Page:Sienkiewicz - The knights of the cross.djvu/772

 334 ground, and making the sign of the holy cross they fell to spitting on their immense and toil-marked hands.

And that ominous spitting was heard through the whole line; then each man seized his weapon, and drew breath. At that moment an attendant rushed up to Zyndram with a command from the king, and with panting voice whispered something in his ear. But Zyndram, turning to the infantry, waved his sword, and shouted,—

"Forward!"

"Forward!!" was shouted by the leaders.

"Advance! On the dog brothers! At them!!"

They moved. To go with even steps and not break ranks they all began to repeat at once,—

"Hail—Ma—ry—full—of—gra—ce—the Lord—is—with—thee!!"

And they advanced like an inundation. The mercenary regiments advanced, the town infantry, the free land-tillers from Little and Great Poland, and the Silesians who before the war had taken refuge in the kingdom, and the Mazovians who had fled from the Knights of the Order.

The whole field glittered and gleamed from their scythes, pikes, and lances.

At last they arrived.

"Strike!" shouted the leaders.

"Uch!" Each man grunted as a strong woodcutter grunts when he strikes the first blow with his axe, and they began with all the strength that they had, and all the breath that was in them.

The uproar and shouts reached the sky.

The king, who from a height had followed the whole battle, continued to send messengers in every direction. He had grown hoarse from giving orders, and, seeing at last that all the troops were engaged, he began himself to be eager for conflict.

His attendants would not permit this, out of fear for the sacred person of their sovereign. Polava seized the horse's bridle, and though the king struck him with a lance on the hand he did not let go. Others stopped the way, begging, imploring, and representing that he could not change the battle by taking part in it.

But all at once the greatest danger hung over the king and his whole retinue.

The Grand Master, following the example of those who