Page:Sienkiewicz - The knights of the cross.djvu/512

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Hlava adored Yagenka, and his heart was growing more and more toward the beautiful Anulka, his young and brave soul was rushing forth to war first of all. It is true that he turned back to Spyhov at Matsko's order because he was commanded; still he found a certain consolation in the idea that he would be to both ladies a guard and protector. But when Yagenka herself said, which moreover was true, that nothing threatened them in Spyhov, and that his duty was at the side of Zbyshko, he accepted the statement with gladness. Matsko was not his immediate superior, hence he could easily excuse himself before the old knight by saying that he had not remained in Spyhov because his rightful lady had commanded him to go to Zbyshko.

Yagenka thought that a man of Hlava's strength and skill could always be of service to Zbyshko, and might rescue him from more than one strait. He had for that matter given evidence of this during the prince's hunt, where Zbyshko had almost lost his life by the wild bull. All the more might he be of service in war, especially a war like that on the Lithuanian boundary. Hlava was in such a hurry to the field, that while returning with Yagenka from visiting Yurand, he implored her, and said,—

"I wish to bow down before your grace to beg a kind word for the journey."

"How is that?" inquired Yagenka; "do you wish to go to-day even?"

"To-morrow morning before daylight, so that the horses may rest the night through. Jmud is terribly distant!"

"Then go, for thou wilt overtake the knight Matsko more easily."

"It would be difficult to do so. The old man is very strong in every labor, and he is a number of days in advance of me. Besides, he will go through Prussia to shorten the road, while I must go through forests. He has letters from Lichtenstein which he can show on the way; I have nothing to show but this to open a free passage before me."