Chapter 59 Chapter Twenty-Five

Zbyszko could not keep up with Hlava, because Hlava traveled day and night, resting only when the horses had to rest before they fell to the ground.The horses in this country eat only grass, and are weak, and do not stand up to the long journey as in the country where oats are easy to eat.Halava didn't care about his body, nor did he consider Siegfried's old age and frailty.The old crusader had suffered a lot, especially since he had sprained a bone last time by the mighty Macko.But to make matters worse, there were gnats swarming in the wet moors, and with his hands bound and his feet tied under the horse's belly, he couldn't drive them away.Halava did not ill-treat him at all, but showed him no mercy, and only freed his right hand so that he could eat when he stopped to eat.

"Eat, hungry wolf, so that I can send you alive to Lord Spychof." He used these words to stimulate Siegfried's appetite.Siegfried at first resolved to starve to death; but he gave up when he heard Halava declare that if he did he would pry open his teeth with a knife and stuff food down his throat. The original plan was broken, so as not to insult the Knights and the honor of the knights. The Czech was especially anxious to reach Spyhof before his master, lest the lady whom he admired be embarrassed.He was simple, yet courageous, with the noble sentiments of a knight; he knew that Jagienka would be ashamed if she remained in Spyhof after Danusia had returned. "When we get to Plotsk, we can tell the bishop," he thought, "that since the old lord Bogdaniec is her protector, he has to take her with him; She is protected by the bishop, and in addition to Zgotrilici, she also inherited the estate of the abbot, so even if the son of 'Voyevda' marries her, she will not be humiliated." Thinking this way, he His mind was relieved.Only one thing troubled him: the good news he sent to Spykhov was a fateful sentence for his lady Jagienka.

Anurka's red face, as beautiful as an apple, was always before his eyes.In this way, whenever the road was easy to go, he would stab the horse's belly from both sides with his spurs, because he wanted to reach Spyhof as soon as possible. They followed the overgrown roads, or rather there were no roads at all, but went through the forest, cutting and cutting like mowers.The Czechs knew that by going all the way south and a little to the west you could reach Mazodaszha, and then everything would be fine.During the day, he walked in the direction of the sun, and at night, he moved forward by the light of the stars.The endless wilderness.How many days and nights have passed.It occurred to him more than once that Zbyszko was determined not to lead his wife alive across this dreadful wilderness, where there was no food to be had, and the horses had to be protected at night from wolves and bears.During the day, they had to avoid the herds of bison; here the fearsome wild boars grind their crooked teeth on the roots of the pine trees.It often happens that if you don't use a crossbow, and don't use a spear to hunt a deer or a young boar, you won't have food all day.

"How can it be done here," thought Halava, "with a girl who was almost tortured to death!" They were often obliged to go round swamps and deep mountain valleys, where the spring rains had been constant for days, and the water in these places formed streams and torrents.There are also many lakes in the wilderness. At sunset, they saw groups of deer playing in the transparent red lake water. I often see cooking smoke, which means that there are people.Halava several times approached these forest dwellings, and met crowds of savages, naked and clad in hides, holding short hammers and bows, with eyes peering out from under their tangled hair; the Czechs Get away from them while they stare blankly at these knights in amazement.

Twice there were arrows swishing in the Czech's ears, and he heard a cry: "Vukiri!" (Germans!) but he preferred to flee rather than explain to them.After a few days he thought maybe they had crossed the border, but hadn't met a single person to be sure.Later, when I met a few immigrants who spoke Polish, I realized that I had already set foot on the land of Masovia after all. Although the entire eastern part of Masovia is also a wilderness, the situation in this area is better, unlike the wilderness there that is uninhabited.Czechs arrive at a settlement and find the people there less intimidating—maybe because they weren’t brought up in a hateful environment, maybe because Czechs can speak Polish as well as they do.Most troubling of all, they surrounded the traveler with boundless curiosity and asked countless questions.When they learned that he was carrying a captive, a crusader knight, they said again:

"Give him to us, my lord, and we will settle with him!" They made demands on the Czechs, and he often lost his temper with them, but he also explained to them that he could not grant their demands because they were the duke's captives.They were at peace.Later, when I went to inhabited places, where nobles and estate owners were, it was not so easy to escape.Hatred against the Knights of the Crusader grew everywhere, for no matter where; people still vividly remember what the Duke suffered at the hands of the Knights. The duke was kidnapped nearby, and he was taken prisoner.People don't want to end up with Siegfried immediately.Wherever a staunch Polish aristocrat would say: "Untie him, give him arms, and fight him to the death." The Czechs answered this with such convincing reason The right: the right of vengeance belongs to the unfortunate Sir Spyhof, and no one can deprive him of this right.

