Part 4

The commander-in-chief, Sinán Páshá, had scarcely reached Belgrade, when the Austrians appeared before it and fought an obstinate battle, but were at last defeated. Many thousands of them perished, and their cannon fell into the hands of the victorious Moslems. After they were repulsed, Hasan Páshá collected all the troops scattered in Buda and Pest, and in the country round about, and advanced to meet the enemy, who had put themselves in order of battle. The enemy’s troops were covered with steel, and had a very singular appearance. Their horsemen had breast-plates of iron to shield them, and even their horses seemed to be bound together by chains of the same metal.

When the enemy perceived the efforts which had been made by the Moslems, and how they were preparing to meet them, they, thinking the moment had arrived when they might easily and without resistance seize on Buda, immediately after the first assault fled towards that city. The brave Hasan, however, pursued them; and falling on them in the rear hewed down a great many of them. The enemy, on perceiving the havoc which Hasan and his heroic associates committed amongst them, marked him out as the chief object of their hatred and vengeance, and their swords were directed against him; but being covered with a coat of mail, he for a while received no injury. Being excessively forward, and impatient in carrying destruction among the enemy, he received at last several wounds and fell from his horse. The commandant of the fortress, Ahmed Aghá, a man of great heroism, handed him another, and though wounded in several places he maintained his ground; and it was only after long and continued acts of the greatest bravery that those around him succeeded in getting him to retire from the scene of action. Those of his followers, and who fought on foot, maintained the struggle till night, and not one of them escaped alive from the field of battle. The rest of his troops fled towards Buda and Pest, and Hasan himself was carried in his wounded condition to Buda, whence he sent a report to the Serdár at Belgrade of what had happened, and requested immediate assistance.

_Felk falls into the hands of the Enemy._

After the defeat of the army of Buda the enemy retreated, and after making a circuitous route, marched against Felk and besieged it. Sinán Páshá, son of Mohammed Páshá, who had been sent by the commander-in-chief, and a few strangers, five in all, moved slowly forward to Felk and perceived the extremity to which the besieged were reduced, and who in the end were necessitated to evacuate the fortress. This took place on the first of Rabia II. The execrated infidels robbed them of all the money and valuables they were possessed of before leaving the place; and what is very remarkable, notwithstanding this treatment, two or three hundred of them actually became apostates, and were content to remain in Felk. But it must be observed, however, that the majority of the people of Felk had a predilection for heresy, and therefore the conduct of the apostates now mentioned need not be much wondered at; though it must be confessed the innocent were also infected by them.

It is also very remarkable that the spring of that year commenced sooner than usual by two months, but it was short. The fruit trees were soon covered over with blossoms, and in a short time afforded abundance of fruit. By this fortuitous circumstance the hateful infidels were enabled to subsist and pursue their hostile purposes, and they were but too successful. Several castles and places of strength and importance fell into their hands.

Such of the inhabitants of Felk as chose to leave it went to Sitchan, but the commander and troops of that fortress were thrown into such a panic at hearing of the infidels that they all fled, carrying with them what they could conveniently take away. The enemy found it of course forsaken, and immediately placed a garrison of five hundred men in it. The troops in Sunta, in the country of Moravia, also fled for fear of the enemy, and went into the surrounding mountains; but their commander, and about ten men, had the courage to remain where they were. When the enemy appeared before Sunta, the commander and his ten men commenced firing their cannon, in order to lead them to suppose that the fortress was well supplied with men; and in fact this stratagem succeeded so far as to awe them; and a report happening to circulate that some thousands of Tátárs were on their march to aid the fortress, caused the enemy to retreat altogether, when the fugitive troops returned to their duty.

Those other faithless runaways and heartless Martlooses (a sort of Christians), who had fled when the above-mentioned and other places fell into the enemy’s hands, joined together and formed themselves into a band of robbers about Wáj, and commenced committing excess and villany against the peasants in the country. The Páshá’s deputy, however, soon dispersed them, and hanged five of their ringleaders as an example of terror to others. Such of those vagrant fugitives as actually joined the enemy met with no better fate. The enemy considered them as being neither useful to them nor to the Turks, and therefore caused their heads to be cut off.

