Eyes Like the Sea Part 28

[Footnote 81: Croatian--"One, two! Where's the third?"]

"The gipsy swore by all that was holy that that was the third.

"'Then where's the first?'

"'That's the first, of course!'

"There was no dinning into his head the arithmetical truism that if you take two from three one remains.

"The sergeant thereupon ordered one of the hussars to dismount from his horse, at the same time pointing at the willow-tree with his sword, whence I concluded that he was about to examine the tree to see if anybody was hidden in its hollow trunk.

"I now veritably believed that the time had come for me to turn my crooked knife against my own throat.

"All at once a crackle of musketry resounded from the brushwood, and a company of guerilla horse dashed out, crying, 'Forward, Magyars!' The Jellachich hussars didn't see the joke of this at all, hastily turned their horses' heads and galloped off in the direction of the town. The violoncellist also mounted his long-eared beast, and ambled gently off in a third direction midway between the two belligerents. He had no desire to take any part in the struggle.

"The guerillas, who were numerous, sent a few volleys after the enemy, but from such a distance that the bullets couldn't possibly hit the fugitives, and then returned in triumph. Then I, hearing them speak Hungarian, quickly hoisted myself up out of the hole into the top of the tree, and began so far as my hoa.r.s.e voice would allow me, to give them indications of my existence.

"The gallant warriors immediately hastened to the willow-tree and helped me down from my dangerous perch. Their leader, a handsome, chivalrous-looking young man, with a true Hungarian face, began to cross-question me, and asked me whence I came and whither I was going.

Perceiving that I was among Hungarian soldiers, I frankly told them that I had come from Comorn, and had been sent to Debreczin with despatches for the Hungarian Government.

"The guerilla captain was a suspicious man.

"'Oho! I daresay! That's easily said, but difficult to believe. What!

confide such a mission to a gipsy! A likely tale!'

"I told him that I was no gipsy, though my face was painted so, but that I lived at Comorn and belonged to the place.

"'Then, if you are an inhabitant, tell me if you know one Maurus Jokai there--and what you know of him?'

"I was very pleased to answer such a question. 'I know him very well,' I said, 'and I can tell you this much about him, that he went to the High School at Kecskemet, where he completed his legal studies--or rather learnt how to paint in oils from a worthy comrade of his there.'

"Without more ado he clapped his hand in mine: 'That worthy comrade of his was no other than myself.'

"So you see," she said, turning towards me, "you were of a.s.sistance to me, even here."

"Wasn't that old schoolfellow of mine called Jansci?" I asked.

"Yes, that's what they called him. With him was another young man, with quite a girlish face, and him they called Jozsi; he inquired about you most particularly. When you gave your artistic representations at Kecskemet, he used to play the girl's parts."

"Quite true," I said, "so it was."

"So you see I must have been there or I should have known nothing about these things. The guerillas told me all about it as they took me with them. They were very attentive. One of them gave me his mantle, another let me mount his nag, and so they took me to the 'Szikra' inn, where they made me drink punch with them, regaled me with veal, and then made me a bed on the straw with their mantles that I might sleep off my exhaustion. The Jellachich hussars gave us no trouble. They could not come back till morning, when the whole regiment would doubtless turn out to capture the guerillas, who would, by that time, be on the other side of the Theiss. The sledges were all ready to start, and would scour back across the frozen river at the first signal to Czibakhaza, where were the foreposts of the Hungarian army under Damjanich.

"But for a long time I could not sleep. Constantly before my eyes flitted the horrible death-struggle between the two unhappy men and the wild beasts, and amidst the howling and shrieking resounded the gay song of the guerillas:

'The hut's ablaze, the rush-roof crackles, Press thy brown maid to thy breast!'

In my dream this tune was mingled with the howling of the wolves, and at one moment the wolves were singing, 'The hut's ablaze,' and at another the Croats were howling at the gipsies sitting on the branch. Towards morning I was awakened by two cannon-shots. I rejoiced to be delivered from my spectres. The lieutenant of the guerillas hurried me into the sledge, as a regiment of hostile horse was approaching from Kecskemet.

"It took us ten minutes to dash across the frozen Theiss. On the opposite bank the foreposts of the Honveds were encamping. The business of the guerillas was to hara.s.s the enemy, capture their forage waggons, and then bring word of their movements to the main army.

"They took me straight to General Damjanich.[82]

[Footnote 82: Made Commander-in-chief of the 3rd Hungarian Army Corps in consequence of his brilliant exploits at Alibunar and Lagerdorf; he annihilated Karger's brigade at the great battle of Szolnok, and was elected to represent that town in the Hungarian Diet. After fresh exploits he was made War Minister, and, after the war, was court-marshalled at Arad by the Austrians and shot. He had not the military genius of Gorgey perhaps, but as a general of division was admirable.--TR.]

"I was now no longer obliged to keep my despatch hidden, so I split up my fiddle, took out of it the doc.u.ments that were gummed to it, and their production was my best credentials.

"The approving, smiling glance of the powerful, heroic-looking General I shall never forget. At the sight of him I quite forgot that I was personating a man, and would have liked to have fallen down before him and kissed his hand. Indeed, I was so agitated that I could not utter a word.

"The General filled a little gla.s.s full of _szilvorium_.[83] 'Drink, my son!' said he, 'it will loosen your throat.'

[Footnote 83: A spirit made from plums.]

"My throat was hoa.r.s.e; I had a voice as deep as a man's. I told him I had come from Comorn, and I was sent to Lazar Meszaros, the War Minister.

"'You will seek old Koficz[84] in vain at Debreczin, my son, he commands there no more. So you Comorn folks don't know what's going on outside, eh? Another is at the head of the War Department now. I will give you a letter of introduction to him.'

[Footnote 84: This Hungarian War Minister had said in one of his reports that the motions of the Opposition in the Diet would turn to nothing but _Koficz_ (_i.e._, water-gruel). The name stuck to him ever after.--JoKAI.]

"Then he sat down and wrote me a couple of lines to a General with a German name, which is expressed in Hungarian by the word _Bacsi_.[85]

[Footnote 85: Cousin.--Vetter was the General in question.]

"He said, while he was writing this letter, that this General with a German name was the life and soul of our military organization.

"Then, by the General's command, I received a nice clean Honved uniform (I had to retain my brown countenance for some time longer), and besides that I had an open pa.s.sport enjoining upon all to give me every facility to reach Debreczin as quickly as possible.

"On the evening of the following day I arrived at Debreczin, and on descending from my sledge, proceeded at once to the General's. He was a mild, soft-featured gentleman, with a close-clipped beard and moustache. He didn't even wear a General's uniform. n.o.body would have guessed his rank from the look of him. After reading through my letter of introduction, he looked me straight and sharply in the face.

"'You are Captain Tihamer Rengetegi, eh?'

"If I had only been intent on my own interest, I might have told him quite frankly that I had no right either to the name or the uniform of a soldier; but how could I betray my faithful consort who was smuggled away in the hovel at Heteny?

"'Yes, General, I am.'

"'Who made you captain?'

"'The War Minister.'

"'For deeds of valour?'

"'During the siege of Vienna I twice carried despatches through the besieging camp from the Hungarian Government to General Bem.'"

Here I intervened: "That is not true; I know very well through whom the Hungarian Government got those despatches."

"Anyhow, my friend boasted of it as his own deed," said Bessy; after which she resumed her narration.

"'Good!' said the General; 'now give me the despatch.'