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| author | nfenwick <nfenwick@pglaf.org> | 2025-02-03 17:59:45 -0800 |
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| committer | nfenwick <nfenwick@pglaf.org> | 2025-02-03 17:59:45 -0800 |
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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d1ff203 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #62731 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/62731) diff --git a/old/62731-0.txt b/old/62731-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index c3fda05..0000000 --- a/old/62731-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5419 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Lands of the Tamed Turks or the Balkan -States of today, by Blair Jaekel - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Lands of the Tamed Turks or the Balkan States of today - -Author: Blair Jaekel - -Release Date: July 23, 2020 [EBook #62731] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LANDS OF THE TAMED TURKS *** - - - - -Produced by Fay Dunn, Fiona Holmes and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - -Transcriber’s Notes. - -Page 59 — immediatetly changed to immediately. - -Page 137 — every changed to ever. - -Page 207 — changed Mount Lovcen to Mount Lovčen. - -The advertisements at the beginning of the book have been placed - at the end after the index. - -Other changes made are noted at the end of the book. - -Footnotes have been numbered in one continuous sequence. - - -THE LANDS OF THE -TAMED TURK - - - - -[Illustration: THE LATE QUEEN DRAGA OF SERVIA.] - -[Illustration] - - -_Copyright, 1910_, -BY L. C. PAGE & COMPANY -(INCORPORATED) - -_All rights reserved_ - - -First Impression, September, 1910 - - -_Electrotyped and Printed by -THE COLONIAL PRESS -C. H. Simonds & Co., Boston, U.S.A._ - - - - -TO -E. McC. J. - - - - -FOREWORD - - -Because of their pivotal positions, politically and geographically; -because of their tempting adaptation to colonization; because of -their vast proven and hidden resources; because of their divers other -advantages, too numerous to mention, the Balkan States have been, are -and will continue to be, as once a certain writer so aptly put it, the -“Powder Box of Europe.” - -Constant conflict, however, has stunted their progress, and it has only -been within the past few years that these lands—conspicuously lacking -in the arts of peace, but overcrowded with types and replete with -wonderful scenery, their histories sated with war and romance—have -begun to be disclosed to the travelling world. Only within the past few -years their outlying districts have been connected with their business -centres by telegraphic communication; only within the past few years -railroads have been constructed, steamship lines inaugurated and hotel -accommodations perfected. Yesterday their peoples were almost barbaric; -to-day they are more highly civilized and more finely cultured than -perhaps we are inclined to admit; to-morrow they may be famous. They -have been makers of history for our forebears and us; they will be -makers of history for posterity and its children. - -It is to assist the reader to frame a more just opinion of that -southeastern corner of Europe, “The Lands of the Tamed Turk,” and -those who people it, that this volume of personal observations and -experiences of travel, interspersed with brief bits of history, is -offered. - -The author begs to tender his appreciation to Mr. Nox McCain for the -use of several unusual photographs published herewith; also to the -editors of _The Metropolitan Magazine_, New York, _Travel Magazine_, -New York, and _The National Geographic Magazine_, Washington, with -whose kind permission are herein reprinted, _verbatim_, certain parts -of special articles on the Balkan States by the author, and some of -the illustrations accompanying them, which appeared in the periodicals -mentioned above. - -[Illustration] - -[Illustration] - - - - -CONTENTS - - - PAGE - -CHAPTER I - -WHY THE BALKANS? - -The Rundreise Ticket—Why the Balkans?—When and - Where English is Heard—Why Not the Balkans? 1 - - -CHAPTER II - -BUDA-PESTH AND BELGRADE - -Buda-Pesth and Its Language—From Buda-Pesth to - Belgrade—The Servian Passport System—First - Impressions of Belgrade—Garden Spots in and - about the Servian Metropolis 12 - - -CHAPTER III - -TWENTIETH CENTURY SERVIA - -The Servians—The Rise of the Nation—The Army—The - Race-meets—The Market in Belgrade—National - Customs—The National Dance 24 - - -CHAPTER IV - -THE SERVIAN DYNASTIES - -Karageorge—Milosh Obrenovitch—Murder of Karageorge—Turkey - Grants the Title of Prince—Milosh - Abdicates—Abdication of Prince Michael—Alexander - Abdicates—Prince Milosh Re-installed, His - Death and the Re-election of Prince Michael—Murder - of Michael—Prince Milan’s Marriage, Abdication - and Death—Alexander Elected 43 - - -CHAPTER V - -ALEXANDER AND DRAGA - -Alexander—Draga—The Meeting—Draga’s Return to - Belgrade—Russia’s Intrigues—Marriage of Alexander - and Draga—Origin of the Plot to Murder 53 - - -CHAPTER VI - -THE CAPITAL OF CRIME - -Plans of Procedure—Meeting of the Regicides—The - First Move—The Murder of the King and Queen—The - Assassination of Others—The Royal Burial—The - Murder of the Brothers Novakovics in 1907 61 - - -CHAPTER VII - -PREDICTIONS OF SERVIAN TRAGEDIES - -Prediction of the Assassination of Prince Michael—Natalie’s - Visit to the Parisian Fortune-teller—The - Prediction in London of the Murder of Draga and - Alexander 78 - - -CHAPTER VIII - -NISCH AND SOPHIA - -From Belgrade to Nisch—Nisch—Provincial Hotel - Accommodations—The Monument of Skulls—Tzaribrod—Sophia—Value - Received for $1.25 per Diem—Dragoleftsky 94 - - -CHAPTER IX - -BULGARIA AND HER PAST - -Progress of Bulgaria—Origin of her Peoples—The - Bulgari—First Russian Invasion of Bulgaria—The - Assenide Dynasty—Turkish Tyrannies—Emancipation - of Bulgaria—Russia’s Intrigues against Prince - Alexander—The Late Balkan Disturbances 111 - - -CHAPTER X - -A BULGARIAN MARKET - -Bulgaria’s Busy Day—The Orient Express 130 - - -CHAPTER XI - -SARAJEVO—THE SPIRED CITY - -From Belgrade to Sarajevo—The Turkish Bazaar—A - Bosnian Street Sprinkler—Horse-races at Ylidze—A - Dervish Dance 145 - - -CHAPTER XII - -FROM SARAJEVO TO THE COAST - -Jablaniča—Mostar—Across the Mountains—The Balkan - Riviera—Ragusa: The Fairy City of the Adriatic 166 - - -CHAPTER XIII - -RAGUSA - -As She Is—The First Colony—The Fire of 1292—The - Black Death—Hungary Acquires the Place—Ragusa - Establishes her Independence—Plague—Earthquake—Napoleon - Takes Ragusa—The City - Ceded to Austria 179 - - -CHAPTER XIV - -THE BOCCHE DI CATTARO - -Steamer-day at Gravosa—Ragusa from the Sea—The - Bocche di Cattaro—Castelnuovo—Cattaro and - Her Mountain Background 199 - - -CHAPTER XV - -MONTENEGRO - -The Gibraltar of the Balkan Peninsula—The Settling of - Montenegro—Peter I—The Family of Petrovich—Prince - Nikola—The Montenegrin Costume—Incidents - of War—The Montenegro of To-day 211 - - -CHAPTER XVI - -THE ROAD TO CETTINJE - -The Ascent of the Mountains—Njegushi—The Montenegrin - Capital—Historical Monuments in Cettinje—The - Return to Cattaro 229 - - -CHAPTER XVII - -SPALATO AND SALONA - -Westward Along the Coast—First Glimpse of Spalato—The - Campanile—Diocletian’s Palace—Salona and - Her Ruins 247 - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -ZARA - -From Spalato to Zara—Chief Objects of Interest in the - Capital of Dalmatia—The Story of St. Simeon—The - Five Fountains—Fragments of Roman Occupation 269 - - -CHAPTER XIX - -THE GULF OF QUARNERO - -The Home of the Bora—Fiume—Abbazia—The Home - of the Torpedo—Descendants of the Uscocs 282 - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - - PAGE - -THE LATE QUEEN DRAGA OF SERVIA _Frontispiece_ - -MAP viii - -“A CROWD OF STARY-EYED, OPEN-MOUTHED, INQUISITIVE -NATIVES” 5 - -THE HOTEL PROPRIETOR, SOPHIA 9 - -THE FISCHER RAMPARTS, PESTH 13 - -THE ELIZABETH BRIDGE,—BUDA IN THE BACKGROUND 17 - -THE NATIVE SERVIAN HEAD-DRESS 25 - -DRINKING A FRIENDLY GLASS OF _SLIVIVITZ_ 31 - -A “BOZE” PEDDLER, BELGRADE 35 - -THE PRISHTINA COSTUME, WORN BY SERVIAN WOMEN ON -FEAST DAYS 39 - -THE LATE KING ALEXANDER OF SERVIA 51 - -A SIDEWALK CAFÉ, BELGRADE 63 - -KING PETER KARAGEORGEVITCH OF SERVIA 69 - -THE BALL-ROOM OF THE NEW PALACE, BELGRADE 73 - -FRUIT VENDERS, NISCH 95 - -A STREET SCENE, SOPHIA 103 - -A BULGARIAN VILLAGE CHURCH 109 - -THE SAINT CRAL CATHEDRAL, SOPHIA 115 - -THE RUINED CHURCH OF SAINT SOPHIA, SOPHIA 119 - -MONUMENT TO THE “TZAR LIBERATOR,” SOPHIA 123 - -“A HAWKING, BANTERING MULTITUDE ... IN GALA -DRESS” 131 - -BULGARIANS IN GALA ATTIRE 135 - -A GROUP POSED FOR THE CAMERA AT THE FRIDAY MARKET, -SOPHIA 139 - -THE AUSTRIAN ARMY BARRACKS AT SARAJEVO 147 - -SOME TURKISH HOMES IN SARAJEVO 153 - -DOUBLE-DECKED STORES IN THE TURKISH BAZAAR, -SARAJEVO 157 - -“THE REAL DEVOTEES OF THE RACES” 161 - -A GORGE OF THE NARENTA, NEAR JABLANIČA 167 - -THE OLD ROMAN BRIDGE, MOSTAR 173 - -THE HARBOUR OF GRAVOSA 181 - -RAGUSA,—MOUNT SERGIUS IN THE BACKGROUND 185 - -THE WALLS OF RAGUSA 189 - -THE SEA FORTS OF RAGUSA 197 - -A GENERAL VIEW OF CASTELNUOVO 205 - -THE FAMOUS “LADDER” ACROSS THE FACE OF MOUNT -LOVČEN 209 - -A GROUP OF MONTENEGRINS 213 - -A TYPICAL MONTENEGRIN GIRL 219 - -A STONE MASON OF CETTINJE AND HIS CART 225 - -A SECTION OF THE ROAD ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS 231 - -THE PASS AT THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAINS 235 - -THE MAIN STREET, CETTINJE 241 - -A TURN OF THE ROAD ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS 245 - -SPALATO FROM THE CAMPANILE 253 - -A FOUNTAIN ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF SPALATO 259 - -THE RUINS OF THE BASILICA, SALONA 263 - -ROMAN SARCOPHAGI, SALONA 267 - -THE WATER FRONT, ZARA 273 - -THE FIVE FOUNTAINS, ZARA 279 - -VIA ANDRASSY, FIUME 285 - - - - -The Lands of the Tamed Turk - - - - -CHAPTER I - -WHY THE BALKANS? - -The Rundreise Ticket—Why the Balkans?—When and Where English is - Heard—Why Not the Balkans? - - -For a week we had remained in London, trying furiously to make up -our minds which part of the Continent would interest us most. In the -evenings at dinner we laid bare our ideas collected during the day, -and endeavoured to formulate plans, but those countries which one -favoured to visit seemed in no wise to appeal to the other. By the end -of the week we had about completed our inventory of the tourable parts -of Europe without one of us being inoculated with a special desire to -revisit any of them. Then some one suggested, “Why not the Balkans?” - -That seemingly insignificant little interrogation cut short our -evening convocations in London as abruptly as one would snuff the wick -of a candle, for inside of forty-eight hours we had purchased our -“Rundreise” and “Hapag” tickets and were speeding Vienna-ward. - -To the seasoned traveller the following brief explanation may seem a -trifle superfluous but, at the same time, it may be the means of saving -a world of bother and inconvenience, no small item of expense and an -incalculable loss of temper to the uninitiated—especially in countries -where an English-speaking individual is regarded with no little -curiosity. - -The “Rundreise,” or “Round-trip-ticket,” is an institution in itself. -On it you may travel, for example, from London to Constantinople and -return to London by way of any route or in any direction. You may go -to Paris, to Cologne, and up the Rhine to Frankfort; thence to Vienna, -Buda-Pesth, Constantinople, and return by way of the Levant and the -Riviera. There are a hundred different routes by which to go and come, -a hundred interesting parts of countries to pass through, a hundred -beautiful cities to visit. You may travel by rail or by boat, first, -second or third class—according to the price paid—but you must -return to the starting-point, or, at all events, you will have paid for -that privilege, and it concerns but you if you do not care to avail -yourself of it. - -The one serious proviso of the “Rundreise ticket,” and one that will be -at once a drawback to some and a boon to others, is that no luggage may -be checked on it. But the less luggage and the smaller the assortment -of clothes taken for travel in the Balkans the better—providing, of -course, your mission does not necessitate your being dined and wined by -the nobility and diplomats. - -The “Hapag ticket” is, in the language of the Magyar, of the same -general specie as the “Rundreise.” - -And in contemplating such a trip through the Southeast of Europe, two -important questions naturally arise: Why? and why not the Balkans? - -To the first there are many convincing replies. The Balkan States have -been, for two thousand years, the “Powder Box” of Europe. The Greeks, -and, after them, the Romans, came and saw and conquered; the Venetians, -for a time, swept all before them along the coast of the Adriatic; -for five hundred years the Turks, thirsting for the blood of the -Christians, have attacked, have been repulsed and have attacked again, -shocking the entire world with their atrocious massacres. One need not -hunger for history in travelling through the Balkans. In addition, its -peoples are primitive, their customs are curious and their methods -mediæval. They are backward and unsophisticated in everything but -war—and that word “war” has been the slogan in the “Near East” for -centuries. - -Furthermore, the territory has been left uninvaded by the frantic -tourist,—in fact, an American is regarded as a wonder to look upon, -and his harmless little camera, aimed promiscuously, is as apt to -conjure up a crowd of stary-eyed, open-mouthed, inquisitive natives as -the perpetration of a political tragedy. - -And woe is he who cannot speak German, or at least enough of that -language to ask the questions necessary to travel, for the days of -“personally conducted” tours through the Balkans have yet to come. He -may speak French fluently but, exclusive of the diplomatic circles, -it would be as much to his advantage to adhere to American slang. The -exceptions, however, invariably prove the rule, and it is when English -is least expected to be heard that its utterance is the most heartily -appreciated. - -[Illustration: “A CROWD OF STARY-EYED, OPEN-MOUTHED, INQUISITIVE -NATIVES.”] - -The head-waiter of the hotel in Belgrade had been a deck steward on -a trans-Atlantic liner and of course surprised us upon our arrival with -a generous speech in English. - -The hotel proprietor in Sophia spoke nine languages with great fluency -and, in addition, had been studying English from newspapers. He had -so far advanced in the mastery of the grammar as to have been able to -read Dickens (whether he understood it or not is another matter), but -I had the honour of being the first English-speaking person upon whom -he had had the opportunity of airing his pronunciation. Considering the -fact that he had never before indulged his English in conversation he -butchered it to a remarkably small degree, and was understood without -an excessive amount of difficulty. - -As another example of this clandestine knowledge of the English -language throughout the Balkan Peninsula, I was standing one evening -on the _molo_ at Ragusa, watching two fishermen load their small boats -with nets and other implements of the catch. At the stern of their -craft was displayed a large and cumbersome lantern having a powerful -reflector. I questioned the rower in German, such as it was, as to -the use of this paraphernalia, and, as I had not heard a word of my -mother-tongue in the town—in fact, all along the Dalmatian coast—my -auricular nerves suffered a profound but agreeable shock when the man -replied, “The sardines follow the light while we lead ’em into the -nets.” He had been a sailor and had visited almost every port in the -United States as well as in England. - -And, why _not_ the Balkans? - -In place of the mountain-trails and muddy cart-roads of a few years -ago there are now railway lines that form a network through the most -interesting sections, and travel is facilitated proportionately. The -scenery is as picturesque as any in Europe, while the touch of colour, -in the garb of the peasants mingling with the variegated uniforms of -the always conspicuous army, adds an unalloyed charm seldom enjoyed -along the time-honoured travel routes of the Continent. Good hotels, -at which the food is excellent and well prepared, may be found in -the cities, and the accommodations, if not luxurious, cleanly and -comfortable. - -[Illustration: THE HOTEL PROPRIETOR, SOPHIA.] - -As late as 1853-54 not a single telegraphic line existed beyond the -Austrian frontier. Along the highway from Belgrade to Constantinople, -through Nisch and Sophia, messages from the Western courts to the -Sublime Porte were carried by dare-devil riders at a speed which -sacrificed horse-flesh regardlessly. A notable achievement was the -ride along this route of one Colonel Townley, who covered eight hundred -miles in the incredibly short time of five days and ten hours. To-day -the “Orient Express” eats its tortuous way tri-weekly from Calais to -Constantinople, crossing Europe from edge to edge, in a fraction over -four days. - -Hardships of travel through the near East have vanished, although, in -countries so backward and so seldom visited by the sightseer, it would -be highly improbable that inconveniences would not be encountered. -But these inconveniences are doubly cancelled by the pleasures and -sensations of vibrating between the beauty-spots of pugnacious little -principalities, whose histories have been written so indelibly with -blood upon the pages of the world’s progress. