Chapter 51 Chapter Seventeen

Matsko and Zbyszko had already become acquainted with Lithuanian and Zmud fighters while serving under Duke Witold.The scene of camping was not new to them at all.But the Czechs found it very novel.He could not help wondering how well they fought, and comparing them with Polish and German knights.The camp was set up on a flat field surrounded by woods and swamps.Even the place where the tents were built was very muddy and hard to move, and the soldiers had spread a thick layer of fir and pine branches on it, so that it was like camping on dry ground.They improvised a few Lithuanian-style huts—"nume"—out of earth and rough logs for Duke Skovoro, and dozens of small huts out of branches for other most important people.Ordinary soldiers squatted next to the open fire to keep warm, relying on sheepskin clothing and animal skins wrapped around their naked bodies to shelter from the wind and rain.At this time, no one in the camp was asleep; the battle had just been lost, and the top base had been built during the day, so there was nothing to do.Some were sitting or lying by the bright fire, adding pine branches; others were stirring ashes and slag, bringing up the smell of roasted turnips and the pungent smell of burning meat that Lithuanians ate. .Among the clusters of bonfires were piles of weapons; and these weapons were at hand, and ready for everyone to draw upon if need be.Halaffa was amazed at the sight of these weapons. Among them were spears with long narrow heads of wrought iron and butts of young oak set with flint or iron nails; hammers; There are hand-axes with short handles, like the Polish axes used by travellers; there are also handles, almost as long as the battle-axes used by infantry; .Some swords are made entirely of bronze, but most are of good steel from Nonangolot.The Czechs fiddled with these spears, swords, long and short hatchets, and tarred bows one by one, and looked closely at them by the firelight.There were only a few horses beside the fire, and a large number of horses were driven by diligent grooms to the nearby forests and pastures to graze, but the nobles liked to keep war horses by their side, so there were probably dozens of horses in the camp The horses were fed by slaves of the nobility pouring fodder in a clearing fenced off with spears.Halava was amazed at the unusually small shaggy war-horses, with their strong necks; such strange beasts, that to the knights of the West they would have seemed another beast, not so much a horse. , rather like a unicorn.

"Big horses are of no use here," said Macko, an experienced man, thinking of his former service under Wittout, "because the big horses get bogged down at once, and the local ponies It can go everywhere like a human being." "But in battle," replied the Czech, "the native ponies are no match for the German horses." "Yes, it may be overwhelmed, but after all, when a German meets a Zemud, he can't escape it, and he can't overtake it if he wants to. Faster." "But I still don't understand; for I have seen the Tartar captives that Lord Zikh brought to Zgotriliti. They were all small in stature for their horses; but the Shimuds were all He's a big guy."

These men were indeed tall; even in their sheepskins they had broad chests and thick arms; they were not fat, but thick-boned and muscular.Their physique is generally superior to that of the inhabitants of other parts of Lithuania, because their environment is good, their products are abundant, and they rarely suffer from the hunger that other Lithuanians are often subjected to.On the other hand, they were more savage than other Lithuanians.The court of the Grand Duke was at Wilno, and the presence of dukes, envoys, and foreign merchants from both East and West, reduced the roughness of the inhabitants of that city.The outsiders who came here were just crusader knights or knights with swords. What they brought to this forest area was the baptism of fire, slavery and blood.Therefore the people in this part of the world are very rough, like the ancients, and firmly opposed to all new things; With the proclamation of the Gospel came Catholic fraternity, only armed German priests whose souls were as brutal as executioners.

Scovolo and some of the most famous dukes and nobles were already Catholics, for they followed the example of Achaiaus and Witout.Others, even the most common and savage warriors, could not help feeling in their hearts as if they had heard the death knell of their old world and their old beliefs.They would bow to the cross at any time, but they would not bow to the cross held by the Germans, to the hand of the enemy. "We shall be baptized," they proclaimed to all dukes and nations, "but remember that we are men, not beasts to be sold and bought and sold at will." At present, their old faith seems to be short of fuel Like a fire extinguished.And they were unwilling to accept new beliefs, because the Germans imposed religion on them by force, and made them all worry about the future.

