Page:Islam, Turkey, and Armenia, and How They Happened.djvu/122

116 and divert the attention and the arms of the Austrian house, crossed the said river at the head of 100,000 men with 300 pieces of artillery. The day after the terrible "Destruction of Mahoc" in Hungary the Sultan received in state the compliments of his officers, when the heads of 2,000 of the slain, including those of seven bishops, were piled up as a trophy before his pavilion. At the approach of winter Soliman returned to Constantinople laden with booty and many captives, leaving an impoverished and depopulated country to be contended for by rival pretenders to the throne.

The next summer the Turkish army, upwards of 200,000 strong, advanced in the direction of Vienna, capturing castles and towns and devasting the country, till from the walls of the Austrian capital the gloomy light of burning villages were seen round half the horizon. The Turks reached Vienna and the siege immediately commenced, but notwithstanding the numerical inferiority of the garrison they were repulsed at every assault and suffered severely from the sallies. Being discouraged, the Turks prepared for an effective and last attack, the walls around the city and all breaches were re-examined by the Sultan and his grand vizier, and immense sums of money were distributed among the soldiers. Enthused by these means a general assault was ordered on the 14th day of October, 1529, but such was the desperate valor of the defenders that the Turks were foiled in every effort. Owing to the advance of the season and the absence of