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -BUDA-PESTH AND BELGRADE - -Buda-Pesth and Its Language—From Buda-Pesth to Belgrade—The Servian - Passport System—First Impressions of Belgrade—Garden Spots in and - about the Servian Metropolis. - - -Buda-Pesth, with its imposing buildings, its kaleidoscopic market -scenes and its impossible language, seems to be the Eastern jumping-off -place, so to speak, of Continental travel. It is the suburb of Europe; -but what a fascinating suburb it is, to be sure! Its architectural -beauty is unsurpassed; its situation unrivalled, with the Danube -coursing between the old city, Buda, and the new city, Pesth; its parks -are veritable bowers of refreshing green; its cafés are interesting and -its military music delightful. It is the Mecca of Magyar aristocracy -and, if one can infer aught from natural proof, it has been well -adopted. - -But the language! The atrocious combinations of vowels and consonants -fairly numb your powers of pronunciation. In order that your attempts -to even read the signs may be made all the more tantalizing, our own, -the Roman, alphabet is used to muddle the brain of the foreign -visitor. When we see the writings of the Chinese or the Greeks, for -instance, we are not inclined to regard these tongues as altogether -unmasterable, but to behold the letters of _our_ alphabet so -haphazardly jumbled together and capped with many accents, grave and -acute, seems bitter indeed. Taking it all in all the Hungarian tongue -seems analogous to a waste of talent. - -[Illustration: THE FISCHER RAMPARTS, PESTH.] - -One delightful evening I summoned my courage and ventured into a -trolley-car, hoping that it might eventually take me near the Casino -of the principal park. It did, _mirabile dictu_, and I alighted. -But a week in Buda-Pesth had not passed without many and varied -experiences. In order to be doubly cautious and not mistake my car -to return to the hotel—for, luckily, this one made the park its -terminus and returned by the same route—I unsheathed my note book -and copied then and there the name of the route from a sign on the -side of the car. Fortified with this valuable data I was prepared to -enjoy the evening with reckless abandon, mingling with the crowds, -listening to the music and concerning myself not at all as to the way -to get home, for I had only to wait until a car came along marked -“Városlíget-Eskü-Tér-Podmaniczy-Utcka,” whatever that means, and I -would be among friends. - -If you do not stop to look at the signs—for what is a city of this era -without a host of glaring, gilded advertisements—Buda-Pesth is just as -enticing, but on a somewhat smaller scale, as Vienna, and at the end of -a fortnight we were loth to leave. As the next slip of our Rundreise -book read “Belgrade,” we jammed ourselves into one of the dusty -compartments of a crowded railway train bound for the Servian frontier. - -Among our fellow-passengers was an aged, rheumatic Jewish woman, -travelling from Vienna to Constantinople, who became very sociable, -despite her affliction, and lighted one cigarette from the stub of the -other as she unveiled to us her past history in broken German. - -The railway line from Buda-Pesth to Belgrade, traversing the great -Hungarian steppes, is devoid of attractive scenery and the journey -of seven hours becomes somewhat tiresome, especially if the season -is summer with its accompanying heat and the train is uncomfortably -crowded. Agriculture along the route seems to be very much on the wane, -but enormous herds of long-horned cattle, flocks of sheep and tens of -thousands of pigs tell succinctly of the product of that portion of -Hungary. Now and again you may see a native driver in heavy leather -boots, white petticoat, or smock, to his knees, and a derby hat (not a -very dignified-appearing combination of apparel), tending a large flock -of unusually huge geese, tapping the laggards deftly with his long -willow switch. - -[Illustration: THE ELIZABETH BRIDGE,—BUDA IN THE BACKGROUND.] - -The minute you cross the Danube at the Servian frontier you begin -to feel the influence, although a waning one, of a nation that has -been struggling desperately for hundreds of years to regain her lost -provinces—the Turks. It is not so noticeable in Servia as in Bulgaria, -not so noticeable in Bulgaria as in Bosnia and the Herzegovina, but it -is there, nevertheless; the sullen, silent suffering of a nation of -stoics, whose forefathers were defeated in their murderous attempts to -Mohammedanize Europe only at the very gates of Vienna itself. - -The fact that Servia entertains exaggerated fears for her own is -brought to the notice of the traveller—and forcibly, too—at Zemlin, -on the Austrian side of the Danube River, opposite Belgrade. At this -point one of King Peter’s ominous-looking arms of the law, resplendent -in epaulets and gold cord, boards each and every train from the west. -Although his trailing sword appears to be no little hindrance to his -ease in getting about, his temper remains unruffled and he examines -with polite suspicion the passports of all who expect to leave the -train at the Servian capital. The name of the owner of the passport is -jotted down on a piece of paper which, later, in the depot, is handed -surreptitiously to a pair of warlike individuals who guard the exit to -the street, while the customs officials are demanding excuses for the -contents of your grips. Between these two warriors you must pass out -from the depot and give them your name, which is forthwith checked off -the list previously furnished by the portly train inspector. - -But this is not all. - -Upon arrival at the hotel you are handed an information blank, which -must be filled in with your name, address, occupation, religion, where -you came from, how long you expect to remain in the city, your ultimate -destination and such data as would facilitate the authorities in -bringing you to earth in case you attempted to cut short the life of -the King or incited the natives to revolt. - -One of these blanks, for you must fill in two, is kept at the hotel; -the other is sent to police headquarters. No matter how insignificant -you may imagine you are when in your mother-country, you are under -the eagle eye of the government continuously in Servia. Your every -move is watched and made a note of. It matters not even if you change -to another hotel; the police are immediately notified to that effect. -You are branded as a suspicious character and will remain so until you -prove it or leave the country, vindicated. - -Your first impressions of the metropolis of Servia are apt to be a bit -disappointing, and especially so if you arrive at night, for Belgrade -is anything but an imposing city, even in the daytime. You are driven -rather recklessly through streets of very uneven cobbles, miserably -lighted and apparently abandoned by human beings. The business, and, -at the same time, residential part of the city, in which your hotel -is located, looks down from the crest of a hill upon the squalid, old -Turkish quarter on one side, from which emanates a veritable vapour of -highly seasoned cookery, and the poor Servian district and warehouses -on the other. To the west, on a cliff overlooking the junction of the -Danube and the Save, are the Kalemagden Park and the old fortress, the -guns of the latter having been long since silenced by the Treaty of -Berlin of 1878, which forbade Servia fortifying her Austrian frontier. - -“The cheerful boulevards of Belgrade,” as one author earnestly puts it, -may have been in existence at the time the phrase was coined, but I -very much doubt it, because of the dearth of evidence of these alleged -“boulevards” ever having deserved such flattery. - -This Kalemagden Park, however, is one of the few beauty spots of the -Servian capital. Another is in the vicinity of the _konak_, or palace, -of King Peter, in the eastern portion of the city. The street borders -one end of the _konak_ and continues past the garden and lawn which the -building faces: if it were not for the gates being guarded constantly -by soldiers one would hardly imagine the edifice to be the residence -of a royal household. The mutinous murder of King Alexander and Queen -Draga in 1903 occurred in the old _konak_, later demolished by order of -the present ruler, which stood in front of the new palace but facing -the gardens and the street. - -Three miles to the east of the city is located Topchidere Park, the -beautiful country-seat of the ill-fated Prince Alexander, who was but -one victim of the many infamously successful plots of the Servian -regicides. His chalet stands on the opposite side of the roadway from -the little chapel, and in the garden his stone tea-table is still -preserved. Above it spread the branches of a monstrous tree of some -three hundred years of age, famous from the fact that from its massive -limbs the invading Turks were wont to hang their Christian victims. -Near by is the country estate of the present Crown Prince, with stables -and kennels containing his favourite horses and dogs. - -Topchidere is the improvised country club of the Belgraders, and many -are the social functions given in its casino—if I may apologize for -the use of the word “casino” in describing the ramshackle frame house -of carousal in the Park. But the gardens are really beautiful, and are -kept in excellent condition by state prisoners detailed to work in -them. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -TWENTIETH CENTURY SERVIA - -The Servians—The Rise of the Nation—The Army—The Race-meets—The - Market in Belgrade—National Customs—The National Dance. - - -To the seeker of health and of pleasure, to the lover of the beautiful -in art and in nature, to the reveller in gayety and luxurious living, -Servia as a travel territory is null and void. It is a country of -interest to the public only so long as it continues to bask in the -limelight as a disturber of Balkan peace. It is the tool of Russia, the -enemy of Austria, the contempt of Bulgaria and the hatred of Turkey. -Indeed its only true friend may be said to be its relative—miniature -Montenegro. If the Balkan Peninsula is the “Powder Box” of Europe, -Servia certainly deserves to be called the “Percussion Cap” of the -Balkan Peninsula. - -[Illustration: THE NATIVE SERVIAN HEAD-DRESS.] - -To the student the Servians are a nation of types; as a race they -are gifted by nature with unusual powers of observation, shrewdness -and strength of character, but from the fact of their having been -so long oppressed has arisen a disposition to concealment and even -absolute distrust. They are patriotic and loyal to a marked degree, -which may account, in part, for their emotional proclivities. They are -absolutely fearless, but this fearlessness assumes at times a tinge -of the _opera bouffe_, as in the late controversy with Austria, which -leads us Americans to think of them as a nation of charlatans. - -But I digress. It is not my desire to enter into any rehearsals -of the political conditions in the pivotal Near East. I exhaled a -deep-breathed oath when this volume was commenced to confine my -writings herein to the travelling through and brief descriptions of -these “Lands of the Tamed Turk,” introducing such history as might seem -romantic and interesting and instructive enough to be absorbed by the -reader. - -Only since the final suppression of the Turks have the Servians “found -themselves,” so to speak, and the rapid rise of the nation has been -remarkable. In the early years of the nineteenth century, before its -revolt under the leadership of George Petrovitch—Kara, or Black -George, as he was called by the Turks—Servia could not boast of a -single schoolhouse; there was not even a wagon road in the whole -country, except what remained of the ancient Roman highway between -Belgrade and Nisch; because the Turks forbade the building or even -repairing of houses of Christian worship, the churches were, for the -most part, in miserable ruin; the entire population at that time was -scarcely larger than that of the single city of Detroit to-day. Then -Servia was merely a province of Turkey, governed by a Vizir sent from -Constantinople. The country was not only the seat of internal friction, -but tribes, in rebellion against the Sultan, exploited the land as a -private estate. - -But listen to the changes of a hundred years. - -As I write, Servia maintains eight hundred and sixty elementary -schools for boys and a hundred and fifty for girls; fourteen middle -grade schools with, and twelve without, classical departments; six -high-schools for girls; two technical academies; two schools for -teachers; one commercial college; a school of agriculture; a military -academy; and an university. Public instruction is free and compulsory. -Of the twelve hundred and seventy-eight towns and villages throughout -the country the important ones are connected by rail, and telegraphic -communication exists between most of the others. - -The contemptible pig still constitutes the chief article of export, -but the raising of swine, instead of the cultivation of the soil, -although the latter is by no means unprolific, has been handed down -from generation to generation as an ingenious method of the Servians -for saving the products of their country from the destructive raids -of the Turks.