Chapter 5 chapter Five

In the morning of the next day, Captain Haralan accompanied me to visit part of Raz city.During this period of time, Mark was busy with all kinds of marriage procedures. The wedding date was set on May 5th, which was only twenty days away.Captain Haralan must act as my guide and introduce me to the mountains and rivers of his hometown.It is hard to find a guide as conscientious, knowledgeable and attentive as he is. That episode came to my mind now and then, but I didn't mention that William Stolitz to him.To my younger brother, I only mentioned that time.Captain Haralan didn't say a word about this matter, so maybe it's nothing.

We left Temeswar Apartments at 8 o'clock and first strolled along the Batiani pier on the Danube. Like most cities in Hungary, Raz has had several other names throughout its history.In different times, four or five languages ​​are used to sign a naming certificate in these cities: Latin, German, Slavic, and Magyar, which are almost as complicated as the naming certificates of princes, grand dukes, and Austrian princes.In modern geography, Raz is Raz. "Our city is not as important as Pest," Captain Haralan said to me, "but it has a population of nearly 40,000 and is a medium-sized city. Due to its developed industry and commerce, it has a relatively important status in the Kingdom of Hungary."

"Is it a typical Magyar city?" I asked. "Of course, the customs and people's landscapes that you have witnessed prove this point. Some people say that in Hungary, the Magyars founded the country and the Germans built the city. There is some truth in this, but Raz is not this time at all. things. In the business world you might meet Germans, but very few.” "I also know that the Magyars take great pride in the purity of their cities." "Besides, the Magyars—don't confuse them with the Hungarians, they were often misunderstood before," the captain went on, "they are politically united, and Hungary is superior to Austria in this, because in Austria there are different People of different races live together."

"Where are the Slavs?" I asked. "There are fewer Slavs than Magyars, but more than Germans, my dear Vidal." "What do the Hungarians say about the Germans?" "I admit, it's very bad, especially the Magyars are particularly disgusted with them. Those immigrants with German ancestry, their roots are not in Vienna, but in Berlin." Captain Haralan also didn't like the Austrians and Russians very much, because the latter had participated in suppressing the uprising in 1849. These past events were hidden in the hearts of the Hungarians and made their blood boil.As for the Germans, they had a long-standing grudge with the Magyars, and it manifested in various forms, and even some proverbs nakedly reflected this antagonism.

"Eb a nemet kutya nelkul" Translated into authentic French is: "Where there are Germans, there are dogs!" Some proverbs go further than this, and this one simply reflects the discord between the two nations. There are also 500,000 Serbs in Bana, 100,000 Croats, 20,000 Romanians, and 2 million Slovaks in the ethnic composition of Hungary. They live relatively concentrated. Raz's urban construction is relatively planned. Except for the low-lying area on the left bank of the river, the urban areas on the high ground are neat and orderly, like geometric figures. We walked along the Martiani Embankment to Magyar Square, surrounded by gorgeous buildings.On one side, there is a bridge across the Danube, passing through the island of Swandor, and connecting with Vilvia;The Governor's Palace in Raz City is there.

Captain Haralan didn't take this street, he walked across the embankment, across Euthiaine II, and took me to the Tall Gate Market.At this time, there are many people in the market, and there are crowds of people, busy traffic, and it is extremely lively. There are stalls on both sides of the market, with a wide variety of products, including various specialties, grains, vegetables, fruits from the Puwangtao Plain, game from the coastal plains and woods, which are brought in by boat, and poultry for retail sale. Meat, they all come from pastures on the outskirts of Raz City. Not only can you see all kinds of agricultural products in the market, but the area is also rich in tobacco and grapes. The vineyards in Tokai alone cover an area of ​​3,000 hectares.The mountains contain high-quality gold, silver, iron, copper, lead, and tin ores.There are also large reserves of sulfur ore, and the mineable rock salt is estimated to be 3.3 million tons. Even if the sea salt on the earth runs out, the rock salt here will be enough for human use for several centuries.

