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Sidonia The Sorceress V1

W >> William Mienhold >> Sidonia The Sorceress V1




But the sorrowing youth little heeded the admonitions, only seized
the letter, and ran with it that same evening back to Stramehl.
Here, however, no one would listen to him, no one heeded him; and
when at last he got up to Otto and gave him the letter, the knight
swore he would flay him alive if he did not instantly quit the
town. Now the poor youth gnashed his teeth in rage and despair,
and determined to be revenged on the knight.

Just then came by a great crowd leading his brother Louis to the
gallows; and on his head they had stuck a high paper cap with the
Stargard arms painted thereon, namely, a tower with two griffins
(Sidonia, indeed, had painted it, and she was by, and clapping her
hands with delight); and for the greater scandal to Stargard, they
had tied two hares' tails to the back of the cap, with the
inscription written in large letters above them--"So came the
Stargardians to Stramehl!"

And Otto and his guests gathered round the gallows, and all the
market-folk, with great uproar and laughter. _Summa_, when
the poor carl saw all this, and that there was no hope for his
heart's dear brother, neither could he even get near him just to
say a last "good-night," he ran like mad to the castle, which was
almost empty now, as every one had gone to the market-place; and
there, on the hill, he turned round and saw how the hangman had
shoved his dear Louis from the ladder, and the body was swinging
lamentably to and fro between heaven and earth. So he seized a
brand and set fire to the brew-house, from which a thick smoke and
light flames soon rose high into the air. Now all the people
rushed towards the castle, for they suspected well who had done
the deed, particularly as they had observed a young fellow
running, as if for life or death, in the opposite direction
towards the open country. So they pursued him with wild shouts
from every direction; right and left they hemmed him in, and cut
off his escape to the wood. And Otto Bork sprang upon a fresh
horse, and galloped along with them, roaring out, "Seize the
rascal!--seize the vile incendiary! He who takes him shall have a
tun of my best beer!" But others he despatched to the castle to
extinguish the flames.

Now the poor Zabel knew not what to do, for on every side his
pursuers were gaining fast upon him, and he heard Otto's voice
close behind crying, "There he runs! there he runs! Seize the
gallows-bird, that he may swing with his brother this night. A tun
of my best beer to the man who takes him! Seize the incendiary!"
So the poor wretch, in his anguish, threw off his smock upon the
grass and sprang into the lake, hoping to be able to swim to the
other side and reach the wood.

"In after him!" roared Otto; and a fellow jumped in instantly, and
seizing hold of Zabel by the hose, dragged him along with him; but
they were soon both carried into deep water--Zabel, however, was
the uppermost, and held the other down tight to stifle him.
Another seeing this, plunged in to rescue his companion, and from
the bank dived down underneath Zabel, intending to seize him round
the body; but it so happened that the fishermen of Stramehl had
laid their nets close to the place, and he plunged direct into the
middle of the largest, and stuck there miserably; which when Zabel
observed, he let the other go, who was now quite dead, and struck
out boldly for the opposite bank. The fishermen sprang into their
boats to pursue him, and the crowd ran round, hoping to cut off
the pass before he could gain the bank; but he was a brave youth,
and distanced them all, jumped on land before one of them could
reach him, and plunged into the thick wood. Here it was vain to
follow him, for night was coming on fast; so he pursued his path
in safety, and returned to his master at Stramehl.

Otto von Bork, however, would not let the matter rest here, for he
had sustained great loss by the burning of his brew-house (the
other buildings were saved); therefore he wrote to the honourable
council at Stargard--"That by the shameful and scandalous burning
of his brew-house, he had lost two fine hounds named Stargard and
Stramehl, which he had brought himself from Silesia; _item_,
two old servants and a woman; _item_, in the lake, two other
servants had been drowned; and all by the revenge of an
apprentice, because he had justly caused his brother to be
executed. Therefore this apprentice must be given up to him, that
he might have him broken on the wheel, otherwise their vassals on
the Jena should suffer in such a sort, that the Stargardians would
long have reason to remember Otto Bork."

Now, some of the honourable councillors were of opinion that they
should by no means give up the apprentice; first, because Otto had
insulted the Stargard arms, and secondly, lest it might appear as
if they feared he would fulfil his threats respecting the Jena.