[1] In some districts, however, fruits and cereals are -cultivated and exported in abundance. Many thousands of cases of plums -find their way to France annually, whence they are re-exported to -America, and sold under the label of French products. From this fruit -is pressed the national drink of Servia, _slivivitz_, a sort of plum -brandy, which, when imbibed freely, produces most grotesque effects—so -I am told. - -[1] To those of the Mohammedan faith pork is a forbidden delicacy. - -Although the whole kingdom covers little more than twice the area of -the state of New Jersey, the regular army consists of some twenty -thousand men. The organization of it, however, is based upon a law -enacted in 1893 which, if executed, would place in the field three -hundred and thirty-five thousand men, but financial stringencies have -curbed the application of this statute. For every Servian between the -ages of twenty and thirty, military duty for two years in the regular -army is compulsory; and during the remaining years of his middle life -he is classed in the first, second or third divisions of the reserves, -according to his age. - -Belgrade itself, the capital of the country, has a population of -eighty thousand, being about the size of Hartford, Connecticut, and it -is a singular fact, as well as an amusing one, that no less than two -thousand of this number are policemen. These guardians of the peace, -who are at the same time units of the army, are well-drilled and are -housed in military barracks. - -[Illustration: DRINKING A FRIENDLY GLASS OF _SLIVIVITZ_.] - -Naturally, the army is the phase of Servian life most often met with in -the capital. You will see it on every hand, at all hours and clothed -in every conceivable colour of uniform. It throngs the parks and -takes complete and indisputable possession of the cafés; in which the -prices of beverages advance simultaneously with the tuning-up of the -gypsy orchestras. Should you drive out to one of the rather ridiculous -race-meets you will notice that the army-officers’ race is the most -important event on the programme. Like as not, upon such an excursion, -the King will drive past you, bowing graciously; although the races are -comparatively crude affairs, he and the other members of the royal -household are ardent devotees of the sport. - -At the race course the army lines the fence bordering the track, -while half a dozen heavily equipped peasants in black alpaca caps vie -with each other as to the speed of their respective mounts. At one -meet which I attended, a rider was thrown within a short distance -from the tape, which his horse was about to cross ahead of the other -contestants by two hundred yards. But his mind was set upon winning -the race by fair means or foul and, picking himself out of the dust, -he bravely endeavoured to cross the line on foot in advance of the -fast-approaching cloud of rivals. Upon his failure to do so a heated -discussion immediately arose as to whether the horse won the race or -the rider lost it. - -For a Balkan city Belgrade is exceptionally apt in acquiring the ways -and “means” of the Westerner. As the traveller is about to leave the -hotel to take a train a hall bell is rung, followed by a general -mustering of all hands, from the head clerk to the cook’s helper, each -of whom expects to receive some token of appreciation for services -rendered. I suppose I had helped at least sixteen to establish -themselves in business, and was just about to make a second start for -the depot when one of the confederates came running breathlessly -towards me. Would I be good enough to wait just _one_ moment because -the _zimmer mädchen_ (and Heaven knows I tipped _her_ munificently each -time she brought me warm water for shaving or lined the marble bathtub -with a sheet—and in Belgrade a bath costs seventy-five cents, anyway) -was on her way downstairs? But time was precious with me and as I drove -away I heard, faintly, the tardy and disappointed _zimmer mädchen_ -clattering along the flagstone hall. - -I even saw an automobile, of uncertain vintage and questionable -parentage, in Belgrade, honking its noisy way through the crowds of -gaping peasants near the market. - -And in the word “market” I have unconsciously mentioned one of the most -interesting sights to be had during a visit to a Slavonic city. Every -day is “market-day” in Belgrade, but on Sunday mornings the bizarre -scene is augmented by peasants in holiday garb from all the surrounding -country-side, while Turkish “boze”-sellers (this word “boze” is not -to be conflicted with the American slang expression which signifies -intoxicating liquors) peddle about the contents of their buckets, -shrieking the avowed virtues of their stock in trade. This “boze,” a -sort of sweetened oatmeal water, is freely consumed in Servia by -shopkeepers, artisans and peasants. - -[Illustration: A “BOZE” PEDDLER, BELGRADE.] - -But I must withhold the description of a typical market scene in the -Balkans, and devote a certain amount of space to it in connection with -the Bulgar capital of Sophia where one of the most interesting markets -in the world is held on Friday of each week. - -Of the customs of the country there are many which are quaint and -singular, especially among the peasant population, but only a few of -the more common ones will bear description. - -In the Servian orthodox church there are a hundred and eighty feast -days in the year, the continued observance of which places business in -a state of chaos. Divorce is easily obtained, and for the slightest -cause, through the ecclesiastical tribunals, and it carries with it -no social disgrace; but to wed a cousin, no matter how distant, is -attended with absolute ostracism. - -Instead of bride’s-maids at a wedding the Servians employ two _kums_, -or godfathers, each of whom is compelled by custom to give the bride -a dress-length of silk. A particularly significant honour is bestowed -upon the _dever_, who acts in the capacity of the best man at the -marriage ceremony. He carries a bouquet, wears a white sash and other -ludicrous regalia, and for no reason whatever must he leave the bride -for an instant throughout the day of the wedding. - -As a general rule the wife is older than the husband and the -bridegroom’s relatives have preference over those of the bride. The -bride herself is regarded as little more than a household slave. - -Each regiment of the army, like each Servian family, revels in the -protection of a patron saint, and the celebration of the _slava_, or -patron saint’s day, of a regiment is the only occasion of the year -upon which all ranks of the army are considered socially equal. In the -family the _slava_ usually takes place upon the anniversary of that -family’s conversion to Christianity, and on that day it is the custom -to call upon one’s friends whose _slava_ it is. - -[Illustration: THE PRISHTINA COSTUME, WORN BY SERVIAN WOMEN ON FEAST -DAYS.] - -Characteristic of every Slavonic nation is its national dance, and the -Servians, not to be outdone in this respect by their cousins, boast -of what they call the “Kola,” an extremely picturesque variety of the -terpsichorean art, partly adapted from the Russian and partly invented -by themselves. This “Kola” is danced upon the least provocation, -and at every function. It matters little where they may be; in the -streets of Belgrade or tending their flocks in the fields, if a -group of Servians feel a “Kola” coming on they must give vent to their -enthusiasm. It is danced upon the field of battle by the soldiers, -and the King leads it at every state ball. At first sight it seems -ridiculous, almost childish, and especially so when danced at one of -the royal functions where gray-whiskered diplomats of all nations, -high officials of state in uniform and be-jewelled leaders of Servian -society trail like a kaleidoscopic serpent in the wake of the King, -as he twists and turns up and down the polished floor of the great -ball-room in the palace. But it seems to wax more and more fascinating -and impressive the more often one sees it danced. - -I was returning by carriage one warm, humid afternoon, from the cool -environs of Topchidere Park, when I noticed a regiment of Servian -soldiery drilling on the parade ground near one of the barracks. -Suddenly the order to stack arms was given. Two of the privates rushed -with all possible speed to the barracks and returned with a couple of -violins. As they commenced the typical Slavonic music of the “Kola” -the nine hundred and more officers and men linked arms and, forming -one long line of white coats and caps, blue breeches and black boots, -went through the mystic mazes of the national Servian dance with much -precision, no little amount of gusto and a great deal of effervescent -enthusiasm. As I witnessed this “Kola” it was nothing if not an -inspiring sight. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -THE SERVIAN DYNASTIES - -Karageorge—Milosh Obrenovitch—Murder of Karageorge—Turkey - Grants the Title of Prince—Milosh Abdicates—Abdication of Prince - Michael—Alexander Abdicates—Prince Milosh Re-installed, His Death - and the Re-election of Prince Michael—Murder of Michael—Prince - Milan’s Marriage, Abdication and Death—Alexander Elected. - - -The very early history of Servia and her peoples has been daubed so -freely with myth and fable that it would be confusing and tedious to -enter into it. Instead, I shall confine myself to the brief narration -of the two later dynasties, explanatory of the world-renowned friction -between them. - -Of all the capitals of the world none deserves more unquestionably the -sobriquet of “The Capital of Crime,” as I have named a later chapter, -than that of Servia. Since the beginning of the nineteenth century four -reigning monarchs have been ruthlessly murdered in or near Belgrade, -and four others have been forced to abdicate. What would have been -the fate of these latter had they not foreseen it can readily be -imagined. King-killing is chronic with the Servians and there are -to-day twenty-nine men incarcerated in the prison at Belgrade, charged -with plotting against the life of the present ruler, King Peter -Karageorgevitch. - -The history of these national tragedies, the latest of which, in 1903, -shocked the civilized world, begins with the histories of the two royal -families of Servia, and takes us back a hundred years, to a time when -the country was suffering the most from the perennial invasions of the -bloodthirsty Mohammedans. - -“The end of the year 1801 saw Servia a prey to systematized vandalism. -It was a reign of unexampled tyranny and cruelty. The bloodthirstiness -of the Sultan’s janizaries increased like the strength of a torrent. -The Dahis, in obedience to the Sultan’s firmans, commissioned murderers -to proceed through Servia and kill all the mayors of towns and -villages, chiefs of cantons, priests and monks. A wave of terror swept -over the land, spreading panic in every direction. Mothers hugged -their children to their breasts and men in hushed whispers spoke of -self-destruction as a less miserable fate than falling into the hands -of the Turks. Every male over seven years of age was to be destroyed. -But something in the Servians which had hitherto lain dormant, a spirit -of manhood which had not been manifested before, arose under the whip -of the gigantic thraldom; seemingly the crushed and oppressed drew -breath, the instinct of self-preservation kindled in their hearts, and -the embers burst out into a new flame of patriotism.” - -Such, then, happened to be the deplorable conditions in Servia when -George Petrovich, or Kara-George, a poverty-stricken peasant of a fiery -temperament, but a man of dominating energy, morose and taciturn, -imbued with this patriotic flame, descended from the little village -of Topola where he made his home. By means of his character and -personal magnetism he rallied his countrymen and posted the now-famed -proclamation, which called upon the whole of Servia to rise against the -Turks. The latter were driven from the country after a siege of eight -days, and for nine years Karageorge ruled in Servia and kept at bay the -subjects of the Sultan. - -But in 1813, the Turks, encouraged by the jealousy which had been -impregnated in the hearts of the military chiefs on account of the -pre-eminence of Karageorge, proclaimed a holy war. In vain did the -peasant leader appeal to his people to withstand the attacks of the -Mohammedans and, in the end, he fled disgusted to his mountain home. - -It was at this time that the Servians found a new champion in Milosh -Obrenovitch, General of Rudneek under Karageorge, and, after a -successful campaign against the Turks, he was proclaimed a hero. - -Karageorge, off among the hills, was loth to see this Milosh taking his -place in the hearts of his people, so, in 1817, disregarding utterly -the orders of the Vizir and the advices of Milosh himself, he decided -to return to his subjects. He stopped for the night at the house of -Semendria Vouitza, who, oblivious to the old ties of friendship and his -duties as a host, murdered his guest as he slept, and who knows but at -the instigation of Milosh Obrenovitch? - -This, then, was the first of the Servian royal tragedies, and the -beginning of the deep and terrible feud between the families of -Karageorge and Obrenovitch, the latest victims of which were the -unfortunate and weakly King Alexander, the last Obrenovitch, and his -queen, Draga, in 1903. - -In 1830 Turkey permitted Milosh to assume the title of “Prince Milosh -Obrenovitch I.” By this action she yielded to Servia’s demands, for -Turkey had suffered defeat in the hands of the Russians in 1829, and -Russia was literally the sponsor of Servia. But in 1839 the broil -between the old adherents of Karageorge and the followers of his -successor, far worse than mere family jealousies, because it divided -a nation, caused the abdication of Prince Milosh in favour of his -elder son, Prince Milan, who held the reins of government but a few -short weeks when he died and his brother, Prince Michael, assumed the -leadership of the Servians. - -Only three years later Prince Michael was compelled to resign and -Alexander, son of Karageorge, was elected in his stead. The year 1859 -witnessed the enforced resignation of Alexander and the re-instalment -of old Prince Milosh Obrenovitch, who had answered the fickle summons -to return to his people. He died the following year, and Prince Michael -was, for the second time, made the reigning head of Servia. - -The fact that Michael’s wife, who was Princess Julia, a descendant of -a royal Hungarian family and maid of honour to the Empress of Austria, -was childless gave rise to the dastardly Karageorgevitch plot to put an -end to the Obrenovitch dynasty by the murder of her husband. Milosh -Obrenovitch, junior, so to speak, a grand-nephew of Prince Michael, was -the only heir to the Servian throne and the would-be regicides were -confident that a new constitution might be proclaimed in favour of -Peter Karageorgevitch, the present ruler and a grandson of the peasant, -Black George. The sooner this should be attempted the better, for was -not Prince Michael even then contemplating the divorce of his wife, in -order that he might marry Katrine Constantinovitch, his cousin, and so -insure an heir to the throne in the birth of a son? - -June 10, 1868, was the day set for the tragedy. - -Taking advantage of the Prince’s custom of driving unattended by -military escort through the deer park at Topchidere, four men, all -criminals with notorious careers, met him along the road as he drove in -his carriage with Katrine Constantinovitch and two other relatives. As -the Prince’s carriage advanced, these four men stepped to one side and -bared their heads in recognition of his Royal Highness. Hardly