Page:Sienkiewicz - The knights of the cross.djvu/580

 142 "Woe! woe!" broke in Zbyshko with a hoarse voice.

And seizing the hilt of his misericordia he looked again with a wild glance toward Siegfried, who was lying in the dark at some distance.

Matsko put his hand on his nephew's arm quietly and squeezed it with all his might to restore thought to the young man, and turning toward Arnold, he said,—

"That woman is the daughter of Yurand of Spyhov, and is the wife of this knight. Thou canst understand now why we tracked thee and thy company, and why thou hast become our prisoner."

"In God's name!" said Arnold. "Whence? How? Her mind is disturbed!"

"For the Knights of the Cross stole her away as they might steal an innocent lamb, and brought her by torture to that state."

At the words "innocent lamb" Zbyshko brought his fist to his lips and pressed his knuckles against his teeth, while from his eyes great tears of irresistible pain dropped one after another. Arnold sat thoughtfully. Hlava told him in a few words of Danveld's treachery, the seizure of Danusia, the torture of Yurand, and the duel with Rotgier. When he had finished there was a silence unbroken save by the sound of the forest and the crackling of sparks in the camp-fire.

They sat thus for some time, till at last Arnold raised his head.

"I swear," said he, "not only on knightly honor, but on the cross of Christ, that I have hardly seen that woman, that I knew not who she was, and that I have moved no hand to torture her in any way, at any time."

"Swear now that thou wilt go with us of thy own will, without trying to escape, and I will command to unbind thee altogether," said Matsko.

"Let it be as thou sayest; I swear! Whither wilt thou take me?"

"To Mazovia, to Yurand of Spyhov."

Thus speaking, Matsko himself cut the ropes on Arnold's legs and pointed to the meat and the turnips. After a while Zbyshko rose and went to lie at the threshold of the hut, where he did not find the serving- worn an of the Order, for the attendants had taken her to their place among the horses. Zbyshko lay on a skin which Hlava brought him, and resolved to wait without sleep, hoping that daylight would bring a happy change to Danusia.