In the meantime the enemy concentrated in the vicinity of Wáj, and after very much fighting reduced the fortress of Novograde. About the same time, also, some of the chiefs of Wáj failed in their courage and fled, when a troop of infidels came and set fire to the suburbs, and carried off what plunder they were able. On the 19th of Jemadi II., when the sound of the cannon ceased to be any more heard from Novograde, the Wajian chiefs, excited by curiosity, ran towards evening to Novograde, to see how matters stood there, and were sufficiently confounded when they saw the enemy rushing from all directions into the place, distressing the inhabitants, thrusting them forth naked and disgraced, and committing every sort of violence on these poor creatures. When these naked wretches, thus thrust out of Novograde, met the Wajian chiefs, they warned them of their danger. “Watch your villages and city,” said they, “the infidels will soon be at your heels. What do you want here? What are you gazing at? Have you not sufficient example in our fate?” The Wajian chiefs took the hint, and fled to Buda. Nevertheless, the governor of Wáj and four or five of his men had the courage to remain behind. The fortress of Sunta was afterwards burned to the ground by order of Hasan Páshá. Several of the Novogradians came to seek a retreat in the city of Wáj before its suburbs were burned by the enemy, but they were robbed and spoiled, even of their geese and hens, on that occasion of rapine and plunder. A party of horsemen came and surrounded Wáj, but the desperate inhabitants of the inner fortress were so excited at the conduct and rage of the infidels, that they exerted every nerve in self-defence, and by their heroic bravery dispersed their antagonists from their gates, many of whom went away wounded. The whole party afterwards returned to Novograde.

_The Faithless are chastised._

Mohammed Páshá, son of the grand vezír and commander-in-chief, and Hasan Páshá, agreed together to send a report of the disasters which had happened; and also an account of those Begs and Aghás who had either fled from or had given up the cities and fortresses under their command to the enemy. The Aghás of Sunta, for not saving the cannon of Novograde before it fell into the hands of the enemy, were imprisoned and tortured. The Beg of Semendria, Wadanali Ramazán Zádeh, the commandant of Novograde, was degraded and imprisoned. The Beg of Novograde, Karah Kurahli Mohammed Beg, was secretly strangled by the Janissaries. But these severe measures were very grievous and distressing to the champions of the borders. The above-mentioned Mohammed Beg was one of the ancient heroes and most virtuous of that class.

In Súbúska Palanka, otherwise called Shúmushka, a few horsemen that garrisoned it killed with their own hands their women and children rather than let them fall into the hands of the infidels who had come to besiege the place, and then by a desperate sortie made their way through the enemy. One or two companies of the enemy’s swift cavalry pursued them a whole day and night, but were at length repulsed by the arrows and arms of the pursued.

_The base and ignoble Infidels besiege Khutván._

When Novograde fell into the hands of the enemy, the Chaúsh of the deputy of Ramazán Zádeh was brought before the king (of Hungary, I suppose), but was afterwards set at liberty. This man returned to Buda in the month of Rajab, and informed his Moslem brethren that the emperor himself (_i.e._ the Emperor of Germany) was making preparations for coming to lay siege to the city and fortress of Buda with an army of 200,000 swine (_i.e._ Christians). The Budians lost no time in putting every thing in proper order for defence, and for giving the infidels a reception. Some time before the Moslem army was put in motion in the spring of that year, and before the new year had commenced, the enemy fitted out two armies: the one of which was sent against Osterghún and the other to Khutván. It was the one which was sent against Khutván that reduced the fortress of Novograde, and the siege of the former fortress commenced in the month of Jemadi II. The Beg of Khutván, Arslán Páshá, was a man of some levity, but a most excellent swordsman, and the whole of the inhabitants were warlike and brave. By their intrepidity and quickness in firing their cannon many of the enemy fell in the siege. They were under the necessity, however, of sending to Buda for assistance, when, in compliance with their request, Mohammed Páshá, Sinán’s son, the Válí of Buda, and Hasan Páshá, on the 8th of Shabán, hastened forward to their aid with their respective troops. Osterghún was besieged at the same time.

