CHAPTER VIII.
THE BETTER PART OF VALOUR.
On the 17th March, six days after HA(C)dervAiry's imploring cry for help,three after his return, one enormous division of Mongols was in theneighbourhood of Pest, while another was in front of VAicz (Waitzen), atown twenty miles to the north.
That morning very early, Paul HA(C)dervAiry and Ugrin, the Archbishop ofKalA cubedcsa, had sallied forth unknown to anyone, to satisfy themselves asto whether the scattered parties of Mongols who had been seen severaltimes beneath the very walls of Pest, were mere bands of brigands, orwhether they were part of Batu Khan's army. Paul was a daring, not tosay foolhardy man, and it was not the first time he had been out toreconnoitre, taking only Libor and a few horsemen with him. Of course,he wanted Libor this morning, but the governor, being with all hisvalour a discreet person, was not forthcoming, was indeed not to befound anywhere, much to Paul's vexation.
Paul and the Archbishop therefore rode quietly out together,accompanied by no more than half a dozen men-at-arms, and they had notbeen riding a quarter of an hour before they caught sight of a party ofhorsemen coming towards them through the grey dawn. There seemed to besome three or four score of them, and they might be some of the expectedtroops arriving; it was impossible to tell in the dim half-light, andPaul and his companion drew behind some rising ground to make sure. Theyhad not long to wait before they saw that these were no friends,however, but an advance body of Mongols cautiously and quietly movingforward. To engage them was out of the question, and the two at onceagreed to turn back without attracting attention, if possible. But theyhad no sooner left their shelter than a perfect hurricane of wild criesshowed that they had been observed.
Fortunately for them, their horses were fresh and in good condition,while those of the Mongols were sorry jades at the best, and worn outbesides. The Hungarians, therefore, reached the city in safety, thoughhotly pursued, and they at once presented themselves before the King,who had risen very early that morning, and was already at work in hiscabinet.
"Why, Ugrin, how is this?" said BA(C)la, rising to meet the Archbishop,"armed from head to foot so early? and you, too, HA(C)dervAiry? Where do youcome from? I see you are dusty!"
"Your Majesty," began Ugrin, one of the most daring of men, in spite ofhis office, "HA(C)dervAiry and I have been riding in the neighbourhood, andwe chanced upon the Tartars!"
"Did you see many?"
"The advance guard, with a whole division behind."
"We have only our horses to thank for it that we are here now," addedHA(C)dervAiry.
"Have not I forbidden all provoking of encounters until we have all ourtroops assembled?" said the King.
"And there was no provocation--on our part," replied Ugrin, in anythingbut an amiable tone; "but if we don't get information for ourselves asto the enemy's movements----"
The King cut him short. "I know all about them!" said he, "more than yougentlemen do."
Ugrin and HA(C)dervAiry shrugged their shoulders, and both put the King'scoolness down to irresolution, or even fear.
"I know," said the King, "that they have not only approached our towns,but that at this moment they are before VAicz, if they have not stormedit."
"Before VAicz!" exclaimed Ugrin, "and your Majesty is still waiting!waiting now! when one bold stroke might annihilate them before the Khanhimself comes up."
"Batu is close at hand," said the King, "and if we don't wish to riskall, we must be prudent, and act only on the defensive until the rest ofthe troops arrive."
"Ah!" cried Ugrin, forgetting for a moment the respect due to the King,"I suppose your Majesty means to wait until VAicz is in flames! ByHeaven! I won't wait--not if I perish for it!"
As he spoke, Ugrin turned on his heel and abruptly left the room.Possibly the rattle of his armour and the clank of his sword preventedthe King's hearing clearly his last words; but he called to him in atone of command, and ordered him not to leave the city.
"Make haste and stop him, Paul," said BA(C)la, as the door closed behindthe Archbishop, and HA(C)dervAiry hurried to obey; but his own horse hadbeen taken to the stables with a Mongol arrow in its back, while Ugrin'swas on the spot, being walked up and down in front of the palace. TheArchbishop had the start of him therefore, for he had rushed down thesteps, mounted, and dashed off like a whirlwind, before HA(C)dervAiry couldcatch him up.
"Let him go!" said the King, "let him go!" he repeated, walking up anddown the room. He had left his private cabinet now for a larger room, inwhich, notwithstanding the early hour, many of the nobles were alreadyassembled; for the news of Ugrin's and HA(C)dervAiry's encounter had spreadlike wildfire, and all were impatient to be doing something.
"We must double the guards and keep the troops ready; but no one is toventure out of the city," said the King, and his words fell likescalding water upon the ears of those who heard them.
For it was always the Hungarian way to face danger at once, withoutstopping to realise fully its gravity, or to give courage and energytime to evaporate.
"My orders do not please you, I know, gentlemen," the King said, withdignity, "but when danger is near, blood should be cool. If we waste ourstrength in small engagements, the enemy's numbers, the one advantage hehas over us, will make our efforts entirely useless. No! let him exhausthis strength, while we are gathering ours, and as soon as we have arespectable army, myself will lead it in person!"
No one was satisfied; but HA(C)dervAiry the Palatine was alone in venturingto say a word, and he spoke firmly though respectfully.
He had had more actual experience of the Mongols than anyone else, andsubmitted that, though their strength lay chiefly in their numbers, yetthat this was not the whole of it, for they were exceedingly cunning,and he believed their object just now was to cut off the reinforcementsbefore they could reach the place of rendezvous. If so, then an attackquickly delivered would be of the greatest service.
"Besides," he concluded, "I suspect that the Archbishop of KalA cubedcsa hasled his 'banderium' out against them, and we can't leave himunsupported."
"The brave bishop will soon settle the filthy wretches!" cried a youngForgAics who was standing near.
With a reproving look at the young man, the King turned to the Palatineand said gravely, "I expressly forbade the Archbishop to leave Pest, andI cannot therefore believe that he has done so! If he has--well, he mustreap as he has sown! I am not going to risk all for the madness of one.But you are right, Palatine, there is no more cunning people on the faceof this earth! Isn't it more likely that they want to deceive us andentice us away from our defences, by sending forward these comparativelysmall bodies of men?"
The Palatine shook his head, urging that a great part of the country wasalready laid waste, that fear was paralysing everyone, and that it wasno time to wait when danger was actually in their midst and threateningthe very capital.
And so the discussion went on, a few holding with the King, but the morepart with the Palatine.
But the King had heard the same arguments so often before that they hadceased to make any impression upon him. His resolution was taken toawait the arrival of Duke Friedrich of Austria, whom he knew to be onthe way, and whom he confidently believed to be at the head of aconsiderable body of troops, from whom BA(C)la expected great things. Theywould at least set his own army a good example in the matter ofdiscipline, and this was much needed; and that army, too, was growingday by day, surely if slowly, though the greater part was ill-armed.
The discussion ended with the King's reiterated orders that no oneshould go outside the city, and the nobles went their several ways,giving free vent to their disapproval and impatience, and helping thusto spread mistrust of the King's judgment. For all that, most of themwere confident of victory as soon as the army should be put in motion,and some went so far as to expect no less than the immediateannihilation of the Mongol bands in the vicinity, at the hands of Ugrin.