Page:Sienkiewicz - The knights of the cross.djvu/738

 300 The herds on the fields and fallow lands enjoyed the midday rest, chewing their cuds slowly, as if in thought. Because of the dryness of the air there rose in one and another place along the roads rolls of yellow dust, and above those rolls gleamed, as it were, numberless little fires glittering in the sunlight; Zbyshko pointed them out to his wife and children, saying,—

"Do ye know what is glittering there above the dust? Those are spears, lances, and darts. It is clear that the summons has reached every one, and the people are marching against the Germans from all sides."

In fact such was the case. Not far beyond the boundary of Bogdanets they met Yagenka's brother, Yasko, who, as heir of Zgorzelitse, was quite wealthy; he marched with three lancers, and took with him twenty men. Soon after, at a crossroad, rose up toward them from beyond dust-clouds the face of Stan of Rogov, overgrown with hair; he was not, it is true, a friend of the lords of Bogdanets, but this time he called from a distance,—

"Bear down on the dog brothers!" He bowed toward them with good will, and galloped on farther in the grayish dust.

They met also old Vilk of Brozova. His head trembled a little from age, but he too was marching on, to avenge the death of his son, whom the Germans had slain in Silesia. And as they approached Sieradz the clouds of dust on the road were more and more frequent, and when from afar the tower of the city was visible the whole road was swarming with knights and their wagons, with armed townspeople who were all marching to the place of muster. Seeing that numerous, healthy, stalwart people, stubborn in battle and enduring beyond all others in foul weather, in rains, in cold, and every kind of toil, old Matsko was strengthened in spirit.

And such a stream of well-equipped warriors were approaching towns not only in the kingdom, but throughout the whole immense extent of the lands ruled by Yagello and Vitold. From the Carpathians and the Black Sea to the shores of the Baltic peoples were hurrying to restrain the German inundation, and put an end to the quarrel of ages with one giant effort.