When this auxiliary army drew near to Khutván, they perceived a body of the enemy stationed on the banks of the river, which flowed a little below the city on the north side; and therefore, with the view of accomplishing their purpose, they on the 11th went about a mile further up the river in order to cross. The enemy thought, when they saw this, that the Moslems fled to escape them, and immediately pursued after them and got in front of them, when a tremendous carnage ensued. Mohammed Páshá and his corps of Spáhís stood back, whilst Hasan Páshá with his veteran borderers was left to cope alone with the infidel soldiery. In this desperate contest a very great number of the iron-cased infidels perished, and almost the whole of the heroic borderers fell martyrs. Hasan Páshá himself, like a furious lion, brought incredible numbers of them to the ground. His clothes unfortunately, in consequence of the bursting of a shell, caught fire, but were extinguished without difficulty. From the explosion of the gunpowder he was severely injured. The commander-in-chief of the Moslem troops, Mohammed Páshá, son of the grand vezír, when he saw his brave associates sorely pressed by the superior force of the enemy, heartlessly and cowardly furled his banners, and returned with his dastardly Spáhís to Buda. Just as the remaining Moslems were about to retire in despair, the Beg of Ancora, Neïrání Páshá, issued most fortunately from Khutván with a party, who attacked the enemy with such fury as to drive them back with considerable loss both of men and cannon. The larger guns he spiked. The enemy, however, soon recovered themselves, and returned with greater vigour and renewed strength, and continued the siege of Khutván till the month of Ramazán, when they became altogether disheartened. The prudence and skill of the besieged was too much for them.

In this battle 4,000 Moslems fell martyrs, and very many of the infidels perished. When the account of this day’s transactions was transmitted to the court of Constantinople, the glory and honour which Hasan Páshá had most certainly gained would have been honourably acknowledged; but by the grand vezír’s influence, the honour and distinction which ought to have been conferred on Hasan Páshá was awarded to his own son Mohammed Páshá. Besides an augmentation of authority, he received a splendidly ornamented sword set in jewels, and a handsome robe of fur, which was sent him by the emperor.

_The Siege of Osterghún._

The body of troops sent to lay siege to Osterghún was afterwards largely augmented by those other troops which had been engaged against Khutván, and the siege began to assume a regular appearance in the month of Shabán. The peasants and villagers, encouraged by the presence of the enemy, declared in their favour, and committed enormous excesses. About the end of this month another body of the enemy attacked the city of Wáj, slew several of the inhabitants, and carried off about forty or fifty horsemen, besides a number of Martloos (Christian) women and children.

Some time previous to this, 2,000 horsemen, sent from Bosnia and Semendria, were appointed to settle themselves any where about Osterghún, and were allowed to profit by any thing the chance of war might put in their way. These perfidious wretches, however, entered into a treacherous correspondence with the enemy, who had, by that time, surrounded the city. They shot at the rate of 1,800 cannon-balls per day against the walls of the city and fortress.

In the mean time a body of experienced Janissaries and other troops were sent to their assistance. Three times did the Beg of Rhodes convey to them, in galleys and other boats, timely aid; and completely prevented the enemy from benefiting by any assistance sent them by water, besides a variety of other important services which he had rendered to the besieged.

