Page:Sienkiewicz - The knights of the cross.djvu/180

156 "I will strike a fire," said she.

At once the steel sounded against the flint, sparks flew, and with their twinkling light Zbyshko saw the white forehead and dark brows of the maiden, her lips pushed forward in blowing the lighted punk. Only then did he think that she had come to that forest to help him, that without her fork it might have gone ill with him, and he felt such immense gratitude that, without thinking long, he grasped her by the waist and kissed both her cheeks.

Her punk and steel fell to the ground.

"Let me go! What is this?" said she, in a smothered voice; still she did not push his face away; on the contrary, her lips even touched his, as if by accident.

He let her go, and said,—

"God reward! I know not what might have happened without thee."

Yagenka, feeling around in the darkness to find the punk and steel, began to explain,—

"I feared that something might harm thee. Bezduh went out also with a fork and an axe, but the bear tore him. God guard from that! Matsko would suffer; as it is, he is barely breathing. Well, I took the fork and came."

"So that was thou behind the pines there?"

"I."

"And I thought it was the 'evil one.'"

"No small fear seized me too, for here around the Radzikov swamp it is not well in the night without fire."

"Why didst thou not call?"

"I was afraid that thou mightst drive me away."

Then she struck fire again, and placed dry hemp-stalks on the punk; these shot up a bright flame immediately.

"I have two handfuls, but do thou collect dry limbs in a hurry; there will be a fire."

After a time a really cheerful fire burst forth, the flames of which shone on the enormous ruddy carcass of the bear, which was lying in a pool of blood.

"Ei! a savage creature!" said Zbyshko, with a certain boastfulness.

"But the head is almost cut in two! O Jesus!"

When she said this she bent down and buried her hand in the bear's fur to learn if he had much fat; then she raised it with a gladsome face.

"There will be fat for a couple of years!"

"But the fork is broken. Look!"