As the Magyars themselves said, even if they live on the top of a mountain, they don't have to worry about life. "Bana is rich in wheat, Pwantao produces bread and meat, and Montani cannot do without salt and gold! What more can we ask for! Can living in places other than Hungary be called life?" At the Gaoloumen market, I scrutinize farmers in traditional attire.They all retain pure racial characteristics: broad forehead, slightly flattened nose, round eyes, two mustaches; wearing a wide-brimmed hat with two locks of hair exposed underneath; wearing a sheepskin jacket and a sheepskin vest with buttons. Bone; wear coarse trousers, this kind of coarse cloth is comparable to the velvet of our northern rural areas, and a colorful ribbon is tightly tied around the waist; feet wear large riding boots, and spurs on the soles of the soles when necessary.

Women are beautiful and more lively than men.They wore short brightly colored skirts, embroidered blouses, hats with feathers inserted and brims turned up over the hair, which lacked ethnic style, and scarves tied around the neck to cover the thick bun. There are also some wandering gypsies in the market, who are quite different from the compatriots we see in music cafes and clubs in France.They were all poor and pitiful, men, women and children dressed in rags, but there was an extraordinary bearing in their expressions. After leaving the market, Captain Haralan led me into a labyrinth of alleys lined with shop signs.Walking out of the alley, the place opened up a bit, and we arrived at Gulz Square, the largest square in the city of Raz.

In the center of the square stands a beautiful fountain, which is cast in bronze and made of marble. The beautiful water column spouts from the strangely shaped spout and falls into the pool.Above it stands the statue of Matthias Gowan, a legendary hero of the 15th century who ascended to the throne at the age of 15. He defeated the aggression of the Austrians, Bohemians and Poles, and saved Christian Europe , to save it from the barbaric rule of the Ottoman dynasty. The square is really beautiful.The city hall stands on one side, with a weather beacon on the high roof, retaining the characteristics of the ancient buildings of the Renaissance era.A staircase with iron railings leads to the main building, through a gallery of marble statues, to the second floor.The stone panes of the front row of windows are inlaid with large ancient stained glass windows.In the middle of the square stood the bell tower, with a skylight on its vaulted roof, and above it a small hut where the night watchman lived. On the top hung a Hungarian flag, which was fluttering in the breeze.There are two buildings on the other side, surrounded by iron fences, and the gates of the fences face a large courtyard, which is shaded by trees.

Opposite the city hall is the railway station, and you can take the train to Banna along the Temeval branch line.But it is more convenient to go to Budapest via Szeged by boat; the train goes west, passing through the capitals of Mojaz, Valla, Stin, Naurborg, Gerz and Styrian along the way. We stopped at Gulzplatz. "This is the city hall," Captain Haralan introduced. "In twenty days, Mark and Mira will answer questions from officials at the Marriage Registration Office..." "The answer has been known for a long time!" I said with a smile, "Then go to the church, is it far?"

