Chapter 58 Chapter Twenty-Four

Knight Arnold didn't know until morning that the maid of the order had escaped; he laughed at the news, but he shared Macko's opinion that the maid was either eaten by wolves or killed Lithuanians were killed.The latter is by no means impossible, since the inhabitants of this district are of Lithuanian descent, and hate the Order and all who associate with it.Some of the men had joined Scovolo's side, and the rest had risen in arms and murdered the Germans everywhere; they, their families, and their herds were hiding in the depths of the forest, where no one had ever traveled.The next day they searched for the maid again, but failed to find them, because both Macko and Zbyszko were busy with more important things, and the searchers were weak. ——

Both knights were in a hurry to get back to Masovia, intending to start as soon as the sun rose, but Danusia was so soundly asleep that Zbyszko would not let her be disturbed, so they did not make it. During the night he heard Danusia's groans, and knew that she was not asleep; and seeing that she was fast asleep, he naturally hoped that this sleep would produce good results.He walked into the hut quietly twice, and through the light coming in through the cracks in the wood, he saw her eyes were closed, her lips were slightly opened, her face was flushed, exactly like a child's sleeping appearance.Seeing this scene, he was so sad that he shed tears, and said to her: "May God give you health, my dearest little flower!" Then he said to her: "You will not suffer any more, and you don't need to cry .May the most merciful Lord Jesus make your happiness endless like a river!"

Looking up to God with a simple and upright heart, he asked himself: "What shall I thank you for? What shall I repay your kindness? Shall I give a part of my wealth, my grain Or animals, flocks, wax oil, or something of the kind acceptable to God, and offer it to the church?" He even wanted to swear to name the sacrifices one by one, but he wanted to wait until Danusia woke up. Come, see how she is, if she regains consciousness, and then decide whether to be grateful or not. Although Macko knew very well that everything would be fine once he entered Duke Janusi's territory, he also thought it would be better not to disturb Danusia's rest, so he ordered the horses and servants to be ready and on standby Set off.

But after noon, Danusia was still awake, and both uncle and nephew felt uneasy.Zbyszko kept looking through the cracks in the wood and the door, and suddenly went into the hut for the third time and sat down on the same piece of wood where the maid had changed Danusia yesterday. He sat watching her, but her eyes were closed.Not long after, before she had time to read the "Lord's Prayer" and "Blessed Mary", her mouth twitched slightly, and she seemed to see him even though her eyes were closed, and said in a low voice : "Zbyszko..." Immediately he knelt down before her, took her withered hands, and kissed them ecstatically.Then he said to her intermittently:

"Thank God! Danuska! You know me." His voice woke her wide awake.Then she sat up in bed, opened her eyes, and said again: "Zbyszko!" Then she blinked and looked around in surprise. "You are not a prisoner now," said Zbyszko, "I have freed you from them and am sending you to Spychov." But she withdrew her hands from Zbyszko's and said: "So all this happened because we didn't have the blessing of our dear daddy. Where is the Duchess?" "Wake up, dear little Bud! The Duchess is far away, and we have rescued you from the Germans."

She didn't seem to hear what he said, but was remembering something.she says: "They also took my little lute and smashed it against the wall. Hi!" "Oh, God!" cried Zbyszko. Only then did he see that she was in a trance, with dull eyes and flushed cheeks.It occurred to him at once that she must be very ill, that her two mentions of his name were merely feverish hallucinations. Thinking of this, he was so disappointed that his heart trembled, and a burst of cold sweat broke out on his forehead. "Danuska!" he said. "You see me, do you understand my words?"

But she answered in a low voice: "Drink water!" "Merciful Lord!" He rushed out quickly, and bumped into Macko at the door who came to inquire about her condition.Zbyszko simply said "water" to him hastily, and hurried to the stream in the neighboring grove. After a while, he came back with a jug full of water and handed it to Danusia, who drank greedily.Macko, who had entered the hut before Zbyszko, could not help feeling distressed at the sight of the sick man. "Is she running a fever?" he said. "Yes!" snorted Zbyszko. "Can she understand what you're saying?"

"Can't understand." The old knight frowned, scratching the back of his head with his hands. "what to do?" "I have no idea." "There's only one way," Macko said. But Danusia interrupted him as soon as she had drunk the water, and said to him with a stare: "I didn't offend you, please forgive me!" "We've been pitying you, boy. We only want you to be happy," replied the old knight excitedly. Then he turned to Zbyszko: "Listen, it won't do to keep her here. Let her get some air and sun. It might do her good. Don't be dazed, boy, and put her on the stretcher where she came— Or ride with us in the saddle! Do you understand?"

