CHAPTER IV.
MISTAKE THE FIRST.
Father Roger was gone, and Libor the clerk was gone, but Dora and herfather were not long left alone. More acquaintances than usual found itconvenient to take the mountain castle "on the way to Pest," orelsewhere.
But what was more remarkable than this sudden influx of guests was thefact that so many of them made polite inquiry after Libor the clerk,"keeper," or "governor," as they began to call him.
"What on earth is the matter with the folk!" said Master Peter more thanonce. "What makes them so interested all at once in that raw,long-eared, ink-stained youth! They ask questions and seem to expect meto know as much about him as if he and I were twin-brethren!"
"I can't think!" returned Dora with a merry laugh, which might havere-assured Talabor had he heard it. "It is very odd, but they ask metoo, and really I quite forgot the good man's existence from one time toanother."
"Well," said Master Peter, "I suppose one ought not to dislike a manwithout cause, and I have nothing positively against the jackanapes, butI don't trust him, for all his deferential ways, and I fancy that whenonce he "gets hold of the cucumber-tree" we shall see a change in him.Your uncle has been kind to him, but not because he liked him, I know!I'll tell you what it must be! he has been boasting, and exaggeratingwhat we have done for him," Master Peter went on in his simplicity,"making himself out a favourite, and counting up the number of visits hehas paid us here, until he has made people think we have adopted him,and they will be taking him for my son and heir next, faugh! Ha! ha! Apushing young man! I never could think why he wanted to be coming here,but no doubt it gave him importance, and very likely Paul thought we hadspecial confidence in him, otherwise I don't see what made him give suchan appointment to a youth of his age. That must be it!"
And yet, while he said the words, Peter had a vague feeling that therewas something behind which he could neither define nor fathom.
Delighted as he was to welcome guests, he had not enjoyed their societyof late so much as was usual with him. Sometimes he told himself that itwas all fancy, and then at another he would be annoyed by a somethingnot quite to his taste in their manner to Dora, while the frequentreference to Libor was so irritating that he had more than once almostlost his temper, and he had actually told some inquiries with haughtydignity that if they wanted to know what the young man was doing theyhad better ask the servants.
This had had the desired effect; so far, at least, that Master Peter wasnot troubled again; but people talked all the same, and even more thanbefore, for his evident annoyance and the proud way in which he hadrepelled them made the busy-bodies put two and two together and concludethat he really had some secret trouble which he wanted to hide from theworld. And so, by way of helping him, they naturally confided theirsuspicions one to the other, and to their friends.
Gossip about people of such importance as the Szirmays naturally had apeculiar zest, and the fact that Dora was first cousin to JolAinta, oneof the Queen's favourite attendants and wife of Paul HA(C)dervAiry, ofcourse gave it additional flavour.
Maids who came with their mistresses questioned Borka, who answered themas she had been instructed to do, with earnest injunctions as tosecrecy. Talabor, being sent out with a message to Master Stephen, heardsimilar gossip from the pages of his household, gossip which distressedhim greatly, though he vowed that he did not believe a word of it.
He could not get it out of his head during his lonely ride home, but ashe thought over all that he had heard, it suddenly struck him that,supposing it to be true, Borka was not as "faithful" as Libor fancied.The story must have come abroad through her, unless--an idea suddenlyflashed across his mind--Libor might have trumped the whole thing up byway of increasing his own importance. But then he had actually caughthim with Borka! Talabor resolved to have a word with Miss Borka at thefirst opportunity.
In due time Master Peter set out for Pest, and thither we must nowfollow him.
Oktai, the Great Khan, found himself on the death of Dschingis at thehead of a million and a half of fighting men, and at once determined tocarry out his father's plans of conquest by sending his nephew Batuwestward to attack the peaceful Kunok, the "Black Kunok," as thechronicles call them, who dwelt between the Volga and Dnieper in Greator Black Cumania.
Twice the Mongols had been beaten back, but in the end numbers hadprevailed, and to save what remained of this people, their King had ledthem into Moldavia, then occupied in part by the Little, or White Kunok.
