Page:Sienkiewicz - The knights of the cross.djvu/101

Rh Yagello's small eyes glittered with impatience; but he stretched forth his hand, took the complaint, and gave it to the castellan. The castellan unrolled it and began to read, but as he read his face grew more vexed and gloomy.

"Lord," said he at length, "you insist on taking the life of that youth, as if he were a terror to the whole Order. Do you Knights of the Cross fear children?"

"We Knights of the Cross fear no one," replied the comtur, haughtily.

"Especially God," added the old castellan, in a low voice.

Next day Povala of Tachev did all that was in his power before the court to diminish Zbyshko's guilt. But in vain did he ascribe the deed to youth and inexperience, in vain did he say that even if some one who was older had made a vow to give three peacock-plumes, and had prayed to have them sent to him, and afterward had seen such a plume before him on a sudden, he too might have thought that to be a dispensation of God.

The honorable knight did not deny that had it not been for him Zbyshko's lance would have struck the German's breast. Kuno on his part had caused to be brought into court the armor worn by him that day, and it was found to be of thin plate, worn only on ceremonial visits, and so frail that, considering Zbyshko's uncommon strength, the point of the lance would have passed through the envoy's body and deprived him of life. Then they asked Zbyshko if he had intended to kill the knight.

Zbyshko would not deny. "I called to him from a distance," said he, "to lower his lance; of course he would not have let the helmet be torn from his head while alive, but if he had called from a distance that he was an envoy I should have left him in peace."

These words pleased the knights, who through good-will for the youth had assembled numerously at the court, and straightway many voices were raised. "True! why did he not cry out?" But the castellan's face remained stern and gloomy. Enjoining silence on those present he was silent himself for a while, then he fastened an inquiring eye on Zbyshko, and asked,—

"Canst thou swear, on the Passion of the Lord, that thou didst not see the mantle and the cross?"

"I cannot!" answered Zbyshko; "if I had not seen the cross I should have thought him one of our knights, and I should not have aimed at one of our men."