Washington sentinel., 1854-01-05
Wasbilrgtun gsntinel,
From the waverly Magazine.
MAGYAR AND THE MOS l. E M !.
AN HUNGARIAN TRADITION.
(Concluded.)

II,
There was no delay on the part of the Turk
ish general in returning his courtesy; presents
of equal value arrived for Keretsenyi, accom-
panied by the Moslemss of high rank, who came
into the tower as hostages and for them two of
the Christian officers were exchanged. This
ceremony over, the magnate assembled his
troops, and came forth, splendidly apparelled,
at the head of his principal captains, to the
platform in front of the building; but dead
silence was his only greeting The enthusiasm
with which, in his days of daring and enter
prise, he had been received by his troops, whom
he never checked in their career of violence
and plunder, and with whom he was neces
sarily polite, found no voice as he now appeared
before them; all were alike sullen, suspicious,
and dissatisfied.
Keretsenyi, however, needed not these demon
strations of discomfort, and sweeping the line
with a naughty and commanding eye, he pro-
ceeded to lay before them the utter impossi-
bility of longer defending. their stronghold and
the mighty army to which they were opposed.
He dwelt upon their crippled and halffamished
condition; represented that on the morrow their:
store Of provisions would be entirely exhausted;
bade them remember the wretched condition of
their sick and wounded pointed with steady
finger to the numerous groups of women and
children who were huddled together in corner
of the court, and who had taken refuge in the
tower on the firing Of the troops, reminding
them that they had no longer food to give
them; and, finally, taking from his breast
huge parchment, signed and sealed. by the
pasha, and containing his pledge that not only
the men-at-arms, but also their Sick wounded,
and their women, would be permitted to depart
in all honor and safety he concluded by insist
ing that these terms should be complied with
upon the Instant.
A deep and indignant silence was the only
reply Of the troops. Their slight movement
was perceptible in the ranks, and brave men
looked into the faces of their fellows as if to
ask if they had heard Alright, and if they were
in truth, to trail their holy banner in the dust
before the crescent of the inGdel.
The first to speak was the highhearted VIII
Janos.
"Put up the parchment" he said, inpatient
ly; we are not women, to be fooled by soft
words and written promises We know how
the Turks redeemed their pledge before Buda--
Gus poison. And, even were it otherwise, we
spurn their clemency. As for my part would
rather die the death of brave and true man,
here where | stand, and within the hour, than
accept The expedient with which you have
Knocked us in calling it honorable. How say
you, my comrades" he continued impetuously,
as he turned to the troops, " are we not all of
one mind? Let those who will with me draw
their weapons from the sheath, as the best and
most final answer"
More than half the soldiery obeyed the ap-
peal but the remainder failed. Like their
general, they had found the love of life grow
strongly on them; their fate drew to its climax,
and they stood motionless, while the flash of
their comrades sabres beat back the sunlight.
The impetuous Janos set his teeth hard, and
ground his mailed heel into the stone upon
which he sat, while Keretsenyi, glancing bland
ly about him, said with earnestness-
i know my brave followers, that opinions
are divided, and that there are many among
YOU who know how to distinguish real courage
from wrong headedness, and prudence from
reckless folly. You are right, and have decided
wsly. And should you wantonly fling away
lives like yours? You have many laurels to
gather on this side of the-grave, many disap-
pointments to repair, and many wrongs to
avenge. You belong, not to yourselves, but to
the emperor You have here not only the
solemn pledge of the pasha, but moreover three
hostages of importance wholly in your power;
how then can we reasonably apprehend mis-
chief? We have already sufficiently exonerat-
ed ourselves from the imputation of cowardice;
we can defy the reproach and now our first
duty is to preserve our lives for our own sake
and for our country's."
He paused, and once more displaying the
firman of the pasha, put forth his eloquence to
induce the troops to acede to the terms of ca
pitulation, with which he was ultimately sue
cessful. The treaty was then signed by some
of the principal leaders, and forwarded to the
Turkish camp, where it was ratified by Persaff
Pasha, with the additional clause, however, that
his Janissaries were to receive a monthly salary
from the Christians. To this humiliating con-
dition Keretsenyi also consented, and forthwith
dispatched four thousand piastres to his first
payment, while in recompense of SO prompt o
concession, the capitulation, duly signed, was
returned by his messenger.
On the following morning all was hustle and
preparation within the tower. The arms were
secured the sick and wounded were put into
itters, the women and children prepared, as
their means permitted, for the march, and at
midday the gates were thrown open, and the
besieged began to issue forth. First were four
of the pasha's body-guard, to act as guides
through the camp; then followed the sick litters,
attended by the women and such Of the inhabi
tants of Gynla as had escaped into the tower,
but had never borne arms; and late towards
evening, the soldiers marched out in their turn,
Tended the tower which they were now leaving
with bent brows and stricken hearts, during the
space of two months. The Germans were in
the van, attended by their officers and then
came the Hungarians followed closely by ker-
etsenyi and the hostages, who closed the rear
The departure Of the troops had been delayed
by an incident which did not fail to produce a
great impression on the Magyar soldiery.
When all the force was mustered on the walls
in order to evacuate the place, VIII Janos was
missing, and a messenger was despatched in
search of him, to desire that he would hasten to
his station, on peril of being left to the mercy
Of the enemy, after the time of truce had ex-
pired. For while he was sought in vain; he
was not to be found in any of his accustomed
haunts; but at length, one Of his own follow
ers, who best knew his high and noble nature,
bade them look for him at the bastion which he
had SO gallantly defended during the hottest Of
the siege The messenger followed the sug-
gestion, and returned pale and heartstricken to
announce that the march need no longer be de-
ferred, for that the brave young man lay there
dead--he would not survive the disgrace which
had come upon him, and he had fallen upon