The Knights of the Cross, or, Krzyzacy: Historical RomanceSienkiewicz, Henryk
History
The Knights of the Cross, or, Krzyzacy: Historical Romance
Sienkiewicz, Henryk
Poland -- History -- Jagellons, 1386-1572 -- Fiction; Teutonic Knights -- History -- Fiction
"Of course he is over all of them. But suppose your father had injured my
servant, and I went to Krakow to complain to the king; what would the
king tell me? He would say thus: 'I am monarch over all the country, and
you complain to me about one of your peasants! Do you not have my
officials in your part of the country; why did you not go to the
castellan?' So the Lord Jesus is the ruler over the whole universe; but
for smaller affairs, he employs the saints."
"Then I will tell you what to do," said Zbyszko, who entered just now;
"make a vow to our late queen, that if she intercede for you, you will
make a pilgrimage to Krakow. Why should you search after strange saints,
when we have our own lady, who is better than they?"
"Bah! if I only knew that she would intercede for wounds!"
"No matter! There is no saint who would dare to show her an angry face;
or if he dared, Lord God would punish him for it, because she was not an
ordinary woman, but a Polish queen."
"Who converted the last heathen country to the Christian faith! That is
right," said Macko. "She must have a high place in God's council and
surely none would dare to oppose her. Therefore I will do as you say."
This advice pleased Jagienka, who admired Zbyszko's common sense very
much. That same evening, Macko made a vow and drank with still greater
hope, the bear's grease. But after a week, he began to lose hope. He said
that the grease was fermenting in his stomach, and that a lump was
growing on his side near the last rib. At the end of ten days Macko was
worse, and the lump grew larger and became inflamed. The sick man again
had fever and began to make preparations for death.
But one night he awakened Zbyszko, and said:
"Light a piece of resinous wood; there is something the matter with me,
but I do not know what."
Zbyszko jumped up and lighted a piece of pine wood.
"What is it?"
"What is it! Something has pierced the lump on my side. It must be the
head of the spear! I had hold of it, but I cannot pull it out."
"It must be the spearhead! Nothing else. Grasp it well and pull."
Macko began to turn and to twist with pain; but he pushed his fingers
deeper and deeper, until he seized a hard substance which finally he
pulled out.
"O, Jesus!"
"Have you pulled it out?" asked Zbyszko.
"Yes. I am in a cold perspiration all over; but I have it; look!"
Having said this, he showed to Zbyszko a long splinter, which had
separated from the spear and remained in his body for several months.
"Glory be to God and to Queen Jadwiga! Now you will get well."
"Perhaps; I am better, but it pains me greatly," said Macko, pressing the
wound from which blood and pus began to flow. "Jagienka said that now I
ought to dress the wound with the grease of a beaver."
"We will go to-morrow and get a beaver."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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