the complete writings-3-第32章

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　earthen　pots；　and　filled　them　with　hand　Gunpowder；　then　covered　them　with　Pitch；　mingled　with　Brimstone　and　Turpentine；　and　quartering　as　many　Musket…bullets；　that　hung　together　but　only　at　the　center　of　the　division；　stucke　them　round　in　the　mixture　about　the　pots；　and　covered　them　againe　with　the　same　mixture；　over　that　a　strong　sear…cloth；　then　over　all　a　goode　thicknesse　of　Towze…match；　well　tempered　with　oyle　of　Linseed；　Campheer；　and　powder　of　Brimstone；　these　he　fitly　placed　in　slings；　graduated　so　neere　as　they　could　to　the　places　of　these　assemblies。〃

These　missiles　of　Smith's　invention　were　flung　at　midnight；　when　the　alarum　was　given；　and　〃it　was　a　perfect　sight　to　see　the　short　flaming　course　of　their　flight　in　the　air；　but　presently　after　their　fall；　the　lamentable　noise　of　the　miserable　slaughtered　Turkes　was　most　wonderful　to　heare。〃

While　Smith　was　amusing　the　Turks　in　this　manner；　the　Earl　Rosworme　planned　an　attack　on　the　opposite　suburb；　which　was　defended　by　a　muddy　lake；　supposed　to　be　impassable。　　Furnishing　his　men　with　bundles　of　sedge；　which　they　threw　before　them　as　they　advanced　in　the　dark　night；　the　lake　was　made　passable；　the　suburb　surprised；　and　the　captured　guns　of　the　Turks　were　turned　upon　them　in　the　city　to　which　they　had　retreated。　　The　army　of　the　Bashaw　was　cut　to　pieces　and　he　himself　captured。

The　Earl　of　Meldritch；　having　occupied　the　town；　repaired　the　walls　and　the　ruins　of　this　famous　city　that　had　been　in　the　possession　of　the　Turks　for　some　threescore　years。

It　is　not　our　purpose　to　attempt　to　trace　the　meteoric　course　of　Captain　Smith　in　all　his　campaigns　against　the　Turks；　only　to　indicate　the　large　part　he　took　in　these　famous　wars　for　the　possession　of　Eastern　Europe。　　The　siege　of　Alba　Regalis　must　have　been　about　the　year　1601Smith　never　troubles　himself　with　any　datesand　while　it　was　undecided；　Mahomet　III。this　was　the　prompt　Sultan　who　made　his　position　secure　by　putting　to　death　nineteen　of　his　brothers　upon　his　accessionraised　sixty　thousand　troops　for　its　relief　or　its　recovery。　　The　Duc　de　Mercoeur　went　out　to　meet　this　army；　and　encountered　it　in　the　plains　of　Girke。　　In　the　first　skirmishes　the　Earl　Meldritch　was　very　nearly　cut　off；　although　he　made　〃his　valour　shine　more　bright　than　his　armour；　which　seemed　then　painted　with　Turkish　blood。〃　　Smith　himself　was　sore　wounded　and　had　his　horse　slain　under　him。　　The　campaign；　at　first　favorable　to　the　Turks；　was　inconclusive；　and　towards　winter　the　Bashaw　retired　to　Buda。　　The　Duc　de　Mercoeur　then　divided　his　army。　　The　Earl　of　Rosworme　was　sent　to　assist　the　Archduke　Ferdinand；　who　was　besieging　Caniza；　the　Earl　of　Meldritch；　with　six　thousand　men；　was　sent　to　assist　Georgio　Busca　against　the　Transylvanians；　and　the　Duc　de　Mercoeur　set　out　for　France　to　raise　new　forces。　　On　his　way　he　received　great　honor　at　Vienna；　and　staying　overnight　at　Nuremberg；　he　was　royally　entertained　by　the　Archdukes　Mathias　and　Maximilian。　The　next　morning　after　the　feasthow　it　chanced　is　not　knownhe　was　found　dead　His　brother…inlaw　died　two　days　afterwards；　and　the　hearts　of　both；　with　much　sorrow；　were　carried　into　France。

We　now　come　to　the　most　important　event　in　the　life　of　Smith　before　he　became　an　adventurer　in　Virginia；　an　event　which　shows　Smith's　readiness　to　put　in　practice　the　chivalry　which　had　in　the　old　chronicles　influenced　his　boyish　imagination；　and　we　approach　it　with　the　satisfaction　of　knowing　that　it　loses　nothing　in　Smith's　narration。

It　must　be　mentioned　that　Transylvania；　which　the　Earl　of　Meldritch；　accompanied　by　Captain　Smith；　set　out　to　relieve；　had　long　been　in　a　disturbed　condition；　owing　to　internal　dissensions；　of　which　the　Turks　took　advantage。　　Transylvania；　in　fact；　was　a　Turkish　dependence；　and　it　gives　us　an　idea　of　the　far　reach　of　the　Moslem　influence　in　Europe；　that　Stephen　VI。；　vaivode　of　Transylvania；　was；　on　the　commendation　of　Sultan　Armurath　III。；　chosen　King　of　Poland。