He left the hut immediately, making the final arrangements before he set off, but when he looked ahead, he stopped suddenly—as if rooted in the ground. A large group of infantrymen with guns and spears surrounded the two huts, the stove and the open space, and surrounded them tightly. "The Germans are coming!" Macko thought. He was terribly frightened, but immediately grasped the hilt of his sword, and clenched his teeth, like a desperate animal, ready to defend himself to the death. At this moment the giant Arnold and another knight came towards them from the hut, and as soon as they reached Macko they said:

"The wheel of fate turns so fast. Yesterday I was your prisoner, but today you are my prisoner." He looked at the old knight haughtily as if he were a servant.Arnold is neither a very bad person nor a very cruel person, but he has the common shortcomings of crusader knights: although they are very educated and even humane, when they think they are better than others, They look down on those defeated by them very much, and they will get carried away with complacency. "You are all prisoners," he repeated haughtily. The old knight looked about gloomily, as if no one was there, although he felt that the situation was serious.

If he was in armor, on a horse, and Zbyszko by his side;—if they both carried sword and axe, or had only a spear which a Polish nobleman could wield so well, That dreadful "stick," he would try to break through this wall of guns and spears.No wonder the foreign knights, at the battle near Wilno, took advantage of this statement and exclaimed to the Poles: "You despise death too much." But Macsko stood there with bare hands, facing Arnold, without any chain armor on his body.He looked around and saw that his men had dropped their weapons; and he remembered that Zbyszko had also been in the hut with Danusia with his bare hands.As a man of great experience and familiarity with war, he knew that resistance was of no avail. I had to slowly pull out the dagger from the scabbard, and threw it at the feet of the knight beside Arnold. The knight was as arrogant as Arnold, but still politely said in a beautiful Polish: "What's your name, sir? I won't bind you, but you will swear, for I know you are a cavalier in a belt, and have been good to my brother." "I swear!" Macko replied. After giving his name, Macko asked if he could go up to the cottage and warn his nephew against any "crazy" behavior.They let him go.He went in, stayed for a while, and then came out with "Mitrikaudiya" in his hands. "My nephew, who doesn't even have a sword, begs you to allow him to be with his wife while you stay here." "Let him be together," said Arnold's brother. "I'll send him food and drink; we won't go at once, because Marlon is very sick and needs something to eat and rest. We ask you, sir, to eat with us." The two Germans turned and walked towards the fire where Macko had spent the night.But whether it was pride or negligence, they went ahead and Macko followed.The old knight, being an old warrior, knew what to do, and was extremely observant of etiquette, he asked: "Excuse me, sir, am I your guest, or your prisoner?" Arnold's brother suddenly felt a little ashamed, stopped, and said: "Please, sir." The old knight walked ahead, not wanting to hurt the man's self-esteem, because he had great hopes in this man.He said: "It is evident, sir, that you are not only courteous in speech, but also in manner." At this time, Arnold, who only knew a few words of Polish, asked: "Walfgun, what are you talking about?" "I'm playing by the rules," replied Walfgun, clearly pleased by Macko's words. They sat down by the fire and began to eat and drink.The lesson Macko taught the German was not in vain.During the meal, Walfgan gave way to Macko first. The old knights knew from later conversations how they had fallen into the trap themselves.It turned out that Arnold's younger brother, Walfgan, also led the Chelukh infantry to Gautzweidui to fight the uprising Shimud.But the Germans from faraway lands could not arrive in time to aid Arnold.Arnold did not think of waiting for them either, fully expecting other infantry from the towns and castles on the Lithuanian border to join him on the road.This was the reason why his brother delayed his march for a few days, and when they came near the house of the Pitch Burner, they met the fugitive maid of the order, who told him of his brother's misfortune.Arnold smiled contentedly as he was told in Germanic what had happened; at last he asserted that he had known this would happen. But the able Macko, who could always think of a way to deal with any situation, thought it would be to his advantage to make friends with the two Germans, so he said after a while: "It is always hard to be a captive. But thank God, I am fortunate not to fall into someone else's hands, but into your hands, because I believe that you are all true knights, and you also value the honor of knights." Walfgun closed his eyes and nodded proudly, obviously with a sense of satisfaction. The old knight went on: "I didn't expect you to speak our words so well! Obviously, God has given you great talents." "I understand your language because the Chirukhs speak Polish, and my brother and I have served in that area for seven years." "You're going to succeed him