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

by Henryk Sienkiewicz

  CHAPTER V.

  It was not until the end of the ninth day after Jagienka's departure thatZbyszko reached the frontier of Spychow, but Danusia was already so neardeath that he entirely lost all hope of bringing her alive to her father.

  On the following day, when she began to be incoherent in her replies, heobserved that not only her mind was out of order, but that she was alsosuffering from a certain malady against which that childlike frame,exhausted by so much suffering, prison, torture and continuous fright,could not fight. Perhaps the noise of the fight of Macko and Zbyszko withthe Germans contributed to fill her cup of terror, and it was just aboutthat time that she was taken ill with that malady. Suffice it to say thatthe fever never left her from that moment until they reached the end ofthe journey. So far it was successfully accomplished, because throughoutthe terrible wilderness, in the midst of great troubles, Zbyszko carriedher as though she were dead. When they left the wilderness and reachedinhabited regions, among farmers and nobles, trouble and danger ceased.When the people were informed that he carried one of their own daughterswhom he had rescued from the Knights of the Cross, especially when theyknew that she was the daughter of the famous Jurand, of whose exploitsthe minstrels sang in the villages, hamlets, and huts, they vied witheach other in rendering help and service. They procured proper horses andsupplies. All doors stood open for them. It was no more necessary forZbyszko to carry her in a cradle when the strong young men carried herfrom one village to another in a litter. They carried her as carefully asthough she were a saint. The women surrounded her with the most tendercare. The men, upon hearing the account of her wrongs, gnashed theirteeth, and not a few put on the steel cuirass, grasped the sword, axe, orlance and went along with Zbyszko, in order to take revenge withinterest. Because, the valiant race considered even retribution, wrongfor wrong, insufficient.

  But revenge did not then occupy Zbyszko's mind; his only thought was forDanusia. He lived between flashes of hope when there were momentary signsof improvement, and gloomy despair when she got worse, and as far as herlatter condition was concerned, he could not deceive himself. Asuperstitious thought struck him more than once at the beginning of thejourney, that there was, somewhere in the pathless regions they werepassing, death, riding along with them, step by step, lying in wait forthe moment when he might fall upon Danusia and wring from her the lastbreath of life. That vision or feeling became especially pronounced atdark midnight, so much so, that more than once he was seized with adespairing desire to return and challenge death to a combat to a finish,in the same fashion as knights are wont to do toward each other. But atthe end of the journey it became worse, because he felt that death wasnot following them, but was in the very midst of the retinue; invisibletruly, but so near that its cold breath could be felt. Then he understoodthat against such an enemy, courage, strength and arms are counted asnothing and that he would be obliged to surrender the most precious headas a prey without even a struggle.

  And that was a most terrible feeling, because it roused within him atempestuous, irresistible sorrow, a sorrow, bottomless as the sea. Couldtherefore Zbyszko restrain himself from groaning, could his heart remainunbroken by pain, when he looked at his most beloved? He spoke to her asin terms of involuntary reproach: "Was it for this that I loved you? Wasit for this that I searched and rescued you in order that you should beput under ground to-morrow and I should never see you again?" Then hewould look at her cheeks which glowed with fever, at her expressionlessand dull eyes, and ask her again:

  "Are you going to leave me? Are you not sorry for it? You prefer going tostaying with me." Then he thought that something was happening in his ownhead, and his breast swelled with immense sadness which seared it, but hecould not give vent to his feeling with tears, because of a certainfeeling of anger and hatred against that compassionless power which wasconsuming the innocent, blind, and cold child. If that wicked enemy, theKnight of the Cross, were present, he would have fallen upon him and tornhim to pieces like a wild beast.

  When they arrived at the forest court, he wished to halt, but as it wasthe spring season the court was deserted. There he was informed by thekeepers that the princely pair had gone to their brother, PrinceZiemowita, at Plock. He therefore resolved, instead of going to Warsawwhere the court physician might have given her some relief, to go toSpychow. That plan was terrible, because it seemed to him that all wasover with her and that he would not be able to bring her alive to Jurand.

  But just as they were only a few hours distant from Spychow the brightestray of hope shone again in his heart. Danuska's cheeks became paler, hereyes were less troubled, her breathing not so loud and quick. Zbyszko hadobserved it immediately, and had given orders to stop, so that she mightrest and breathe undisturbed.