"It's only a few minutes away, my dear Vidal, and if you like, we'll go straight along this Latislas Street." This street has tram traffic as well as the Batiani embankment and the main street of Raz.At the end of the street is St. Michael's Cathedral, which combines Roman and Gothic styles and is a 13th-century building.There are parts of this church that are beautiful and deserve the attention of connoisseurs.Its main hall is sandwiched between two bell towers. The spire of the cross-shaped transept is as high as 315 feet. The arched curve of the main entrance in the middle is exquisitely carved. Its semicircular apse, supported by many buttresses, might call the cathedral's orthotics, I fear, any irreverent tourist. "We will have time to visit the interior later," Captain Haralan said. "At your convenience," I replied, "you are my guide, dear captain, and I will follow you..." "Well, let's go to the castle first, then walk around the city along the boulevard, and go home for dinner at noon." There are also several churches built in Raz because of the large number of Catholics here.Lutherans, Romanians, and Greeks all have their own temples and temples, which are of no reference value from an architectural point of view.In Hungary, the Roman Catholic Church still has an absolute advantage, although the capital, Budapest, is the second city with the largest number of Jews after Krakow.There, as elsewhere, almost all the wealth of the great nobles went into the pockets of the Jews. On our way to the castle, we passed a busy market, where vendors and customers were crowded.When we arrived, we could only hear the hustle and bustle, which was much noisier than ordinary markets. Several women left the stall and surrounded a man sprawled on the ground.It seemed that he couldn't get up for a long time, and he yelled angrily: "I tell you, someone hit me...he hit me all at once, and I fell!..." "Who hit you," a woman retorted. "You were the only one at the time...I could see it clearly from the stall...there was no one in the place at that time..." "Someone..." the man said unconvinced, "I was pushed hard in the chest... I clearly felt it. It's a hell!" Captain Haralan stepped forward, helped the man up, and asked him what was going on.The man explained: He was at the other end of the market and walked about 20 steps when he suddenly felt someone pushing him, as if a strong man had collided with him from the front. He looked around but saw no one. ... Is this narrative convincing?Was the farmer really hit by an accident?But without the perpetrator, how can there be the feeling of being pushed?Could it be the wind, but the weather was clear and there was no wind in the air.One thing is certain, the farmer did fall, but how he fell is really puzzling... So, as soon as we got to the market, we heard a lot of noise. Obviously, the man was either delusional or drunk.The drunkard falls by himself, he only needs to follow the law of the free fall of objects, and there is no other reason. Probably everyone around me thinks so.But the farmer protested vigorously, saying that he did not drink alcohol.The police didn't care what he said and took him back to the police station. When the storm subsided, we took an uphill road to the east of the city.The streets and alleys of Raz City are dense like a cobweb, like a maze, which makes people dizzy, and outsiders will definitely get lost in it. We finally reached the castle, which perched on the round hill of Volgang. In the past, it served as a fortress for the defense of the Hungarian city. It was called "Acropolis" in Greek and "Val" in Magyar.In the feudal era, such castles were built to prevent the invasion of foreign enemies, such as the Huns and Turks, and to prevent the princes from rebelling.The city wall built with pheasants is unattainable. There are shooting holes on the spikes on the top of the wall, and there are thick gun towers on both sides, the tallest of which is the tower. Standing on it, you can overlook the wilderness in all directions. The moat is overgrown with bushes, and a drawbridge is set up on it, leading directly to the secret door.The secret door is sandwiched between two disused cannons, and the muzzle protrudes above the secret door. With the rank of Captain Haralan, we can easily enter this ancient castle, which is now just a historical monument.Several veterans of the guard greeted the captain with a salute.After entering the door, it is the training ground.The captain suggested that I go up to the side tower. Climb 240 steps along the spiral ladder before reaching the platform at the top of the tower.Standing by the railing, I looked up and saw the Danube channel 30 kilometers away, and the river was flowing eastward towards Narzac.Its view is wider than that from the round tower of the Rothlich house. "Dear Vidal," Captain Haralan said to me, "you have already had a preliminary impression of the city of Raz. Now, it is unfolding under our feet..." "Although I have visited Budapest and Pressburg, your city still fascinates me." I replied. "I'm glad to hear you say that. After visiting the entire city of Raz, I have no doubt that it will leave you with pleasant memories after you have fully understood its customs, customs, anecdotes and strange things. We Magyars Love one's own city, this is the tenderness of a child's incomparable attachment to his mother! Here, people of all classes get along well. The people are highly conscious, have a natural patriotism, love freedom and independence. Rich People are good, and thanks to charities, the number of poor people is