The Knights of the Cross, or, Krzyzacy: Historical Romance

by Henryk Sienkiewicz

  CHAPTER I.

  In Tyniec,[1] in the inn under "Dreadful Urus," which belonged to theabbey, a few people were sitting, listening to the talk of a military manwho had come from afar, and was telling them of the adventures which hehad experienced during the war and his journey.

  He had a large beard but he was not yet old, and he was almost giganticbut thin, with broad shoulders; he wore his hair in a net ornamented withbeads; he was dressed in a leather jacket, which was marked by thecuirass, and he wore a belt composed of brass buckles; in the belt he hada knife in a horn scabbard, and at his side a short traveling sword.

  Near by him at the table, was sitting a youth with long hair and joyfullook, evidently his comrade, or perhaps a shield-bearer, because he alsowas dressed as for a journey in a similar leather jacket. The rest of thecompany was composed of two noblemen from the vicinity of Krakow and ofthree townsmen with red folding caps, the thin tops of which were hangingdown their sides to their elbows.

  The host, a German, dressed in a faded cowl with large, white collar, waspouring beer for them from a bucket into earthen mugs, and in themeanwhile he was listening with great curiosity to the militaryadventures.

  The burghers were listening with still greater curiosity. In these times,the hatred, which during the time of King Lokietek had separated the cityand the knighthood, had been very much quenched, and the burghers wereprouder than in the following centuries. They called them still _desallerdurchluchtigsten Kuniges und Herren_ and they appreciated theirreadiness _ad concessionem pecuniarum_; therefore one would very oftensee in the inns, the merchants drinking with the noblemen like brothers.They were even welcome, because having plenty of money, usually they paidfor those who had coats of arms.

  Therefore they were sitting there and talking, from time to time winkingat the host to fill up the mugs.

  "Noble knight, you have seen a good piece of the world!" said one of themerchants.

  "Not many of those who are now coming to Krakow from all parts, have seenas much," answered the knight.

  "There will be plenty of them," said the merchant. "There is to be agreat feast and great pleasure for the king and the queen! The king hasordered the queen's chamber to be upholstered with golden brocade,embroidered with pearls, and a canopy of the same material over her.There will be such entertainments and tournaments, as the world has neverseen before."

  "Uncle Gamroth, don't interrupt the knight," said the second merchant.

  "Friend Eyertreter, I am not interrupting; only I think that he also willbe glad to know about what they are talking, because I am sure he isgoing to Krakow. We cannot return to the city to-day at any rate, becausethey will shut the gates."

  "And you speak twenty words, in reply to one. You are growing old, UncleGamroth!"

  "But I can carry a whole piece of wet broadcloth just the same."

  "Great thing! the cloth through which one can see, as through a sieve."

  But further dispute was stopped by the knight, who said:

  "Yes, I will stay in Krakow because I have heard about the tournamentsand I will be glad to try my strength in the lists during the combats;and this youth, my nephew, who although young and smooth faced, hasalready seen many cuirasses on the ground, will also enter the lists."

  The guests glanced at the youth who laughed mirthfully, and putting hislong hair behind his ears, placed the mug of beer to his mouth.

  The older knight added:

  "Even if we would like to return, we have no place to go."

  "How is that?" asked one of the nobles.

  "Where are you from, and what do they call you?"

  "I am Macko of Bogdaniec, and this lad, the son of my brother, callshimself Zbyszko. Our coat of arms is Tempa Podkowa, and our war-cry isGrady!"

  "Where is Bogdaniec?"

  "Bah! better ask, lord brother, where it was, because it is no more.During the war between Grzymalczyks and Nalenczs,[2] Bogdaniec wasburned, and we were robbed of everything; the servants ran away. Only thebare soil remained, because even the farmers who were in theneighborhood, fled into the forests. The father of this lad, rebuilt; butthe next year, a flood took everything. Then my brother died, and afterhis death I remained with the orphan. Then I thought: 'I can't stay!' Iheard about the war for which Jasko of Olesnica, whom the king,Wladyslaw, sent to Wilno after he sent Mikolaj of Moskorzowo, wascollecting soldiers. I knew a worthy abbot, Janko of Tulcza, to whom Igave my land as security for the money I needed to buy armor and horses,necessary for a war expedition. The boy, twelve years old, I put on ayoung horse and we went to Jasko of Olesnica."

  "With the youth?"

  "He was not even a youth then, but he has been strong since childhood.When he was twelve, he used to rest a crossbow on the ground, press itagainst his chest and turn the crank. None of the Englishmen, whom I haveseen in Wilno, could do better."

  "Was he so strong?"

  "He used to carry my helmet, and when he passed thirteen winters, hecould carry my spear also."

  "You had plenty of fighting there!"

