Page:Sienkiewicz - The knights of the cross.djvu/231

Rh "Vincent of Shamotur brought them here," said he at last. "I was twenty years old then, and had just come from Tsylia, whence my uncle, Petzoldt, the custodian, brought me. The Knights of the Cross attacked this town in the night, and burned it immediately. From the walls we saw them put men, women, and children to the sword on the market square, and hurl infants into the fire; I saw them kill even priests, for in their rage they spared no man. And it happened that the prior Mikolai, from Elblang by origin, knew Hermann, the comtur, the leader of the Germans. The prior went out with the older monks to that savage knight, and kneeling down, implored him in German to spare Christian blood. 'I understand not,' replied Hermann the comtur, and gave command to go on with the slaughter. Then they slew the monks, and with them my uncle, Petzoldt; next they bound Mikolai the prior to the tail of a horse. Toward morning there was not a living man in the town, save the Knights of the Cross,—and save me; I was hidden on a beam in the belfry. God punished them for that at Plovtsi, but they are rising up continually to the destruction of this Christian kingdom, and they will rise up till the arm of God crushes them utterly."

"At Plovtsi too," answered Zbyshko, "nearly all the men of my family perished; but I feel no regret for them, since God gave King Lokietek such a victory, and destroyed twenty thousand Germans."

"Thou wilt see a still greater war, and greater victories," said the prior.

"Amen!" replied Zbyshko. And they spoke then of something else.

The young knight asked a little about the dealer in relics whom he had found on the road, and learned that many such cheats were wandering about on the highways, deceiving the credulous. The prior told him also that there were papal bulls commanding bishops to punish such dealers, and, in case a man had not genuine letters and seals, to condemn him immediately. Since the testimonies of this wanderer had seemed suspicious to the prior, he wished to send him at once to the jurisdiction of the bishop. If it appeared that he was a genuine bearer of indulgences no wrong would be done him. But this man preferred flight. Perhaps he feared delay on his journey, but through this flight he subjected himself to still greater suspicion.

Toward the end of Zbyshko's visit the prior invited the