sooner or later as Comto. It must be . . . because your brother doesn't speak our language that well." "Arnold knows a little, but can't speak. My brother is stronger than I am, though I am not weak; but he is duller." "Hey! I don't think he's stupid at all!" Macko said. "Walfgun, what did he say?" Arnold asked again. "He praised you," Walfgun replied. "Indeed, I commend him," Macko added, "because he is a true knight, that is the most important thing. I tell you frankly, I was going to set him free today by oath, and let him do what he wants." Go anywhere, even give him a year. Such treatment is common among girdle knights." He stared at Walfkan's face, who frowned and said: "If you hadn't been helping heretic bastards against us, I would have released you on oath." "That's not true," Macko replied. And so there was the heated argument between Macko and Arnold yesterday.But although justice was on the side of the old knight, the dispute was not easy to carry on, for Walfgun was of a more severe character than his brother.But the debate turned out to be a good thing, and Walfgun learned of all the bad things the Knights had done in Scijtno, their cunning and treachery - and Danusia's misfortune. and torture.Walf refrained from answering the various crimes that Macko accused him of.But he had to admit that the revenge was justified, and the action of the Polish knight was also justified, and finally said: "I swear by the shining bones of St. Ribaulus, and I have no pity for Dunwiert. They say he plays black magic, but God's power and justice are greater than black magic. As for Siegfried, I can't tell if he's serving satan too. But I'm not chasing him because number one, I don't have cavalry, and number two, you say he tortured that girl, and if that's true, keep him from hell come back!" ① That is, the magic that drives the devil. Speaking of which.Stretching, he went on: "God! May I ascend to heaven after death!" "But what about the unfortunate martyr?" Macko asked. "Are you not going to allow us to take her home? Will she die in your dungeon? I beg you to remember the wrath of God! "I have nothing against that woman," Walfgun replied roughly. "One of you can take her back to her father, provided he comes and surrenders later, but the other must stay here." "Hey! But what if I swear by the knight's honor and by St. Jesse's spear?" Walfgun hesitated for a moment, for it was a great oath; but at this moment Arnold asked for the third time: "what did he say?" When he figured it out, he resolutely opposed it furiously.He objected for his own reasons.First, he was defeated by Skovoro, and later in battle by these two Polish knights.He also knew that due to the destruction of the vanguard in the previous battle, it was impossible for his brother to lead the infantry to go to Gautzweidui, and he himself had to go back to Marburg.What's more, he had to give a report on the defeat to the Grand Commander and the Grand Marshal, so even if he could only take one important prisoner, he would still have some face.Surrendering a living knight is more valuable than just saying that two such knights have been captured... As soon as Macko heard Arnold's loud objections and curses, seeing no other way, he decided to accept the previously proposed conditions.He turned to Wolfgang and said: "Then I would like to ask you one more favor—permit me to inform my nephew; I am sure he will understand the advantage of being with his wife, and I will go with you. Allow me to tell him anyway. Let him know that there is no need for any objection, because this is your will." "Well, it's all the same to me anyway," Walfgun replied. "But let's talk about one thing: your nephew must bring a ransom for himself and you. Because everything depends on the ransom." "About the ransom?" asked Macko—it was better, he thought, to delay the conversation. "Is it too late for us to discuss this question? To a cavalier in a belt, his promise is worth as much as cash, and as for the amount of ransom, that can be decided by conscience. Near the Gautswei pile, we also One of your important knights was captured, a man called de Lauche. My nephew (who took de Lauche prisoner) released him on oath, without mentioning the ransom." "Have you captured de Rausch?" Wolfgang asked immediately. "I know him. He's a famous knight. But why didn't we meet him on the road?" "Obviously he didn't go that way, he went to Gautsweed, or to Ragnati," Macko answered. "That knight came from a powerful and famous family," repeated Walfgun. "You've got an excellent prisoner! It's good that you mention it. But I can't let you go for nothing." Macko sucked his mustache, raised his head haughtily, and said: "Needless to say, we also know our worth." "That would be better," said little Von Peyton, but immediately added: "That's better. It's not for us, because we are humble priests, we have sworn to live in poverty, but for the Knights who want to use your money to win the praise of God." Macko made no answer to this, but looked at Wolfgang with such an expression, as if to say: "You are talking nonsense!" After a while, they bargained again.It was a difficult and exasperating business for the old knight.On the one hand, he could hardly bear any loss; on the other hand, he knew that it was impossible to propose too small