had he -passed when they fired simultaneously upon the royal party, killing the -Prince almost instantly and mortally wounding Mlle. Constantinovitch. - -Owing to a mishap to the carriage of the conniving news-bearer the true -tale of the tragedy reached Belgrade before him and it was only through -the masterful diplomacy of M. Petrovitch Blasnavatz, the Minister -of War, that the throne of Servia was saved for the young Milan -Obrenovitch. - -In 1872 Prince Milan reached his majority and three years later, in -Vienna, fell in love with the beautiful, charming Roumanian princess, -Natalie, who was destined to play such a prominent role in the future -of the Servian nation. To their union was born a son, Prince Alexander, -“Little Sasha,” as the Servians lovingly called him. Natalie was -popular with her subjects, and in many ways their love for her was made -manifest. On one occasion, when she lay confined in her apartments -before the birth of Alexander, the people walked along the street in -front of the palace on tiptoe and spoke only in whispers, so fearful -were they of disturbing her quiet. - -But Milan, although a devoted parent and an unimpeachable patriot and -ruler, proved himself nothing less than a Machiavellian roué. The -persistent outcries against his dual life gained Natalie a divorce, -which was subsequently revoked on account of her refusal to leave the -country. Then, because of the continued murmurs of the Karageorgevitch -faction against him, Milan abdicated and bade farewell to the “Little -Sasha” on March 6, 1889. He died later in Vienna financially, -physically and morally bankrupt. - -[Illustration: THE LATE KING ALEXANDER OF SERVIA.] - - - - -CHAPTER V - -ALEXANDER AND DRAGA - -Alexander—Draga—The Meeting—Draga’s Return to Belgrade—Russia’s - Intrigues—Marriage of Alexander and Draga—Origin of the Plot to - Murder. - - -After the abdication of Milan, Natalie took up her home in Biarritz in -a chateau which she had previously purchased; while back in Belgrade, -Alexander, under the guidance of regents, had taken upon himself the -burdens of a nominal ruler of Servia. It was not long, however, before -the want of the devoted affection and the healthful moral influence -of his mother began to produce their effects. In many ways Alexander -endeavoured to emulate his father. Although headstrong in the extreme, -even to stubbornness, he became pitiably vulnerable, under the tutelage -of less scrupulous associates, to influences not altogether conducive -to his popularity as a king. - -It was to his indiscretion and contumacious perversity that was -accredited one of the most horrible royal tragedies in the history of -the world. In fact, it was on one of Alexander’s imprudent escapades -that he met Draga Maschine, then lady-in-waiting to his mother and the -adventuresome widow of an engineer in the Servian army. An illicit -union with this woman kindled the spark of love between them, which -ignited, as time wore on and the number of their meetings increased, -into the burning flame of passionate devotion. - -Of the women of Belgrade, Draga Maschine, at the time of her -ascendency, was an acknowledged star in point of beauty of face and -figure. She was tall and graceful in bearing; her eyes were dark and -lustrous; her hair was said to have been black like the hue of a -raven; the curves of her mouth were bewitching; the type of her chin -was indicative of determined character. Beyond these attributes she -was vivacious and alluring. While yet a mere girl of seventeen she -had been married to a young army engineer, but even at that tender -age she had had the reputation of being a maid of uncertain morals, -and her marriage failed to act as a curb to her perverted desires -and inclinations. She had been wedded barely a year when her husband -took his own life because of her alleged disregard for the holy bonds -of matrimony. It was then that Colonel Maschine, her brother-in-law -and her enemy from the first, plotter against the King and the man -destined to act the role of arch-murderer in the final scene of the -greatest of Servian tragedies, swore he would have retribution for her -conduct, which, he said, had been the cause of his brother’s suicide. - -In due course of time Draga became fired with the hope of future social -distinction. She had been dragged through the mire of ill-repute and -was now determined to attain the coveted recognition of society, not as -an adventuress, but as a lady of wealth and rank. To this end she even -sought the influence in her behalf of a minister of the Servian court, -and through him the unsophisticated Natalie resolved to help her, -pensioned her, and finally made Draga one of her ladies-in-waiting at -Biarritz. - -In 1898 the young King Alexander, upon a visit to his mother at -Biarritz, met Draga, his future queen and for whom he felt no little -affection from the first. - -Natalie, during this visit of her son, laid before him her plans for -his marriage to Princess Lilly Mirko of Montenegro, his cousin, an -Obrenovitch descendant and one of the most beautiful women in all -Europe. But the King, already having been subjected by the subtle -charms of Draga (who, by her beauty and manners, had established -herself as the most fascinating of Natalie’s attendants), disappointed -his mother by taking no thought of her proposal. - -On the other hand, Draga Maschine left not a single stone unturned -to win the love of the young King. Their secret meetings were the -gossip of the community. Finally, Natalie became alarmed at the -mutual infatuation of her son and her superlatively captivating -lady-in-waiting and dismissed the latter from her _entourage_. But this -action seemed only to weld more securely the relations of the pair, for -Draga returned triumphantly to Belgrade and the scenes of her early -degradation as none other than the mistress of the King himself. - -This marks the date when the power of Draga over Alexander was brought -to bear in earnest. It was at her instigation that the King, upon -attaining his majority, locked his regents in a room of the palace -after having invited them to dinner, drew his revolver, boastingly -declared himself the all-powerful King of the Serbs and issued an order -that his father, Prince Milan, then living humbly in Vienna, should be -shot the moment he might attempt to cross the Servian frontier. - -Then Russia, always partial to the Karageorgevitch dynasty, and -prime promoter of the political intrigues of Servia for her -own aggrandizement, foresaw a possible end of the Obrenovitch -dynasty and, by the leverage of the King’s love for his mistress, -proceeded forthwith with skill and subterfuge to pave the way for a -Karageorgevitch ruler. - -Anticipating the final outcome of the possible marriage of Alexander -and Draga, Russia commissioned the wife of a Cossack colonel as an -agent to use her influence to bring about such a union. Accordingly, -this woman became a personal friend of Draga; she interested herself -in Draga’s love affair and, at an opportune moment, broached to her -the subject of marriage with the King. Draga protested on the ground -that they loved each other and were already very happy, but the exalted -position of a Queen of Servia was so incessantly brought to her mind -that she finally acquiesced to the suggestions of her supposedly -friendly adviser. The King was assured that Russia would recognize the -marriage, for the Great White Czar himself consented to act as best -man, and the day for the wedding was set. - -What must have been the thoughts of Alexander as he drove that day -through the decorated streets of Belgrade? Was he so wrapt up in his -love for the aspiring Draga that he had failed to discover the plots -against him? Or, aware of the deep-rooted intrigue to further the ends -of a selfish monarchy, did he stubbornly face disaster and ultimate -death in his loyalty to his Queen? - -As the royal couple returned to the _konak_ from the cathedral, after -the marriage ceremony, the streets were thronged with a staring, -phlegmatic crowd, which looked upon its new Queen in silence and -wonder. Not a cheer was raised; not a trumpet sounded. All marvelled, -and stood aghast at the thought that so strange and incongruous a union -had received the sanction of the church. - -Because of the marriage of Draga to the King the ire of her enemies had -been expanded to the highest power. The net of conspiracy continued to -be woven more tightly about her and her faithful but foolish husband. -When she learned that it was a physical impossibility for her to become -a mother she schemed to pass off an alien child as a legitimate heir -to the throne; but the Czar of Russia, who had been asked to act as -god-father to the child, and who, at the same time, seriously doubted -the motherhood of Draga, sent his court physician to Belgrade to -investigate. So frantic became the new Queen’s desire to give birth to -a son that, in her dilemma, she made use of her irresistible power to -induce Alexander to proclaim her own brother, Nikodim Lunyevitza, as -heir apparent; this Alexander did, disregarding utterly the entreaties -and expostulations of the Ministry. - -His action galled the Servians beyond endurance, and immediately plans -were set on foot to dispose of the Queen, and the King also, should he -persist in the validity of his proclamation. It is said that a woman -was sent to Geneva to propose to Peter Karageorgevitch that he come to -Belgrade and be proclaimed King by the army, it being understood that -he accept the liberal constitution previously annulled by Alexander. - -Everything now pointed to the murder of the King and Queen, but the -former, although warned by word and by letter many times, seemed -oblivious to all danger. He went so far as to augment the bitter -feeling by issuing an order transferring a number of officers, who were -known to have conspired against him, to garrisons in the interior of -the country. All Servia was aware that a royal tragedy was pending. -Even Draga realized it for, on the very day before her assassination, -she wrote pathetically in a letter to a friend: “I am haunted by a -dreadful presentiment, and often at night I seem to see a terrifying -picture of Michael[2] in his death agony, stretching his blood-stained -hand toward his murderers and crying, ‘Stop! My brothers! It is -enough!’” - -[2] Undoubtedly Prince Michael is meant, Alexander’s great-grand-uncle, -an account of whose murder in Topchidere Park in 1868 has been given in -a previous chapter. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -THE CAPITAL OF CRIME - -Plans of Procedure—Meeting of the Regicides—The First Move—The - Murder of the King and Queen—The Assassination of Others—The Royal - Burial—The Murder of the Brothers Novakovics in 1907. - - -Swiftly and silently had been fomented the plot of wholesale slaughter, -of which the Queen was marked as the first and chief victim. If the -King could be induced to sign a form of abdication he was to be given -a chance for his life; his refusal meant death. The murderers—and of -these there were almost a hundred who cut and slashed at the lifeless -bodies of their sovereign—would then descend upon the house of the -Queen’s relatives and kill all in cold blood. This was to be followed -by the assassination of the King’s adherents, including General Zinzar -Markowitz, the Prime Minister; General Pawlowitch, the Minister of War; -M. Todorowitch, Minister of the Interior; and many officers of the army -who had refused to join, or who had expressed themselves as being -opposed to the plot to kill the royal couple. - -The red glow of the setting sun had scarcely faded from the sky behind -the walls and turrets of the old fortress on Wednesday evening, June -10, 1903, when the regicides gathered at the “Crown Café” to discuss -and perfect their plans for the invasion of the palace that night. -They sat about smoking and laughing and drinking until many were in a -state of intoxication. The scene was one common in Belgrade. You will -see just such a company of officers grouped about the tables along -the street in front of any restaurant in the Servian capital of a -summer evening. Perhaps, if you will notice, some of these men wear -upon the breast, amid an array of other medals, a small, white Maltese -cross. You may be sure that the proud possessors of these crosses were -implicated in the terrible plot of that June evening—mayhap, some whom -you will see are the very ones who, frenzied by the sting of liquor, -broke open the door to the royal bedchamber and fired mercilessly upon -the helpless occupants. The white crosses are decorations pinned on the -breasts of those who helped to do away with Alexander and Draga by King -Peter himself, in apparent grateful recognition of their services. - -[Illustration: A SIDEWALK CAFÉ, BELGRADE.] - -During this preliminary meeting of the regicides at the café it -was announced that everything had been arranged satisfactorily: -the co-operation of the servants and soldiers, within the palace -and without, was assured by none other than Colonel Maschine, the -brother-in-law of the Queen, who personally had made arrangements to -thus afford the least possible difficulty in entering the _konak_; the -doors of the palace would even be left unlocked; a regiment of soldiers -had been commissioned to cover the rear of the conspirators and repel -any attack. - -By midnight all details had been completed, and the truculent corps -of more or less intoxicated officers moved stealthily toward the -palace gates. After overwhelming a suspiciously weak and pitiful -resistance on the part of the guards they tramped across the garden and -lawn, burst through the unlocked doors of the _konak_ and scrambled -pell-mell up the broad stairs in search of the royal apartments. An -officer encountered in the hallway was killed instantly, and a private -who offered some slight resistance suffered a like fate. General -Petrowitch, loaded revolver in hand, was the next victim, although he -endeavoured to conceal the exact whereabouts of the royal couple by -leading the crowd to another part of the palace. - -Needless to say, the King and Queen were awakened by the shots on -the stairs and the loud curses of the frantic criminals. How they -endeavoured to conceal themselves in their helplessness must have been -pathetic indeed. Hurrying from their bed, and still clothed in night -attire, they secreted themselves in an adjoining closet which was -used as a wardrobe-room by Queen Draga. Here they crouched together, -trembling in prayer, while their conspirators raged through room after -room, demolishing _bric-à-brac_, overturning tables and chairs, tearing -pictures from the walls and looting the palace from top to bottom. - -Through a window in this closet the luckless King and Queen saw, by -the dim, flickering light of the street lamps, a great crowd collect -outside the palace gates. They were unable to comprehend why this crowd -stood motionless and silent—why they did not rise up, like the devoted -and loyal subjects they were supposed to be, and offer assistance. - -At seven minutes past two a stick of dynamite was applied to the door -of the bedchamber, the explosion of which burst the barrier to atoms -and stopped a clock which stood upon a mantel in the room. One report -has it that the Queen, thinking the officers had departed, owing to a -sudden lull in the noise in the bedchamber, foolishly raised the window -in the closet and cried to the crowd outside in the street, “You will -save your King and Queen.” - -This action is said to have disclosed to the men the hiding-place of -their victims. At all events the latter were discovered cowering in a -corner of the closet, praying and pleading for mercy. The Queen was -fired upon and killed instantly, and the King, in trying to shield -her, fell a victim to the volley of shots hardly a moment later. Not -to shrink from fulfilling an oath previously taken by many of the -officers, that each would bury the point of his sword in the corpse of -the Queen, they mutilated and hacked the bodies beyond recognition. -It was found later that the body of Queen Draga bore no less than -fifty-seven sword wounds. - -And then, as a fitting sequel to their ghastly proceedings, the -regicides tossed the bodies from the window of the closet where the -King and Queen had stood but a few moments before and looked out upon -the crowd. They fell with a thud into the garden below, where they -remained until ten o’clock the following day, all the while being -viewed apathetically by the passing and repassing throng of people. At -that late hour, Russia, whose embassy was directly across the street -from the _konak_, to cover as much as possible the part she had played -in the tragedy, in the person of her minister demanded that the bodies -be removed. - -Leaving the palace and the carnage they had wrought there, the -regicides, led by Colonel Maschine, sought the home of the Queen’s -family and succeeded in killing her two brothers, Nikola and Nikodim. -The Minister of War suffered the same fate in his home and the Minister -of the Interior was severely wounded.