Page:Sienkiewicz - The knights of the cross.djvu/134

 "What sort of renegades are ye?" inquired Matsko. "Who are ye?"

"Your captives," answered the newly arrived, in broken Polish.

"But how is that? Whence are ye? Who sent you here?"

"Pan Zavisha sent us as a present to the young knight, to be his captives."

" Oh, for God's sake, two men more!" cried Matsko, with delight. "And of what people?"

"We are Turks."

"Are ye Turks?" inquired Zbyshko. "I shall have two Turks in my retinue. Uncle, have you ever seen Turks?"

And jumping up to the captives he began to turn the men around and look at them, as he might at strange creatures from beyond the sea.

"As to seeing, I have not seen, but I have heard that the lord of Garbov has Turks in his service, whom he captured when fighting on the Danube with the Roman Cæsar, Sigismond. How is that? Are ye pagans, ye dog brothers?"

"Our lord gave command to christen us," said one of them.

"And ye had not the means to ransom yourselves?"

"We are from afar, from the Asiatic shore; we are from Brussa."

Zbyshko, who listened eagerly to every narrative of war, especially when it concerned deeds of the renowned Zavisha, asked them how they had fallen into captivity. But in the narrative of the captives there was nothing uncommon: Zavisha had attacked some tens of them three years before in a ravine; some he cut down, others he captured; of these he gave away afterward many as gifts. The hearts of Zbyshko and Matsko were filled with delight at sight of such a notable present, especially as it was difficult to get men in that time, and the possession of them was genuine property.

After a while Zavisha himself came, in company with Povala and Pashko. Since all had striven to save Zbyshko and were glad that they had succeeded, each man made him some present in farewell and remembrance. The bountiful lord of Tachev gave him a caparison for his horse, wide, rich, embroidered on the breast with golden fringe; and Pashko, a Hungarian sword worth ten gryvens. Later came Lis, Farurey, Kron, Martsin, and, last of all, Zyndram, each with full hands.