Page:Sienkiewicz - The knights of the cross.djvu/278

254 But the adroit Danveld, who knew how to weigh everything on both sides, put his hands on his head, frowned, and said, after thinking,—

"Impossible, without permission of the Master."

"If it succeeds, the Master will praise," said Gottfried.

"But if not? If the prince moves his spearmen, and falls on us?"

"There is peace between him and the Order; he will not strike."

"Yes, there is peace, but we shall be the first to break it. Our garrisons are not enough against the Mazovians."

"Then the Master will take our side, and there will be war."

Danveld frowned again, and was thoughtful.

"No, no," said he, after a while. "If it succeeds, the Master will be glad at heart. Envoys will go to the prince, there will be discussions, and we shall get off without punishment. But in case of defeat, the Order will not take our part, and will not declare war against the prince. For that another Master would be needed. Behind Prince Yanush stands the Polish king, and the Grand Master will not quarrel with him."

"Still, we took the land of Dobryn; it is evident that Cracow is not a terror to us."

"There were pretexts,—Opolchyk. We took, as it were, a mortgage, and even that—" Here he looked around, and added in a low voice, "I have heard in Malborg that if we were threatened with war, we should give up the mortgage, if the money were returned."

"Ach!" said Rotgier, "if Markward of Salzbach were among us, or if Schaumberg, who smothered Vitold's whelps,—they would manage Yurand. Who is Vitold? Yagello's viceroy!—Grand Prince; still Schaumberg cared nothing,—he smothered Vitold's children—made nothing of it. Indeed, there is a lack among us of men who can find means to do anything."

Hearing this, Hugo von Danveld put his elbows on the table and his head on his hands, and sank for a long time in thought. Suddenly his eyes grew bright, he wiped his thick moist lips with the back of his hand as his wont was, and said,—

"Blessed be the moment in which you recalled, pious brother, the name of the valiant Schaumberg."

"Why so? Have you thought of something?" inquired Siegfried.