Page:Sienkiewicz - The knights of the cross.djvu/263

Rh bisons, before whose rage it was harder in case of attack to escape on foot than on horseback. De Lorche, though invited by the prince to take a place at his right, begged permission to remain on horseback to defend the ladies, and took his position at some distance from the princess, looking like a long bar with a knight's spear, at which the Mazovians smiled jeeringly in silence, as at a weapon of small value in hunting.

Zbyshko planted his spear in the snow, put his crossbow on his shoulder, and standing near Danusia's horse, raised his head and whispered to her; at moments he embraced her feet and kissed her knees, for he did not hide his love now at all from people. He ceased only when Mrokota, who in the wilderness made bold to reprimand the prince even, enjoined silence severely.

Meanwhile far, far away in the depth of the wilderness, were heard the horns of the Kurpie, which were answered briefly from the plain by the shrill sound of winding trumpets; then followed perfect silence. Only, at long intervals, did a grossbeak cry in the top of a pine tree. Sometimes men in the circle croaked like ravens. The hunters strained their eyes over the empty space, on which a breeze moved the frost-covered weeds and the leafless clumps of brush,—each waiting with impatience to see what beast would be first to appear on the snow. In general a rich and splendid hunt was predicted, for the wilderness was swarming with bisons, wild bulls, and wild boars.

The Kurpie had smoked out from their dens a certain number of bears, which thus roused went through the thickets, mad, alert, and hungry, feeling that they would soon have to struggle, not for a quiet winter's sleep, but for life.

There was still a long time of waiting, since the men who were urging the beasts to the clasps of the circle, and to the plain, occupied an enormous extent of forest, and were coming from such a distance that the ears of hunters were not touched even by the barking of dogs, which immediately after the sounding of trumpets were freed from their leashes. One of these dogs, freed evidently too early, or wandering apart after men, appeared on the plain, and having run over all of it with his nose to the ground, passed between the hunters. Again the place was empty and silent; only the woodmen cawed continually like ravens, announcing in this way that work would begin soon.

In fact, after an interval long enough to repeat a few Our