Page:Sienkiewicz - The knights of the cross.djvu/576

 138 "Look here! Revenge will not escape thee, and thou art a belted knight. How is this? Wilt thou slaughter a bound captive? Thou wilt not help Danusia by doing so, and what wilt thou gain? Nothing save infamy. Wilt thou say that kings and princes have slain captives? They may have done so, but not in our land. And what the world forgives them it would not forgive thee. They had kingdoms, cities, castles, but what hast thou? Knightly honor. The man who would not blame them would spit in thy eyes. Master thyself, in God's name!"

A moment of silence followed.

"Unhand me!" repeated Zbyshko, gloomily; " I will not kill him."

"Go to the fire; we will take counsel."

Matsko led him to a fire which the attendants had made near the tarpits. When he was seated the old knight thought a while, and said,—

"Remember, too, that thou hast promised to deliver this old hound to Yurand. Yurand will avenge the tortures which he has passed through, and also Danusia's sufferings. He will repay Siegfried, have no fear! And it is thy duty to yield to Yurand in this case. It belongs to him. Besides, what is not permitted thee is free to Yurand. He did not take the prisoner, but he will get him as a gift from thee. Without disgrace, nay, without blame, he may skin him alive if he wishes. Dost understand?"

"I understand. Thou speakest with reason."

"It is evident that reason is coming back to thee. Should the devil tempt a second time, remember this among other things: thou hast vowed to fight Lichtenstein and other knights; shouldst thou slay a captive, and the deed be bruited about by attendants, no knight would meet thee, and he would be right not to do so. God preserve thee from such a plight! There is no lack of trouble in any case, but whatever happens let no disgrace come. Let us talk now rather of what we are to do, and how we are to manage."

"Talk on," said Zbyshko.

"I would counsel this way: that serpent who is attending Danusia might be killed, but it would not beseem knights to stain themselves with woman's blood, so we will deliver her to Prince Yanush. She was plotting treason even in the hunting-lodge, in presence of the prince and princess: let Mazovian courts judge her, then, and if they