Meanwhile, alarming rumours of what had occurred had reached Hungary,but were credited by few, and as to being themselves in any real, stillless immediate danger, that the Hungarians would not bring themselvesto believe. Their King, BA(C)la (Albert) took a very different view of thesituation. One of the most energetic kings Hungary had ever had, andbrave in meeting every difficulty, though he did not fear danger, he didnot despise it, and while the great nobles spent their time in amusingthemselves, he was following with the most careful attention all thatwas going on among his neighbours. He was kept well informed, andnothing of that which Oktai was doing escaped him. He knew how Russiahad been conquered, how the Kunok had been hunted, and how the countlessMongol hordes were gaining ground day by day.
He knew, but he could not make others see with his eyes. More than oncehe appealed to the great nobles, urging them to make ready, while hehimself strove gradually to raise troops and take measures for thedefence of the kingdom. But it was all in vain; they heard, but theyheeded not. And then one day they were quite surprised, when, after manyperils and dangers, Kuthen's messengers appeared in Buda, having come,as they said, from the forests of Moldavia.
They were no brilliant train, but men who had fought and suffered, andendured many hardships; and they had come, as Libor told Master Peter,to ask for an asylum. Hungary was but thinly populated at this time, andthe King was always glad to welcome useful immigrants. Knowing which,they asked him confidently, in their own king's name, to say where theymight settle, promising on his part that he and his people would be everfaithful subjects, and more than this, that they would all becomeChristians.
BA(C)la felt that he must make up his mind at once. He could not send themessengers away without a decided answer; he thought the Kuns would bevaluable, especially just now, as they were men who knew what war was,and could fight well.
But in bidding them welcome to Hungary without consulting the Diet, BA(C)lamade a mistake--a pardonable mistake, perhaps, for he knew as well asanybody that Diets were sometimes stormy affairs, and not withoutdangerous consequences; and he knew too that the majority of those whowould assemble either did not know of the peril which was so close athand, or were so obstinate in their apathy that they did not wish toknow of it; nevertheless it was a mistake.
As for Kuthen, he had two alternatives before him. Either he mightsubmit to Oktai and join him in his career of conquest; or, he mightoffer his services and faithful devotion to a king who was well known tobe both wise, chivalrous, and honourable.
Kuthen made the better choice; but if his offer were refused, or if BA(C)ladid not make speed to help him, why, then, it was plain that the countrywould be inundated by 40,000 fighting men.
The King could not wait, and Kuthen's messengers were at once sent backto Moldavia, laden with presents, and bearing the welcome news thatKing BA(C)la was willing to receive the Black Kunok on the terms offered.The White Kunok of Moldavia already acknowledged the Hungarian king astheir sovereign.
Kuthen lost no time in setting out with his people, and BA(C)la, in thewarmth of his heart, determined to give him a magnificent reception. Hewould receive him as a king should be received, whose power anddominions had been till lately at least equal to his own; he wouldreceive him as if he were one of his most powerful neighbours; he wouldreceive him as a brother.
BA(C)la cared little for pomp and show on his own account, and thesplendour of his train on this occasion was all the more striking. Neverhad such a sight been seen in Hungary before a
s when, one morning inearly summer, the King rode out to the wide plain where he was toreceive his guests.
Before him went sixty men on horseback, clad in scarlet, all ablaze withgold and silver, wearing caps of bearskin or wolfskin, and producingwild and wonderful music from trumpets, pipes, and copper drums. Afterthem came the King in a purple mantle over a long white "dolmAiny," whichsparkled with precious stones and was covered in front by a silverbreast-plate. Right and left of him rode a bishop in full canonicals andbearing each his crozier.
These were followed by some two hundred of the more prominent nobles,among whom were Paul HA(C)dervAiry, Master Peter, and his brother Stephen,and the latter's son Akos, who, as already mentioned, was attached tothe King's household. The rear was brought up by soldiers armed withbows, all mounted like the rest.
Truly it was an imposing spectacle, as Master Peter admitted when heafterwards described it to Dora; but it afforded him littlesatisfaction.
No sooner was the army of bowmen drawn up in order than the war-song ofthe advancing Kunok was to be heard.
On they came, Kuthen and all his family on horseback, his retinue, andhis army which followed him at a respectful distance, part mounted, parton foot, and behind these again a long thick cloud of dust.
The pilgrims did not present a grand appearance. They looked as thoselook who have come through many toils and dangers; but the King was notwithout a certain pathetic dignity of his own, in spite of his somewhatMongolian features, slanting eyes, low, retreating forehead, and longbeard, already slightly touched with grey. He looked like a man who hadsuffered, was suffering rather, and who could not forget his old home,with its boundless plains, its vast flocks and herds, and its freeopen-air life; but he looked also like a man who knew what it was to bestrong and powerful.
