Page:Sienkiewicz - The knights of the cross.djvu/745

 Rh "But the Knights of the Cross of course consider thee as a traitor?"

"No," answered De Lorche. "Thou knowest how I guard my knightly honor. Sanderus, at command of the Bishop of Plotsk went to Malborg, so I sent through him a letter to the Grand Master Ulrich, in which I notified him of the end of my service and explained to him the reasons why I am on your side."

"Ha! Sanderus!" cried Zbyshko. "He told me that brass in the church bells has become disgusting to him, and that a desire for steel is roused in him, which seems strange to me, for he had always the heart of a hare."

Pan de Lorche laughed.

"Sanderus," said he, "has only this much to do with steel that he shaves me and my armor-bearers."

"Is that it?" asked Zbyshko, amused.

They rode on sometime in silence, then De Lorche raised his eyes toward the sky, and said,—

"I have invited you to supper, but it will be breakfast before we reach my tent."

"The moon is shining yet. Let us go on!"

So coming up with Matsko and Povala they rode four abreast through the broad street of the camp, which was traced out, at command of the leaders, between tents and fires, so that passage might be commodious.

Wishing to reach the tents of the Mazovian regiments which were at the other end of the camp, they had to pass the whole length of it.

"Since Poland is Poland," said Matsko, "no one has seen such armies, for nations have come in from all regions of the earth."

"No other king can bring out such armies," answered De Lorche, "for no king has such a mighty kingdom."

But the old knight turned to Povala, and asked,—

"How many regiments have come with Prince Vitold?"

"Forty," answered Povala. "Our Polish and the Mazovian regiments number fifty, but they are not arranged in the same way as Vitold's men, for with him sometimes a number of thousands serve under one banner. Ha! We have heard that the Grand Master called them a rabble, better at spoons than at swords, but God grant that he said that in an evil hour for himself, since I think that the Lithuanian spears will be terribly reddened with the blood of the Order."