[3] - -[3] A certain author claims that the Prime Minister was also killed, -but I have the best of authority for contesting that point. He was -thrown into prison and has only lately been released. At his home -Alexander and Draga indulged in the most of their courtship. - -[Illustration: KING PETER KARAGEORGEVITCH OF SERVIA.] - -About this time Colonel Nikolics, the commandant of the Danube Division -of the army, who, with a regiment of infantry, was in quarters outside -the city, heard of what was going on in Belgrade. In a heroic attempt -to bring his troops to the palace gates, with the hope of saving his -sovereigns, he was met at the edge of the town by a revolutionary -regiment under the command of Colonel Gagowitch. Both officers were -killed in the hand-to-hand encounter which followed. - -The bloody labour of this night was at last terminated by the murder of -many officers of the army, who had been branded by the revolutionaries -with the hot iron of revenge for being in league with the King. - -The morning of June eleventh dawned gray and dismal. The very heavens -seemed mortified at the awful butchery of the night before. Rain -descended in torrents, while crowds of indifferent Servians paced -to and fro in front of the palace. The city was in the hands of the -revolutionaries. - -There is no need to go into political details of the aftermath: suffice -it to say that Peter Karageorgevitch was elected King by the Parliament -and notified to leave Geneva for Belgrade at once. The family -feud of a hundred years had been brought to an awful termination, -since Alexander, having no heir, was the last descendant of Milosh -Obrenovitch. - -Under cover of the blackness of the night of Friday, June twelfth, two -roughly hewn coffins were carried into the _konak_, and in them were -placed the mutilated remains of Alexander and Draga. No care whatever -was even taken to clothe the bodies properly. While the people of -Belgrade still slept and dreamed of the events of to-morrow the hearse -was driven, slowly, out through the rear gate of the palace grounds, -over the cobbled streets, up to the weather-beaten door of the little -chapel of the Obrenovitch family, which stands in the old cemetery of -St. Mark, back of the city. Graves had been prepared hurriedly under -the board floor of the chapel and, after chanted benedictions had been -uttered by two priests—the only mourners—the bodies of the chief -victims of the bloodiest national tragedy of modern times were lowered -reverently to their final resting-place. - -Story has it that the rambler roses, which cover thickly the fence in -front of the palace grounds, had bloomed white until the summer of -1903, but that the spilled blood of the royal couple had changed their -hue to red. Of course this is a consoling little piece of fiction, -circulated by the friends of the Obrenovitch dynasty; but one thing is -agreed upon by all, that the roses never bloomed in such profusion or -with such gorgeous colouring as they did that year. - -[Illustration: THE BALL-ROOM OF THE NEW PALACE, BELGRADE.] - -While strolling by the palace grounds to-day you would scarcely believe -that only a few years ago the _konak_ of Alexander and Draga stood upon -the very spot where now a bandstand, festooned with electric bulbs, -shelters the musicians as they play for the royal family, while the -street in front hums with the chatter of gay promenaders. You will see -the same red rambler roses, forming a brilliant screen to the beautiful -garden in the background. Perhaps you can, through the eye of your -imagination, see the very spot upon which fell the distorted remains of -royalty on that memorable tenth of June. - - * * * * * - -Notwithstanding the fact that the untimely death of the last -Obrenovitch put an end to the family contentions, a number of dastardly -crimes are perpetrated each year in Belgrade by the constituents of the -two rival houses. The latest Servian outrage to be hawked before the -world was the murder in prison of the brothers Novakovics on September -28, 1907, because of their too zealous efforts to bring to the bar of -Justice the real murderers of King Alexander. - -Captain Novakovics, a short time after the murder of the late King -and Queen, was the instigator of a wide-spread scheme to bring the -regicides to trial. This scheme was betrayed, Novakovics was tried by -court martial and sentenced to two years’ imprisonment, during which -period two unsuccessful attempts to poison him were made. Upon his -release, although his health was permanently shaken, he started a daily -paper called “Za Otadjbinu,” in the columns of which he attacked the -present ruling dynasty and, in more or less open language, accused -King Peter, unflinchingly, of being the prime mover of the plot to -do away with Alexander. His printing presses were seized and he was -arrested the second time, the absurd charge having been brought against -him that he had stolen three screws from his own machine which, a few -hours before, had been sold at auction by the police. Twenty-five days -of incarceration in an under-ground dungeon with many of the worst -criminals in the land failed to break his spirit, and he—with his -brother, who had also been arrested and sent to prison—was transferred -to a cell which overlooked the street. Again bribes and threats failed -to insure his future silence. - -Finally, the two brothers, unable longer to withstand the assaults made -upon them by the prison-keepers, decided to call public attention to -their case. Having secured, during a moment of relaxation on the part -of the guards, rifles from a near-by room, they barricaded the door to -their cell quickly and commenced firing toward the ceiling. The police, -failing in courage to burst open the door, resorted to a heinous -method of overpowering the prisoners, which was invented on the moment -by a reinstated detective agent. A solution of saltpetre was inserted -through the window of the cell. Gradually the rifle-firing ceased, the -door was broken open and, although the prisoners lay senseless upon the -floor, the enraged jailers riddled their bodies with bullets. - -People, who had gathered outside attracted by the shots of the -prisoners, cried, “Asphyxiates were forbidden at The Hague!” “Down -with the police!” “Enough of regicide rule!” But the prison was soon -surrounded with cavalry troops and the crowd dispersed. - -Captain Novakovics was a scion of one of the best Servian families, and -had been married but four months before his assassination. His body was -not only forbidden to be placed in the family vault, but his relatives -were not even allowed to attend his funeral. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -PREDICTIONS OF SERVIAN TRAGEDIES - -Prediction of the Assassination of Prince Michael—Natalie’s Visit to - the Parisian Fortune-teller—The Prediction in London of the Murder of - Draga and Alexander. - - -Strange and mysterious as it may seem, the occult, the supernatural, -has played no small part in the destiny of Servian affairs. Personally, -I am not of clairvoyant proclivities, I know nothing whatever of the -goings-on at spiritualistic _seances_, neither am I even slightly -versed in anything that pertains to psychical research, but in this -chapter I am compelled to give credence to the cabalistic power -displayed by three persons, two women and one man, in their wonderful -predictions of three separate and distinct turning points in the life -of the Servian nation. - -The first of these was the prognostication of the fate of Prince -Michael, the second was that of the social ascendency of Draga, and the -third, that of the horrible death of Queen Draga and her husband—this -latter foretold in a foreign city, almost three months before the -tragedy really occurred, by one who had neither seen nor had had any -connection whatever with the King and Queen of Servia. - -On the morning of the very day of the assassination of Prince Michael -Obrenovitch in Topchidere Park, a poor peasant of Cremna, of local -distinction because of his occult powers of divination but unknown -outside of his immediate community, tore through the mountains like a -madman, beating his breasts with his fists and crying, “Our Prince is -dead! They have murdered our Prince!” - -The cry was taken up by all with whom he came in contact, repeated -broadcast and, in an incredibly short space of time, it was upon the -lips of every one in Belgrade. - -The peasant of Cremna was seized and thrown into prison, charged with -being a fanatical disturber, but hardly before the verification of the -tragedy had reached the capital. - -The facts of this case are now preserved in the minutes of the national -assembly. - -The second instance of occultism occurred in 1897 while Draga was -in the service of Queen Natalie, the year before she met her future -husband. - -Natalie had laughingly suggested to Draga and Mademoiselle Tzanka, -another member of the Queen’s coterie, that they accompany her on -a visit to a certain mind-reader and spiritualistic medium of wide -reputation in Paris. The trio called upon this supernaturally-endowed -person, Madame de Thebes by name, and Natalie requested that the future -be read for her son, the young Alexander, and for her friends. To her -the Parisian fortune-teller replied, “Madame, you nourish in your bosom -a viper which will turn and sting you”; evidently meaning Draga. She -continued that the marriage of the young King would determine the whole -future of Servia. - -Some inept futurity was predicted for Mademoiselle Tzanka, but to Draga -the woman said: “You, Madame, will rise to a higher position than you -even imagined. One day you will even reign a queen; but when that day -dawns your life will be in danger, and you will drag your lover and -your husband to his ruin and his death.” - -This story was published eventually in the newspapers and, three -years after Draga’s ascent to the throne was prophesied, she denied -vehemently that such had ever been predicted, but in the same breath -she denounced Mademoiselle Tzanka scurrilously for having dared to -repeat what had taken place in Paris. - -In describing the _seance_ at which the prediction was made of -the murder of Alexander and Draga I can do no better than to take, -verbatim, in part or as a whole, the statements of Mr. William Stead, -editor of the _Review of Reviews_, who was the host on that occasion, -and of his Excellency, M. Mijatovich, at that time Servian Minister -at the Court of St. James and a distinguished diplomat. These signed -statements were made to the press by Mr. Stead and others who were -present, and relate what actually took place at the _seance_. - - -_Mr. Stead’s Statement_ - -“I had invited a numerous company, including M. Mijatovich, Earl Grey, -Mr. L——, Mr. Gilbert Elliot, etc., to come on Friday, March 20th, -1903, to witness an experiment in psychometry by Mrs. Burchell at our -weekly ‘at home’ in Mowbray House. - -“The ‘at home’ at Mowbray House began at four in the afternoon. The -psychometric experiment began an hour later, in the presence of -seventy or eighty persons. In about half an hour it was seen that -the conditions were adverse, and Mrs. Burchell went upstairs to give -private sittings, where she succeeded much better, while the company -remained below and discussed psychometry. This went on till after -seven.... About eight we went to the restaurant of Gatti and Rodesano, -Strand ... I sat at the head of the table, with Mrs. Burchell on my -right and Mrs. Manks on my left. Mr. L—— sat at the opposite end of -the table, next to my private secretary, on the other side of Mrs. -Burchell.... - -“During the dinner the conversation was general. We talked at my end -of the table about many things, and as Mr. L—— was present, I talked -about him and about Servia. But as far as I can remember the name of -the King was never mentioned, nor was anything said that directly -or indirectly could suggest the idea of his assassination. No such -thought was present to my mind. As for Mrs. Burchell, she is a plain -North Country woman, who dispenses medicine of her own making, who has -had a family of ten children and who did not seem to me a person who -had either interest in, or knowledge of, the Balkan Peninsula. She -has since, in the _St. James Gazette_, written: ‘As to my knowledge -of Servian affairs, I was then completely ignorant, and did not know -either the King’s name or the Queen’s antecedents or name, or anything -in connection with them in any way.’ She was tired and silent at -dinner, depressed by the consciousness of the afternoon failure at -psychometry, and I addressed most of my remarks to Mrs. Manks. - -“After the dinner there were several descriptions given by Mrs. -Burchell of the impressions which she had received in connection with -various members of the company. It was in her descriptions of the -impressions she had received from Mr. L—— that he nodded from time to -time; an indiscretion which led to a protest from my private secretary. -This, however, had nothing to do with the vision of the assassination. -When the prediction was made Mrs. Burchell had her eyes closed. I had -no idea, while she was speaking, whether she was describing a tragedy -that had taken place long ago or was predicting what would happen. I -did not know what was in the envelope which she placed to her brow -until after all was over. When the paper was taken out of the envelope, -not being able to decipher the Cyrillic characters, I asked Mr. -L—— whose name it was. He replied, ‘The King.’ He then entered into -conversation with Mrs. Burchell, but I did not hear what she said. - -“The other two clairvoyants present, Mrs. Brenchley and Mrs. Manks, -declared that they saw the same scene when it was in progress, and Mrs. -Brenchley was only one degree less excited than Mrs. Burchell. It was -she who added the detail about the Russian uniforms.” - - -_The Statement of M. Mijatovich_ - -“I, Chedomille Mijatovich, now residing at 51, Palace Gardens Terrace, -Kensington, make this statement, as being, to the best of my knowledge -and belief, a full and exact narrative of what I know of this -remarkable affair. - -“I have long taken a deep interest in psychical research, and this -brought me, five or six years ago, to make the acquaintance of Mr. -Stead, the editor of _Borderland_ and _The Review of Reviews_. Knowing -my interest in these subjects, Mr. Stead invited me to be present at -a meeting in his office in Mowbray House, Norfolk Street, London, on -Friday afternoon, March 20, 1903, when a psychometrist of some repute -was to give a demonstration of her capacity to receive impressions from -articles held in her hand, of the origin and nature of which she had no -information. The following is an extract from Mr. Stead’s letter: - -“‘On Friday next at our “at home” we shall have a very good clairvoyant -at Mowbray House. She has undertaken to do from twelve to twenty tests. -That is to say, ten or twenty articles will be submitted to her at -random, of all of which she will know nothing, and she will state what -she sees in connection with each. I hope that you will be able to come -and to bring with you one or two articles, the clairvoyant reading of -which might be of interest or value....’ - -“I accepted the invitation. The rooms at Mowbray House were crowded. -The lady, whose name I was told was Mrs. Burchell, complained that the -conditions were bad, and the experiment was a failure. - -“Among the articles brought to Mowbray House for submission to the -psychometrist was the signature of King Alexander. The name was signed -in Cyrillic characters on a sheet of paper which was enclosed in an -envelope. It was prepared in order to see whether the psychometrist, -from handling the envelope, could ‘sense’ and describe the person of -the King. That was the sole object of the experiment. Nothing more was -claimed or expected. - -“Owing to the number of articles offered for experiment, and owing also -to the abrupt termination of the trials, the envelope with the King’s -signature was not produced.... While I was present nothing was said as -to its existence. - -“When I quitted Mowbray House the King’s signature was left with one -of the company, Mr. L——, who remained behind to dine with Mr. Stead, -Mrs. Burchell and some others. I was unable to stay to dinner as I had -to go to the Court at Buckingham Palace that evening. I returned home -feeling that the experiment had been a failure. - -“On the following morning ... I was surprised to receive a visit at -my house ... from Mr. L——. He said that after the dinner in the -restaurant a _seance_ had been held, at which he had submitted the -envelope, containing the King’s signature, to Mrs. Burchell. He told -me that on receiving the envelope she had been thrown into a state of -violent agitation. She had then described the assassination of the -King and the attempted assassination of the Queen in the interior of -the palace. He gave me many details which had convinced him that Mrs. -Burchell had actually seen in clairvoyant vision the assassination of -my Sovereign in the interior of his palace. - -“On the following Tuesday, March 24th, I made it my business to call at -Mowbray House in order to ascertain from Mr. Stead his version of what -had happened.... On returning home I made an entry in my journal, of -which the following is an exact copy: - - “‘LONDON (51, PALACE GARDENS TERRACE), - “‘March 24, 1903. - -“‘This afternoon I went to Mowbray House, Norfolk Street, Victoria -Embankment, to see Mr. William Stead (the editor of _Review of -Reviews_), and to ask him what it was that his clairvoyant of last -Friday (March 20th) said of King Alexander. Mr. Stead told me. - -“‘Mr. L—— gave her into her hand a small paper. She held it for -a moment and then said: “This is the signature of a young man in a -very high position! Yes, it is the signature of a King!” (She then -proceeded to describe King Alexander’s appearance). “He has his Queen -at his side; she is a brunette, older than he. But, O God! What do -I see? Oh, it is too terrible....” And then, Mr. Stead said, she -suddenly fell on her knees, clasping excitedly her hands, and with -closed eyes and uplifted head she prayed to the Great Spirit to—save -them, if possible! “I see them both, the King and Queen; and there -is a dark man with the dagger in hand. He tries to kill them; it -is a terrible struggle; the Queen escapes unhurt, but the King is -assassinated!” Stead said Mrs. Bourcher (sic), the clairvoyant, was -terribly agitated. She described what she saw in the presence of -several ladies and gentlemen, who were deeply impressed with it.’ - -“Four days later, on March 28th, I wrote a letter to King Alexander, -in the course of which I felt it my duty to warn him as to impending -danger. I did not keep a copy of my letter, but I perfectly well -remember the passage in question.... I wrote as follows: - -“‘I know your Majesty will laugh, as you usually laughed when I -spoke to you about clairvoyance, so I am not going to give you all -particulars about the latest experience which I have had, but I implore -your Majesty to take all possible measures for your personal safety, -not only when you drive about or when you go to the church or the -theatre or to the park, but when in your palace especially, because I -have reason to believe that an attempt will be made to assassinate you -in your own palace.’ - -“My wife read my letter before it was sent off and she confirms the -accuracy of this account of its contents. I may say that I had often -talked to King Alexander about psychic experiences, but he always -mocked me and would not take them seriously. I never before sent him -any warning as to an attempt on his person. - -“I was myself so deeply impressed by the importance of the -clairvoyant’s vision that I half expected that the King, despite his -skepticism, would summon me to Belgrade in order to hear more details. -This expectation was not realized. He neither sent for me nor took any -notice of my warning. - -“When the news arrived of his tragic end, my thoughts instantly -recurred to the warning which I had sent him, and I stated to several -representatives of the press the fact, which was duly published in the -London evening newspapers of June 11th.” - - -_What Actually Took Place at the Seance_ - -“It was after ten o’clock at the restaurant when Mr. L—— thrust an -envelope into Mr. Stead’s hand, saying, ‘Try her with that!’ Mr. Stead -took the envelope, not knowing what it contained, and waited till the -good lady had finished a description to the last of the sitters. She -was getting tired and wished to go home. Mr. Stead put the envelope -in her hands and asked her to try once more and see if she could get -anything with it. - -“Mrs. Burchell took the envelope in her two hands and sat for a moment, -still. She turned the envelope round and round once or twice and then -said, in a loud, clear voice, ‘Royalty! An important person—a King!’ - -“The announcement riveted attention and we listened eagerly for what -was to follow. Mrs. Burchell spoke with extreme rapidity and in -breathless excitement. There was nothing to indicate that the medium -was in a trance. She had been talking quite normally just before Mr. -Stead gave her the envelope. Her eyes were closed, but this might have -been done to aid in abstracting her from her surroundings. She spoke -exactly as if she were looking through a window into an interior and -describing what she saw to us who were beside her. Near to her were two -other clairvoyants, Mrs. Brenchley and Mrs. Manks. - -“Mrs. Burchell began by saying, ‘Royalty! An important person—a King! -He is standing in a room in his palace. He is dark; stout body and long -neck. With him is a lady, the Queen—brunette. And there,’ pointing to -a corner of the room, ‘I see a child.’ Then, becoming very excited, the -medium exclaimed, ‘Terrible! Terrible! It is all bloody. I cannot bear -to look. Oh, it is terrible! I cannot bear it. I see a very dark man -rushing into the chamber. He tries to kill the King. The lady implores -them to spare him. Oh—’and with a cry of horror Mrs. Burchell -suddenly flung herself upon her knees in such a way that Mr. Stead -thought she would fall and stretched out his hand to save her. She did -not fall, however, but with clasped hands the medium continued in a -voice of agonized entreaty: - -“‘They are killing him. Oh, save him, save him! The Queen falls on her -knees and implores them to save her life—they will not listen. Oh, -what tumult! what bloodshed! How terrible—they kill him; she pleads -in vain. Now they fling her on one side and stab her with a dagger, -and—Oh, oh!’—and then Mrs. Burchell, exhausted with emotion, was -falling over on her side on the floor when Mr. Stead got her up and put -her on her seat. - -“When Mrs. Burchell fell on her knees, Mrs. Brenchley sprang up, -saying, ‘Yes, yes, I get it in the air. They are killing him; I see it.’ - -“‘And I also,’ said Mrs. Manks clasping hands with Mrs. Brenchley, and -both following her (probably Mrs. Burchell’s) distracted cries and -utterances with cries of, ‘Yes, yes! We see it; she is quite right.’ - -“Mrs. Burchell, in her agitation, dropped the envelope on the floor. -Mrs. Brenchley picked it up and, holding it, continued to describe -the scene in an agitation only a little less than Mrs. Burchell’s, -exclaiming, ‘Oh, the blood—how horrible! Look, how dark it becomes; -see—the soldiers are coming upon us—shooting down all they meet—’ - -“‘What are they like?’ asked someone. - -“‘They seem to me like Russian uniforms; but it is dark and I cannot -see clearly....’ - -“‘Now the King is dead!’ she (Mrs. Brenchley) cried. ‘But, oh, what -confusion! What bloodshed!’ - -“All these ejaculatory comments were rapidly uttered as Mrs. Burchell -was being helped to her seat and not much notice was taken of them -at the time. Mrs. Brenchley, however, declares that she has a lively -recollection of what she saw and what she said. - -“Mr. Stead turned an inquiring gaze to Mr. L——, who had given him the -envelope.... - -“‘What was in the envelope?’ Mr. Stead asked. - -“‘Look!’said Mr. L——. Opening the envelope he took out a sheet of -note-paper on which was the signature, ‘Alexander.’ - -“‘It is the King,’ he exclaimed. - -“‘But,’ said Mr. Stead, ‘her description—was it correct?’ - -“‘It was exact,’ replied Mr. L——. ‘The palace, the King, the Queen. -Her description is exact.’ - -“And then the medium, who had been silent as if recovering from the -emotion through which she had just passed, said: - -“‘Depend upon it, it will all happen as I have seen it, if nothing is -done to prevent it, and that ere long!’ - -“Mrs. Burchell’s own version is that she added, ‘Even then, -although they may postpone it, it will certainly come to pass.’” - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -NISCH AND SOPHIA - -From Belgrade to Nisch—Nisch—Provincial Hotel Accommodations—The - Monument of Skulls—Tzaribrod—Sophia—Value Received for $1.25 per - Diem—Dragoleftsky. - - -For a long time the words “Brigands” and “Bulgarians” seemed to me -synonomous, for it was not so very long ago, I thought, that to be -kidnapped and behold the tragic story of your life subsequently -illuminating the pages of every journal, you had only to go to -Bulgaria; and these thoughts were not devoid of some prestige. But -since the days of Pat Crowe and Raisuli the Bulgarian man-stealers seem -to have forgotten their lines and faded ignominiously into the wings of -the stage of publicity. In fact, I discovered later, that you might be -just as safe in your room at the “Grand Royal Hotel” in Sophia as it -would be possible to be in your apartments in any fashionable hotel in -America—and safer, because at the “Grand Royal” in Sophia you are not -in the predatorial power of a gang of domesticated yeggmen disguised -as waiters, porters, bellboys and what not. So we decided to tempt our -fate on a certain June morning by shaking the dust of Belgrade for that -of the Servian frontier. - -[Illustration: FRUIT VENDERS, NISCH.] - -But eight hours’ travel in the local train so anæsthetized our desires -to continue the journey, on such a train, at least, that the little -vine-clad station at Nisch appealed to us most invitingly. We also -determined then and there to explore the town behind it. - -A two-mile drive over even rougher cobbles than Belgrade can boast of, -connects the station with the centre of the town, and I might add that -it is the longest two miles I have ever driven. - -As we rattled along, the diminutive one-story dwellings of Nisch -seemed to be scattered over an unlimited area. A single small mosque -constitutes the only remaining suggestion that the town was at one time -in the possession of the Turks. - -Finally we stopped in front of one of the hotels—poor excuses, -all of them, believe me—and commenced to bargain and barter for -accommodations, only to discover that all of the rooms were occupied; -I doubt if the place could have housed more than half a dozen patrons -at one time. We tried another hostelry, with the same result. Then -another. The train on which we had arrived, the last one leaving Nisch -that day in either direction, had long since departed for Sophia; -the hotel people seemed anything but desirous of taking us in, for I -am dubious about their houses being so crowded as they were said to -be; and we commenced to consider a suitable place in which to leave -our luggage, so that we might at least walk the streets that night -unencumbered. Our driver, too, was apparently at his wits’ end, but -after we had tendered him an extra _dinare_ as a stimulant he _thought_ -he knew of just _one more_ hotel where it _might be possible_ to -obtain rooms, and, accordingly, we were rattled thither. Here our -trials ended, for the proprietor of this place graciously consented to -accommodate us during our stay. - -After first walking through a combination office and general -loafing-room, containing at one end a bar, reeking with foul-smelling -tobacco-smoke and alive with Servian officers who shuffled over the -sanded floor or played billiards at an antequated table or sat about -telling the gossip of the garrison, then through a labyrinth of narrow -passages, across a court and up two flights of stairs, we came upon our -room. - -I think we paid about fifty cents a day each for this room, but in -the Balkans you get a great deal more for your money at the hotels -than you would dare to expect in America. The floor was scrupulously -polished; clean bed-clothes were on the beds; fresh water had been -brought up for both drinking and toilet purposes; spotless white -candles projected from each candlestick; hair-combs and brushes -(for your application if you cared not to doubt the cleanliness of -the previous user) adorned the bureau; and a gaudy pair of bed-room -slippers reposed beneath each bed, awaiting only the insertion of your -tired toes. Our meals we ate on the pavement in front of the hotel, -“without restraint or finger bowls,” surrounded by the army, sniffed at -by the dogs and stared at by the multitude, while a pet sheep nibbled -playfully at our coat buttons. - -In Nisch the soldier element ever predominates over the civilian, for -here is located a Servian garrison of some 2,500 men. Evidently they -consider themselves proficient in military tactics, for they are always -on the streets, and the pavements in front of the hotels are constantly -crowded with officers, smoking and drinking. And every soldier wears -a different uniform. There are blue coats with white trimmings, white -coats with blue trimmings; there are black trousers with