But Jacob Appelmann, the burgomaster, who lay sick in his bed from
the treatment he had received at Stramehl, entirely disapproved of
this resolution; and when they came to him for his advice,
proposed to give for answer to the knight that he should first
indemnify him for the loss of his costly spices, which he valued
at one thousand florins, and when this sum was paid down, they
might treat of the matter concerning the apprentice.

The knight, however, mocked them for making such an absurd demand
as compensation, and reiterated his threats, that if the young man
were not delivered up to him, he would punish Stargard with a
great punishment.

The council, however, were still determined not to yield; and as
the burgomaster lay sick in his bed, they released the apprentice
from prison; and replied to Otto, "That if he broke the public
peace of his Imperial Majesty, let the consequences fall on his
own head--there was still justice for them to be had in
Pomerania."

When the burgomaster heard of this, he had himself carried in a
litter, sick as he was, to the honourable council, and asked them,
"Was this justice, to release an incendiary from prison? If they
sought justice for themselves, let them deal it out to others. No
one had lost more by the transaction than he: his income for the
next two years was clean gone, and the care and anxiety he had
undergone, besides, had reduced him to this state of bodily
weakness which they observed. It was a heart-grief to him to give
up the young man, for he had reared him from the baptism water,
and he had been a faithful servant unto him up to this day. Could
he save him, he would gladly give up his house and all he was
worth, and go and take a lodging upon the wall; for this young man
had once saved his life, by slaying a mad dog which had seized him
by the tail of his coat; but it was not to be done. They must set
an honourable example, as just and upright citizens and fearless
magistrates, who hold that old saying in honour--'_Fiat justitia
et pereat mundus_;' which means, 'Let justice be done, though
life and fortune perish.' But the punishment of the wheel was, he
confessed, altogether too severe for the poor youth; and therefore
he counselled that they should hang him, as Otto had hung his
brother."

This course the honourable society consented at last to adopt; but
the knight had disgraced their arms, and they ought in return to
disgrace his. They could get the court painter from Stettin at the
public expense, and let him paint Otto Bork's arms on the back of
the young man's hose.

Here the burgomaster again interfered--"Why should the honourable
council attempt a stupid insult, because the knight had done so?"
But he talked in vain; they were determined on this retaliation.
At last (but after a great deal of trouble) he obtained a promise
that they would have the arms painted before, upon his smock, and
not behind, upon the hose, for that would be a sore disgrace to
Otto, and bring his vengeance upon them. "Why should they do more
to him than he had done unto them? The Scripture said, 'Eye for
eye, tooth for tooth,' and not two eyes for an eye, two teeth for
a tooth." Hereupon the honourable council pronounced sentence on
the young man, and fixed the third day from that for his
execution. But first the executioner must bring him up before the
bed of the burgomaster, who thus spoke--"Ah, Zabel, wherefore
didst thou not behave as I admonished thee in Wangerin?" And as
the young man began to weep, he gave him his hand, and admonished
him to be steadfast in the death-hour, asked his forgiveness for
having condemned him, but it was his duty as a magistrate so to
do--thanked him for having saved his life by slaying the mad dog;
finally, bid him "Good-night," and then buried his face in the
pillow.

So the hangman carried back the weeping youth to the council-hall,
where the honourable councillors had the Bork arms fastened upon
his smock, and out of further malice against Otto (for they knew
the burgomaster, being sick in his bed, could not hinder them),
they placed over them a large piece of pasteboard, on which was
written, "So did the Stargardians with Stramehl." _Item_,
they fastened to the two corners a pair of wolf's ears, because
Bork, in the Wendig tongue, signifies wolf. This was to revenge
themselves for the hares' tails.

Then the poor apprentice was carried to the gallows, amid loud
laughter from the common people. And even the honourable
councillors waxed merry at the sight; and as the hangman pushed
him from the ladder, they cried out, "So will the Stargardians do
to Stramehl!"

Now Otto heard tidings of all these doings, but he feared to
complain to his Highness the Duke, because he himself had begun
the quarrel, and they had only retorted as was fair. _Item_,
he did not dare to stop the boats upon the Jena--for he knew that
although Duke Barnim was usually of a soft and placable temper,
yet when he was roused there was no more dangerous enemy. And if
the Stargardians leagued with him, they might fall upon his town
of Stramehl, as they had done once before.

