He  lay  enchained  on  the  straw,  powerless,  but  so  immense
that,  especially  when  prostrate,  he  produced  the  impression
of  a  piece  of  a  cliff  cut  into  human  form.  Siegfried  gave
command  to  turn  the  light  straight  to  his  face,  and  for  some
time  the  old  man  gazed  on  it  in  silence,  then,  turning  to
Diedrich,  he  said,  —


408         THE  KNIGHTS  OF  THE  CROSS.
**  Thou  seest  that  he  has  sight  in  one  eye  only ;  burn  that
one  out  of  him."

There  was  in  the  old  comtur's  voice  a  certain  weakness
and  decrepitude,  but  precisely  because  of  that  the  dreadful
order  seemed  still  more  dreadful.  The  torch  trembled  some-
what in  the  hand  of  the  executioner,  but  he  inclined  it,  and
soou  great  flaming  drops  of  pitch  began  to  fall  on  the  eye
of  the  captive,  and  finally  they  covered  it  completely  from
his  brow  to  his  prominent  cheek-bone.
Yurand's  face  writhed,  his  yellow  mustaches  turned  up-
ward and  disclosed  his  set  teeth,  but  he  uttered  no  word,
and  whether  it  was  through  exhaustion,  or  the  innate  force
of  will  in  his  tremendous  nature,  he  groaned  not.
"They  promised  to  let  thee  go  forth  free,"  said  Siegfried,
"  and  thou  wilt  go,  but  thou  wilt  not  be  able  to  blame  the
Order,  for  the  tongue  with  which  thou  hast  blasphemed
against  it  will  be  taken  from  thee."

Again  he  made  a  sign  to  Diedrich,  who  gave  forth  a
strange  guttural  sound  and  indicated  by  winks  that  he
needed  both  hands  and  wished  the  comtur  to  hold  the  light
for  him.
