"What kind of justice do you ask for? If Jurand had attacked you first, then I would surely punish him. But your people were the first to commence hostilities. Your _starosta_ gave the _knechts_, permission to go on that expedition. Jurand only accepted the challenge and asked that the soldiers be sent away. Shall I punish him for that? You attacked that dreadful man, of whom everybody is afraid, and voluntarily brought calamity upon yourselves--what do you want then? Shall I order him not to defend himself, when it pleases you to attack him?" "It was not the Order that attacked him, but its guests, foreign knights," answered Hugo. "The Order is responsible for its guests, and then the _knechts_, from the Lubowski garrison were there." "Could the _starosta_ allow his guests to be slaughtered?" Here the prince turned to Zygfried and said. "You must take heed lest your wiles offend God." But the stern Zygfried answered: "Heir von Bergow must be released from captivity, because the men of his family were high dignitaries in the Order and they rendered important services to the Cross." "And Meineger's death must be avenged," added Hugo von Danveld. Thereupon the prince arose and walked threateningly toward the Germans; but after a while, evidently having remembered that they were his guests, he restrained his anger, put his hand on Zygfried's shoulder, and said: "Listen: you wear a cross on your mantle, therefore answer according to your conscience--upon that cross! Was Jurand right or was he not?" "Herr von Bergow must be released from prison," answered Zygfried von Löve. There was as a moment of silence; then the prince said: "God grant me patience!" Zygfried continued sharply, his words cutting like a sword: "The wrong which was done to us in the persons of our guests, is only one more occasion for complaint. From the time the Order was founded, neither in Palestine, nor in Siedmiogrod,[103] nor among the heathenish Litwa, has any man wronged us so much as that robber from Spychow. Your Highness! we ask for justice and vengeance not for one wrong, but for thousands; not for the blood shed once, but for years of such deeds, for which fire from heaven ought to burn that nest of wickedness and cruelty. Whose moanings entreat God for vengeance? Ours! Whose tears? Ours! We have complained in vain. Justice has never been given us!" Having heard this, Prince Janusz began to nod his head and said: