CHRISTMASES I HAVE SPENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14250, 22 December 1909, Page 3 (Supplement)

CHRISTMASES I HAVE SPENT.

BY HARRY DE WINDT. So far as I can remember the most perilous 1 Christmas Day I ever spent was in the ; wilds of Hungary, before railways had superseded the country carts in that coun- ' try as a means of locomotion. I was staying with an old col lego chum * who managed a coal mine in a lonely mountainous region known as the Banat, which even in these civilised days is seldom visited except on business. We lived on very humble fare in a rough wooden shanty adjoining the pit, and our only relaxation consisted of an occasional trip to Orsova — tlio nearest town, situated 011 tho river Danube, about 15 miles away. There were no roads worth mentioning and wo had to go on horseback — easy matter in midwinter when tho valleys were choked with deep drifts and the narrow mountain paths caked with ice. A miner had lost his way and life in a blizzard only the previous day, but undeterred by this fact my friend (whom I will call Smith) and 1 set out one gloomy Christmas morning to ride to Orsova —*» teneibly in search of amusement— a dull and dreary month at tho mines. And late in the afternoon, half perished with, the intense cold, wo readied our destination. Orsova then consisted of a number of unpavod streets fringed by rows of squalid houses, four or five more pretentious residences, and a stone quay where steamers ■ from Vienna or the Black Sea tied up to discharge or take in passengers and cargo. The population was. meagre—perhaps, fortunately so, for I do not think I have ever met so many unmitigated blackguards in such a restricted area. They were of all nationalities (so far as Eastern Europe goes), the bulk of them being Hungarians, and tho remainder Roumanians, Bulgare, . and Serbs. The respoctablo poAion. of the community consisted of a few Government, officials and Austrian merchants, amongst them the manager of the Danube Steam-"' ship Company, a portly and jovial bachelor, with whom we ate our Christmas .dinner and who was chiefly responsible for the unpleasant experience which followed. Herr Caspar was, like jnost Viennese, not averse at times to a spree, and had on this occasion partaken rather freely of the generous wines of Hungary. He would otherwise scarcely have suggested towards midnight an adjourmcnt to a masked ball at the White, Ship, at. that time tho only inn in the place. Even in Ortova it bore an evil reputation as being the resort of thieves, smugglers, and equally objectionable characters of tho fair sex. But the Herr would take no denial, and wo as guests could hardly let him go alo/jo to such a place. So reluctantly Ave donned our furs and proceeded across half-a-milo of snow and slush to our destination, our progress being somewhat impeded by the erratic evolutions of our host, who was, to put it mildly, rather elevated. A low whitewashed room crowded to suffocation, a sickening odour of spirits and tobacco mingled with that of kerosonso lamps glimmering dimly through the smoke, a ooupjo of gipsy musicians whoso squeaking fiddles added to the babel caused by rowdy men and screaming women• such was the scene which greeted us ill tho ballroom of the White Ship. Nobody wore a mask and there was no fancy dress, although the ordinary attire of some Bulgarian peasants who had strolled in. by accident would easily have paseed muster at a Covent Garden ball. The rest of the company might have walked out of some foul den in the East End of London —pallid, vicious-looking men in shabby tweeds, and painted, shrill-voiced women, in the tawdry finery of the common courtesan. I afterwards learned that they were tho scum of Bucharest and Vienna, driven out of both cities by an attentive police, for Orsova, though small and remote, is like Port Said on a great commercial highway where passengers form ,an alluring bait. There was no restraining Caspar, who, much to my ' anxiety and annoyance, insisted upon standing refreshment to j, bevy of elderly houris who appeared to take a keen interest in his well-lined pocket book. About this period a smiling but bottle-browed ' ruffian' who had alfo partaken of the Herr's hospitality suddenly disappeared, and I fancy this was the pilot' fish that eventually brought the sharks about us when we left the place an hour later, for notwithstanding our entreaties Caspar refused to budge until the fiery liquor and foetid air had deprived him. of all will-power. It was a' little before dawn when we started homewards, but the sky was overcast and the streets in total darkness save for the flicker of an occasional oil lamp. As wo left the saloon the fun was still fast and furious, but the music and shouting soon died away on the frosty air, and we struggled along in silence supporting our host, who was no light weight, betweenus. A man is seldom apprehensive of Eud< den danger, and on this occasion it cam< so rapidly as to take us completely un« awares. We were unarmed and only Caspar carried a revolver, rendered ueelett by its owner's condition and the tightlybuttoned pelisse under which, it reposed. To yell for the police was useless, for they were probably carousing at home. Like lightning these thoughts, flashed through my mind as I suddenly felt my throat seized from behind, while Caspar was wrenched away to fall heavily upon the snow, and Smith lurched forward as if struck, as indeed ho had been, by a heavy blow on the back of the head. Luckily my friend kept his foothold or this tale might never have been told, and ia another instant he had rushed to my rescue, freeing me by a quick and crafty lei wander delivered full in. the face of my assaimnt. " Use your fists, Harry," he yolleo. "There are not many of them." >

We were almost under a street lamp, and by its feeble rays the speaker (and smartest light-weight boxer of his day , at Cambridge) proceeded to put in such useful work that one man was quickly felled to the earth, where ho lav like a log, while another discreetly vanished into the night. Bu'. three remained and doggedly stood their ground, for the prono and unconscious Caspar was too valuable a prize to abandon without a struggle. I had tackled one ruffian, leaving Smith to deal with the others, when breathlessly turning towards my friend I caw the dull glint of steel and heard a sharp cry of pain. Thtf knife had done its deadly work, and this was the signal for a general stampede of. the foe, for even in Oneova murder is a serious crime. Another instant and I wac kneeling on the enow beside the victim vainly endeavouring to staunch the blooi which was oozing freely through his furs. So ended one Christmas in Hungary. Sraitl had a narrow escape, so the surgeons eaidf for the wound was just over the heart, and his life was only saved by tho merest chance. , ' As I write another Christmas' comes to my mind— the tropical forest® of Central Borneo. I was then in tho service of Rajah Brooke, having charge of a small out-station in that remote State, Sarawak. My district had in former days been infested by wild Dyak head-hunters who were the terror of everyone ; but during my time tho place was peaceful enough, and life was dull and monotonous. One day, however, sti atrocious crime was committed, which created almost a panic in our small community. A young Malay trader, hitherto known as a quiet, inoffensive lad, , had run amok, and with a km Jiad slashed to death not only his wife but her mother and his own child. Jealousy "was assigned for the motives of the murders, and I fancy there was good cause for it. Anyway, I despatched my prisoner to bo tried by the High Court, and lie was duly adjudged to suffer the extreme penalty. Now Rajah Brooke's out-station officers have manifold duties to perform, not the most pleasant of which is to see that death sentences aro properly carried out. . On this occasion December 25 was tho date fixed for the execution, and on Christmas Eve 1 remember asking the condemned man whether I could do anything for his com-, fort. , They do not hang criminals in Rajah Brooke's country, but the victim is taken to some secluded spot and seated on the edge of a grave which is ready for his reception. The executioner uses a sharp slender blade, the point of which is carefully placed on the left sido of the nock, betweon the latter and tho collarbone, and plunged suddenly into the heart. And this is what happened at dawn the next day. That was the saddest Christmas Day I have ever spcul.