The enemy, intent on reducing Osterghún, and after several days’ battering with their cannon, at length commenced an assault, but were driven back with immense loss. The Hungarians, who acted at some considerable distance, directed their guns against the place, and succeeded in laying several portions of the walls level with the ground. They now attempted to deceive. They told a thousand idle stories about the propriety of following the example of the people of Felk and Novograde, and thus to yield and give up the fortress; but the heroic Moslems answered: “We are Romelian heroes and true-hearted veterans, and shall never yield nor give up the place: we are resolved on continuing our resistance. Behold, you accursed! you deride us by saying that an army of Tátárs, riding on tortoises, are coming to our aid; but we are sure of immense succours from Buda, either to-day or tomorrow: and then we shall be swine if we don’t mount you all on tortoises and send you to hell.” Such was the reply of the besieged to the enemy, who finding their fraudulent attempts to deceive were in vain, pushed on the siege with all their vigour, and advanced to a third general assault. Among their leaders one was observed who was very active in stimulating the soldiery on to the assault, and who wore a breast-plate, and a gold chain suspended from his neck. The Beg of Osterghún observed to those around him, that if that execrated wretch could be disposed of, the infidel army would immediately retreat. “Whoever lays him flat in the dust,” said he, “shall receive a sanják, and whatever else he may ask.” This was so sooner uttered than one Osmán, a brave man, and an excellent marksman, levelled his piece at the gold-chained infidel, cried “Yá allah,” and in a moment shot him through the breast, when he sank from his horse, and was dragged along the ground. The besiegers were now panic-struck, and retired in the greatest precipitation towards their fortifications; but were hotly pursued by the veteran Moslems, who rushed out after them, and slew very many of them. The enemy, however, soon rallied again. Every peasant in the country round about, able to handle a sword, was collected; and with this augmentation of new strength they again returned to the siege and work of destruction. The unfortunate Moslems, notwithstanding the heroism they had displayed, and the firmness with which they had acted, were at length, by famine and hard labour, reduced to complete weakness; whilst the troops acting under the King (of Hungary) joined the besiegers. Thus strengthened, the enemy began to set the city on fire in several places.

At this critical moment an army under the command of the válís of Temishvar and Bosnia, and which had been sent off by order of the Serdár in the month of Ramazán, reached Pest in time enough to hear the sound of the cannon from Osterghún; but it was the middle of the month before the vanguard of this army advanced so far as to be discovered by the enemy. This new appearance of assistance in favour of the Moslems in the city of Osterghún so dismayed the enemy, that they immediately relinquished their object, forsook their tabúr or fortifications, and fled away in the utmost precipitation. Now was the time for taking revenge. The Moslems, like raging wolves, rushed out of their strong-hold, slew about a thousand of the enemy, did what damage they were able to their fortifications, took a number of captives, spiked their field-pieces, seized all the powder and goods they could easily carry, set fire to what remained, and returned to the city in triumph with the spoil they had taken. But the enemy, after recovering from the panic into which they had been put, and after the army which had come from Buda had returned back, retraced their steps, and again took possession of their tabúr or fortifications, exercising violence and cruelty on those who had been hired by the month in the villages belonging to Buda.

Before finishing this paragraph we must add, by way of postscript, that the enemy continued their hostile operations against Khutván and Osterghún till they learned that the grand vezír was marching with the royal army to Buda, when they removed to Komran, where they concentrated their forces. The Válí of Temishvar who had came to aid the city of Osterghún, and who was at this time in Pest, heard that a palanka in his own government had revolted and declared for the enemy. He returned and executed the whole of them.

_The Request of the Prime Minister—the Succour of the Magnificent Emperor._

In consequence of the several disasters which the Moslem arms had sustained during the late spring, the evils and oppressions to which the garrisons on the frontiers had been exposed, and also because the contest was not yet ended, the mind of the grand vezír, when he considered all these things, was very much afflicted; and therefore, as the most effectual remedy for his grief, and for securing a more favourable state of things, he sent, at once, an account of the whole state of matters, and also a statement of the finances, and that of the army, to the court of Constantinople. The grand vezír found, it would appear, that military movements were a difficult thing to attend to, especially every time a fixed period was necessary to be observed with respect to those movements. Besides, the army of Romeili had been precluded from attending to their harvest. In short, all these things together had a powerful effect on Sinán Páshá’s mind, and led him to regret his having had any thing to do with the war at all.

