Page:Sienkiewicz - The knights of the cross.djvu/459

Rh him just try ! He has cut me a little, it is true, but I have slashed his woolly face for him so that his own mother would not know him. Fear nothing, go on your journey in peace. Not a crow will be lost in Bogdanets."

"That is the right thing. I see that you are honorable people. Do you promise?"

"We promise!" cried both.

"And on your escutcheon?"

"On our escutcheon! More than that, on the Cross! So help us God!"

Matsko smiled to himself with pleasure, then said,—

"Well, this is what I expected. And since you act as you do I will say more. Zyh, as you know, gave me guardianship over his children; therefore I stood before Stan, and thee, young man, when you wanted to break into Zgorzelitse. But when I shall be in Malborg, or God knows where, poor guardianship will mine be. It is true that God stands above orphans, and that the man who wrongs them not only has his head cut off with an axe, but is declared infamous; still I am sorry to go, terribly sorry. Promise me then that not only will you not wrong Zyh's orphans, but that you will let no one else wrong them."

"We swear, we swear!"

"On your knightly honor and escutcheon?"

"On our knightly honor and escutcheon!"

"And on the Cross?"

"And on the Cross."

"God has heard. Amen," concluded Matsko; and he drew a deep breath of relief, for he knew that they would keep such an oath even though each one of them had to gnaw his fist from vexation and anger. And he began to take farewell immediately, but they detained him almost by violence. He had to drink more, and he became a gossip to old Vilk. Young Vilk, though he sought quarrels usually when in liquor, merely threatened Stan savagely, and attended Matsko as zealously as if he were to get Yagenka from him on the day following. But before midnight he grew faint from exertion, and when restored fell asleep like a stone. His father followed this example soon after, so that Matsko left both as if dead at the table. Having himself a head enduring beyond measure, he was not intoxicated, only somewhat rejoiced, so, while returning home, he thought almost with delight of what he had accomplished.