They Were Divided - Miklos Banffy [38]
After a little while they found themselves on the bank of a former riverbed. Kadacsay was a little behind and stopped while Balint went slowly ahead. The riverbed itself was filled with reeds and tall grass and sharp smacking noises seemed to come from its muddy bed. Hardly had Gazsi turned his mare’s head towards the noise and started to lean forward in the saddle to peer at whatever was there than a full grown fallow buck jumped out of the thick reeds and for an instant stood there without moving, only some ten paces away from horse and rider. His widespread shovel-shaped antlers sprung proudly from between the eye-horns on his forehead and his red-brown coat had a line of clear white spots. He was not a big animal – only the size of a yearling colt – but his defiant stance made him formidable enough. Honeydew gave a start and backed a pace or two and the two animals gazed at each other, each as surprised and impressed as the other. No doubt the stag was as startled by the sight of this strange golden-yellow animal as the mare was by him. He pushed forward his muzzle that shone like patent leather and hesitantly made one or two steps forward. Then, no doubt catching the scent of a human somewhere near, he quickly recoiled and vanished back among the reeds.
Gazsi trotted forward until he had caught up with Balint.
‘My dear-r-r fellow! Something mar-r-rvellous! A stag comes out in fr-r-ront of us, and Honeydew is fr-r-rightened. Honeydew! For the fir-r-rst time in her life the beast has had a shock! I could feel it thr-r-rough my leg muscles. Her hear-r-rt was r-r-racing! I never thought I’d live to see something impr-r-ress her!’
Later they saw some does and their young, but only from a distance, and a few minutes later they heard some loud clashing sounds which were almost certainly caused by two stags fighting. Then Balint and Gazsi turned their horses and rode slowly home.
Throughout the morning’s ride Gazsi had seemed his usual cheerful self but Balint soon realized that this had probably only been because he had been cheered up by their adventures. When he asked when Gazsi would be going to Zsuk all the answer he got was, ‘Oh, I don’t know. I don’t think I’ll go … it’s too bor-r-ring. Nothing but hor-r-rses, hor-r-rses, hor-r-rses! Always hor-r-rses! What for, I ask you? I’ve had quite enough. They bor-r-re me…’ and that tight little frown had appeared again on his forehead.
‘But the hunt is unthinkable without you!’
‘Then they’ll have to get used to it, won’t they?’ replied Gazsi gloomily.
They returned to find Countess Roza cutting flowers in front of the house. She wore thick buckskin gloves and had already cut a large quantity from the beds that lined the inner court and were thus protected from the early frosts. She walked gaily towards the two young men, giving the impression that she was preparing for some very special occasion. As well as this exceptionally festive manner they noticed that she wore the smart bonnet she normally put on only when she went to church. The wide satin bow was tied coquettishly under her chin and she had put on some new clothes that were noticeably smarter than those she usually wore, even to the extent of sporting a new white lace collar and frills at her wrists. She seemed years younger than when they had last seen her.
‘Take these flowers,’ she said to one of the footmen who was just passing, ‘and tell them to put them in the guest-rooms.’ With a spring in her step she came towards her son and Gazsi.
‘Now tell me all about it,’ she said. ‘What did you see on your ride? Let’s sit here in front of the house; I love it here when the autumn sun is out.’
She led them to a stone bench from where one could see into the horseshoe court and listened with glee to Gazsi’s story – which he made the most of – about how idiotic he’d been allowing the mare to throw him, and about the meeting with the stag and how he had felt Honeydew