horses, as I have been told High Dutch does; but as for
what you are speaking now, whatever you may call it, it sounds more like
the language of another kind of animal. I suppose you want to insult me,
because I was once a dicky-boy."

"Nothing of the kind," said I, "the gentleman was making a quotation in
Latin."

"Latin, was it?" said the jockey; "that alters the case. Latin is
genteel, and I have sent my eldest boy to an academy to learn it. Come,
let us hear you fire away in Latin," he continued, proceeding to re-light
his pipe, which, before going to sleep, he had laid on the table.

"If you wish to follow the discourse in Latin," said the Hungarian, in
very bad English, "I can oblige you; I learned to speak very good Latin
in the college of Debreczen."

"That's more," said I, "than I have done in the colleges where I have
been; in any little conversation which we may yet have, I wish you would
use German."

"Well," said the jockey, taking a whiff, "make your conversation as short
as possible, whether in Latin or Dutch, for, to tell you the truth, I am
rather tired of merely playing listener."

"You were saying you had been in Russia," said I; "I believe the Russians
are part of the Sclavonian race."

_Hungarian_. Yes, part of the great Sclavonian family; one of the most
numerous races in the world. The Russians themselves are very numerous:
would that the Magyars could boast of the fifth part of their number!

_Myself_. What is the number of the Magyars?

_Hungarian_. Barely four millions. We came a tribe of Tartars into
Europe, and settled down amongst Sclavonians, whom we conquered, but who
never coalesced with us. The Austrian at present plays in Pannonia the
Sclavonian against us, and us against the Sclavonian; but the downfall of
the Austrian is at hand; they, like us, are not a numerous people.

_Myself_. Who will bring about his downfall?

_Hungarian_. The Russian. The Rysckie Tsar will lead his people forth,
all the Sclavonians will join him, he will conquer all before him.

_Myself_. Are the Russians good soldiers?

_Hungarian_. They are stubborn and unflinching to an astonishing degree,
and their fidelity to their Tsar is quite admirable. See how the
Russians behaved at Plescova, in Livonia, in the old time, against our
great Batory Stephen; they defended the place till it was a heap of
rubbish; and mark how they behaved after they had been made prisoners.
Stephen offered t