  "Because of Witold. The prince was with the Knights of the Cross, andevery year they used to make an expedition against Lithuania, as far asWilno. Different people went with them: Germans, Frenchmen, Englishmen,who are the best bowmen, Czechs, Swiss and Burgundians. They cut down theforests, burned the castles on their way and finally they devastatedLithuania with fire and sword so badly, that the people who were livingin that country, wanted to leave it and search for another land, even tothe end of the world, even among Belial's children, only far from theGermans."

  "We heard here, that the Lithuanians wanted to go away with their wivesand children, but we did not believe it."

  "And I looked at it. Hej! If not for Mikolaj of Moskorzowo, for Jasko ofOlesnica, and without any boasting, if not for us, there would be noWilno now."

  "We know. You did not surrender the castle."

  "We did not. And now notice what I am going to say, because I haveexperience in military matters. The old people used to say: 'furiousLitwa'[3]--and it's true! They fight well, but they cannot withstand theknights in the field. When the horses of the Germans are sunk in themarshes, or when there is a thick forest--that's different."

  "The Germans are good soldiers!" exclaimed the burghers.

  "They stay like a wall, man beside man, in their iron armor. They advancein one compact body. They strike, and the Litwa are scattered like sand,or throw themselves flat on the ground and are trampled down. There arenot only Germans among them, because men of all nations serve with theKnights of the Cross. And they are brave! Often before a battle a knightstoops, stretches his lance, and rushes alone against the whole army."

  "Christ!" exclaimed Gamroth. "And who among them are the best soldiers?"

  "It depends. With the crossbow, the best is the Englishman, who canpierce a suit of armor through and through, and at a hundred steps hewill not miss a dove. Czechowie (Bohemians) cut dreadfully with axes. Forthe big two-handed sword the German is the best. The Swiss is glad tostrike the helmets with an iron flail, but the greatest knights are thosewho come from France. These will fight on horseback and on foot, and inthe meanwhile they will speak very brave words, which however you willnot understand, because it is such a strange language. They are piouspeople. They criticise us through the Germans. They say we are defendingthe heathen and the Turks against the cross, and they want to prove it bya knightly duel. And such God's judgment is going to be held between fourknights from their side, and four from our side, and they are going tofight at the the court of Waclaw, the Roman and Bohemian king."[4]

  Here the curiosity so increased among the noblemen and merchants, thatthey stretched their necks in the direction of Macko of Bogdaniec andthey asked:

  "And who are the knights from our side? Speak quickly!" Macko raised themug to his mouth, drank and then answered:

  "Ej, don't be afraid about them. There is Jan of Wloszczowa, castellan ofDobrzyn; there's Mikolaj of Waszmuntow; there are Jasko of Z
dakow andJarosz of Czechow: all glorious knights and sturdy fellows. No matterwhich weapons they choose,--swords or axes--nothing new to them! It willbe worth while for human eyes to see it and for human ears to hearit--because, as I said, even if you press the throat of a Frenchman withyour foot, he will still reply with knightly words. Therefore so help meGod and Holy Cross they will outtalk us, but our knights will defeatthem."

  "That will be glory, if God will bless us," said one of the nobles.

  "And Saint Stanislaw!" added another. Then turning toward Macko, he askedhim further:

  "Well! tell us some more! You praised the Germans and other knightsbecause they are valiant and have conquered Litwa easily. Did they nothave harder work with you? Did they go against you readily? How did ithappen? Praise our knights."

  But evidently Macko of Bogdaniec was not a braggart, because he answeredmodestly:

  "Those who had just returned from foreign lands, attacked us readily; butafter they tried once or twice, they attacked us with less assurance,because our people are hardened and they reproached us for that hardness:'You despise,' they used to say,'death, but you help the Saracens, andyou will be damned for it.' And with us the deadly grudge increased,because their taunt is not true! The king and the queen have christenedLitwa and everyone there tries to worship the Lord Christ although noteveryone knows how. And it is known also, that our gracious lord, when inthe cathedral of Plock they threw down the devil, ordered them to put acandle before him--and the priests were obliged to tell him that he oughtnot to do it. No wonder then about an ordinary man! Therefore many ofthem say to themselves:

  "'The _kniaz_[5] ordered us to be baptized, therefore I was baptized; heordered us to bow before the Christ, and I bowed; but why should I grudgea little piece of cheese to the old heathen devils, or why should I notthrow them some turnips; why should I not pour the foam off of the beer?If I do not do it, then my horses will die; or my cows will be sick, ortheir milk will turn into blood--or there will be some trouble with theharvest.' And many of them do this, and they are suspected. But they aredoing it because of their ignorance and their fear of the devils. Thosedevils were better off in times of yore. They used to have their owngroves and they used to take the horses which they rode for their tithe.But to-day, the groves are cut down and they have nothing to eat--in thecities the bells ring, therefore the devils are hiding in the thickestforest, and they howl there from loneliness. If a Litwin[6] goes to theforest, then they pull him by his sheep-skin overcoat and they say:'Give!' Some of them give, but there are also courageous boys, who willnot give and then the devils catch them. One of the boys put some beansin an ox bladder and immediately three hundred devils entered there. Andhe stuffed the bladder with a service-tree peg, brought them to Wilno andsold them to the Franciscan priests, who gave him twenty _skojcow_[7] hedid this to destroy the enemies of Christ's name. I have seen thatbladder with my own eyes; a dreadful stench came from it, because in thatway those dirty spirits manifested their fear before holy water."

