Knights lodged a complaint with the duke, asked Jurand to be punished, and ordered the release of Lord de Bergoff.

This news disturbed the friendly understanding between the duke and his guests, for not only the two new arrivals, but also Tigo von Dunwiert and Siegfried de Lauf I implore the Duke to do justice to the Knights, call the looters out of the borders, punish their crimes, and prevent future troubles.Hugo von Dunwiert's personal enmity with Jurand made him feel ashamed and resentful at the very thought of it, so he demanded revenge almost with a threatening air. "The case will be brought to the Grand Master," he said, "and if we do not get justice from Your Highness, the Grand Master will do it himself, even if the whole of Masovia aids the bandit. "

Although the Duke was naturally good-natured, he couldn't help saying angrily: "What kind of justice do you want? If Jurand attacked you first, then of course I will punish him. But it was your people who started the war first. It was your consul who gave permission' Knehet "Jurand, who came to provoke, merely accepted the challenge and demanded that the soldiers be withdrawn. Am I to punish him for this? You attacked the man everyone feared, and that is called your own fault—you still What can you ask for? Do you want me to order him that you are only allowed to attack him at will, and he is not allowed to defend himself?"

"It wasn't the knights who attacked him, but the guests of the knights. Foreign knights," Hugo replied. "The knight order is responsible for its guests, not to mention the garrison from Lupova." "Will the Archon allow his guests to be slaughtered?" At this moment the Duke turned to Siegfried and said: "You must be careful lest your tricks offend God." But this grim Siegfried replied: "Mr. de Bergoff must be released, because his family has been prelates of the Order of the Knights in the past, and they have made important contributions to the Catholic country."

"And Meinger's death must be avenged," continued Hugo von Dunwiert. The Duke then got up and approached the Germans menacingly; but after a while, apparently remembering that they were all guests, restraining his anger, he put his hand on Siegfried's shoulder, and said : "Listen: 'Comto,' you have a cross embroidered on your cloak, so answer me in good conscience—by the cross! Is Jurand right?" "De Bergoff must be released from prison," replied Siegfried de Lauf. After a moment's silence, the Duke exclaimed: "God gave me patience!"

Siegfried went on, his words as sharp as a sword: "He offends our guests, and that's just another reason for our charges. From the time of the formation of the Knights, whether in Palestine, or in Setmyagrot, or in the Lithuanians who believed in the teachings None of us have been so harassed as this brigand, Spychoff. My lord! We demand justice and vengeance, not for one injury, but for thousands; not for one bloodshed, but for This has happened over the years, let the fire burn down that nest of evil and cruelty! Who is begging God for vengeance? It is us! Who is crying? It is us! We have been making complaints, but in vain. We have never It has been done justice.”

