Page:Adventures of Baron Wenceslas Wratislaw of Mitrowitz (1862).djvu/248

 prison, and entrust us to boatmen, to go to a fortress of our own up the Danube. In return for this kindness we all fell at his feet and thanked him. It was our great good fortune, that we received the letter to the pasha at Buda, and the letter credential that day, for, had it not happened so, we should certainly have all been cut in pieces, as will soon be related.

When the Turkish emperor moved from this place with his whole army, and began to march towards Erlau, they formed, in a very beautiful plain, opposing armies of camels, mules, and horses, amounting to full 150,000 in number, and so extensive that it was impossible to see to the end of them; they drew up as though they were about to engage in battle, fired cannons and all their heavy artillery at each other, surrounded the body which represented the Christians, skirmished, turned it to flight, took many thousands prisoners, and flattered their Emperor, giving him good hopes of victory, and continuing to advance quietly, and in good order, further and further into the land of Hungary.

When we arrived at the fortress of Zolnak we heard news that our people had taken the fortress of Hatwan from the Turks, that the Walloons had behaved like dogs, and not like Christians to the Turks, their wives, and children, had ripped up pregnant women, had cut children at the breast in two, had hung their mothers up by the breasts, had flayed and embowelled them, had searched for money, and had so tortured them, that it was grievous to hear the lamentations of the Turks, who affirmed that it was not the Walloons, but the Germans who had exercised such cruelty. Hence arose among the Turks not only the beforementioned clamour, weeping, and lamenta-