Page:Sienkiewicz - The knights of the cross.djvu/240

216 spent at Naselsk, and travelling neither too briskly nor too slowly, they saw toward evening of the next day the walls of Tsehanov Castle. Zbyshko halted at the inn to put on his armor and enter the castle, according to knightly custom, in a helmet, and lance in hand. So he mounted his gigantic stallion and advanced, after he had made a sign of the cross in the air.

But he had not gone ten steps when the Cheh riding behind caught up with him, and said,—

"Your grace, certain knights are riding up after us,—Knights of the Cross, I think."

Zbyshko turned his horse and saw a showy retinue not farther than fifty rods distant; at the head of it on strong Pomeranian horses rode two knights, both in full armor, each in a white mantle with a black cross, and in a helmet with lofty peacock-plumes.

"Knights of the Cross, by the dear God!" said Zbyshko.

And involuntarily he inclined in the saddle, and placed his lance half-way down to the horse's ears; seeing which, the Cheh spat on his palm so that the axe might not slip from it.

Zbyshko's attendants, men of experience, knowing the custom of war, stood ready also, not for battle, it is true, for in knightly conflicts servants took no part, but to measure out a space for the struggle on horseback, or to trample the snowy earth for a combat on foot.

Being a noble, the Cheh was to take part; but he too hoped that Zbyshko would speak before he struck, and in his soul he was wonderfully astonished even that the young lord lowered his lance before challenging.

But Zbyshko recollected himself in season. He recalled that mad act of his near Cracow when he wished without foresight to do battle with Lichtenstein, and remembered all the misfortunes which had come of it; so he raised his lance, which he gave to the Cheh, and without drawing his sword moved on horseback toward the Knights of the Cross. When he had ridden up he saw that besides them there was still a third knight, also with plumes upon his helmet, and a fourth, long haired, without armor; to him this last man seemed a Mazovian. When he saw them he said to himself,—

"I vowed in prison to my lady, not three plumes, but as many as she has fingers on her hands; but three, if they are not envoys, might be found at once." He thought, however, that they must surely be envoys to the Prince of Mazovia; so he called aloud,—