a sum for Zbyszko and himself.So he slithers around like an eel, especially since Walfgun, though quite well-spoken and well-behaved, is extremely greedy and hard-hearted.Macko was comforted only by the thought that de Rausch would make it up, but even then the loss of de Rausch's ransom was very distressing to him.As for Siegfried's ransom, he didn't think about it at all, because he thought: Jurand and even Zbyszko, even if you pay them a large ransom, you will not spare Siegfried. special life. After a long bargain, they finally came to an agreement on the amount of the ransom and the date of payment, as well as on the number of horses and attendants that Zbyszko would take with him.Macko told his nephew about it, and urged him to leave without delay, because the two Germans might have other ideas. "It's all a knight's life," Macko said with a sigh. "Yesterday you overcame them, today they overtake you. Well, bad luck. May God give us luck. But now, don't lose your chance. If you hurry, you may catch Halava, and you are in Together it is safer. As soon as you get out of this wilderness and into the settlement of Masovia, you will be entertained and helped in the house of every nobleman or 'Vrodika'. In our country, people She doesn't hesitate to entertain and help a foreigner, but she is even more enthusiastic towards her own people! So the poor girl Danusa may get better there." At the same time he looked at Danusia, who was suffering from a high fever, drowsy, short of breath and loud, with a pair of sallow hands stretched out on the black bear's skin, shaking with fever. Macko crossed her and said: "Hey, take her! May God restore her health, because I think the thread of her life has been stretched too tight." "Don't say that!" cried Zbyszko in pain. "We are all at God's mercy! I'll go and order your horses to be brought here—you must go at once!" He went out of the cabin to make all the arrangements for the journey.Two Turks, sent to them by Zavisha, came with horses and stretchers covered with moss and furs, and at the head was Zbyszko's servant Werther.After a while Zbyszko came out of the hut with Danusia in his arms.The sight was touching, and the brother von Peyton, who had been driven by curiosity to the cottage, looked curiously at Danuska's childlike face, which was like an icon in the church of the Virgin Mary; He was so ill that he could not lift his head, but leaned heavily on the young knight's shoulder.They glanced at each other in amazement, feeling revulsion against those responsible for her misery. "Siegfried's heart is really the heart of an executioner, not a knight," Walfgun whispered to Arnold, "and the viper, though she set you free, I command Beat her with a whip." They were deeply moved to see Zbyszko holding her as a mother holds a child.They understood how much he loved her, for young blood ran in their veins both. Zbyszko hesitated for a moment, wondering whether to let the patient ride on the horse against his chest or let her lie on the stretcher.In the end he decided to put her on a stretcher, thinking it might be more comfortable for her to lie there.So she went up to his uncle, bowed, kissed his hand, and said good-bye to him.Macko Ezbyszko loved his eyeballs as much as he loved them. Although he was reluctant to show his passion in front of the two Germans, he couldn't restrain himself, hugged him tightly, and put him in his arms. His mouth was pressed against his thick blond hair. "May God guide you," he said. "Remember old man, it's always hard to be a prisoner." "I won't forget," replied Zbyszko. "May the Most High Mother bless you!" "God will reward you for this and for all your mercy." Zbyszko mounted his horse at once, but Macko suddenly remembered something, and running up to him, put his hand on Zbyszko's knee, and said: "Listen, remember, if you catch up with Halava, don't tease Siegfried, or you will bring blame on yourself and on my white hair. Give him to Jurand Deal with it, and do nothing to him yourself. Swear to me on your sword and your honor." "As long as you don't come back," replied Zbyszko, "I will not let Jurand hurt him for a day, lest the Germans hurt you for Siegfried." "It seems that you care about me too?" The young knight smiled melancholy. "You know that, I believe." "Go, goodbye!" The horse started, and in a few moments disappeared among the hazel trees.Matsko suddenly felt very miserable, alone, and he felt very sorry for the child he loved, on whom the whole hope of the family rested.But he was quick to get over his grief because he was a heroic man who was able to control his emotions. "Thank God, I am the prisoner, not him." Then he turned to the two Germans and said: "Your Excellency, when are you two leaving and where are you going?" "We'll leave when we think it's appropriate." Walfgun replied. "We are going to Marlborough, Your Excellency, you must first meet the Grand Master." "Hey! I've got to get my head off there, because I'm helping the Old Muds," Macko said to himself. But he reassured himself when he thought of De, with Lauch still in his hands; the Peyton brothers would have guarded his life, even if it was for ransom. "As a matter of fact," he thought to himself, "Zbyszko has neither to surrender nor to spend his fortune." This thought made him feel better.