Page:Sienkiewicz - The knights of the cross.djvu/468

30 "Have no fear. Thou art among Christians who are glad to hear holy mass. Who art thou?"

"A tar-burner, lord, and a watchman. There are seven of us in watch-houses with our wives and children."

"How far are ye from here?"

"Not quite ten furlongs."

"How do ye go to the city?"

"We have our way behind Chartsi Vandol (Devil's Valley)."

"Chartsi Vandol? Make the sign of the cross again!"

"In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen."

"That is well. Can a wagon pass by that road?"

"There is mud now everywhere, though not so much as on the high-road, for wind blows in the Vandol and dries the mud. But to Budy it is terrible; though whoso knows the forest well can take a man to Budy slowly."

"Wilt thou show the passage for a skoitsa? Well, let it be for two!"

The tar-burner undertook willingly to show the way, stipulating yet for half a loaf of bread; for though not dying of hunger in the forest those people had not seen bread for a long time. It was arranged to start on the following morning, since it was "bad" to start toward evening.

"Boruta," said the tar-burner, "storms dreadfully at times through the forest, but he does no harm to common people. He is only chasing other devils because he is jealous of the princes of Lenchytsa. Still it is bad for any man to meet him at night, especially if the man has been drinking. In the daytime and when sober, no one need fear."

"But thou wert afraid," said Matsko.

"Because that knight caught me without my knowing it, and with such strength that I thought he was not a man."

Yagenka laughed because they had all thought the tar-burner some foul being, and the tar-burner had thought them foul. Anulka laughed with her, till Matsko said,—

"Thy eyes are not dried yet from crying after Hlava, and now thou art grinning."

Hlava looked at her rosy face, and seeing that her eyelashes were still moist inquired,—

"Were you crying for me?"

"Oh, no," answered the girl, "I was afraid—that is all."

"You are noble; a noble person should be ashamed of