Princess Anna was not much surprised at the arrival of Jurand of Spychow.
It used to happen, that during the continual attacks and fights with
neighboring German knights, a sudden longing for Danusia seized him. Then
he would appear unexpectedly in Warszawa, in Ciechanow, or wherever
Prince Janusz's court was situated for the time being.
Every time he saw the child, his grief burst forth anew because Danusia
looked like her mother. The people thought that his iron heart filled
with feelings of vengeance, would become softer through such grief. The
princess often tried to persuade him to abandon his bloody Spychow, and
remain at the court near Danusia. The prince himself, appreciating his
bravery and importance, and at the same time wishing to spare him the
fatigue inevitable in the quarrels on the frontier, offered him the
office of sword bearer. It was always in vain. The sight of Danusia
opened the old wounds in his heart. After a few days he always lost his
appetite, could not sleep, and became silent. Evidently his heart began
to bleed, and finally he would disappear from the court and returned to
the marshes of Spychow, in order to drown in blood his grief and anger.
Then the people used to say: "Woe to the Germans! It is true they are not
sheep; but they are sheep to Jurand, because he is a wolf to them." In
fact, after a time, the news would spread about the volunteers who, going
to join the Knights of the Cross, were captured on their journey; about
burned towns, and captured peasants; or about deadly fights from which
the terrible Jurand always emerged victorious. On account of the
rapacious disposition of the Mazurs and of the German knights who were
holding the land and the strongholds from the Order, even during the
greatest peace between the prince of Mazowsze and the Order, continual
fighting was going on near the frontier. Even when cutting wood in the
forests or harvesting in the fields, the inhabitants used to carry their
arms. The people living there felt no certainty for the morrow; were in
continual readiness for war, and were hard-hearted. Nobody was satisfied
with defence only; but for pillage repaid with pillage; for
conflagration, with conflagration; for invasion, with invasion. It often
happened that while the Germans were stealing through the forest, to
attack some stronghold and to seize the peasants or the cattle, at the
same time, the Mazurs were doing the same. Sometimes they met, then they
fought; but often only the leaders challenged each other for a deadly
fight, after which the conqueror took the retinue of his defeated
adversary. Therefore, when complaints were received at the Warsavian
court about Jurand, the prince used to reply with complaints about the
attacks made by the Germans. Thus both sides asked for justice, but
neither was willing to grant it; all robberies, conflagrations and
invasions went unpunished.
But Jurand dwelling in Spychow, surrounded by marshes overgrown with
rushes, and being filled with an unquenchable desire for vengeance, was
so dreaded by his German neighbors, that finally their fear became
greater than their courage. The lands bordering upon Spychow, were lying
fallow; the forests were overgrown with wild hops and the meadows with
reeds. Several German knights tried to settle in the neighborhood of
Spychow; but everyone of them after a time, preferred to abandon his
estate held in fief, his herds and his peasants, rather than live near
this implacable man. Very often the knights planned a common expedition
against Spychow; but everyone ended in defeat. They tried different
means. One time they brought from the province of Mein, a knight noted
for his strength and cruelty, and who had always been victorious in all
fights. He challenged Jurand. But as soon as they entered the lists, the
German was so frightened at the sight of the dreadful Mazur, that he
wheeled his horse intending to flee; Jurand pierced his defenceless back
with a spear, and in that way dishonored him forever. After that still
greater fear filled the neighbors, and if a German perceived even from
afar Spychowian smoke, he immediately crossed himself and began to pray
to his patron in heaven. It was generally believed that Jurand had sold
his soul to the evil one for the sake of vengeance.
The people told dreadful tales about Spychow: they said that the path
leading to it through the quaggy marshes which were overgrown with duck
weed and had bottomless depths, was so narrow that two men on horseback
could not ride abreast; that on each side there were many Germans' bones,
and that during the night, the heads of drowned men were seen walking on
spiders' legs, howling and drawing travelers on horses into the depths.
They also said that the gate in the _grodek_ was ornamented with
skeletons. These stories were not true. But in the barred pits dug under
the house in Spychow, there were always many groaning prisoners; and
Jurand's name was more dreadful than those tales about the skeletons and
drowned people.
Zbyszko having learned of Jurand's arrival, hastened to him, but with a
certain uneasiness in his heart because he was Danusia's father. Nobody
could forbid him choose Danusia for the lady of his thoughts; but
afterward the princess had betrothed them. What will Jurand say to that?
Will he consent? What will happen if he refuse his consent? These
questions filled his heart with fear, because he now cared for Danusia
more than for anything else in the world. He was only encouraged by the
thought that perhaps Jurand would praise him for having attacked
Lichtenstein, because he had done it to avenge Danusia's mother; and in
consequence had nearly lost his own head.
In the meantime he began to question the courtier, who had come to
Amylej's for him:
"Where are you conducting me?" asked he; "to the castle?"
"Yes, to the castle. Jurand is with the princess' court."
"Tell me, what kind of a man he is, so that I may know how to talk with
him!"
"What can I tell you! He is a man entirely different from other men. They
say that he was mirthful before his blood became seared in his heart!"
"Is he clever?"
"He is cunning; he robs others but he does not let others rob him. Hej!
He has only one eye, because the other was destroyed by the thrust of a
German crossbow; but with that one, he can look a man through and
through. He loves no one except the princess, our lady; and he loves her
because his wife was a lady from her court, and now his daughter is with
her."
Zbyszko breathed.
"Then you think that he will not oppose the princess' will?"