Therefore he waited patiently for an opportunity of revenge, and
held his peace until Sidonia acquainted him with the love of the
young Prince Ernest. Then he resolved to demand the dues upon the
Jena to be given up to him, and if his wicked desire had been
gratified, I think the good citizens of Stargard might have taken
to the beggar's staff for the rest of their days, for like all the
old Hanseatic towns, their entire subsistence came to them by
water, and all their wares and merchandise were carried up the
Jena in boats to the town. These the knight would have rated so
highly, if he had been made owner of the dues, that the town and
people would have been utterly ruined.

It has been already stated that the Duke Barnim gave an ambiguous
answer to Otto upon the subject; but the knight, after his visit
to Wolgast, was so certain of seeing his daughter in a short time
Duchess of Pomerania, that he already looked upon the Jena dues as
his own, and proceeded to act as shall be related in the next
chapter.





CHAPTER II.

_How Otto von Bork demands the Jena dues from the Stargardians,
and how the burgomaster Jacob Appelmann takes him prisoner, and
locks him up in the Red Sea._ [Footnote: A watch-tower, built
in the Moorish style, upon the town wall of Stargard, from which
the adjacent streets take their name.]


As the aforesaid knight and my gracious lord, Duke Barnim,
journeyed home from Wolgast, the former discoursed much on this
matter of the Jena dues, but his Grace listened in silence, after
his manner, and nicked away at his doll. (I think, however, that
his Grace did not quite understand the matter of the Jena dues
himself.)

_Summa_, while Otto was at Stettin, he received information
that three vessels, laden with wine and spices, and all manner of
merchandise, were on their way to Stargard. So he took this for a
good sign, and went straight to the town and up to the
burgomaster, Jacob Appelmann, would not sit down, however, but
made himself as stiff as if his back would break, and asked
whether he (Appelmann) was aware that the lands of the Bork family
bordered close upon the Jena.

_Ille._--"Yes, he knew it well."

_Hic._--"Then he could not wonder if he now demanded dues
from every vessel that went up to Stargard."

_Ille._--"On the contrary, he would wonder greatly; since by
an Act passed in the reign of Duke Barnim the First, A.D. 1243,
the freedom of the Jena had been secured to them, and they had
enjoyed it up to the present date."

_Hic_.--"Stuff! what was the use of bringing up these old
Acts. His Grace of Stettin, as well as the Duchess of Wolgast, had
now given them over to him."

_Ille_.--"Then let his lordship produce his charter; if he
had got one, why not show it?"

_Hic_.--"No, he had not got the written order yet, but he
would soon have it."

_Ille_.--"Well, until then they would abide by the old law."

_Hic_.--"By no means. This very day he would insist on being
paid the dues."

_Ille_.--"That meant, that he purposed to break the peace of
our lord the Emperor. Let him think well of it. It might cost him
dear."

_Hic_.--"That was his care. The Stargardians should not a
second time hang his arms on the gallows."

_Ille_.--"It was a simple act of retaliation; had he not
read, 'An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth'?"

_Hic_.--"Nonsense! was that retaliation, when a set of low
burgher carls took upon themselves to disgrace the lord of castles
and lands; as well might one of his serfs, when he struck him,
strike him in return; that would be retaliation too. Ha! ha! ha!"

_Ille_.--"What did his lordship mean? He was no village
justice, nor were the burghers of this good town serfs or boors."

_Hic_.--"If he knew not now what he meant, he would soon
learn; ay, and take off his hat so low to the Bork arms that it
would touch the ground. Then, too, he might himself get a lesson
in retaliation."

And herewith the knight strode firmly out of the room, without
even saluting the burgomaster; but Jacob knew well how to deal
with him, so he sent instantly for the keeper of the forest, who
lived in the thick wood on the banks of the Jena, and told him to
watch by night and day, and if he observed anything unusual going
on, to spring upon a horse and bring him the intelligence without
delay.

Meanwhile the knight summoned all his feudal vassals around him at
Stramehl, and told them how his Grace had bestowed the Jena dues
upon him, but the sturdy burghers of Stargard had dared to impugn
his rights; therefore let each of them select two trusty
followers, and meet all together on the morrow morn at Putzerlin,
close to the Jena ferry. Then, if there came by any vessels laden
with choice wines, let them be sure and drink a health to
Stargard. So they all believed him, and came to the appointed
place with twenty horsemen, and the knight himself brought twenty
more. There they unsaddled and turned into the meadow, then set to
work to throw a bridge over the river. As soon as the forest
ranger spied them, he saddled his wild clipper, which he himself
had caught in the Uckermund country, and flew like wind to the
town (for the wild horses are much stouter and fleeter than the
tame, but there are none to be found now in all Pomerania).