  "And who counted them, that you know there were three hundred devils,"asked the merchant Gamroth, intelligently.

  "The Litwin counted them, when he saw them entering the bladder. It wasevident that they were there, because one would know it from the stench,and nobody wished to take out the peg to count them."

  "What wonders, what wonders!" exclaimed one of the nobles.

  "I have seen many great wonders, because everything is peculiar amongthem. They are shaggy and hardly any _kniaz_ combs his hair; they live onbaked turnips, which they prefer to any other food, because they say thatbravery comes from eating them. They live in the forests with theircattle and snakes; they are not abstinent in eating nor drinking. Theydespise the married women, but greatly respect the girls to whom theyattribute great power. They say that if a girl rubs a man with driedleaves, it will stop colic."

  "It's worth while to have colic, if the women are beautiful!" exclaimedUncle Eyertreter.

  "Ask Zbyszko about it," answered Macko of Bogdaniec.

  Zbyszko laughed so heartily that the bench began to shake beneath him.

  "There are some beautiful ones," he said. "Ryngalla was charming."

  "Who is Ryngalla? Quick!"

  "What? you haven't heard about Ryngalla?" asked Macko.

  "We have not heard a word."

  "She was Witold's sister, and the wife of Henryk, Prince Mazowiecki."

  "You don't say! Which Prince Henryk? There was only one PrinceMazowiecki, elect[8] of Plock, but he died."

  "The same one. He expected a dispensation from Rome, but death gave himhis dispensation, because evidently he had not pleased God by his action.Jasko of Olesnica sent me with a letter to Prince Witold, when PrinceHenryk, elect of Plock, was sent by the king to Ryterswerder. At thattime, Witold was tired of the war, because he could not capture Wilno,and our king was tired of his own brothers and their dissipation. Theking having noticed that Witold was shrewder and more intelligent thanhis own brothers, sent the bishop to him, to persuade him to leave theKnights of the Cross, and return to his allegiance, for which he promisedto make him ruler over Litwa. Witold, always fond of changing, listenedwith pleasure to the embassy. There were also a feast and tournaments.The elect mounted a horse, although the other bishops did not approve ofit, and in the lists he showed his knightly strength. All the princes ofMazowsze are very strong; it is well known, that even the girls of thatblood can easily break horseshoes. In the beginning the prince threwthree knights from their saddles; the second time he threw five of them.He threw me from my saddle, and in the beginning of the encounter,Zbyszko's horse reared and he was thrown. The prince took all the prizesfrom the hands of the beautiful Ryngalla, before whom he kneeled in fullarmor. They fell so much in love with each other, that dining the feasts,the _clerici_[9] pulled him from her by his sleeves and her brother,Witold, restrained her. The prince said: 'I will give myself adispensation, and the pope, if not the one in Home, then the one inAvignon, will confirm it, but I must marry her immediately--otherwise Iwill burn up!' It was a great offence against God, but Witold did notdare to oppose him, because he did not want to displease theembassador--and so there was a wedding. Then they went to Suraz, andafterward to Sluck, to the great sorrow of this youth, Zbyszko, who,according to the German custom, had selected the Princess Ryngalla to bethe lady of his heart and had promised her eternal fidelity."

  "Bah!" suddenly interrupted Zbyszko, "it's true. But afterward the peoplesaid that Ryngalla regretted being the wife of the elect (because he,although married, did not want to renounce his spiritual dignity) andfeeling that God's blessing could not be over such a marriage, poisonedher husband. When I heard that, I asked a pious hermit, living not farfrom Lublin, to absolve me from that vow."

  "He was a hermit," answered Macko, laughing, "but was he pious? I don'tknow; we went to him on Friday, and he was splitting bear's bones with anaxe, and sucking the marrow so hard, that there was music in his throat."

  "But he said that the marrow was not meat, and besides he had receivedpermission to do it, because after sucking marrow, he used to havemarvelous visions during his sleep and the next day he could prophesyuntil noontime."

  "Well, well!" answered Macko. "And the beautiful Ryngalla is a widow andshe may call you to her service."

