red and fifty thousand men; swearing, by
the beard of the prophet, 'That he would sup within it ere two months
were elapsed.' He brought with him dogs to eat the bodies of the
Christians whom he should take or slay--so says Florentius. Hear what he
also says: The Turk sat down before the town towards the end of June,
1454, covering the Dunau and Szava with ships; and on the 4th of July he
began to cannonade Belgrade with canons twenty-five feet long, whose roar
could be heard at Szeged, a distance of twenty-four leagues, at which
place Hunyadi had assembled his forces. Hunyadi had been able to raise
only fifteen thousand of well-armed and disciplined men, though he had
with him vast bands of people, who called themselves Soldiers of the
Cross, but who consisted of inexperienced lads from school, peasants, and
hermits, armed with swords, slings, and clubs. Hunyadi, undismayed by
the great disparity between his forces and those of the Turk, advanced to
relieve Belgrade, and encamped at Szalankemen with his army. There he
saw at once, that his first step must be to attack the flotilla; he
therefore privately informed Szilagy, his wife's brother, who at that
time defended Belgrade, that it was his intention to attack the ships of
the Turks on the 14th day of July in front, and requested his
co-operation in the rear. On the 14th came on the commencement of the
great battle of Belgrade, between Hunyadi and the Turk. Many days it
lasted.

_Myself_. Describe it.

_Hungarian_. I cannot. One has described it well--Florentius, of Buda.
I can only repeat a few of his words: 'On the appointed day, Hunyadi,
with two hundred vessels, attacked the Turkish flotilla in front, whilst
Szilagy, with forty vessels, filled with the men of Belgrade, assailed it
in the rear; striving for the same object, they sunk many of the Turkish
vessels, captured seventy-four, burnt many, and utterly annihilated the
whole fleet. After this victory, Hunyadi, with his army, entered
Belgrade, to the great joy of the Magyars. But though the force of
Mahomed upon the water was destroyed, that upon the land remained entire;
and with this, during six days and nights, he attacked the city without
intermission, destroying its walls in many parts. His last and most
desperate assault was made on the 21st day of July. Twice did the Turks
gain possession of the outer town, and twice was it retaken with
indescribable slaughter. The next day the combat ra