Day was beginning to break when the Hungarian camp was roused bystartling cries, and those who rushed from the King's tent to learn themeaning of them were met by terror-stricken shouts of "The Tartars! TheTartars are upon us!" "They are yonder, close at hand!" "The guard atthe bridge has been overpowered, massacred, put to flight," etc.
Looking out between the wooden walls, Master Peter descried at thedistance of about a quarter of an hour's march, a dark mass of somethingwhich appeared to be in the form of a crescent, but of a size too vastto be measured by the eye. It was like a wall of stone, as solid, assilent, and as motionless; and for a moment he was in doubt as to whatit might be, until the neighing of a horse, and the briefer, rarer soundof a signal-horn brought the truth home to him.
The Mongols had come up in the night; the camp was surrounded on threesides; and nothing but the most desperate determination could save them!So much was evident even to his inexperienced eyes, and the silence ofthese savage folk, who could howl like the very wolves at other times,had something so weird and terrible about it that Master Peter was notthe only brave man to feel his heart quake and his blood run cold.
The victory of the Duke and Ugrin but a few hours before had beendelusive indeed, for they had hardly returned in triumph to the campwhen Batu sent down to the bridge seven of the gigantic engines of warwhich played so large a part in the Mongol invasion.
Suddenly, without the least warning, the detachment left on guard founditself assailed by a fierce and heavy storm of stones and pieces ofrock; and what added to their terror was the fact that they could notsee their enemy, and that there were no stones or rocks anywhere nearthe river. Seized by superstitious panic, those who escaped beingcrushed or wounded fled back to the camp, where instantly all was uproarand confusion.
Master Peter rushed back to the King as fast as he could for theturmoil, the narrow ways, and the tent-ropes; and indignation filled hissoul at some of the sights he saw: luxurious young nobles, for instance,making their leisurely toilets, combing and arranging their hair, havingtheir armour put on with the greatest care, and finally drawing on newgloves! What he heard during his hurried passage was not much morereassuring. There was plenty of courage and confidence expressed; plentyof contempt for the despicable foe; plenty of assurance that Mongolspears and arrows would prove ineffectual against iron armour; but alsothere was among some contempt, openly expressed, for their own leaders,though they looked upon the victory as already won.
"It will be a hard day's work!" muttered Peter Szirmay to himself, whilehis thoughts flew to Dora in her lonely castle. He had little doubt thatthe Hungarians must conquer in the end, in spite of the huge oddsagainst them, but still--! and even if they did, he himself might fall!What would become of her?
"God and the Holy Virgin protect her!"