green stripes -and green trousers with black stripes, not to mention the brown -trousers with red stripes; there are gray caps with black visors and -black caps without visors. Every private stops on the street to salute -his officer and every officer stops to salute his superior officer; the -place reminds one of a health resort for the treatment of St. Vitus’ -dance. - -The moment you unlimber your camera, the peasants and townspeople, -who are none too familiar with the habits, customs or pastimes of -English-speaking visitors, crowd around in veritable droves, until you -have to give up in disgust and resign yourself to the good luck you -may hope to have with your snapshots. Only a week after we left Nisch -an Englishman was arrested for taking photographs in and about the -city, and he had a very great deal of trouble in finally convincing the -authorities that his object in making pictures was entirely inoffensive -and _not_ with a view of better explaining to his home War Department -the position of the Servian fort. As it was, he was held in Nisch for -some days until the British Minister to Servia demanded his release. - -To say the least, the people of Nisch are primitive and their looks -belie not their methods. Here, for the first time, I saw put into -practice a process which was in vogue centuries ago; the proprietor of -the hotel, after making out his bill, _sanded_ the wet ink instead of -using a blotter. - -There is but one object of absorbing interest to be seen in Nisch, -and that is what once was a tower of human skulls, erected by the -Turks. This ghastly monument commemorates the Turkish victory over -the Servians near Nisch in 1809, and it is said to have been composed -originally of twelve hundred of the enemies’ skulls. Now but one -remains, too deeply imbedded in the mud-cement for easy extraction, and -for that reason left undisturbed by the relic-hunter. When Nisch became -Servian all the skulls which could be found, except this one, were -buried reverently. - -Because the time of arrival and departure of trains in the Balkan -States appears to be a matter of mere conjecture and of little -consequence, it is the custom for travellers to be at the depot at -least an hour before train time. On the day set for our departure -from Nisch we were awakened at four in the morning, so that we might -have plenty of time to take coffee, be jolted the two miles over the -cobblestones and wait for the train for Sophia, _due to arrive_ at -Nisch at six o’clock. - -The route from the Servian frontier to the capital of Bulgaria is -rich in wild and picturesque scenery, for almost immediately after -leaving Nisch steep grades are encountered and continue until the -divide is reached at Dragoman. From there the line descends none too -gradually and Tzaribrod is the next stop. At this point the Servian -crew surrenders the train to the care of the Bulgarians, a perfunctory -customs examination is made of your baggage and you turn the hands of -your watch an hour faster to “East European Time.” Beautiful mountain -scenery marks the remainder of the journey, and in exactly six hours -after leaving Nisch (including the hour change of time) you are in -Sophia. - -When you alight from the train don’t think you have made a mistake and -wax discouraged because you did not locate Sophia immediately, for -almost all of these Balkan towns have an unhandy habit of springing up -some two or three miles inland from their respective railway stations. -You have only to jump into one of the numerous open cabs which meet all -trains, each of a different and distinct Renaissance design, and make -signs that you wish to be driven to the Hotel So-and-So. - -[Illustration: A STREET SCENE, SOPHIA.] - -During the ensuing voyage, your driver, in red fez and baggy, -ill-fitting Turkish bloomers, will, by deft manipulation of the reins, -graze more lamp-posts and curb-stones without regard to speed -limits or to the possible scattering of his fares _en route_ than any -fire-engine driver it has ever been your misfortune to come in contact -with. Yelling with the full power of his leather lungs, sometimes at -his animals and sometimes at the foolhardy Bulgarians who may get in -his way, he will jolt you diagonally across trolley tracks and swing -you dangerously around corners, now on the port tack and now on the -starboard, like an ambulance driver on a hurry call. - -Finally, and suddenly, his horses stop literally on a ten-cent piece -in front of the hotel; you feel around to ascertain if your frame is -intact and the tempo of your heart-beats once more assumes a natural -rhythm. Bowing peasants with bared heads (the reason for the ceremony -is known only to themselves, but I have a suspicion that they all hope -to receive from you some gratuity for living) line the sidewalk, while -the hotel proprietor graciously assists you to alight and escorts you -to your rooms, at the same time making profuse apologies for the style -and period of their appointments. - -For the Bulgarian equivalent of one dollar and a quarter a day each, -you may lodge and feast at this hotel. You will find the food of great -variety and the cooking excellent; the Turkish coffee, which is always -to be had in these Eastern provinces, and to learn the making of which -you must attempt an excursion into the culinary department, is the best -you have ever tasted; and delicious wine or refreshing beer, the latter -served temptingly in tall, thin, frosted glasses, is included in the -price paid. - -Perhaps your apartments consist of a suit of rooms on the second floor, -overlooking a thickly wooded park, which occupies the whole of the -block opposite. The floors are hard wood parquetry and the sitting-room -is furnished like a throne chamber with plush-covered, handsomely -carved, high-backed chairs and divans. In one corner stands an immense -tile stove, a replica of those to be seen in Vienna, resembling more a -sarcophagus than a heater. The bed-room contains two beautifully-carved -beds, burdened with thick, soft feather comforters, while at the side -of each is placed a small stand bearing an attractive electric reading -lamp. The only complaint I had to make was that the thousands of -jackdaws, which held daily conclave in the park during the early hours -of the morning, kept up such an incessant squawking and screeching -that, had our sleeping apartment not been the more remote from the -street, I should have begged the proprietor to give us a back room. -As it was, we were compelled to bury our heads, ostrich-like, under -the feather comforters to deaden the racket, although the season was -mid-summer. - -Your comfort during your stay having been assured, you will hurry to -the street to mingle with the people of Bulgaria and to get acquainted -with their capital, this noisy little city of Sophia, situated snugly -at the foot of the snow-capped Balkans, the majestic Mount Vitosch to -the south. - -The streets of the new town, each named after some local celebrity of -the era of liberation, radiate like the spokes of a wheel from the -royal palace as a hub. They are well-paved, wide and well-lighted -with electricity, but within the precincts of the old town, now fast -disappearing, you may still find many narrow cross streets and courts, -lined on either side with picturesque Turkish bazaars which continually -invite your patronage. - -During our stay in Sophia the trial was being conducted of the -twenty-year-old assassin who murdered the Prime Minister a few months -previously. The opposite side of the street from the law courts was -daily thronged with inquisitive townspeople, hoping to obtain a glimpse -of the boy-murderer, as he was being taken to and from the prison. He -was found guilty and executed. - -A wonderful panoramic view of the city and of the surrounding country, -a view that will amply repay you for the almost hazardous carriage ride -over worse than miserable roads, may be had from the foot-hills beyond -the little village of Dragoleftsky, some eight miles to the eastward. -Here you may also get a glimpse, at short range, of how the Bulgarian -peasant lives and has his being. You will see the women washing clothes -in a crude tub, hewn out of the trunk of a tree, a tub that looks not -unlike some kind of “dugout” canoe; while an _olla podrida_ of geese, -chickens, pigs and children swarm on the bare floor of the farmhouse. - -Should you proceed farther into the mountains, on foot, of course, you -will come upon one of the enormous monasteries which were the heart and -soul of the movement for Bulgarian liberation, and around which most of -the fighting against the Turks took place. - - -[Illustration: A BULGARIAN VILLAGE CHURCH.] - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -BULGARIA AND HER PAST - -Progress of Bulgaria—Origin of her Peoples—The Bulgari—First - Russian Invasion of Bulgaria—The Assenide Dynasty—Turkish - Tyrannies—Emancipation of Bulgaria—Russia’s Intrigues against Prince - Alexander—The Late Balkan Disturbances. - - -But now, for a moment, let us look at the serious side of this little -warlike principality which has only recently wiggled from under -the vassalage of Turkey, at the same time proclaiming her absolute -independence, and which, to my mind, is the Bulwark of the Balkans. - -Although having enjoyed but a short thirty-one years of partial -independent existence, for it is the youngest of the Balkan States, the -progress of Bulgaria during that thirty-one years has been little short -of remarkable. A visitor to the country is at once impressed with the -look of indomitable determination that characterizes the features of -the Bulgars. That indomitable determination has convinced the outside -world of their worthiness of the freedom as a state conferred upon -them in 1877; it will continue in the future to convince the outside -world of their worthiness of the indefinite prolongation of this -freedom. - -It is impossible to recognize in the proud, full-blown kingdom of -to-day the down-trodden province of Turkey of three decades ago. In -thirty years Bulgaria has built more than four thousand three hundred -primary schools; she has established, and maintains, a standing army of -one hundred and twenty thousand men and is capable of putting in the -field in time of emergency two hundred and fifty thousand more; the -value of her annual exports has reached the figure of $250,000,000; -seventy per cent. of her total area has been rendered susceptible to -the highest degree of cultivation; the agricultural and stock-raising -adaptability of her peoples has opened the eyes of all Europe; while -her ottar of rose industry, down in the little valley of Toundja, “The -Rose Valley,” has become world-renowned. - -But to fully appreciate and feel this miraculous development we must -delve, briefly, into Bulgaria’s past. - -The ancient Roman name of Thrace was the one generally applied to -the entire territory lying between the Macedonian frontier and the -Danube River, while the territory to the north of the Balkans was -then called Moesia. Savage tribes, known as the Thraco-Dacians, the -Thraco-Illyrians and the Thraco-Macedonians, held sway over the whole -of the Balkan Peninsula until, historians tell us, Philip and his -successor, Alexander, came upon and took the country. The date of the -beginning of Roman conquests in Thrace is indefinite, but it remains an -undisputed fact that Vespasian annexed the country and proclaimed it a -Roman province in A. D. 75. - -The Slavs, moving westward from their confines in Asia, and having -waged successful warfare upon the Huns and the Goths, populated -Bulgaria between the third and the seventh centuries. They introduced -their customs and language throughout a large part of eastern and -southeastern Europe, and their descendants, influenced, of course, by -the later dominant races, constitute the present population of Bulgaria. - -At this point of history we hear for the first time of the Bulgari, “a -horde of Asiatics of Turkish strain,” who were also destined to be a -prime factor in the general make-up of the present-day Bulgarians. They -swarmed over the country in the seventh century and founded the first -Bulgarian empire, which attained its height between the years 893 -and 927 A. D. under the Tzar Simeon, only to fall ignominiously under -Byzantine rule hardly a century later. - -In the year 965, Greece endeavoured to subject Bulgaria to her power, -and the Emperor Nikephoros Phakos sought aid in his undertakings from -a tribe of Northmen (and we have every reason to believe that this -tribe was composed of the antecedents of the Russians of to-day) under -a leader named Sviatoslav. Sviatoslav condescended to become an ally -of the Greeks, but the latter became so jealous of his many successful -conquests in their behalf that they grew afraid of him and finally made -a treaty with the Bulgarian Tzar, Boris II. - -Upon the death of Nikephoros, Sviatoslav decided to make war on -Bulgaria for his own aggrandizement, and in 969 he captured Boris, -carrying him as far east as Philippopolis. Here the Greek Emperor, -Zinisces, the successor of Nikephoros, with the help of the defeated -Bulgarians themselves, drove the Northmen back. Sviatoslav was -compelled to seek refuge in Silistria, where he sustained a siege of -three months. After his final capture he was liberated and allowed to -return to his native land, but, while on the march, he and his few -surviving adherents were ruthlessly slain by a marauding band of -hostile tribesmen. - -[Illustration: THE SAINT CRAL CATHEDRAL, SOPHIA.] - -This may be said to have been the first Russian invasion of Bulgaria, -the direct result of which was the fusion of the Northern and the -Southern Slavs. Bulgarian history proper begins, however, with the -nation’s conversion to Christianity under the Tzar Boris, late in the -ninth century. About the same time the Cyrillic alphabet—now adopted -by all Slav peoples, including the Russians—was introduced by the -great apostles, Cyril and Methodius. - -Under Assen, Bulgaria, then belonging to Greece, revolted, conquered, -and Assen I, the founder of the Assenide dynasty, was chosen Tzar. This -dynasty reached its height under Assen II (1218-1241) and a century -later the country fell under Servian rule; to its advantage, however, -for King Dushan of Servia proved himself a wise and jealous protector. - -After the death of King Dushan, the Northern provinces of the Balkan -Peninsula commenced to feel the effects of Turkish invasions. For -some years the Bulgarians defended their lives and their property -heroically; but, finally, Tzar Shishman III, having been deserted by -his allies, surrendered and acknowledged himself a subject of Sultan -Murad I. Not, however, until after the bloody battle of Kossovo in -1389 was Bulgaria brought completely under Ottoman rule. - -For the following five hundred years the Turks pillaged and sacked the -country and outraged its inhabitants. Europe remained in ignorance of -the atrocities, for her mind was distracted by her own sanguinary wars. -The Ottoman domination and tyranny was social as well as political; it -was felt keenly, not only in manners and morals, but in social liberty -also. Nevertheless, it is a singular fact that no determined attempt to -assimilate Bulgaria, as a whole, to Turkish customs and Mohammedanism -was made during all these years. The only instances of religious -coercion were prevalent in the cases of young Bulgarian girls who had -been snatched from their very doorsteps and placed in the harem of some -bigoted Pasha. - -Even the Crimean War of 1854-56, which