The Czechs have been accustomed to hearing the joyful shouts of soldiers since they were young, and grew up amidst the singing and music. Now that they have come to the Lithuanian military camp, it is the first time in their lives that they have seen such unusual silence and gloom.The sound of a whistle or a flute, or the deep tune of a folk singer, is heard only at a distance from the bonfire of Scovolo.The soldiers shook their heads and stared at the raging bonfire.Some soldiers squatted around the fire, with their elbows on their knees, their hands covering their faces, and their bodies were covered with animal skins, looking like wild animals in the forest.But when they raised their heads and looked at the approaching knights, you only had to look at their gentle expressions and blue eyes to see that they were not savage at all, but like a group of sad faces, A wronged child.All around the camp, the wounded soldiers from the previous battle were still lying on the sacks.The sorcerers and soothsayers, called "Labordaris" and "Cyton," murmured words, exorcised evil spirits or healed wounds, and applied herbs to their wounds; the wounded soldiers lay there, silent. , endure pain.From the depths of the forest, across the moors and lakes, came the whistling of the horsemen; now and then a gust of wind blew away the smoke from the campfires, and set off a whooshing sound in the dark forest.The night was getting dark, and the bonfire was extinguished from the faintness, making the surroundings that were originally completely silent even quieter, and the sad atmosphere deepened, which was heartbreaking.

Zbyszko gave his orders to his men, who understood him at once, for there were some Poles among them.Then he turned to his squire and said: "You've seen enough, now go back to your tent." "I have seen it, I think," replied Halava, "but what I have seen does not please me, because if one looks at it, it will be seen that they are a group of defeated people." "Twice lost,--four days ago in front of the castle, and three days ago at the crossing. Now Skovolo is going there for the third defeat." "What's the matter? Can't he see that such soldiers can't fight the Germans? The Mackers told me so, and now I see it with my own eyes. They are a bunch of wretches, and they must be amateurs in war."

"You are wrong. They are a rare and brave people in the world. What's worse is that they are chaotic when they fight, but the Germans are in good shape when they fight. If the Germans can break through the Germans The Germans will suffer more than they do. The Germans know this, so the formation is as tight as a wall of iron." "Then it's out of the question for us to take the castle," Hlavar said. "Because we have nothing to attack the city with," replied Zbyszko. "Duke Witout has many weapons, but until he comes, we can't occupy the castle, except by luck or tricks."

At this time they came to the tent, and there was a big fire in front of the tent.When they entered the camp, they saw several plates of steaming meat, which the servants had prepared for them.It was cold and damp in the camp, so that the two knights and Hlavar lay on the hides before the fire. When they had eaten and drank enough, they tried to sleep, but they could not; Macko tossed and turned, and seeing Zbyszko sitting by the fire with some twigs on his knees, he asked: "Listen! Why do you advocate going so far to attack Ragnati instead of attacking Gautzweidui nearer? What good does it do you?"

"Because there seemed to be a voice in my heart saying to me that Danuska was in Ragnati, and their defense there was weaker than here." "We didn't have time to talk then, because I was tired too, and the losers were all gathered in the woods. Now tell me, what's the matter? Are you really going to spend your whole life looking for this girl?" "Well, she's not some girl, but my wife," answered Zbyszko. Everyone was silent, because Macko knew that there was nothing to answer.Had Danuska remained unmarried by now Macko would have persuaded his nephew to throw her away; but after the sacrament it was his duty to go and find her.Had Macko been there, he would not have asked him the question now.

Just because he was not present when Zbyszko was married, he unconsciously thought Danusia was a girl. "Okay," he said after a while. "But you always said that you didn't know anything about all the questions I asked you two days ago." "Because I really don't know anything, I only know that maybe God is going to punish me." Halaffa raised his head quickly from the bearskin, sat up straight, and listened with curiosity and attention. Macko says: "Since you still can't sleep, tell me all about your experiences, actions and achievements in Marburg."

