Nor, indeed, did Hunyady keep them waiting for him.  He hurried at the head of his troops to attack the Turkish leader, who was laying siege to Hermannstadt.  Upon this, Mezid Bey, calling his bravest soldiers around him, described to them once more Hunyady’s appearance, his arms, his dress, his stature, and his horse, that they might certainly recognize him.  “Slay him only,” he exclaimed, “and we shall easily deal with the rest of them; we shall drive them like a flock of sheep into the presence of our august master.”

On that occasion was seen with what self-sacrificing enthusiasm his soldiers loved their heroic leader.  When they learned from their spies the purpose of the Turks, they took all possible measures to secure his precious life.  One of their number, Simon Kemeny, who bore a striking resemblance to Hunyady, determined to sacrifice himself for his leader.  He announced that he would put on Hunyady’s clothes and armor.  The Turks would then attack him under the belief that he was the celebrated chief, and while they were thus engaged the real Hunyady would fall upon them unexpectedly and put them to flight.  At first Hunyady would by no means consent to this plan, as he did not wish to expose Kemeny to such mortal danger; but at last, seeing the great military advantages likely to accrue from it, he consented.

And so, indeed, it fell out.  As soon as the battle began, the Turks, perceiving Simon Kemeny in the garb of Hunyady, directed all their force against him.  Kemeny, after a stout defence, fell, together with a great number of his followers, and the Turks, seeing him fall, set up a general cry of triumph and exultation.  Just at this critical moment they were hotly attacked in the flank by the genuine Hunyady.  Thus attacked in the very moment when they imagined that they had already gained the day, the Turks were thrown into confusion and took wildly to flight.  Twenty thousand corpses were left on the battlefield; among them lay Mezid Bey himself, together with his sons.

Fearful was the rage of the Turkish Sultan when he heard of the defeat and death of Mezid Bey, and he at once despatched another army against Hunyady, which like the first numbered eighty thousand men.  This time, however, Hunyady did not let them enter Transylvania, but waited for them at the pass known as the Iron Gate, among the high mountains on the southern boundary of Hungary.

The Hungarian army was not more than fifteen thousand men, so that the Turks were at least five times as strong.  But the military genius of Hunyady made up for the small number of his followers.  He posted them in a strong position in the rough pass, and attacked the enemy in places where it was impossible for him to make use of his strength.  Thus more than half the Turkish army perished miserably in the battle.  Again their commander-in-chief fell on the field, together with six subordinate commanders, while two hundred horse-tail standards fell into Hunyady’s hands as trophies of his victory.