To　go　a　little　further　back　than　the　period　of　Smith's　arrival；　John　II。　　of　Transylvania　was　a　champion　of　the　Turk；　and　an　enemy　of　Ferdinand　and　his　successors。　　His　successor；　Stephen　VI。；　surnamed　Battori；　or　Bathor；　was　made　vaivode　by　the　Turks；　and　afterwards；　as　we　have　said；　King　of　Poland。　　He　was　succeeded　in　1575　by　his　brother　Christopher　Battori；　who　was　the　first　to　drop　the　title　of　vaivode　and　assume　that　of　Prince　of　Transylvania。　　The　son　of　Christopher；　Sigismund　Battori；　shook　off　the　Turkish　bondage；　defeated　many　of　their　armies；　slew　some　of　their　pashas；　and　gained　the　title　of　the　Scanderbeg　of　the　times　in　which　he　lived。　　Not　able　to　hold　out；　however；　against　so　potent　an　adversary；　he　resigned　his　estate　to　the　Emperor　Rudolph　II。；　and　received　in　exchange　the　dukedoms　of　Oppelon　and　Ratibor　in　Silesia；　with　an　annual　pension　of　fifty　thousand　joachims。　　The　pension　not　being　well　paid；　Sigismund　made　another　resignation　of　his　principality　to　his　cousin　Andrew　Battori；　who　had　the　ill　luck　to　be　slain　within　the　year　by　the　vaivode　of　Valentia。　　Thereupon　Rudolph；　Emperor　and　King　of　Hungary；　was　acknowledged　Prince　of　Transylvania。　　But　the　Transylvania　soldiers　did　not　take　kindly　to　a　foreign　prince；　and　behaved　so　unsoldierly　that　Sigismund　was　called　back。　　But　he　was　unable　to　settle　himself　in　his　dominions；　and　the　second　time　he　left　his　country　in　the　power　of　Rudolph　and　retired　to　Prague；　where；　in　1615；　he　died　unlamented。

It　was　during　this　last　effort　of　Sigismund　to　regain　his　position　that　the　Earl　of　Meldritch；　accompanied　by　Smith；　went　to　Transylvania；　with　the　intention　of　assisting　Georgio　Busca；　who　was　the　commander　of　the　Emperor's　party。　　But　finding　Prince　Sigismund　in　possession　of　the　most　territory　and　of　the　hearts　of　the　people；　the　earl　thought　it　best　to　assist　the　prince　against　the　Turk；　rather　than　Busca　against　the　prince。　　Especially　was　he　inclined　to　that　side　by　the　offer　of　free　liberty　of　booty　for　his　worn　and　unpaid　troops；　of　what　they　could　get　possession　of　from　the　Turks。

This　last　consideration　no　doubt　persuaded　the　troops　that　Sigismund　had　〃so　honest　a　cause。〃　　The　earl　was　born　in　Transylvania；　and　the　Turks　were　then　in　possession　of　his　father's　country。　　In　this　distracted　state　of　the　land；　the　frontiers　had　garrisons　among　the　mountains；　some　of　which　held　for　the　emperor；　some　for　the　prince；　and　some　for　the　Turk。　　The　earl　asked　leave　of　the　prince　to　make　an　attempt　to　regain　his　paternal　estate。　　The　prince；　glad　of　such　an　ally；　made　him　camp…master　of　his　army；　and　gave　him　leave　to　plunder　the　Turks。　　Accordingly　the　earl　began　to　make　incursions　of　the　frontiers　into　what　Smith　calls　the　Land　of　Zarkamamong　rocky　mountains；　where　were　some　Turks；　some　Tartars；　but　most　Brandittoes；　Renegadoes；　and　such　like；　which　he　forced　into　the　Plains　of　Regall；　where　was　a　city　of　men　and　fortifications；　strong　in　itself；　and　so　environed　with　mountains　that　it　had　been　impregnable　in　all　these　wars。

It　must　be　confessed　that　the　historians　and　the　map…makers　did　not　always　attach　the　importance　that　Smith　did　to　the　battles　in　which　he　was　conspicuous；　and　we　do　not　find　the　Land　of　Zarkam　or　the　city　of　Regall　in　the　contemporary　chronicles　or　atlases。　　But　the　region　is　sufficiently　identified。　　On　the　River　Maruch；　or　Morusus；　was　the　town　of　Alba　Julia；　or　Weisenberg；　the　residence　of　the　vaivode　or　Prince　of　Transylvania。　　South　of　this　capital　was　the　town　Millenberg；　and　southwest　of　this　was　a　very　strong　fortress；　commanding　a　narrow　pass　leading　into　Transylvania　out　of　Hungary；　probably　where　the　River　Maruct：　broke　through　the　mountains。　　We　infer　that　it　was　this　pass　that　the　earl　captured　by　a　stratagem；　and　carrying　his　army　through　it；　began　the　siege　of　Regall　in　the　plain。　　〃The　earth　no　sooner　put　on　her　green　habit；〃　says　our　knight…errant；〃　than　the　earl　overspread　her　with　his　troops。〃　Regall　occupied　a　strong　fortress　on　a　promontory　and　the　Christians　encamped　on　the　plain　before　it。

In　the　conduct　of　this　campaign；　we　pass　at　once　into　the　age　of　chivalry；　about　which　Smith　had　read　so　much。　　We　cannot　but　recognize　that　this　is　his　opportunity。　　His　idle　boyhood　had　been　soaked　in　old　r