Zbyszko brushed a tuft of long hair on his forehead that had not been trimmed for a long time, was silent for a while, and then said: "I wish I knew about Danusca as I know about Marlborough. Do you ask me what I saw there? I saw the great power of the Knights of the Crusaders; it has the support of the kings of all nations. I do not know anyone who can stand against them. I have seen their castles, such as Caesar of Rome did not use. I have seen infinite treasures, I have seen armor, and I have seen hordes of Armed priests, knights, and common soldiers,—and as many holy relics as there are in the Pope, I tell you, my soul trembles at the thought that I might have to fight them. Who can overcome them, oppose them, smash Their strength?" "We must destroy them!" cried the Czech, unable to bear it any longer. Zbyszko's words were harsh even to Macko's ears, and though he was anxious to hear all about his nephew's adventures, the old man interrupted him, saying: "Have you forgotten Virno? How many times have we fought them, shield to shield, man to man! You have seen how they did not want to fight us, how much they complained about our tenacity. They used to say , Even if the horses are exhausted and the spears are broken, it is useless to deal with the Poles. We must chop off the heads of our Poles, otherwise they will be killed themselves. Of course, some guests challenged us, but the results were all It's humiliating. Why are you so depressed now?" "I haven't changed. I also fought in Marlborough. They also stimulated with sharp weapons. But you don't know their strength." The old knight was angry, and said: "But do you know the strength of Poland? Have you seen all the Polish troops? Well, you haven't. But their strength is maintained by cruelty and treachery; they don't have an inch of land themselves. Ours All the dukes received them, and gave them gifts, as if they were beggars to their own houses, but when they had established themselves, they bit the benefactor who fed him like a hideous mad dog. They plundered They have taken our lands, treacherously, and taken our cities; such is their strength! The day of judgment and retribution is at hand." "You asked me to tell you what I saw, and now you are angry; I don't want to go on," said Zbyszko. But Macko gasped furiously for a while, then fell silent, and said: "But this time it's going to be like this: look at that huge, towering pine tree in the forest; The heart of the tree is hollowed out, and the sawdust is falling. Such is the power of the Knights of the Crusader. But I command you, tell me what you have done there, and what you have gained. I Come to think of it, you just said that you fought there with real swords and guns, didn't you?" "Yes. The knights of the crusaders received me at first with arrogance; they already knew about my duel with Rotgier. Perhaps they were plotting against me. But I have a letter from the duke, and thanks to them The protection of the venerable de Rausch saved me from their traps. Then there were banquets, tournaments, and the Lord Jesus helped me in everything. You have heard how Ulrich, the brother of the grand master, loved I, he has an order from the Grand Master himself to deliver Danuska to me." "We've heard," Macko said, "that you didn't attack him when his harness broke." "I helped him with my spear so that he did not fall, and he has loved me since then. Hi! Merciful God! They have given me such powerful letters that I can go from castle to castle Back then I thought my suffering was almost over and now I'm sitting here in a wild country, helpless, sad, overwhelmed and getting worse every day .” He was silent for a while, and then, throwing a splinter of wood into the fire with such force that it burst into sparks among the burning logs, he said: "If the poor creature suffers in this neighboring castle, and I don't care for her, let me die!" He was obviously full of pain and agitation, and he threw the splinters on the fire, and seemed to be driven out of his mind by a sudden pain; they were all amazed, because they didn't know how much he loved Danusia. "Restraint," Macko yelled. "Aren't your certificates working? Don't those 'comto's ignore the Grand Master's orders?" "Restrain yourself, my lord," said Halava. "God will give you comfort; perhaps soon." There were tears in Zbyszko's eyes, but he controlled himself and said: "They opened up castles and prisons. I searched everywhere until this war broke out. At Jedaf the consul von Heidecker told me that the laws of war are different from those of peace, saying My credentials were invalidated. I challenged him immediately, but he refused, and he ordered me to leave the castle." "What about somewhere else?" Macko asked. "It's the same everywhere. The superior of the consul in Jedhaf - the 'Komto' of Königsberg - wouldn't even read the Grand Master's letter, saying only that 'war is war' and telling me that while Get out of that place while my head hasn't moved. It's the same everywhere." "Now I understand," said the old knight, "that you have come here to avenge yourself, at least, because you have gained nothing." "Exactly," replied Zbyszko. "I also thought that we would capture some prisoners and occupy some castles. Unfortunately, the Shimuds couldn't capture the castles." "Hey! When Prince Wittout himself comes, the situation will be different." "May God allow!" "He will come; I heard at the Mazovia court that he will come, and perhaps the king and the whole army of Poland will come with him." At this moment Scovolo came, and their conversation ceased, when he appeared unexpectedly from the shadows, and said: "We have to march." At this, the two knights stood up swiftly, and Scovolo put his large head in front of them, and said in a low voice: "News: A reinforcement army is moving towards Novy Kovno. There are two crusader knights leading soldiers, herds and provisions. Let's eat them." "Shall we cross the Nemen?" asked Zbyszko. "Yes! I know a ferry." "Does the castle know about this support army?" "They know it, and if they are ready to respond, you will come with a surprise attack and get rid of them too." He then instructed them where to lie in ambush, so as to surprise those who came from the castle.He planned to make the enemy fight in two places at the same time, to avenge his last defeat. This plan was easy to succeed, because he thought that the enemy, because of the previous victory, would think that nothing happened and would not be attacked this time. up.Scovolo had only agreed with them the time and place of their rendezvous; the rest was left to their discretion, for he trusted in their courage and cunning.They are also very happy in their hearts, because they feel that they are dealing with an experienced and skilled commander.Then Scovolo bade them go, and he went back to his "Nume."Many dukes and captains are there on standby.There he repeated his orders, and gave new ones, and at last, with a flute carved from a wolf's bone in his mouth, he blew so shrill that it was heard throughout the camp. At the sound of the flute they gathered round the extinguished fire; here and there sparks sprang up, and then little flames flickered incessantly, and the rough shapes of warriors appeared about the pile of weapons.The forest is throbbing and alive.In an instant, the shouts of grooms came from deep in the forest, and they drove the horses to the camp.