Kuthen's followers came to a halt, while he and his family rodeforward, preceded by a horseman, not far short of a hundred years old,who carried a double cross in token of the submission of his people bothto Christianity and to the sovereignty of the Hungarian king.
The King and Queen, their two sons, and two daughters, all wore loosegarments of white woollen, fastened round the waist by unpolished beltsof some sort of metal; and on their heads were pointed fur caps, such asare still worn by the Persians. The King and his sons had heavy swordsof a peculiar shape, while the Queen and Princesses carried feather fansdecorated with countless rows of red beads and bits of metal.
What trust Kuthen felt in King BA(C)la was shown by the fact that hisbodyguard numbered no more than two or three hundred men armed for themost part with spears.
Master Peter had much to tell when he returned home of the beautifulhorses covered with the skins of wild beasts, on which Kuthen and hisfamily were mounted, and which naturally excited the admiration of suchhorse-lovers as the Hungarians; also he told of the band of singers whopreceded the chiefs, and marked the pauses between their songs by wildcries and the beating of long narrow drums; of the servants, women, andchildren, who journeyed in the rear of the army, those of the latter toosmall to walk being carried in fur skins slung on their mothers' backs;and of the immense flocks and herds reaching far away into the distance,whose herdmen, mounted on small, rough horses, drove their chargesforward with long whips and the wildest of shouts.
He told her, too, how King BA(C)la had galloped forward to welcome hisguest with outstretched hand, and had made the most gracious andfriendly of speeches.
"Much too gracious!" grunted Peter with a shrug of his shoulders. "Allvery fine, but the country will have to pay for it!"
"Oh, yes, and when all sorts of compliments had been exchanged (throughthe interpreters of course, for they can't speak decent Hungarian) thenup came the baggage-horses, and the tents were pitched in a twinklingside by side. They sprang up like mushrooms, and before long there was aregular camp, such a camp as you never saw!"
BA(C)la's tent was of bright colours without, and sparkled with silver andgold within; but Kuthen's, which was larger (for it accommodated hiswhole family), was meant not for show, but for use, and to be a defenceagainst wind and rain, and was composed of wild-beast skins.
There was a banquet in the royal tent in the evening, and the haughtyHungarian nobles saw, to their astonishment and relief, that, thoughtheir dress was simple, not very different in fact from that in whichthey had travelled, the King and Queen and their family actually knewhow to behave with the dignity befitting their exalted rank.
The Kunok performed one of their war dances in front of the tent whiledinner was going on; and at the close of the entertainment, BA(C)lapresented Kuthen, his family, and the principal chiefs, with such giftsas betokened the generous hospitality of the Hungarian and the lavishmunificence of the King.
But Master Peter, though at other times he could be as lavish andgenerous as anyone, was not over well pleased to see this"extravagance," as he considered it; and his feelings were shared notonly by his brother and nephew, but by many another in the King'sretinue.
"No good will come of it," muttered they to themselves.
And the Kun chiefs, "barbarians" though they were in the eyes of theHungarian nobles, were, some of them at least, shrewd enough to noticetheir want of cordiality, and sensitive enough to be hurt by their proudbearing and the brilliant display they made.
* * * * *
The whole camp was early afoot, and the two bishops in their vestments,attended by many of the lower clergy in white robes, appeared before theroyal tents, in one of which stood BA(C)la and his courtiers all fullyaccoutred, with helmets on their heads and richly ornamented swords attheir sides, while in the other were assembled Kuthen and his family,bare-headed and unarmed.
BA(C)la's own body-guard, mounted and carrying their lances, battle-axes,clubs, and swords, were stationed on each side of the royal tents, whiletheir officers rode up and down, or stopped now and again to exchange afew words with one another in a low tone. A number of Kunok, bare-headedand unarmed like their sovereign, stood round in a semicircle. Far awayin the distance might be heard every now and then the deep-mouthed bayof the great sheep-dogs, and the shrill neigh of the horses, butotherwise there seemed to be a hush over all.