①The English translation notes the old Germanic language as Saiben Kouheng, which is now a province of Hungary and was an independent principality at that time. After hearing this, Duke Janusi began to nod and said: "Hey! Crusader knights were welcome at Spyhof, and Jurand became your enemy only after you killed his dear wife; and you have chosen your knights for him. Fighting, defeating them, trying to kill him, repeatedly attacking him, how many times has there been an incident like the last one? You sent someone to assassinate him, or he has been in the forest with a crossbow. How many times has he attacked you, yes, for vengeance burns in his heart; but have you not attacked the peaceful inhabitants of Masovia? You have not taken their herds, burned their houses, and murdered men and women Old and young? I complained to the Grand Master, and the answer he sent me from Marlborough was: 'It's the usual nonsense on the frontier.' Leave me alone! In times of peace, I live in my own On the land of my country, unarmed, were you not the ones who took me captive? If it weren't for your fear of the mighty King of Krakow, I might still be moaning in prison. Who should be accused? My family is Your benefactors, and you repay me like this. Come on; it is not you who have a right to justice!" The knights of the crusader looked at each other impatiently at this, and they were angry because the duke had mentioned the events at Zrodorya in the presence of M. de Fauci; In his talk, Hugo von Dunwiert said: "It was a misunderstanding, Your Highness, and we have made it up, not out of fear of the king of Krakow, but out of justice; as for the nonsense on the border, the Grand Master cannot be responsible, because there are always Some restless badass." "Since you say so, you still demand to punish Jurand. What is your intention?" "Demand for justice and punishment!" The Duke clenched his bony fists and repeated: "God gave me patience!" "Your Highness must also remember," went on Dunwiert, "that our ronin insulted the non-Germanic mortals, while yours offended the German Knights, and so they offended our Saviour. " "Listen!" said the Duke. "Don't talk about God; you can't fool God!" So he shook the crusader knight's shoulders vigorously with both hands, until he became frightened.The crusader knight immediately softened, and said gently: "If it is true that our guests attacked Jurand first and refused to withdraw the soldiers, then I certainly do not blame him; but did not Jurand accept the challenge?" Having said this, he looked at M. de Fauci, and winking at him, begged him to deny it; but the latter, unwilling to lie, replied: "He asked us to withdraw our soldiers and fight three-on-three." "Is that true?" "On my honor! Monsieur de Bergove and I agree, only Meinger does not agree." The duke hastened in and said: "'Comto' from Schitno! You understand better than anyone that Jurand will never let go of a challenge." Then he turned to all present and said: "If any of you would challenge Jurand to a duel, whether on horseback or on foot, I will allow it. If you can capture him or kill him, then I will release Monsieur de Bergove without paying a ransom. Don't ask me anything else, I will never allow it." Having said these words, there was another deep silence.Hugo von Dunwiert, Siegfried de Lauf, the mages of Rotgiel and Godfried were all brave, but they had no respect for the terrible prince of Spyhof. Master knew it too well, and he didn't dare to challenge him to a life-and-death duel.Only a foreigner from a distant country, like M. de Rausch or M. de Fauci, would do this; but de Rauche was not there, and M. de Fauci was still terrified. "I saw him once," he muttered, "and I don't want to see him again." Siegfried de Lauf says: "The clergy are not allowed to fight one another, except with the permission of the Grand Master and the Generalissimo; but I do not ask permission for a duel, but the release of de Begov and the execution of Jurand." "This country has its own laws, it's up to you to formulate them!" "Our grand master knows to give him what he deserves." "Your Grand Master has nothing to do with Mazovia!" "The Emperor of Rome and the whole Germanic nation will help the Grand Master." "The king of Poland will help me, he is more powerful than the emperor of Rome." "Does Your Highness wish to fight against the Knights?" "If I were going to fight, I would not wait for you to come to Masovia, but to come to you; you don't have to frighten me, I'm not afraid of you." "How should I report to the Grand Commander?" "Your Grand Master made no demands. Say what you like." "Then we shall take revenge ourselves." So the Duke immediately stretched out his hand and shook his finger at the crusader's nose. "Shut up!" he said, suppressing his anger, "Shut up! I have allowed you to challenge Jurand; but if you dare to invade my country with the army of the Knights, then I will definitely fight you back. At that time You are not guests here, but prisoners." Evidently he could bear it no longer, threw his hat on the table, slammed the door, and left the room.The faces of the Crusader knights turned blue, and Mr. de Fauci squinted at them. "What should we do now?" Rotji asked the master who was the first to break the silence. Hugo von Dunwiert turned to M. de Fauci, threatened him with his fists and said: "Why did you tell him that you attacked Jurand first?" "Because it's true!" "You shouldn't be telling the truth." "I'm here to fight, not to lie." "Hmph, you fought really well!" "What about you? Didn't you run away in fright from Jurand of Spychof?" "Pax!" De, Lauf said. "This knight is a guest of the Knights." "It doesn't matter whether he says it or not," Master Godfried went on. "They will not punish Jurand without a trial; in court the truth