In these circumstances, and being no way prepared to prosecute the war, he called together his emírs, commanders of castles, chiefs of the army, nobles, and other great and learned men, to consult them as to the steps which ought, in their situation, to be adopted. But fortunately, at this time, the succours, as to men and money, which his letters requested from the government of Constantinople, were hastening towards him.

It may be observed here, that it was not customary for the ághás of the Janissaries to go forth to war, except along with the emperor. On this occasion this rule was departed from, and Sáleh Mohammed Páshá was appointed to conduct the Janissaries to join the grand vezír Ibrahím Aghá, superintendent of the armoury, with a thousand men-at-arms, and a sufficient number of portable tents were attached to this expedition. They set out for Belgrade on the 1st of Rajab. On the Segbán Báshí, the commander of the guard, devolved the duties belonging to Sáleh Mohammed Páshá’s office during his absence from Constantinople.

Before these arrangements took place, however, Kapúdán Jeghala Zádeh was ordered out to sea with a fleet of five galleys carrying troops, who reached the Mediterranean before the middle of Shabán. Ghází Gheráí Khán of the Crimea, was also required to join the grand vezír, and assist him by his counsels and by his arms.

About the middle of the above-mentioned month, the grand vezír, Sinán Páshá, began to collect his troops from their winter quarters, and commenced pitching his tents in the plains of Serim, when he ordered distribution of provision, &c. to be made to the men under his own command; where also he was soon afterwards joined by the following chiefs: viz. Mohammed Páshá, Válí of Sivás; Mohammed Páshá, Válí of Merœsh; Alí Páshá, Válí of Vœrka; Ahmed Páshá, the serdár or commander-in-chief of Buda; and Ahmed Páshá, governor of Bosnia: and where, too, the ághá and his Janissaries, sent from Constantinople, joined his camp.

The grand vezír and his associates in arms, after having consulted as to the mode of commencing their operations, resolved on attacking Yanuk first, and accordingly sent off their heavy baggage towards Tata. Mohammed Páshá, the grand vezír’s son, was appointed to command the artillery; the Governor of Buda, Hasan Páshá, to head the Cherkají troops or Iägers; the Governor of Bosnia, the advance guard; the Beglerbeg of Anatolia was appointed to command the right wing; another Beglerbeg was to command the left wing; and the Páshá or Válí of Merœsh, in conformity to ancient custom, was appointed to command the rear-guard.

On the 14th of Shevál the grand army advanced to the plains of Tata. Tata lies in a plain in the vicinity of mountains near the Danube, opposite to Komran, an island in the Danube, about two leagues from Tata. The enemy, who had posted themselves on the opposite side of the river, had also extended their lines as far as Tata; but this place after three days’ siege, yielded to the conquerors. A garrison was thrown into it, and such of the enemy as escaped from it fled to Komran.

In the mean time the Khán of the Tátárs reached the royal camp. He was seated on a beautiful horse, and alighted from it at the door of the grand vezír’s pavilion. After having rested himself on a suitable sofa, and taken some refreshment, a handsome ewer ornamented with gold was presented before him, in which he washed his hands, and which was afterwards handed to his armour-bearer. The Khán was also presented with a sword adorned with jewels, a bridle ornamented with gold, a two-edged dagger, a club with an iron head, and a most beautiful charger. Five thousand pieces of pure gold were also presented to him. The whole of the begs or princes, and such of the ághás as were present on this august occasion, conducted the Khán to his own royal tent. The fortress of Semarin, in the neighbourhood of Tata, was evacuated by the enemy and taken possession of by the Moslem troops.

_Yanuk besieged._

This fortress, formerly called Kilvár, is situate on the banks of the Raab, which pours its waters into the Danube, and was on this occasion surrounded on the land side by an immense ditch filled with water, across which was a drawbridge which led into the city and fortress.