Part 65 (2/2)

This a.s.sertion naturally met with great national opposition.

They would not surrender the Magyar priority in this respect either.

Two peacefully-inclined spirits interfered, trying to produce a united feeling by accepting the Englishman, then the Servian as the first in drinking matters--a proviso which naturally did not satisfy either of the disputing parties. Lorand, alone against the united opinion of the whole company, had the audacity to a.s.sert that the Germans were the greatest drinkers in the world. He produced celebrated examples to prove his theory.

”Listen to me! Once Prince Batthyany sent two barrels of old Goncz wine to the Brothers of Hybern. But the duty to be paid on good Magyar wine beyond the Lajta[71] was terrible. The recipients would have had to pay for the wine twenty gold pieces[72]--a nice sum. So the Brothers, to avoid paying and to prevent the wine being lost, drank the contents of the two barrels outside the frontier.”

[Footnote 71: A river near Pressburg, the boundary between Austria and Hungary.]

[Footnote 72: Probably 200 florins.]

Ah, they could produce drinkers three times or four times as great, this side of the Lajta!

But Lorand would not give in.

”Well, your namesake, Pepo Henneberg,” related Lorand, turning to Gyali, ”introduced the custom of drawing a string through the ears of his guests, who sat down at a long table with him, and compelled them all to drain their beakers to the dregs, whenever he drank, under penalty of losing the ends of their ears.”

”With us that is impossible, for we have no holes bored in our ears!”

cried one.

”We drink without compulsion!” replied another.

”The Magyar does all a German can do!”

That a.s.sertion, loudly shouted, was general.

”Even draining gla.s.ses as they did at Wartburg?” cried Lorand.

”What the devil was the custom at Wartburg?”

”The revellers at Wartburg, when they were in high spirits used to load a pistol, and then to fill the barrel to the brim with wine: then they c.o.c.ked the trigger, and drained this curious gla.s.s one after another for friends.h.i.+p's sake.”

(I see you, Lorand!)

”Well, which of you is inclined to follow the German cavaliers'

example?”

Topandy interrupted.

”I for one am not, and Heaven forbid you should be.”

”I am.”

--Which remark came from Gyali, not Lorand.

I looked at him. The fellow had remained sober. He had only tasted the wine, while others had drunk it.

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