Traveling was easy in the populated areas; as the road was easy and the horses had plenty of food, the Czechs went on without a break, and reached Spychow before Corpus Christi. He arrived at dusk, just as Macko had sent him from Sztno on the last occasion when he was about to go to Zemud.This time, as before, Jagienka saw the servant from the window and ran out, but he fell at her feet and was speechless for a while.Jagienka immediately helped him to his feet and led him upstairs, because she did not want to ask him for information in public. "What news?" she asked, trembling with anxiety, almost out of breath. "Is she alive? Okay?"

"Alive! Good!" "Did she find it?" "Found it. They got her out." "Praise Jesus Christ!" But she turned pale when she said this, for all her hopes were dashed. But she did not lose her self-control, nor did she lose consciousness.After a while, completely under control of herself, she asked again: "When will they be here?" "It will be a few days! She is ill, and the road is difficult to walk." "Is she ill?" "She was tortured. The torture made her crazy." "Merciful Jesus!" There was a moment of silence.Jagienka's lips were white and trembling, as if in prayer.

"Does she recognize Zbyszko?" she asked again. "Perhaps I do, but I cannot say for sure, for I left the place at once to report to your lady. That is why I came here." "God reward you. Tell me all that happened!" The Czechs briefly recount how they rescued Danusia and captured the giants Arnold and Siegfried.He also told her that he had brought Siegfried, because the young knight was to sacrifice him to Uhed, to avenge Uhd himself. "I must go to Jurand now," said Jagienka, waiting for the Czech to finish. She went away, and Hlava had not been long alone when Anurka came running towards him from the next room; I miss this girl very much. In short, when he saw her, he lost control completely, hugged her by the waist, pressed her tightly against his chest, and kissed her eyes, cheeks and lips so passionately, as if he had already Having poured out his love for her, kissing her is now completely taken for granted.

Perhaps he had already poured out his spirits to her along the way, which was why he kissed her endlessly.He hugged her so hard that she couldn't breathe.But she did not resist, first amazed, then ecstatic, and if Hlavar's strong hands had not held her so tightly, she might have fallen to the ground. Fortunately this situation did not last long, for there were distinct steps on the stairs; in a moment Father Kaleb burst in. They parted at once, and Father Kaleb questioned him one after another.But Halava was out of breath and had difficulty answering.The priest thought it might be because of the fatigue of his journey.When he announced that they had found Danusia, rescued her, and brought her tormentor to Spyhof, the priest fell on his knees and thanked God.Halava also calmed down a little at this time, and when the priest stood up, he was able to retell the story of how to find Danusia and how to rescue her in an orderly and unhurried manner.

