Page:Sienkiewicz - The knights of the cross.djvu/369

Rh people in the West could not accomplish. Yurand possessed this endurance in a greater degree than others; so, though hunger had begun to twist him internally, and the cold of evening penetrated his coat covered with armor, he resolved to stay, though he were to die at that gate. But suddenly, before night had set in completely, he heard steps behind him on the snow.

He looked around; six men were coming from the side of the town. They were armed with spears and halberds. In the middle of them went a seventh, supporting himself with a sword.

"Perhaps the gate will be opened, and I shall enter with them," thought Yurand. "They will not try to take me by force or kill me; for they are too few; but were they to strike me, that would be a sign that they do not wish to keep faith, and then woe to them!"

Thus thinking, he raised the steel axe hanging at his saddle, an axe so large that it was even too heavy for both hands of a common man; and moved with his horse toward them. But they had no thought of attacking him. On the contrary, the soldiers planted the ends of their spear-shafts and halberds in the snow, and, since the night was not dark altogether yet, Yurand noticed that the shafts trembled in their hands somewhat.

The seventh man, who seemed to be an officer, stretched forward his left arm hurriedly, and turning his fingers upward, inquired,—

"Are you the knight Yurand of Spyhov?"

"I am."

"Do you wish to hear why I have been sent here?"

"I am listening."

"The mighty and pious comtur Danveld commands me to declare that till you dismount the gate will not be opened to you."

Yurand remained a while motionless; then he came down from his horse, onto which one of the spearmen sprang immediately.

"And your arms are to be delivered to us," said the man with the sword.

The lord of Spyhov hesitated. "Will they fall on me while unarmed and thrust me through, like a wild beast? Will they seize me and throw me into a dungeon?" But then he thought that if that had been their intention, a greater number of men would have been sent. For were they to rush