will be revealed." "What now?" repeated the Master Rotjière. After a moment of silence, the resolute and vicious Siegfried de Lauf spoke: "We must eradicate this vicious dog!" he said. "Monsieur de Bergoff must be released from prison. We must assemble the garrisons of Schüdtno, Jasperk, and Lupoder; we must summon the nobles of Helminsk to attack Juren. De. It's time to deal with him!" "We can't do this without the permission of the Grand Leader." "The Grand Master will be pleased if we succeed!" said the mage Godfried. "What if it doesn't work? What if the Duke stands up against us?" "Since there is still peace between him and the Knights, he will not do that." "Peace is peace, but we are trying to break it. It is not enough to fight the Majurs with our garrison." "Then the Grand Master will help us, and the war will break out." Dunwiert frowned again, thinking deeply. "No! No!" he said after a while. "If we succeed, the Grand Master will be pleased. He will send some emissaries to the Duke to negotiate and we will be safe. If we fail, the Order will speak for us and declare war .If you want to fight, you have to change the Grand Master. The King of Poland supports the Duke, and the Grand Master will not argue with him." "But we've already taken Duborzin Province; obviously we're not afraid of Cracow." ①Duberrun is the upper land on the right bank of the lower reaches of the Vistula River, and is often attacked by the Crusader knights.Occupied by the Knights in 1392, it was returned to Poland after the Battle of Grunwald. "We took this place under the pretext of Prince Opolsk, ostensibly as a mortgage, and—" He looked around at this point, and then said softly: ① Vladislav, Duke of Opolsk, pledged Dubolrun to the Knights. "I've heard in Marlborough that if they're going to fight us, we'd rather give the province back." "Ah!" said Master Rotjière, "if we had Markwell Shalzbach, or Shombe, who killed Witout's bastards, we would naturally think of ways to deal with Yoren Witout is a governor appointed by the King of Poland, and a grand duke at that! Even so, Schumbe was not punished. He killed Witout's children, but escaped! To be honest, We're too short on talent for anything." At this, Hugo von Dunwiert put his elbows on the table, rested his head on his hands, and fell into deep thought.Suddenly his eyes lit up, and he wiped his moist thick lips with the back of his hand habitually, and said: "Pious mage, may you be blessed when you mentioned the name of the heroic Shombe just now." "Why? Have you figured out a way?" asked Siegfried de Lauf. "Speak!" Master Godfried shouted. "Listen," Hugo said. "Jurand has a daughter here, his only child, his precious." "Yes, he has such a daughter. We know her. Duchess Anna Danuda loves her too." "Yes. Listen, then: if you take the girl, Jurand will pay her a ransom, and not only Bergov, but all the prisoners, himself and his Spychoff!" "By the blood of St. Bonifacius at Duhelm!" cried the mage Godfried. "I hope it is as you say!" They were all silent then, as if frightened by the daring and difficult venture.After a while, Master Rotjière turned to Siegfried de Lauf and said: "Your judgment and experience match your courage! What do you think of the plan?" "I think it's something worth considering." "Because," Rotgier went on, "the girl is the Duchess's lady-in-waiting—the Duchess loves her more than her own daughter. Think, my pious mage, what a commotion this will cause." But Hugo von Dunwiert laughed: "You said it yourself that Shombe poisoned or strangled Witout's bastards, so what happened to him? Whatever we do, they'll make a fuss; but if we lock up Jurand Go to see the Grand Master, then what we can get must be rewards rather than punishments." "Yes," said de Lauve, "this is a good time to attack. The duke is leaving, and Admiral Anna Danu will remain here alone with her court. But to attack in peacetime The duke's house, it's always a serious matter. The duke's house is not Spykhov. This will inevitably lead to the same incident that happened in Zrodorya! Letters against the Knights will be sent to all The King and the Pope; and that damned Achaean will terrorize us again. And the Grand Master, you know him; There are always wars. To be honest, there will be extreme disturbances in Masovia and in all the provinces of Poland." "At this moment, Jurand's body has long been turned into bones on the gallows." Master Hugo replied. "Then we won't have to snatch the Duke's daughter from his mansion." "But we can't do this in Cuichanov, because besides those nobles, there are three hundred archers there." "Yes. But you might as well lie about Jurand's illness and send for his daughter. Then the Duchess will not prevent her from going, and if the girl disappeared on the road, who can blame you or me?" , and said to us: 'You took her away!'." "Pooh!" replied de Lauve impatiently. "You have to make Jurand ill first, and then let him send for his girl himself." After hearing this, Hugo smiled triumphantly, and replied: "I have a goldsmith who was exiled from Marburg for theft and lives in Scittno, who can forge seals; From the Principality of Zovshe. Now do you understand what I mean?" "I see," Master Godfried cried. Rotgier held up his hands and said: "May God bless you, pious mage, for neither Markwie Shalzbach nor Shombe could think of a better way." So he half closed his eyes, as if he saw something in the distance. "I saw Jurand," he said, "with a rope around his neck, standing at the gate of Gdańsk in Marburg, and our Knechts were kicking him." "The girl is going to be a servant of the Order," added Hugo. At this, de Lauve turned his stern eyes on Dunwiert; but the latter again wiped his lips with the back of his hand and said: "Well, now let's go to Scittno as soon as possible!"