"God saved her," said the priest, hearing what the Czech said, "but has not brought her back to her senses, has not given her her soul back, she is still in darkness, and has no power to escape the devil. Just let Jurand The hands of the saints on her head, and one prayer, will restore her to sanity and health." "Knight Jurand?" the Czech asked in surprise. "Does he have such great power? Can he become a saint alive?" "Even while he was alive, he was already considered a saint before God. After his death, there will be another patron saint in heaven—a martyr." "But venerable priest, you said just now, 'Just let his saintly hands rest on her head.' Has his right hand grown, then? The right hand prayed to Jesus Christ." "I say 'those hands' only according to custom," answered the priest. "But one hand is enough, if God wills." "Of course," Halava replied. But there was disappointment in his voice, because he thought it was a real miracle.Jagienka came in and interrupted their conversation. "I have broken the news carefully to him," she said. "Because he was afraid that if he spoke too suddenly, he would die of joy. But when he heard it, he immediately knelt down with a cross in his hand and began to pray." "I believe he prayed like this until morning, because he was always on the floor all night long," said Father Kaleb. It happened as expected; they visited him several times, and each time they found him sprawled on the ground, not sleeping, but praying fervently, almost in a state of total coma.The night watchman (who, as was customary, was responsible for watching Spykhov from the top of the tower) said later that he had seen a particularly bright light in the room of "the old lord" that night. Early the next morning Jagienka went to see Jurand again, and he expressed his desire to see Halava and the prisoner.Immediately they went to the dungeon and brought the captive before him.Siegfried's hands were tightly bound to his chest.Everyone, including Tolimar, came to see the old knight. But because of the gloom of the day, and the dreadful storm that was approaching, the clouds were thick, and the light that came in through the panes of the bull-bladder was so weak that Hlavar could not see Jurand.When the Czech's piercing eyes, accustomed to the darkness, looked at Jurand again, he was hardly recognized.The gigantic figure had shrunk into a gigantic skeleton.His face was as pale as his white hair, and as he bent over the arm of the chair, with his eyelids closed, Hlavar felt that he was really a corpse. There is a table in front of the chair.On the table were a crucifix, a jug of water, and a loaf of black bread with a mitricardia, that dreadful knife with which knights killed their wounded.Jurand had long ago given up food except bread and water.He was clad only in the sackcloth, fastened with a straw belt.Such was the life of the mighty and fearsome knight of Spyhof when he came from Sitter under his pretext. Now, as soon as he heard them approaching, he kicked the tame away from his bare feet.At this moment, the Czech felt that Jurand was really a dead body.There was a moment's silence, waiting for his sign to tell them to talk; but he sat there, motionless, pale and serene, with his mouth slightly open, like a dead man in deep sleep. At last Jagienka said that Hlaval was coming, and asked meekly: "Would you like to hear him speak?" Old Jurand nodded, and for the third time the Czech gave a brief account of the battle with the Germans near Gautzweld.He put the same Arnold.Von Peyton told him of the battle and how they rescued Danusia.In order not to add to the suffering of the suffering old man, and not to overshadow the good news of Danusia's salvation, he purposely does not speak of Danusia's loss of reason due to her long and terrible torment.But on the other hand, since his heart was full of resentment against the Knights of the Crusader, and he was eager to see Siegfried received the punishment he deserved, he deliberately mentioned that she was terrified when they found her. , looks haggard, and sick, which shows that the Crusader knights must have abused her like an executioner. If she stays in the terrible clutches of the Crusader knights any longer, she will surely wither and die like a small flower trampled underfoot. While Halava spoke these words, the sky was overcast, the clouds were getting darker, and the storm was about to come.The bronze-colored clouds hanging over Spyhof, clustered in front and behind, piled up thicker and thicker. Jurand did not move, but listened to this narrative without trembling, as if in a deep sleep.But after all he had heard and understood all this, for when Halava told of Danusia's suffering, two great tears fell from his hollow eye sockets.There was only one earthly feeling left in him, and that was love for his own child. Then his blue lips began to murmur prayers.There was the first faint sound of thunder outside.Lightning lighted the windows from time to time.He prayed for a long time, and the tears dripped down his white beard again.When he finally stopped praying, the room was silent. After a long time, everyone present felt uneasy and didn't know what to do. Finally Jurand's confidant, his partner in previous battles, and old Tolima, the leader of the Spykhov Guard, said: "The devil who tortured you and your child, the crusader who drank blood, is standing before you, my lord, please make a sign, what is to be done with him, what is to be done with him!" Jurand's countenance brightened at these words, and he nodded to them, beckoning them to bring the prisoner to him.In the blink of an eye, two servants grabbed the crusader knight by the shoulders and brought him to the old man. Jurand reached out and touched Siegfried's face first, as if to feel the outline of that face. , like to remember it forever.Then he touched Siegfried's chest, his bound hands, the rope that bound him, closed his eyes again, and lowered his head. Everyone thought he was meditating, but whether he was meditating or not, this state did not last long.After a while, he seemed to wake up from meditation.He stretched out his hand towards the loaf with the ominous "Mitrikadiya" stuck in it. Jagienka, the Czech, even old Tolima, and everyone present held their breath.This is a deserved punishment, a just revenge.But their hearts beat at the thought of the half-dead old man fumbling for the knife to kill the bound prisoner. Jurand held the center of the knife, felt along the edge with his index finger, touched the rope tied around Siegfried's hand, and began to cut with the knife. When everyone saw this scene, they were all amazed, because they all understood his wish, and couldn't believe their eyes.But everyone can't stand it.Hlavar was the first to mutter; Tolima and the other servants followed.Only Father Kaleb asked in an uncontrollable, weeping voice: "Brother Jurand, what are you going to do? Are you going to release this prisoner?" Exactly!Jurand nodded affirmatively. "Not to punish him, not to take revenge? Is this your wish?" yes!He nodded again. There was a murmur, an outrage, and a display of open displeasure, but the priest was unwilling to belittle such an unheard-of act of mercy.He turned to those who complained and shouted: "Who dares to oppose the saints? Hurry up and kneel down!" So he knelt down first and prayed: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Thy kingdom come.  …" He repeated the "Lord's Prayer" over and over again to the end.When he read the sentence "Forgive our debts, as we forgive our debtors", his eyes could not help but fall on Jurand, and he saw a radiance of heaven on Jurand's face. This sight, this eloquent prayer, broke the hearts of all present; even old Tolima, a hard-hearted warrior accustomed to war, made the Holy Cross and immediately embraced Jurand's feet. , said: "My lord, if you wish to fulfill your wish, you must lead this prisoner to the frontier." yes!Jurand nodded. The storm was drawing nearer, and now and then lightning struck the windows.