Page:Sienkiewicz - The knights of the cross.djvu/224

200 "How my attendant? Here are my attendants," said he, pointing to the two Turks given him by Zavisha, and two sturdy youths who sitting on two stumpy horses were leading the knight's stallions. "These are mine but who sent thee?"

"Panna Yagenka."

"Panna Yagenka?"

Zbyshko, who had been full of indignation, and whose heart was full yet of ill-will, said,—

"Go home and thank Panna Yagenka for her kindness. I do not need thee."

The Cheh shook his head.

"I will not go, lord. I have been given to you; and besides, I have sworn to serve you till death."

"If thou hast been given me, then thou art my servant."

"Yours, lord."

"Then I command thee to return."

"I have sworn, and though I am a prisoner and a poor man, I am a noble."

Zbyshko was angry.

"Be off ! How is this? Wilt thou serve me against my will, or what? Be off, or I shall command to draw a crossbow on thee."

Hlava unstrapped quietly a cloth mantle lined with wolfskin, and gave it to Zbyshko, saying,—

"Panna Yagenka sent you this, lord."

"Dost wish that I should break thy bones?" inquired Zbyshko, taking a spear from the hands of an attendant.

"And here is a purse at your command."

Zbyshko aimed the spear, but remembering that the man, though a prisoner, was a noble by blood, who had remained with Zyh only because he had not the means to redeem himself, lowered the spear point. The Cheh bowed to his strirup [sic], and said,—

"Be not angry, lord. If you do not command me to go with you, I will go behind you one or two furlongs; but I will go, for I have sworn on my soul's salvation to do so."

"But if I give command to kill, or to bind thee?"

"If you command to kill me it will not be my sin; if you command to bind me I will remain bound till good people unbind me, or till wolves devour me."

Zbyshko did not answer, he merely urged his horse forward, and his people moved after him. Hlava, with a