When the burgomaster heard this tale, he told him to go back the
way he came, and keep perfectly still until he saw a rocket rise
from St. Mary's Tower, then let him loose all his hounds upon the
horses in the meadow, and he and the burghers would follow soon,
and make a quick end of the robber knights and freebooters; but he
would wait for three hours before giving the promised sign from
St. Mary's Tower, that he might have time to get back to the wood.
Still the knight and his followers continued working at the bridge
right merrily. They took the ferryman's planks and poles, and cut
down large oak-trees, and every one that went across the ferry
must stop and help them; but their work was not quite completed,
when three vessels appeared in sight, laden with all sorts of
merchandise, and making direct for Stargard. As soon as Otto
perceived them, he took half-a-dozen fellows with him, and jumped
into a ferry-boat, crying, "Hold! until the dues are paid, you can
go no farther. The river and the land alike belong to me now, and
I must have my dues, as his Grace of Stettin has commanded."

The crew, however, strictly objected, saying that in the memory of
man they had never paid dues upon their goods, and they would not
pay them now; but Otto and his knights jumped on deck, followed by
their squires, and having asked for the bill of lading, decimated
all the goods, as a priest collecting his tithe of the sheaves.
Then he took the best cask of wine, had it rolled on land, and
called out to the crew, who were crying like children, "Now, good
people, you may go your ways."

But the poor devils were in despair, and followed him on land,
praying and beseeching him not to ruin them, but to restore their
property, at which Otto laughed loudly, and bid the strongest of
his followers chase the miserable varlets back to their vessel.

Meanwhile the cask of wine had been rolled up against a tree, and
the knight and his followers set themselves round it upon the
grass, and because they had no glasses, they drank out of kettles,
and pots, and bowls, and dishes, or whatever the ferryman could
give them. Yea, some of them drew off their boots and filled them
with the wine, others drank it out of their caps, and so there
they lay on the grass, swilling the wine, and the different wares
they had seized lay all scattered round them, and they laughed and
drank, and roared, "Thus we drink a health to Stargard!" Hereupon
the crew, seeing that nothing could be got from the robbers, went
their way with curses and imprecations, to which the knight and
his party responded only with peals of laughter.

But the vessel had scarcely set sail, when a woman's voice was
heard crying out loudly from the deck--"Father! father! I am here.
Listen, Otto von Bork, your daughter Sidonia is here!"

When the knight heard this, he felt as if stunned by a blow, but
immediately comforted himself by thinking that no doubt Prince
Ernest was with her, particularly as he could observe in the
twilight the figure of a man seated beside her on a bundle of
goods. "This surely must be the Prince," he said to himself, and
so called out with a joyful voice, "Ah, my dearest daughter,
Sidonia! how comest thou in the merchant vessel?"

Then he screamed to the sailors to stop and cast anchor; but they
heeded neither his cries nor commands, and in place of stopping,
began to crowd all sail. Otto now tried entreaties, and promised
to restore all their goods, and even pay for the wine drunk, if
they would only stop the vessel. This made them listen to him, but
they demanded, beside, a compensation money of one hundred
florins, for all the anxiety and delay they had suffered. This he
promised also, only let them stop instantly. However, they would
not trust his word, and not until he had pledged his knightly
faith would they consent to stop. Some, indeed, were not even
content with this, and required that he should stand bareheaded on
the bank, and take a solemn oath, with his hand extended to
heaven, that he would deal with them as he had promised.

To this also the knight consented, since they would not believe he
held his knightly word higher than any oath; though, in my
opinion, he would have done anything they demanded, such was his
anxiety to behold the Prince and Princess of Pomerania, for he
could imagine nothing else, but that his daughter and her husband
had been turned out of Wolgast by the harsh Duchess and the old
Grand Chamberlain, and were now on their way to his castle at
Stramehl.

Here my gracious Prince will no doubt say, "But, Theodore, why did
she not call on her father sooner, when, as you told me, he was on
board this very vessel plundering the wares?"

I answer--"Serene Prince! your Grace must know that she and her
paramour were at that time crouching in the cabin, through fear of
Otto, for the sailors did not know her, or who she was. They had
taken her and Appelmann in at Damm, and believed this story: that
he was secretary to the Duke at Stettin, and Sidonia was his wife;
they were on their way to Stargard, but preferred journeying by
water, on account of the robbers who infested the high-roads, and
who, they heard, had murdered three travellers only a few days
before."