  It was only about three miles from the inhabited part of Spychow, upon anarrow road winding between fields and meadows. They stopped near a wildpear-tree whose branches served to the sick as a protection from the raysof the sun. The men dismounted and unbridled their horses so as tofacilitate their grazing. Two women, who were hired to attend Danusia andthe youths who carried her, fatigued with the road and heat, lay down inthe shade and slept. Only Zbyszko remained watching near the litter andsat close by upon the roots of the pear-tree, not taking his eyes off hereven for a moment.

  She lay in the midst of the afternoon silence, her eyelids closed. Itseemed to Zbyszko that she was not asleep,--when at the other end of themeadow a man who was mowing hay stopped and began to sharpen his scytheloudly upon the hone. Then she trembled a little and opened her eyelidsfor a moment, but immediately closed them again. Her breast heaved asthough she was deeply inspiring, and in a hardly audible voice shewhispered:

  "Flowers smell sweetly...."

  These were the first words, clear and free from fever, spoken since theyhad left, because the breeze really wafted from the sun-warmed meadow astrong, redolent hay and honey perfume, fragrant with the scent of herbs.This caused Zbyszko to think that reason had returned to her. His hearttrembled within him for joy. He wished to throw himself at her feet atthe first impulse. But fearing lest that might frighten her, he desisted.He only knelt in front of the litter, and bending over her, said in awhisper:

  "Dear Danusia! Danusia!"

  She opened her eyes again, and looked at him for a while. Then a smilebrightened up her face, the same as when she was in the tar-burner'sshanty, but far from consciousness, but she pronounced his name:

  "Zbyszko!..."

  She attempted to stretch her hands toward him, but owing to her greatweakness she was unable to do it. But he embraced her, his heart was sofull that it seemed as if he were thanking her for some great favor hehad received.

  "I praise the Lord," he said, "you have awoke ... O God...." Now hisvoice failed him, and they looked at each other for some time in silence.That silence was only interrupted by the gentle wind which moved theleaves of the pear-tree, the chirping of the grasshoppers among the grassand the distant indistinct song of the mower.

  It seemed as though her consciousness was gradually increasing, for shecontinued to smile and had the appearance of a sleeping child seeingangels in its dream. Little by little her face assumed an air ofastonishment.

  "Oh! where am I?" she cried. He was so much overcome with joy that heuttered numerous short and abrupt questions.

  "Near Spychow. You are with me, and we are going to see dear papa. Yoursorrow is ended. Oh! my darling Danusia, I searched for you and rescuedyou. You are no more in the power of the Germans. Be not afraid. We shallsoon be at Spychow. You were ill, but the Lord Jesus had mercy upon you.There was so much sorrow, so many tears! Dear Danusia. Now, everything iswell. There is nothing but happiness for you. Ah I how much did I searchfor you!... How far did I wander!... Oh! Mighty God!... Oh!..."

  He sighed deeply and groaned as though he had thrown off the last heavyburden of suffering from his breast.

  Danusia lay quiet trying to recall something to her mind and reflectingupon something. Then finally sh
e asked:

  "So, you cared for me?"

  Two tears which were gathering in her eyes slowly rolled down her cheeksupon the pillow.

  "I, not care for you?" cried Zbyszko.

  There was something more powerful in that smothered exclamation than inthe most vehement protestations and oaths, because he had always lovedher with his whole soul. And from the moment when he had recovered hershe had become more dear to him than the whole world.

  Silence reigned again. The distant singing of the mowing peasant ceasedand he began to whet his scythe again.

  Danusia's lips moved again, but with such a low whisper that Zbyszkocould not hear it. He therefore bent over her and asked:

  "What do you say, darling?"

  But she repeated:

  "Sweet smelling blossoms."

  "Because we are near the meadows," he replied. "But we shall soon proceedand go to dear papa, whom we have also rescued from captivity, and youshall be mine even unto death. Do you hear me well? Do you understandme?"

  Then he suddenly became alarmed, for he observed that her face wasgradually paling and was thickly covered with perspiration.

  "What ails you?" he asked in great alarm.

  And he felt his hair bristling and frost creeping through his bones.

  "What ails you, tell me," he repeated.

  "It darkens," she whispered.

  "It darkens? Why, the sun shines and you say: 'it darkens'?" he said witha suppressed voice. "Up to this time you have spoken rationally. In God'sname I beseech you, speak, even if it is only one word."

