"All through the war I was interned at Temesvar with my squadron. No occasion for displaying valour. Cavalry behind trenches. My comrades all on the battle-field"—he made a swift motion with his hand.
"And fought bravely?" said I, completing the sentence.
"Yes, they fought bravely, whilst we horsemen besieged in the fortress might"—here he put the tips of his thumbs between his teeth and puffed out his cheeks.
"Smoke your pipes?" I suggested.
"Yes, we smoked our pipes."
Here we both gave way to merriment once more. Again I urged upon my visitor to speak in German, and we could then perhaps get along more easily, but he only replied, "Muszaj!"[95] Well, if he knows even that Hungarian word, I thought, he must have his own way, that's all.
[95] A corruption of the German mussen, but as used in Hungarian it expresses the most emphatic necessity. When all other arguments fail, the word muszaj is supposed to carry everything before it.—Tr.
"Yes, I must speak Hungarian, by command of the highest authority."
"The highest?"
With that he seized the lappets of my coat with both hands.