"I know what you would like to learn, and therefore I will tell you what
I heard. The princess spoke to him about your betrothment, because it
would not be proper to conceal it from him; but it is not known what he
said in reply."
While thus speaking, they arrived at the gate. The captain of the
archers, the same who had conducted Zbyszko to the scaffold, now saluted
them. After having passed the guards, they entered the court-yard and
turned to the left toward the part of the castle occupied by the
princess.
The courtier meeting a servant in the doorway, asked:
"Where is Jurand of Spychow?"
"In the '_krzywy_[62] room' with his daughter."
"It is there," said the courtier, pointing at the door.
Zbyszko crossed himself, raised the curtain in the doorway, and entered
with throbbing heart. But he did not perceive Jurand and Danusia at once,
because the room was not only "crooked" but dark also. But after a while
he saw the fair head of the girl, who was sitting on her father's lap.
They did not hear him when he entered; therefore e stopped near the door,
and finally he said:
"May He be blessed!"
"For ages and ages," answered Jurand, rising.
At that moment Danusia sprang toward the young knight and having seized
him with both hands, began to scream:
"Zbyszku! _Tatus_[63] is here!"
Zbyszko kissed her hands; then he approached Jurand, and said:
"I came to bow to you; you know who I am."
And he bent slightly, making a movement with his hands as if he wished to
seize Jurand by his knees. But Jurand grasped his hand, turned him toward
the light and began to look at him.
Zbyszko had already regained his self-possession; therefore he looked
with curiosity at Jurand. He beheld before him a gigantic man with fallow
hair and moustache, with a face pitted with smallpox and one eye of
iron-like color. It seemed to him as if this eye would pierce him, and he
again became confused. Finally, not knowing what to say, but wishing to
say something to break the embarrassing silence, he asked:
"Then you are Jurand of Spychow, Danusia's father?"
But the other only pointed to an oaken bench, standing beside the chair
on which he sat himself and continued to look at Zbyszko, who finally
became impatient, and said:
"It is not pleasant for me to sit as though I were in a court."
Then Jurand said:
"You wanted to fight with Lichtenstein?"
"Yes!" answered Zbyszko.
In the eye of the Lord of Spychow shone a strange light and his stern
face began to brighten. After awhile he looked at Danusia and asked;
"And was it for her?"
"For no other! My uncle told you that I made a vow to her to tear the
peacock tufts from German heads. But now there shall be not only three of
them, but at least as many as I have fingers on both hands. In that way I
will help you to avenge the death of Danusia's mother."
"Woe to them!" answered Jurand.
Then there was silence again. But Zbyszko, having noticed that by showing
his hatred of the Germans, he would capture Jurand's heart, said:
"I will not forgive them! They nearly caused my death."
Here he turned to Danusia and added:
"She saved me."
"I know," said Jurand.
"Are you angry?"
"Since you made a vow to her, you must serve her, because such is the
knightly custom."
Zbyszko hesitated; but after awhile, he began to say with evident
uneasiness:
"Do you know that she covered my head with her veil? All the knights and
also the Franciscan who was with me holding the cross, heard her say: 'He
is mine!' Therefore I will be loyal to her until death, so help me God!"
Having said this, he kneeled, and wishing to show that he was familiar
with the customs of chivalry, he kissed both of Danusia's shoes with
great reverence. Then he arose and having turned to Jurand, asked him:
"Have you ever seen another as fair as she?"
Jurand suddenly put his hands behind his head, and having closed his
eyes, he said loudly:
"I have seen one other; but the Germans killed her."
"Then listen," said Zbyszko, enthusiastically; "we have the same wrong
and the same vengeance. Those dog-brothers also killed my people from
Bogdaniec. You cannot find a better man for your work. It is no new thing
for me! Ask my uncle. I can fight either with spear or axe, short sword
or long sword! Did my uncle tell you about those Fryzjans? I will
slaughter the Germans for you like sheep; and as for the girl, I vow to
you on my knees that I will fight for her even with the _starosta_ of
hell himself, and that I will give her up neither for lands nor for
herds, nor for any other thing! Even if some one offered me a castle with
glass windows in it but without her, I would refuse the castle and follow
her to the end of the world."
Jurand sat for awhile with his head between his hands; but finally he
awakened as from a dream, and said with sadness and grief:
"I like you, young man, but I cannot give her to you; she is not destined
for you, my poor boy."
Zbyszko hearing this, grew dumb and began to look at Jurand with
wondering eyes.
But Danusia came to his help. Zbyszko was dear to her, and she was
pleased to be considered not "a bush" but "a grown-up girl." She also
liked the betrothal and the dainties which the knight used to bring her
every day; therefore when she understood that she was likely to lose all
this, she slipped down from the arm chair and having put her head on her
father's lap, she began to cry:
"_Tatulu, Tatulu!_"[64] He evidently loved her better than anything else,
for he put his hand softly on her head, while from his face disappeared
all trace of deadly grudge and anger; only sadness remained.
In the meantime Zbyszko recovered his composure, and now said:
"How is it? Do you wish to oppose God's will?"
To this Jurand replied:
"If it be God's will, then you will get her; but I cannot give you my
consent. Bah! I would be glad to do it, but I cannot."
Having said this, he arose, took Danusia in his arms, and went toward the
door. When Zbyszko tried to detain him, he stopped for a moment and said:
"I will not be angry with you if you render her knightly services; but do
not ask me any questions, because I cannot tell you anything."
And he went out.