Zamfira served the six peculiar guests until they were satisfied, praised the drinks, and then engaged in a game of dice. The blonde girl addressed Zamfira:
- We have been searching for you for a long time, and we reached you step by step. People guided us…
- She paused, took a sip from her glass, and continued, pointing towards Zamfira:
- For this reason, it’s worth coming all the way from the Danube…
- From the Danube? Zamfira interrupted. But who are you and what do you want from me? I understand, the drinks are good, but still…
- Indeed, you’re right, dear Zamfira! the blonde laughed. We are here today for a drink! She laughed again, and the others followed suit.
- We are the Danube outlaws, and we bring you a rich prize as a gift! Zamfira widened her eyes.
- Razna’s outlaws, the girl continued. Ah, I am Razna, of course…
- Razna? Zamfira said.
- Well, unbelievable, the blonde burst out. Haven’t you heard of Razna and her gang of outlaws? Well, we are the ones who harass the Turkish vessels. We even rob them, too… Zamfira continued to look at her, perplexed.
- We plundered one ship that was loaded with sugar cane. The blonde twisted a strand of her hair around her finger. And… we brought the barrels, they are down in the village. Suddenly, everything became clear to Zamfira, and she confidently said with a smile:
- You want to make rum… That’s why you came to me! Suddenly, all six bandits grinned at Zamfira.
- That’s right, agreed Razna.
- Alright, Zamfira said, but from the Danube to here, near the hill next to Setraru… it’s a long way!
- It is, it is! the outlaws chuckled. They told her how they came across the Turkish vessel.
- They hoped to slip past us without us noticing… The Danube is vast, you see, but we, the outlaws of the Danube, have learned to listen to the water in all its… Razna grinned and continued:
- When you depend on water, you need to know everything about it… The currents, where they change, and where they intersect… And spending a lot of time in the same waters, they have become our home!
- That’s how we caught the Turks… They would have managed to pass by us completely unnoticed, unheard, and unknown… if they knew the waters better! One of the other outlaws grumbled then:
- We like the Ottoman vessels the most… Why would we rob travelers on the open road – who may barely have a cup of water to drink – when the Ottomans are incredibly wealthy but also negligent!
Razna agreed with what he said, and they sat and talked for a long time until night fell. Zamfira invited them to stay overnight in the guest rooms of the inn, and they gladly accepted. They slept without any problems, and the next day, they left back to the village to bring up the barrels of sugar cane to the hilltop. When the time came, our Zamfira ventured into the forest to gather all the herbs she needed to prepare the drink desired by the outlaws. And so, the story goes that Zamfira’s recipe for the Outlaw’s Rum survived for hundreds of years.