Hunyadi's son, Matthias Corvinus, rivalled his father as a champion
against the Turks. He was elected King of Hungary, and after reigning
forty-two years, passed away; and the people still say, "King Matthias
is dead, and justice with him."
[Footnote 14: A Short Trip in Hungary and Transylvania, p. 242.]
CHAPTER XV.
Hunting for a guide--School statistics--Old times--Over the
mountains to Herrmannstadt--Night in the open--Nearly setting the
forest on fire--Orlat.
I found some difficulty while at Petroseny in getting a guide to convoy
me over the mountains to Orlat, near Herrmannstadt. My Hungarian friend
proposed that, choosing a saint's day, we should ride over to the
neighbouring village of Petrilla, where I would certainly find some
peasant able and willing amongst the numbers who crowd into the village
on these occasions.
Accordingly we went over, and I was very pleased I had gone, for the
rural gathering was a very pretty and characteristic sight. The people
from all the country round were collected together in the churchyard,
dressed of course in their bravery, and a very goodly show they made.
They were the finest Wallacks I had seen anywhere; they were superior
looking in physique, and many of them must really have been well off, if
one may judge a man's wealth by the richness of the wife's dress.
Some of the young girls were very pretty, and wore their silver-coin
decorations with quite a fashionable coquettish air.
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