  She still moved her lips, but she was unable even to whisper. Zbyszkoguessed that she tried to pronounce his name and that she called him.Immediately afterward, her emaciated hands began to twitch and flutterupon the rug covering her. That lasted only for a moment. No doubt wasleft now that she had expired.

  Horrified and in despair, Zbyszko began to beg her, as though hisentreaties could avail:

  "Danuska! Oh, merciful Jesus!... Only wait till we come to Spychow! Wait!Wait, I beseech you! Oh, Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!"

  The appeal awoke the sleeping women, and the men who were stretched withthe horses upon the lawn came running. They guessed at a glance what hadhappened; they knelt down and began loudly to recite the litany.

  The breeze ceased, even the leaves upon the pear-tree did not rustle.Only the voices reciting the litany sounded throughout that profoundsilence.

  Danusia opened her eyes once more at the very end of the litany, asthough she wished to look upon Zbyszko and upon the sunlit world for thelast time. Then she lapsed into an everlasting sleep.

  * * * * *

  The women closed her eyelids; then they went to the meadow to gatherflowers. The men followed them in file. Thus they walked in the sunshineamong the luxuriant grass and had the appearance of field spirits bowingnow and then, and weeping, for their hearts were filled with pity andsorrow. Zbyszko was kneeling in the shade beside the litter, with hishead upon Danusia's knees, speechless and motionless, as if he too weredead. But the gatherers kept on plucking here and there, marigolds,buttercups, bellflowers and plenty of red and white sweet-smelling littleblossoms. They also found in the small moist hollows in the meadow,lilies of the valley, and upon the margin near the fallow ground, theygot St. John's wort until they had gathered their arms full. Then theysadly surrounded the litter and began to adorn it, until they had coveredthe dead with flowers and herbs; they only left the face uncovered, whichin the midst of the bellflowers and lilies looked white, peaceful, calm,as in eternal sleep, serene, and quite angelic.

  The distance to Spychow was less than three miles. Then, when they hadshed copious tears of sorrow and pain, they carried the litter toward theforest where Jurand's domains began.

  The men led the horses in front of the retinue. Zbyszko himself carriedthe litter upon his head, and the women loaded with the surplus of thebunches of flowers and herbs, sang hymns. They moved very slowly alongthe herb-covered meadows and the grey fallow fields and had theappearance of a funeral procession. Not a cloudlet marred the blue clearsky, and the region warmed itself in the golden rays of the sun.

  The further adventures of Zbyszko will be found in a subsequent volume.

  FOOTNOTES:

  [Footnote 1: The Benedictine Abbey at Tyniec was in Poland as importantand rich, relatively, as the Abbey of Saint-Germain des Pres in France.In those times the order organized by Saint Benoit (Benedictus) was themost important factor in the civilization and material prosperity of thecountry. The older contained 17,000 abbeys. From it came 24 Popes; 200Cardinals; 1,600 Archbishops; 4,000 Bishops; 15,000 Writers; 1,500Saints; 5,000 Beatified; 43 Emperors, and 44 Kings. These figures arematerial facts showing the importance of the order. About its influenceon art, literature and culture one could write a volume.]

  [Footnote 2: Two powerful families.]

  [Footnote 3: Lithuania.]

  [Footnote 4: Historical fact.]

  [Footnote 5: Prince.]

  [Footnote 6: Lithuanian.]

  [Footnote 7: Money--it is difficult to tell the value exactly.]

  [Footnote 8: Bishop.]

  [Footnote 9: Priests.]

  [Footnote 10: An exclamation of trifling.]

  [Footnote 11: Prince Kiejstut's daughter.]

  [Footnote 12: Slave minstrels.]

  [Footnote 13: A kind of guitar.]

  [Footnote 14: The names of the noblemen of every country are derived fromthe estates which they possess--hence the particles before the name of atrue nobleman: _de_ in France, for instance, de Nevers, means that thename comes from the place called Nevers; _of_ in England, for instance,Duke of Manchester; _von_ in Germany has the same signification; inPoland z, for instance Macko z Bogdanca--means that the estate Bogdaniecbelonged to his family and to him;--in the following centuries the z waschanged to _ski_, put on the end of the name and instead of writing zBogdanca, a man of the same family was called Bogdanski; but it does notfollow that every Pole, whose name ends in _ski_ is a nobleman. Thereforethe translation of that particular z into English _of_ is only strictlycorrect, although in other cases z should be translated into English_from_: to write: Baron de Rothschild is absurd and ridiculous, becausethe sign "red shield" was not an estate, and one cannot put _de_ beforeit.]