Presently, a camp-table was brought forward covered with a white clothand having a silver crucifix in the midst, with golden vessels on eachside, and then, all being ready, a solemn mass was said by one of thebishops, interspersed with singing and chanting, by the choir, all ofwhich evidently impressed the Kunok, who had never seen the like, oranything at all resembling it, before. By the expression of their wildfaces it was plain to see that while utterly surprised, and, in spite ofthemselves, awed and subdued, some were doubtful, some more or lessrebellious, and many full of wonder as to what it all meant and whetherit portended good or evil.
But there was yet more to follow. The service over, two of the youngerwhite-robed clergy took up a large silver basin, another pair carriedsilver ewers, while the remainder, with lighted torches, formed up intwo lines and all followed the bishops to Kuthen's tent, in front ofwhich he, his family and retinue, were now standing with King BA(C)labeside them.
If the Kunok had looked doubtful and uneasy before, they looked yet moredisturbed now by the mysterious ceremony which followed. It was allutterly unintelligible to them; they heard words in a strange tongueuttered over their King and Queen, over the Princes and Princesses, andthey saw water poured upon the faces of each in turn, and no doubtconcluded that they were witnessing some magic rite, which might havethe effect of bringing their sovereign completely under the influence ofthe Hungarians.
And not only the royal family, but their attendants, the chiefs, andlast of all themselves had to submit to the same ceremony, withouthaving the least conception of what the faith was into which they hadbeen thus hastily baptized.
The main body of the Kunok arrived a few weeks later, and they, too,were baptized in batches, with an equal absence of all instruction andpreparation, and in equal ignorance of what was being done f
or them.
That was the way in which the heathen were "converted" in too manyinstances in bygone times. Is it wonderful that they remained pagans atheart, or that traces of pagan superstition are to be found in Christianlands even to the present day?
Well, the Kunok were now "Christians," and within a few monthssettlements were allotted to them in those thinly populated districtswhich the King was desirous of seeing occupied by inhabitants of kin tohis own people.
Meanwhile, Kuthen and his train had reached Pest, and he had made hisentry with much pomp and state, BA(C)la being determined that his guestshould be received with all respect. The two Kings therefore rode sideby side, wearing their crowns and long flowing mantles, and the narrow,crooked streets were thronged with people, all curious to see, if notanimated by any very friendly feeling towards the new arrivals.
Some of the more prominent chiefs BA(C)la determined to keep about himselfthat he might win their confidence and attachment by kindness.
But Kuthen and his family were conducted at once to Master Peter's oldmansion near the Danube, BA(C)la promising that he would have a properresidence built for them as soon as he could find a site.
Peter's house was of an original description, and consisted, in fact, ofsix moderate-sized houses, connected one with the other by doors andpassages added by his father; but it had at least been made habitableand provided with present necessaries, and afforded better shelter, aswell as more peace, than their tents, and the caves and woods ofMoldavia, where they had dwelt in perpetual fear of their enemies.
All this Master Peter duly reported to Dora, with comments of his own,and many a shake of the head, and still her curiosity was not satisfied.
"What more did she want? He had emptied his wallet so far as he knew."
"You have hardly said a word about the Queen and the Princesses,"returned Dora.
Whereupon Master Peter gave a short laugh.
"H-m! You had better ask your cousin Akos what he thinks of them thenext time you see him," said he.
"Why, does he see much of them? I thought he was as much against theircoming as you were."
"So he was! So he was! as strongly as any one! but--well, you know apage must go where he is sent, and his Majesty seems to want a good manymessages taken. At all events, Akos is often with the Kun folk, and whatis more, one never hears a word against them from him now! Bright eyes,Dora, bright eyes! and a deal of mischief they do."
"But can Akos understand them?"
"It seems so; he has picked the language up pretty quickly, hasn't he?It is all jargon to me, but then I have not had his practice! FatherRoger says their tongue is something like our Magyar, a sort of uncouthrelation, but I don't see the likeness myself."
"And the Princesses are really pretty?" Dora asked again.
"Prettier than their parents by a good deal! Yes, they are pretty girlsenough, I suppose," said Peter grudgingly, "some people admire themmuch, particularly the younger one, MAiria, as she is now. She used to beMarAina, but that's the name they gave her at her baptism, and the otherthey called ErzsA(C)bet (Elizabeth). The King and Queen and their sons allhave Magyar names now. But they will bring no good to the country,"Master Peter added, after a pause, "no good, that I am sure of! Why,there have been quarrels already where they have settled them. Everybodyhates the sight of them and their felt tents, and the King has had todivide them. What have they been doing? Why, plundering their neighboursto be sure, as anyone might have known they would. Mere barbarians,that's what they are, and we shall have a pretty piece of work with thembefore we have done."
