Tensas gazette., 1916-12-01

"WICE have the Russians threat
ened invasion of that vast ex
panse of golden corn-land, the
great Hungarian plain, ant
again it was imperiled by the Ror
manians. Debreczen, Arad, Temesvar
Szegedin-the important centers of tn,
plain-all lie in the path of the armie.
that might sweep down upon Buda
pest from the Carpathians and from
the ROumanian frontier, writes J. NJ
DodingtOn in Country Life. Debrec
zen, that most Oriental-lOOking OF
towns, with its flat-roofed houses in
closing a large, open square across
which the women stroll, veiled in east
ern fashion. DebrecZen, which has
known battles and sieges innumerable
which was famous as the seat of Kos
suth's short-lived parliament; Arad, q
rather commonplace town on the
banks of the River Maros, celebrated
throughout Hungary for it's delicious
fish of varied species; Temesvar, the
capital of the Banat, essentially mod
ern, noisy with electric cars and bril-
liant with electric lights; Szegedin
even more stirring and up-tO-date than
Temesvar, with manufactures of car
pets and frieZes, of ropes and sail
cloth, which render it prosperous ex-
ceedingly.
But all, ancient or modern, are cen
ters of the enormous grain trade which
was growing greater every day, as far
spreading stretches of plain were be-
ing cleared of scrub, vast swamps
drained and turned into ripping corn
fields. Roads were being made. rail-
ways projected, in every direction.
There is an end to such activities
now. One begins to hope that the Hor-
tobagy plain, the happy hunting-ground
Of spOrtsmen, native and foreign, will
be left in all its wild charm, safe for
many years to come, from civilizations
prOsaic hand.
Where Vast Herds Roam.
The great HortObagy plain lies west
of Debreczen and extends to the Tisza
river. 1t is a vast, uncultivated prai-
rie land over which roam countless
herds Of cattle, horses, sheep, swine,
watched over by brOwn-skinned guard
ians whose rank varies according to
their avocatiOns and is most tenacious
ly kept. Thus that most exalted Of
nristOcrats, the csikos, guardian of
that noblest of animals, the horse, dis
lains all intercourse with him who
stands upon the next rung of the so
cial ladder, the gulyas or cattleman.
In his turn the gulyas regards with the
utmost contempt the shepherd-juhasz
while the juhasz turns with scOrn
from that member of the lowest Of
castles, the kOndas or swineherd.
The work of all consists in day and
night watching over their animals, but
more especially in the case Of the
gulyas-the watering Of the herds is
their hardest task. The drawing up
of bucketfuls of water from deep-sunk
wells for thousands Of heads Of cattle
is no light job. 1t would be an impos-
sible one during the scorching heat of
mmmer, were it not for the small
lakes and ponds which dot the
plain, and also for the Hortobagy riv-
er, which flows through 1t from north
to south and whose waters never fail.
There is another fairly big river, the
ArkOs, but it dries up during the hot
season. In its waters there are, natur-
ally, found none of the fish which are
so abundant in the Hortobagy.
The csikos of the great plain are
very fine horsemen. In the War Of In
dependence, 1S4S-49, they Joined the
bands of the dreaded Alexander Roz-
sa and pursued the fleeing Austrians,
throwing their lassoes from great
distance and tearing the foe from his
saddle, to lie at their mercy on the
ground.
Paradise for Sportsmen.
The reedy margins Of the Hortobagy
river abound with snipe and mallard,
but 1t is among the creeks and lake
lets of the northern part Of the great
plain, when the autumn rains cause
them to overflow and unite in shallow
seas, that the sportsman finds his par
adise. There. during October and No
vember, the wild geese are found in mil
lions. The sodden meadows are COW
cred by their innumerable flocks, as
If by snowdrifts. When they rise they
obscure the sunlight. and the noise
of their wings fc lilo tho r,1Sh of a
mighty whirlwind. In bitches, in pits
dug by the rivers brink. defiant of
pangs, the gunner hides,
and tremendous is the toll he takes. 1t
is a most exciting sport, and one is
almost inclined to agree with the ma