Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-05-28
SLING-STONES.
4 Hungarian Story.
BY NORTH JOKAT.


IN the old DAYS when Kuzuk was still
Pacha of GrOsswardein, the good city Of
DebrecZin, the headquarters Of the real
Magyar race, suffered many trials. That
mad Turk became enraged at the merest
trife, and then he at once threatened to
destroy the city with fire and sword, to
slaughter its men, to drag its women into
slavery, to give up its treasures to pill
lage, and to SOW with salt the place where
ii had stood.
The mild and wise magistrates of De-
breczin used to try with prayers and pres
ents TO soothe the anger of this crazy
Turk. But one day Mein Herr Stefan
Dobosy, the great grandson Of Michael
DObosy, the immortal hero Of 1926, be-
came magistrate
He was an obstinoe and fiery man; and
when Pacha Kuzuk, for some foolish rea-
son, again threatened to attack the city,
Mein Herr Stefan DObosy sent word to
him: Come ont"
Thercupon Pacha Kuzuz fell into q ter
Tible rage; and. commanding his troops
to mount, he set out that same night, and
the next morning he stood before De-
breczin.
Well, then, l am heren'
Now, the city had by no means any
thing like strong walls, neither meats nor
draw bridges 1t stood, indeed, on a wide
and very fertile plain OF black soil. Its
defenses consisted of twelve erumbling
towers, from which the citizens used to
defend themselves against the rowing
bands Of thieves. These were of brick
upholstered, and were rooted with reeds
They would have fallen to pieces at the
first shot Each one Of them had been
al If,, Of, Of
rotten planks, which led up from without
to a surrounding wooden landing, which
gave access to the tower; and so, if this
stairway had been removed, no one who
was in the tower could leave it.
Each of these nincpin-shaped towers
guarded one oil the gates OF DebreCzin,
but at a respectful distance, so that it
should not be destroyed by an enemy at
lacking the City-thereby keeping the
city from the necessity of building new
one When you saw the towers, all that
you thought of was that the roof of each
was good for nothing but for the stOrl1s to
build their nests on; for these harmless
birds stood till evening upon one leg and
chartered for hours long, as if they pro
tectcd the city in the securest manner
Pacha KuZuk had so arranged his ar
rival as to bring his troops before all the
twelve gates at once, ana directed against
each Of the red brick towers one Of the
great round cannon, loaded to the muZzle,
desiring TO speak to the Debrecziners in
this fashion
Instantly there came out of the City
Greek named Panaioti, who, although a
native of StambouI, was established in
Debreczin; he was an old acquaintance
Of Pacha kuZuk. So, when the city had
any nice affair to settle, they regularly
sent this Greek with the same to the
Pacha, believing he would not be imme-
diately impaled
We'll, what 10 the magistrates in De
breczin saw"
Your Excellency, the truth is that
this Stefan Dobosy is a drunken dog.
When your threat came to us, he immedi-
ately put all the young girls, women and
children into wagons and sent them away
10 Tokai. Then he had the order cried
through the town that whatsoever had any
valuable property should tear it pieces,
hew it down, or throw it into the wells;
and as soon rs the enemy should seize
the city that they should at once set it
on fire in forty places, throw fire into
every church, into every tower; and then
that every one should seize his spear, or
mount his horse Of he had Onel; and
which gate they should rush out; and
truly should they so retreat from here
that neveTm0re should any one of them
SO much as even turn his face toward
Debreczin. Mein Herr kuzuk, how
would your highness be justified, should
the Sultan inquire what has become
of the great city of Debreczin, which has
SO Loyalty paid to the Porte so many taxes
which has furnished such distinguished
advisers, and has so richly furnished the
army with -four and forage? VIII he,
then, be pleased that your Highness has
burned the city TO ashes and sowed the
place with salt where it stood, in right
eous anger, because your water-pipe no
longer drew well and burned unevenlv ,"
All this Mein Herr Stefan Dobosy had
instructed Panajoti to say, and he repeated
st word for word.
You Contounded, thick-skulled Cal
vinistr' cried the Pacha, angrily; che is
just obstinate enough to do what he saws. .
kuzuk wished, in fact, not to be answera-
BILE for destroying so fine city as Debrec-
Zin merely IN order to appeaSe his own
illhumor; for at that time there was in
the Hungarian lowlands no other CITY so
thickly settled and we'll provisioned in a
days journey. The city was so necessary
in that place that had it not been stand
ing the Turks would have thought it
necessary to build one there.
THE vagaDond dog" growled the
Pacha again, knows very well that I do
not wish to destroy his city; and there
fore he dares to address me in this lofty
tone. Yet, should l receive him out here
upon the open, l know | should make
him, in that case, travel such a road that
his footprints would be marked with
blood"
Panaioti declared earnestly that the
residents of Debreczin were resolute in
the highest degree, and just as soon as the
Pacha should have a trumpet sounded or
cannon fired the whole city would al
once burst into flames, and everything
would be lost; for all the treasures had
been buried, and the women and children
were already far on the other side of the
Thesis; the men would be enraged; one
would seize scythe, another saber;
ana even then they would hardly do sui
nclent execution to satisfy themselves, so
hlg l exasperated would they be.
Inc Pacha saw that Panajoti was right
Inc DebrecZiners had for once triumphed
over MN. he called back the troops he