"And JolAinta, you saw her?" Dora interposed, by way of diverting herfather's attention from a topic which invariably excited him.
"Yes, I saw JolAinta," was the answer, given with such a grave shake ofthe head that Dora asked whether there were anything amiss with her.
"Amiss? h-m! Dora, my girl," said Master Peter, laying his handaffectionately on her shoulder, "I am glad that _you_ did not marryhim!"
"I?" laughed Dora, "why should I?"
"Ah, you have forgotten how they used to call you 'Paul's little wife,'when you were only a baby, and you did not know, of course, that yourold father was fool enough to be disappointed when he chose your cousininstead."
"But isn't he kind to her? Isn't she happy?" inquired Dora.
"That is a question I did not ask, child, so I can't say. But she isjust a shadow of what she was."
"Selfish scoundrel!" burst forth Master Peter the next moment, unable tokeep down his indignation, which was not solely on JolAinta's account.
He had heard a good deal in Pest. Honest friends had not been wanting totell him of the reports about his daughter, and his pride had beendeeply wounded by the half pitying tone in which some of hisacquaintances had inquired for her, as also by the fact that the Queenhad _not_ asked for her, though she was on quite intimate terms withJolAinta, and in the natural course of things would have wished to seeDora also at Court.
Peter had longed to "have it out" with somebody, and make all who hadrepeated gossip about his Dora eat their own words.
But for once he was prudent, and bethought himself in time that somematters are not bettered by being talked about. If he blurted out hiswrath there would be those who would say that "there must be somethingin it, or he would not fly into such a rage," as he knew he should do,if once he let himself go. Besides, although he had convinced himselfthat Paul was at the bottom of all the gossip, and was burning to go andtake him by the throat and make him own it on his knees, yet, after all,where was the use of making a charge which he could not actually prove?
Accordingly, Master Peter held his tongue, but he determined thatnothing should induce him to take Dora to Pest while there was any riskof her being slighted and made uncomfortable. If he could have lookedforward only a few months perhaps he would have recognised that slightswere not the worst evils to be encountered in the world.
"Selfish scoundrel!" he repeated vehemently, "from what I hear, he hasbeen driving the poor girl about from morning till night, and from nighttill morning! Paul HA(C)dervAiry's wife must be seen everywhere, at all theCourt functions, all the entertainments in Pest, and even in the countrythere is no rest for her, but she must be dragged to hunting parties,which you know she never cared for. She never had much spirit you know,poor JolAinta! and now she is like a shadow, all the flesh worn off herbones! Could you fancy JolAinta killing a bear?"
"A bear! why, she was terrified whenever there were bears about!"
"Ay, but of course Paul's wife must be something to be proud of,something unlike the rest of the world, an Amazon! Well, he made her goout bear-hunting, for I'll never believe she went of her own free will;she killed a bear, they say, with her own hand, looked on more likely,while he did it! But any way, there's the skin, and it's called'JolAinta's bear,' and she had a swoon or a fit or something after, andhas never been herself since, so I was told. She sent you a number ofmessages, poor girl, and wished you were coming back with me to Pest."
"Poor JolAinta," murmured Dora, "I should like to see her, but not inPest."
"Ah! and you remember that young jackanapes, Libor?" said Master Peter.
"Paul HA(C)dervAiry's governor? Oh, yes, isn't he gone to his castle yet?"
"Not he! He is 'climbing the cucumber-tree' as fast as he can! I can'tthink what made Paul take him up; can't do without him now it seems,looks to him for everything, and has him constantly at his elbow; andyet there is not a prouder man 'on the back of this earth' than Paul."
"But the Mongols, father?" asked Dora, who cared little for Paul andless for his governor, but who could not shake off the impression madeupon her by Father Roger.
"My dear child, they have been coming for years! And if they come atlast it will be thanks to the Kunok. But they will go back quicker thanthey came, you may be sure, so don't you trouble your little head aboutthem!"
Master Peter spoke with the confidence he felt; and when he returned toPest, where his presence was r
equired by the King, he returned alone, acircumstance which set the gossips' tongues wagging anew, for surely hemust have some strong reason for not bringing Dora with him. His staywas likely to be a long one this time, and he had never been away fromher hitherto for more than a few days together.