  [Footnote 15: A wealthy possessor of land--they were freemen and hadserfs working for them--some of them were noblemen, and had the right touse coats of arms.]

  [Footnote 16: Pan--Lord]

  [Footnote 17: A man coming from Mazowsze--the part of Poland roundWarsaw.]

  [Footnote 18: Count.]

  [Footnote 19: Back side of the axe.]

  [Footnote 20: A town surrounded with walls and having a peculiarjurisdiction or a kind of a castle.]

  [Footnote 21: Inhabitants of Rus'--part of Poland round Lwow--Leopol(Latin), Lemberg (German).]

  [Footnote 22: Money;--marks.]

  [Footnote 23: Hail--the war-cry of the family, either because it wasnumerous like hail or struck sharply like hail.]

  [Footnote 24: Count.]

  [Footnote 25: Wdaly--in old Polish--handsome.]

  [Footnote 26: Beautiful.]

  [Footnote 27: Abbot of a hundred villages.]

  [Footnote 28: Ordinary German soldiers.]

  [Footnote 29: A nobleman holding an estate of the Crown, with or withoutjurisdiction.]

  [Footnote 30: Knight of the Cross in Polish.]

  [Footnote 31: Vocative from Zbyszko.]

  [Footnote 32: Pater-noster--the Lord's prayer.]

  [Footnote 33: Historical fact.]

  [Footnote 34: A military title with jurisdiction--corresponding togeneral.]

  [Footnote 35: Historical fact.]

  [Footnote 36: Bonebreaker.]

  [Footnote 37: Historical fact.]

  [Footnote 38: A large building which served for different purposes, butespecially, as a depot of broadcloth; in Polish _sukno_, hence its name:_sukiennice_.]

  [Footnote 39: Nob
lemen in Lithuania and Russia.]

  [Footnote 40: The Tartars were divided into Ords--it was a fancydivision, without any precise number.]

  [Footnote 41: Anjou in French.]

  [Footnote 42: Piasts is family name--the first kings of Poland werePiasts.]

  [Footnote 43: Mountains in Poland--sometimes improperly called CarpathianMountains.]

  [Footnote 44: Priest--or prince in the old Slav language.]

  [Footnote 45: In Poland they use in the churches a sprinkling brush madeof thin shavings of a certain wood--such a brush is called, "kropidlo."]

  [Footnote 46: The Province of Dobrzyn was seized by the Knights of theCross on the ground of an unlawful agreement with Wladyslaw Opolczyk.]

  [Footnote 47: Allusion to beehives on the trees; to take honey from them,the keeper was obliged to climb a rope.]

  [Footnote 48: Famous battle in which the Germans were defeated by KingWladyslaw Lokietek.]

  [Footnote 49: Ksiondz--priest.]

  [Footnote 50: We will go to dissipate.]

  [Footnote 51: Marienburg in German.]

  [Footnote 52: King.]

  [Footnote 53: Friend.]

  [Footnote 54: Diminutive of _kniaz_--prince.]

  [Footnote 55: Diminutive from _bojar_--Lord.]

  [Footnote 56: Marienburg in German.]

  [Footnote 57: A sort of coat.]

  [Footnote 58: The bison of Pliny; the urus of Caesar. The bison,destroyed in all other countries of Europe, is only to be found in Polandin the forest of Bialowieza, where a special body of guards takes care ofthis rare animal.]

  [Footnote 59: It means here a fort, a stronghold, a castle.]

  [Footnote 60: Grzywna or mark was equal to half pound of silver.]

  [Footnote 61: High sharp pointed hat.]

  [Footnote 62: Crooked.]

  [Footnote 63: Polish _tata_ = papa; hence the diminutive and endearingterms _tatus, tatutu_ and _tatulku_ = "dear papa," "dear little papa,"etc.]

  [Footnote 64: Another form of diminutive from _tata_--father.]

  [Footnote 65: Church with certain special privileges. It is a popularexpression for the church called _collegiata_, in Latin.]

  [Footnote 66: Silesia.]

  [Footnote 67: A popular exclamation of joy--sometimes of distress if itis put with another word.]

  [Footnote 68: An exclamation of mirth, especially in songs; and whiledancing, they exclaim in Poland: hoc! hoc!]

  [Footnote 69: Wooden beehive excavated in a tree.]

