PPERSONAL KNOWLEDGE OF THE EARLY EUROPEAN IMMI
GRANT.
THE HUNGARIANS.(con't}
winter night. Sleigh tracks told their tale and suspicion fell on the Hun-
garians. The colony was searched by the Mounted Police, and hidden
away in straw stacks, cellars, old wells and what not, most of the loot,
from harness to sugar was discovered. One of the two policemen engaged
regaled me with the story of the search. It appeared that the men were
civil enough but the women were most abusive. Some four or five men
were arrested and committed by the adjacent Montreal Colony J. P.,
for trial at Brandon Assizes. When they came up for trial it appeared
that a North West Justice of the Peace had no right to commit a territorial
prisoner to a Manitoba court and on this point they were discharged with-
out any evidence being taken. No further proceedings were taken, and
the Millwood raid became a memory only.
The postmaster who succeeded the unfortunate Vass at Kaposvar,
was a middle-aged man, Stephen Barratt by name, one of the finest, most
courteous Hungarians I ever knew. Driving up to his place one day
Stephen sent me into the house while he stabled the team. I found there
a young woman, Stephen's daughter. She knew no English; I knew no
Hungarian; and so we were at a deadlock. I remember there was a clay
floor, evidently laid over a cellar on a frame work of poles. The floor
was hard, shining and spotlessly clean. As you walked upon it, it was
quite springy under foot.
After a few furtive glances, to size me up, I suppose, the young woman
went into another room, and came out with a Hungarian instrument, of
the accordion type, a cheap thing, worth at that time I should think a
dollar and a half at the outside. This she tried to put into my hands for
me to play. I could no more play the thing than fly, but I wig-wagged her
in the sign language to have a go at it herself. After a little coy reluctance,
she did; and my gentle reader, I assure you that the result was a marvel.
Out of that poor looking instrument she produced what appeared to me
to be some mountain semi-barbaric music which held me spell-bound.
My mouth must have been open when Stephen came in from the stable,
and the music ceased. I have often thought of the wild serenade this
daughter of Hungary gave me; after thirty-five years I am indebted to her
for what I hope has not been found an altogether uninteresting paragraph.
The hospitality of most of these settlers is very sincere, unforced
and agreeable. Even if the fare they give one is not enticing the spirit
in which it is given leaves as a rule nothing to be desired. Let me tell a
little story in this regard. Returning from a trip to the English colony,
which lay just beyond the Hungarians, by a different route, I was thrown
out of my way by some new fencing which spanned the trail. This
brought me into the Hungarian country from the east side and I struck
a portion of it unknown to me. Here was a very comfortable homestead;
neat roomy mud house, good stable of the like architecture, nice hay stack.
It was a blazing hot day in harvest. About a hundred yards from the
house two men were stacking wheat, and the woman of the house was
also at the stack. When she saw me she hurried to me. "Hay"? she said
indicating the horse. I agreed, and tied my horse while she literally ran
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