decreasing every year. To be honest, you don’t meet many poor people here. In short, if you find poverty, you can help it immediately.” "I know, dear captain. I know that Dr. Rothlich has always treated the poor free of charge, and that Mrs. Rothlich and Miss Rothlich are all devoted to public welfare." "My mother and younger sister just did what their status and environment required them to do. I think it is the most sacred duty to be kind and charitable!" "That's true," I interjected, "but the ways in which it is carried out vary widely." "It's the women's secret, my dear Vidal, and it's their duty." "Yes . . . and the highest duty." "We live in a peaceful city where political fanaticism cannot, or is unlikely to disturb. It firmly upholds the rights of liberty and priorities, and will never tolerate the interference and encroachment of the central government. In my countrymen, I Only saw one flaw." "What shortcoming?" "They're very superstitious, especially supernatural! They're always talking about fantastic ghost stories! The Raz are very Catholic, which also contributes to this tendency." "But," I said, "doctor Rothlich can't be like this—doctors tend to scoff at ghosts. How about your mother and sister?" "They're all the same in their circle, and that's an Achilles' heel. There's nothing I can do about it! . . . Maybe Mark can help me." "It's fine if Miss Mira doesn't assimilate him!" I said. "Dear Vidal, now please lean on the railing and look to the northeast...over there...on the edge of the city...do you see the pavilion?" "I see," I replied, "it seems to be the tower of the Rothlich house..." "Yes, in the dining room of that house, dinner will be served in an hour, and since you are our distinguished guest..." "Follow your arrangement, dear captain." "Well, let's go downstairs, we disturbed Val's tranquility, and let it go back to the wordless past! Go home along the main street north of the city." After a few minutes, we walked out of the secret door. Walking through the beautiful residential area that extends to the edge of Raz is a boulevard, which changes its name every time it intersects with a main road.The boulevard and the Danube form a ring, which is about 5 kilometers long, accounting for three-quarters of the ring.Four rows of trees lined the avenue, beeches, chestnuts, and lindens, all growing luxuriantly.On the side is the extended ancient city wall. Looking over, there is only a field.On the other side, there are row upon row of mansions, most of which have courtyards in front of them, the flowers on the flower beds are in full bloom, and the gardens behind the houses are shaded by green trees and gurgling water. At this time, several carriages with tall horses drove past, sideways.Several male and female riders in elegant costumes galloped by. At the last corner, we turned left in order to walk onto Via de Keri in the direction of the Batiani embankment. From this position, I saw a house standing alone in the middle of the garden.The shutters were closed and never seemed to have been opened, and the base of the walls was overgrown with thorns and moss, in stark contrast to the other houses on the avenue.The whole house looked gloomy and forlorn, as if it had been abandoned for a long time. Fungi were growing under the fence. Entering through the fence gate, there was a small courtyard with two old elm trees with curved trunks. From a long crack above, it could be seen that the inside had already rotted. The paint on the main entrance was peeling from the sun and the weather.A dilapidated flight of three steps led straight to the door. The house has two floors, and the roof is supported by thick purlins. The roof is a square platform, and the narrow windows of several rooms are tightly covered by thick curtains. Even if the house is habitable, it seems that there is definitely no one in it at present. "Whose house is this?" I asked. "A freak's," Captain Haralan replied. "This house is really detrimental to the appearance of the city. The city government should buy it and tear it down..." I said. "As soon as the house is demolished, my dear Vidal, its owner must leave our city, as the gossip woman in Raz said, and go back to his devil father." "The owner is a foreigner?" "German." "German?" I couldn't help being surprised. "Yes, still a Prussian." "what is his name?" Captain Haralan was about to answer when the door creaked open.Two men came out.The older one, about sixty, stood on the steps, and the other came across the courtyard and out through the gate. "Look," Captain Haralan muttered under his breath, "he's there? . . . I thought he'd been gone . . . " The man turned and stared at us.He knew Captain Haralan?I must know each other, because both of them were staring at each other fiercely, and I never lost my eyes. That person walked away, I remembered. "It's him." I called out. "Have you seen that man?" Captain Haralan asked me in surprise. "Yes, I have," I replied, "I have been with him on the 'Matia Govan' from Pest to Vukovar, but, I must confess, I did not expect to meet him again in Raz. to him." "He'd better not be here!" Captain Haralan said loudly. "You seem to have a problem with that German?" I asked. "Who would stand that kind of person!" "Has he lived in Raz long?" "It's been two years. To tell you the truth, that guy is so shameless that he wants to save my sister's marriage! My father and I flatly refused, telling him to stop wishful thinking." "God! It's him!" "You know?" "Yes, dear captain, I know his name is Wilhelm Storitz, the son of the famous Kippelenberg chemist Oddo Storitz!"