Page:Sienkiewicz - The knights of the cross.djvu/731

 Rh Poles, and in what inferior? When lances are broken, is it easier to smash the armor on them with an axe, or is a sword better?"

In truth Matsko and his nephew were expert in these things, so people listened to them with great attention, all the more since the conviction was universal that the war would not be easy, that the Poles would have to measure themselves with the foremost knights of all nations, and not be satisfied with crushing the enemy at this point or that, but crush thoroughly "to the foundation," or perish utterly. So nobles said then among one another and among landowners: "Since it is necessary, we must go through it,—their death or ours." And to that generation of men who bore in their souls a prophetic feeling of coming greatness this did not decrease willingness,—on the contrary, it increased that willingness every day and hour; but they approached the work without empty boasting and self-praise, or rather they approached it with a certain resolute concentration, with gravity, and prepared for death.

"Destruction is written down for them or for us."

But meanwhile time passed and extended, and there was no war. There were reports, it is true, of disagreements between King Vladislav Yagello and the Order, and also reports touching the land of Dobryn, which had been purchased years before, and touching boundary disputes and a certain Drezdenko of which they heard then much for the first time, but concerning which both sides were disputing, as was said; but there was no war. Some began to doubt if there would be, for there had always been disputes, but they ended usually in meetings, negotiations, and the despatch of envoys. In fact news went out that this time two certain envoys of the Order had come to Cracow, while Polish envoys had gone to Malborg. There were reports of mediation by the kings of Bohemia and Hungary, and even by the Pope himself. At a distance from Cracow people knew nothing in detail, hence various, though frequently strange and impossible, reports circulated through the country; but there was no war.

At last even Matsko, within whose memory not a few threats of war had been made and negotiations had taken place, did not know what to think of the whole situation, so he set out for Cracow to obtain more reliable data. He did not remain long in the city, for on the sixth week he returned, and returned with a face greatly brightened; so when the nobility,