punished as speedily as possible, and either slain or driven from the land
Whether the emperor designed the foregoing as a snare, knowing that his messenger must inevitably be waylaid, or it was his purpose to discover the extent to which the roads were then unsafe, may be judged from Rudolph’s known dissimulation, and iron resentment under a veil of good humor.
“Oh, ho, you are dispatched to murder us, are you?” roared the crowd; “we shall see to that.” At once the wretched Valens was seized by the fierce, resentful rabble, and hung with a rope of withes from the nearest tree. The miserable victim slowly choked, and struggled long in his agony. Pietro was at once released both from Rudolph and his escort and left to his own resources.
The banditti soon settled down in a rough encampment, having resolved to start with their slaves and other plunder by the earliest light. They were already aware that the Hungarian contingent of Rudoph’s army,under King Ladislaus in person, had encamped since the battle apart from the imperial troops, and had accumulated, immense plunder. In fact the entire contents of Otakar’s camp were in their hands, and thousands of captives of all ranks held either for ruinous ransom, or for sale into—slavery in the east and south.
In order to avoid any larger body of troops under Zawis or Milota of Dedicz, known to be also now permitted to return home, the miscreants divided