  [Footnote 70: Kind of fur jacket--bolero.]

  [Footnote 71: Both words are diminutives of _tata_--father.]

  [Footnote 72: Diminutive of mother.]

  [Footnote 73: In 1331.]

  [Footnote 74: Stronghold--castle.]

  [Footnote 75: Miss.]

  [Footnote 76: Breslau in German.]

  [Footnote 77: Diminutive of _tata_ father.]

  [Footnote 78: Abbreviation of Przeclaw.]

  [Footnote 79: Podhale is part of the mountains of Karpaty.]

  [Footnote 80: Nickname given to bears.]

  [Footnote 81: Popular name for bear.]

  [Footnote 82: Wolf.]

  [Footnote 83: Seminarists students.]

  [Footnote 84: Diminutive of _wlodyka_.]

  [Footnote 85: Piece of money; it is twenty-fourth part of _grzywna_ ormark, which was worth half pound of silver; one _skojeg_ was worth aboutone-third of an ounce.]

  [Footnote 86: "Bold Mountain"--a place in Poland, where one of the firstthree Benedictine monasteries was built by the king, Boleslaw Chrobry(the Valiant) 1125. In this monastery is a part of our Saviour'scross--hence pilgrimages to that place.]

  [Footnote 87: Diminutive of _wlodyka_.]

  [Footnote 88: Another form of _pan_--lord; when one speaks incommiseration or in sympathy, any noun can take this form.]

  [Footnote 89: A short prayer for the dead.]

  [Footnote 90: The famous victory over the Knights of the Cross by theking Wladyslaw Lokietek.]

  [Footnote 91: Lokiec means an ell in Polish. King Wladyslaw was of thefamily Piasts, but he was called Lokietek on account of his shortstature.]

  [Footnote 92: Marks.]

  [Footnote 93: Here it means a commandant.]

  [Footnote 94: A part of Poland. The people were called Kurpie, on accountof their shoes made of the bark of trees. They were all famous marksmen.]

  [Footnote 95: Krystyn.]

  [Footnote 96: A woolen material, made by Polish peasants. In someprovinces _kilimeks_ are very artistic on account of the odd designs andthe harmony of the colors.]

  [Footnote 97: Szczytno in Polish.]

  [Footnote 98: Cymbaska who married Ernest Iron Habsburg.]

  [Footnote 99: The knight Uter, being in love with the virtuous Igerna,wife of Prince Gorlas, with Merlin's help assumed the form of Gorlas, andwith Igerna begot the king Arthur.]

  [Footnote 100: Kind of horn.]

  [Footnote 101: Wigand of Marburg mentions such cases.]

  [Footnote 102: There is a custom in Poland, Hungary, Bohemia and someother countries, to break wafers at receptions and parties, on Christmaseve and the following two days, expressing in the meantime good wishesfor all manner of prosperity and happiness. The wafers are distributed bythe parish that is to say by the priest or sexton. The author refers tothat custom.]

  [Footnote 103: Siebenkirchen in German, a province which now belongs toHungary, it was then an independent principality.]

  [Footnote 104: Diminutive of mother; it is a charming expression. ThePolish language, like the Italian, has a great variety of diminutives.]

  [Footnote 105: _Glowacz_ the Polish for the Bohemian _Hlawa_, the lattermeans "head," but the former means also "big" or "thick head."--(S.A.B.)]

  [Footnote 106: Lotarynczyk means the man from Lotaringen.]

  [Footnote 107: _Byway_ means, in this instance, "here we are".]

  [Footnote 108: _Pontnik_, "Pardoner," one who dispensesindulgences.--(S.A.B.)]

  [Footnote 109: Called: _Misericordia_.]

  [Footnote 110: February is called in Polish "Luty," meaning alsodreadful, awful, etc.]

  [Footnote 111: The diminutive of Anna.]

  [Footnote 112: Lit., She was walking on live coals.]

  [Footnote 113: Meaning never.]

  [Footnote 114: Relics of the gallows were preserved down to the year1818.]

  [Footnote 115: One Polish mile is about three American miles.]

  [Footnote 116: _Setnik_, captain over one hundred.]

  [Footnote 117: The Greater Bear, or Charleswain ... other names are henand chickens, dipper, etc. Arabic, _Dhiba_.]

  [Footnote 118: _Wieczny odpoczynek racz mu daj Panie_. "God rest hissoul."]