But when Sidonia had found what her father had done, and heard the
crew cursing and vowing vengeance on him, she feared it would be
worse for her even to fall into the hands of the Stargardians than
into her father's, and therefore rushed up on deck and called out
to him, though her paramour conjured her by heaven and earth to
keep quiet, and not bring him under her father's sword.

_Summa_, as the vessel once more stood still, the knight
sprang quick as thought into the ferry-boat along with some of his
followers, and rowed off to the vessel, where his daughter sat
upon a bundle of merchandise and wept, but Appelmann crept down
again into the cabin. When the knight stepped on board, he kissed
and embraced her--but where was the young Prince whom he had seen
standing beside her?

_Illa_.--"Alas! it was not the Prince; the young lord had
shamefully deceived her!" (weeping.)

_Hic_.--"He would make him suffer for it, then; let her tell
him the whole business. If he had trifled with her, she should be
revenged. Was he not as powerful as any duke in Pomerania?"

_Illa_.--"He must send away all the bystanders first; did he
not see how they all stood round, with their mouths open from
wonder?" Hereupon the knight roared out, "Away, go all, all of ye,
or I'll stick ye dead as calves. The devil take any of you who
dare to listen!" His whole frame trembled meanwhile as an aspen
leaf, and he could scarcely wait till the carls clambered over the
bundles of goods--"What had happened? In the name of all the
devils, let her speak, now that they were alone."

But here the cunning wanton began to weep so piteously, that not a
word could she utter; however, as old Otto grew impatient, and
began to curse and swear, and shake her by the arm, she at last
commenced (while Appelmann was listening from the cabin):--

"Her dearest father knew how the young lord had bribed a priest in
Crummyn to wed them privately; but this was all a trick which his
wicked mother had suggested to him, in order to bring her to utter
ruin; for on the very wedding night, while she was waiting for the
Prince in her little room, according to promise, to flee with him
to Crummyn, the perfidious Duchess, who was aware of the whole
arrangement, sent a groom to her chamber at the appointed hour,
and she being in the dark, embraced him, thinking he was the
Prince. In the self-same instant the door was burst open, and the
old revengeful hag, with Ulrich von Schwerin, rushed in, along
with the young Prince and Marcus Bork, her cousin, amid a great
crowd of people with lanterns. And no one would listen to her or
heed her; so she was thrust that same night out of the castle,
like a common swine-maid, though the young lord, when he saw the
full extent of his wicked mother's treachery, fell down in a dead
faint at her feet."

And here she wept and groaned, as if her heart would break.

"Who, then, was the gay youth who sat beside her there on the
bundle?" screamed Otto.

_Illa_.--"That was the very groom that she had embraced, for
they had sent him away with her, to make their wicked story seem
true."

_Hic_.--"But what was his name? May the devil take her, to
have gone off with a base-born groom. What was his name?"

_Illa_ (weeping).--"What did he think of her, that she should
love a common groom? truly, he had the title of equerry, but then
he was nothing better than a common burgher carl. What could she
do, when they turned her by night and cloud out of the castle? She
must thank God for having had even this groom to protect her, but
that he was her lover--fie!--no; that was, indeed, to think little
of her."

_Hic_.--"He would strike her dead if she did not answer. Who
was the knave? Where did he come from?"

_Illa_.--"He was called Johann Appelmann, and was son to the
burgomaster of Stargard."

Here the knight raved and chafed like a wild beast, and drew his
sword to kill Sidonia, but she fled away down to her paramour in
the cabin. However, he had heard the whole conversation, and flew
at her to beat her, crying, "Am I then a base-born groom? Ha! thou
proud wanton, didst thou not run after me like a common
street-girl? I will teach thee to call me a groom!"

And as the knight listened to all this, the sword dropped from his
hands and fell into the hold, so that he could not get it up
again. Then he was beside himself for rage, and seized a stone of
the ballast, to rush down with it to the cabin.

But, behold! a rocket shot up from St. Mary's Tower, and poured
its clear light upon the deepening twilight, like a starry meteor,
and, at the same instant, the deep bay of ten or twelve
blood-hounds resounded fearfully across the meadow where the
horses were grazing, and the dogs flew on them, and tore some of
them to the ground, and bit others, so that they dashed nearly to
their masters, who were lying round the wine-cask, and others fled
into the wood bleeding and groaning with pain and agony, as if
they had been human creatures.

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