  "It would be in vain, because I am going to choose another lady, whom Iwill serve till death, and then I will find a wife."

  "You must first find the girdle of a knight."

  "_Owa!_[10] There will be plenty of tournaments. And before that the kingwill not dub a single knight. I can measure myself against any. Theprince could not have thrown me down, if my horse had not reared."

  "There will be knights here better than you are."

  Here the noblemen began to shout:

  "For heaven's sake! Here, in the presence of the queen, will fight notsuch as you, but only the most famous knights in the world. Here willfight Zawisza of Garbow and Farurej, Dobko of Olesnica, Powala of Taczew,Paszko Zlodzie
of Biskupice, Jasko Naszan and Abdank of Gora. Andrzej ofBrochocice, Krystyn of Ostrow, and Jakob of Kobylany! Can you measureyour sword against the swords of those, with whom neither the knightshere, nor of the Bohemian court, nor of the Hungarian court can compete?What are you talking about? Are you better then they? How old are you?"

  "Eighteen," answered Zbyszko.

  "Everyone of them could crush you between his fingers."

  "We will see."

  But Macko said:

  "I have heard that the king rewarded those knights munificently whoreturned from the Lithuanian war. Speak, you belong here; is it true?"

  "Yes, it is true!" answered one of the nobles. "The king's munificence isknown to the world; but it will be difficult to get near him now, becausethe guests are swarming to Krakow; they are coming to be in time for thequeen's confinement and for the christening, wishing to show reverence toour lord and to render him homage. The king of Hungary is coming; theysay the Roman emperor will be here also, and plenty of princes, countsand knights, will come because not one of them expects to return withempty hands. They even say that Pope Boniface, himself will arrive,because he also needs favor and help from our lord against his adversaryin Avignon. Therefore in such a crowd, it will be difficult to approachthe king; but if one would be able to see him and bow at his feet, thenhe will liberally reward him who deserves it."

  "Then I will bow before him, because I have served enough, and if thereis another war, I shall go again. We have taken some booty, and we arenot poor; but I am getting old, and when one is old, and the strength hasleft his bones, one is pleased to have a quiet corner."

  "The king was glad to see those who returned from Litwa with Jasko ofOlesnica; and they feast well now."

  "You see I did not return at that time; I was still at the war. You knowthat the Germans have suffered because of that reconciliation between theking and _Kniaz_ Witold. The prince cunningly got the hostages back, andthen rushed against the Germans! He ruined and burned the castle andslaughtered the knights and a great many of the people. The Germanswanted revenge, as did also Swidrygello, who went to them. There wasagain a great expedition started. The grand master Kondrat himself wentwith a great army; they besieged Wilno, and tried from their towers toruin the castles; they also tried to capture the city by treachery--butthey did not succeed! While retreating there were so many killed, thateven half of them did not escape. Then we attacked Ulrich von Jungingen,the grand master's brother, who is bailiff in Swabja. But the bailiff wasafraid of the _kniaz_ and ran away. On account of this flight there ispeace, and they are rebuilding the city. One pious monk, who could walkwith bare feet on hot iron, has prophesied since that time, that as longas the world exists, no German soldier will be seen under the walls ofWilno. And if that be so, then whose hands have done it?"

  Having said this, Macko of Bogdaniec, extended his palms, broad andenormous; the others began to nod and to approve:

  "Yes, yes! It's true what he says! Yes!"

  But further conversation was interrupted by a noise entering through thewindows from which the bladders had been taken out, because the night waswarm and clear. From afar thrumming, singing, laughing and the snortingof horses were heard. They were surprised because it was quite late. Thehost rushed to the yard of the inn, but before the guests were able todrink their beer to the last drop, he returned shouting:

  "Some court is coming!"

  A moment afterward, in the door appeared a footman dressed in a bluejacket and wearing a red folding cap. He stopped, glanced at the guests,and then having perceived the host, he said:

  "Wipe the tables and prepare lights; the princess, Anna Danuta, will stophere to-night."

  Having said this, he withdrew. In the inn a great commotion began; thehost called his servants, and the guests looked at one another with greatsurprise.

  "Princess Anna Danuta," said one of the townsmen, "she isKiejstutowna,[11] Janusz Mazowiecki's wife. She was in Krakow two weeks,but she went to Zator to visit Prince Waclaw, and now she is comingback."

  "Uncle Gamroth," said the other townsman, "let us go to the barn andsleep on the hay; the company is too high for us."

  "I don't wonder they are traveling during the night," said Macko,"because the days are very warm; but why do they come to the inn when themonastery is so near?"

  Here he turned toward Zbyszko:

  "The beautiful Ryngalla's own sister; do you understand?"

  And Zbyszko answered:

  "There must be many Mazovian ladies with her, hej!"