resulted in the liberation of -Roumania from Ottoman rule, brought no relief to oppressed Bulgaria. -The Turks seemed to persecute the Christians more terribly after it -than before. In 1876 Gladstone’s vitriolic speeches, in the exposure -of Turkish atrocities and demanding the emancipation of Bulgaria, were -heeded, and the successful defence of Shipka Pass was not in vain. -Bulgaria became a principality under Alexander; but, after a successful -war with Servia as the aggressor, Russia instigated a conspiracy -against him which led to his ultimate abdication. - -[Illustration: THE RUINED CHURCH OF SAINT SOPHIA, SOPHIA.] - -With glowing promises of promotion, Russia’s agents, Bendereff and -Greuff by name, were bribed to influence Bulgarian officers to turn -traitors to the Prince. Parts of two regiments and the cadets of the -military college at Sophia, all more or less under the influence -of liquor, invaded the palace on the night of August 21st, 1886, -and ordered Alexander, at the point of drawn revolvers, to sign an -illegible document which he was told was his abdication paper. He was -forthwith carried aboard his own private yacht, taken down the river -and delivered to the Russian authorities at Reni, where, for a time, he -was held prisoner. - -Then Europe, indignant, lent a hand and secured his liberation. -Re-entering Sophia on September 3, he assumed triumphant control, for -his people, incensed beyond measure at such intrigue, awaited anxiously -his home-coming. Bendereff and Greuff were tried and convicted by -court-martial, but Russia, Germany and Austria demanded that they -should be released. - -Upon the final abdication of Alexander, the Bulgarian Sobranje, or -Parliament, elected unanimously Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, the -present ruling “Tzar of the Bulgars,” as his newly acquired title reads. - -As a part of the history of present-day Bulgaria, principally, and of -the Near East, generally, it would be unwise to exclude from these -pages a brief rehearsal of the late eruptions in that part of Europe, -which have proven the futility of international treaties and, at the -outset of the troubles, tended to shatter the pacific exertions of the -Old World. - -This time Bulgaria exploded the percussion-cap, and the primary cause -of the resulting imbroglio was a strike of the employees of the Orient -Railway, which threads its way through the country from west to east, -but which is really Turkish property, for it is operated under a -concession from the Porte that does not expire until January 1, 1958, -although it thrives under the protection of Austria, and is capitalized -largely by Germany. - -Bulgarian troops occupied the railway line provisionally during the -strike but, when an agreement was effected, refused to relinquish the -road to the officers of the Oriental Railways Company. - -[Illustration: MONUMENT TO THE “TZAR LIBERATOR,” SOPHIA.] - -While Bulgaria’s answer to a formal request by Turkey to surrender -the railway still hung fire her people were aroused to fever heat -by an untoward incident that took place in Constantinople: Their -representative at the Porte failed to find his name included in the -list of guests invited to be present at an international diplomatic -banquet. Turkey’s apology for this slight came too late, for the then -Prince Ferdinand of Bulgaria had already repaired to the ancient -capital, Tirnova, probably out of pure sentiment, and was solemnly -crowned “Tzar of the Bulgars” on Monday, October 5th, 1908. - -Thus did Bulgaria bring into play a lame excuse to break faith with the -Powers of Europe, which, in a clause of the Treaty of Berlin, signed -by them in 1878 (but not signed by Bulgaria, and therefore it can -hardly be said that Bulgaria _broke_ the treaty), compelled Bulgaria to -pay a yearly tribute to Turkey for certain concessions of territory, -including the province of Eastern Roumelia. - -Three days after Bulgaria’s proclamation, Austria, in direct violation -of this same Treaty of Berlin, declared her intention (and later -fulfilled the same) of usurping for her own the one-time Servian -provinces of Bosnia and Herzegovina, over which she had been appointed -guardian. This move provoked the Servians to clamour for war with -Austria while Montenegro swore her allegiance to Servia. It looked for -a time as if King Peter of Servia would be forced to abdicate in favour -of his son George, the Crown Prince, or fulfil the demands of his -super-patriotic subjects; and even king-killing is not a lost art in -Belgrade. - -To further the dismemberment of Turkey in Europe, the Island of Crete -declared itself Grecian territory, and Albania, also inoculated with -the serum of liberty, commenced to howl for independence and courted -the sponsorship of Italy. - -For several obvious reasons the convention of the original signatories -of the Berlin Treaty for the promulgation of European peace was at -that time impossible. Great Britain would not consent to such a -convention unless all agreed that the original treaty should not be -changed, but that the present issues alone should be discussed; Russia -would not consent to such a convention unless the clause which barred -the Dardanelles to the passage of Russian war vessels was struck in -advance from the original treaty; Austria refused to be a part of -such a convention unless her annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina was -acknowledged in advance by the other Powers. - -At a conference held in the interests of permanent peace, France, -Russia and Great Britain submitted tentative plans, which were promptly -adopted, for the re-distribution of authority in the Balkan provinces, -the most important decision being that Bosnia and Herzegovina go -permanently to Austria. The original stipulations of the Treaty of -Berlin did not even have a hearing. France, of course, blamed Germany -for instigating the troubles in order to humiliate Great Britain -and force the “Young Turks’ Party,” which compelled the Sultan to -acknowledge a new constitution and later dethroned him, to re-adopt the -old régime, under which Germany is alleged to have benefited greatly by -trade with Turkey. Germany, in turn, felt slighted at not having been -invited to join Great Britain, France and Russia in the drawing up of -their proposals. For a time the guy-ropes of the European peace-tent -were stretched mighty taut. Had just one of them parted there would -have been the liveliest scramble among the Powers for Balkan territory -that Europe had seen in many a day. - -Although Bulgaria complied with the demand of Turkey that the Roumelia -tribute be capitalized, Turkey was loth—and is yet, for that -matter—to acknowledge the independence of Bulgaria or the annexation -of Bosnia and Herzegovina by Austria; Antivari, Montenegro’s only -seaport, enjoyed for a time a splendid view of an Austrian war fleet; -Montenegro claimed, but failed to collect, indemnity from Austria -for the detention by officials on Austrian territory of a special -Montenegrin envoy to Servia; and the strained relations between Austria -and Servia took on a ridiculous aspect by Austria’s refusal to allow -war materials to be imported into Servia through her domain ... about -the only way Servia would be able to obtain such materials. - -Bulgaria said she had been preparing for a possible war with Turkey -for ten years, and it is a known fact that, although barely one-fifth -the size, in population, of the Ottoman Empire, she could have placed -in the field fully as many men, some three hundred and seventy-five -thousand, vastly better drilled and better versed in the tactics of -war. The expenses of keeping the reserve forces with the colours during -the recent disturbances and the “compensations” which she had to pay -because of her prince’s assumption to the title of “Tzar” were met by -increased taxes upon her peasantry, and upon the apathy or enthusiasm -of this peasantry would have depended the defeat or victory of -Bulgarian arms in a war with Turkey. In advent of hostilities, however, -it is safe to say that the pugnacious Bulgarians, with Austria nagging -them on, would have bade fair to sweep the Turk from the map of Europe. - -Had the unsatisfied Servians, on the other hand, been foolish enough -to force themselves into war with Austria, the continuance of Servia -as a nation would have been doubtful indeed. It would be difficult to -imagine an alliance between the Servians, including the Montenegrins, -and the Turks, their life-long enemies, but under the conditions at -that time such a thing was not out of the question. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -A BULGARIAN MARKET - -Bulgaria’s Busy Day—The Orient Express. - - -Returning to the people of the Bulgaria of to-day, the most -advantageous place and time to study them is in the market square of -Sophia of a Friday morning. This scene is alone worth the trip to the -Bulgarian capital, for I doubt very much if its equal, in the number -and variety of types, or in the kaleidoscopic effects of its constantly -vibrating patches of colour, can even be approached in any other -European city. - -From seven in the morning until one in the afternoon the entire town -wears a circus-day air. The square surrounding the principal mosque -swarms with a hawking, bantering multitude of Greeks, Jews, Russians, -Turks, Roumanians, Serbs and Bulgarian peasants, all in gala dress; and -as for tongues you might well imagine yourself living in the good old -times in the immediate vicinity of the Tower of Babel. Here, as I have -said, you may observe the characteristics of the natives to the best -possible advantage, for one of the chief sources of interest in this -little-travelled principality or, in truth, throughout the whole of the -Balkan Peninsula, is its simple-minded, unsophisticated country people; -unsophisticated, except in occasional brigandage in the sparsely -settled districts. - -[Illustration: “A HAWKING, BANTERING MULTITUDE ... IN GALA DRESS.”] - -The market is opened officially at seven o’clock, but long before -that hour the peasants, representing many square miles of surrounding -territory, begin to arrive on foot, on horseback and in bullock -carts. That time-worn adage about the early bird holds true even in -Bulgaria, for those who dispose of their produce the quickest and who, -consequently, return home with the greatest number of shekels jingling -in their leathern money pouches, are the ones who obtain the most -desirable stands along the curb, by appearing early upon the scene. - -By the time the Muezzin pops out to chant his doleful “Allah el Allah” -from the narrow balcony at the top of the mosque pinnacle, the square -below is already well-filled and from all directions the tardy ones -continue to pour in. The unpacking and arrangement of produce and the -chatter and gossip among the peasants themselves occupy the early -morning hours before the official opening of the market, for soon the -wholesale merchants and townspeople will be dodging in and out, bent on -obtaining the lowest quotations, and then there will be no time to talk -over the happenings of the intervening week since the last market. - -Over there on the curb a swarthy, fur-coated individual has just halted -his puny pack-animals, whose dust-covered flanks tell that they have -tottered many miles under the bulging loads of wood. It is no wonder -that their master perspires as he tugs at the ropes to relieve the -little beasts, for, if you examine his clothing, you will wonder how -he came to get mixed in the seasons. Although the glare of the sun -is nothing if not calorific, this fellow’s legs are bundled closely -in thick, woollen stockings tied with thongs, while on his back and -reaching clear to his knees he wears a heavy sheepskin coat turned -wrong side out. But the particular style in which he wears this coat -proves beyond an atom of doubt that he knows as well as you the time of -year, for in winter he turns the wool on the outside. - -[Illustration: BULGARIANS IN GALA ATTIRE.] - -Now look, if you please, at this group of Bulgarian belles from the -mountains—symphonies in lavender. The ribbons in their hair are -lavender, the embroidery on their jackets is lavender, their long -underskirts and aprons are lavender, the linings of their sunshades -are lavender. How conscious they are of the tawdry effect of their fine -raiment, as they strut about through the dust in the middle of the -street! At their heels stalk, jealously, three Bulgarian beaux, also -gorgeously attired for the occasion in their Sunday-go-to-meetings. - -On the other side of the street two women, each of whom looks to be -little less than a hundred years of age, are spreading aprons on -the dust-covered sidewalk and arranging thereon their baskets and -bundles. They will sell you the finest, most delicious cherries you -have ever closed your teeth upon for forty _centimes_ a litre; and -strawberries!—well, you just can’t wait to buy a basket of such -strawberries at the same price as the cherries. They are large and -luscious but a litre really does not weigh enough to get a great number -of fruit, for each one is worth at least two bites. I am not stretching -the tape a hair’s breadth when I say that I have measured Bulgarian -strawberries four and one-half inches in circumference. - -Down the street now comes a parade of bullock carts, laden with wool. -The clumsy animals lumber lazily along, while the drivers, one of whom -walks in front of each team, tap deftly with their long poles first one -beast and then the other between the horns, to remind them to stay -awake until they arrive at the market. The carts are heavy affairs and -look for all the world like some sort of ancient chariots. And I may -state here that the bullock, a prototype of the water-buffalo of the -Far East, is a domestic animal commonly found in Bulgaria, and for what -reason it was originally imported to the country I have often wondered. -Nevertheless, it seems thoroughly acclimated, and is used as a beast of -burden by the peasants and farmers, not only on the plains but in the -mountains as well, where, you might imagine, its awkwardness and weight -would be to its disadvantage in negotiating the rocky roads. - -In the slender shadow of the mosque tower another heavily-clothed -peasant and his wife are engaged in selling live stock. The woman -fondles a suckling pig under her left arm, while, with her free hand, -she holds another, head downward, by the hind feet. Each of these pigs -may be purchased for two _francs_, and for three, a live lamb from the -husband. A pair of spring chickens brings the same ridiculous price as -a suckling pig. - -[Illustration: A GROUP POSED FOR THE CAMERA AT THE FRIDAY MARKET, -SOPHIA.] - -In wedging your way through the crowd, which by this time surges -over the entire square and overflows into the adjacent streets, -you stumble over an old Turkish woman, in baggy, yellow bloomers -and curved-toed slippers, who has deliberately spread her array of -embroideries in the very centre of the sidewalk. - -At the noon hour, when the Muezzin again calls the faithful to prayer, -the market is at its height. From a distance, the monotonous drone of -the street-cries sounds like the hum of a myriad insects, the swelling -cadenzas of which, as they float out upon the soporific atmosphere, may -be heard in any part of the city. - -At last the peasants, after a profitable holiday in town, prepare -to start on their homeward journey. By the middle of the afternoon -the last solitary vender has departed with his pack-animals or his -bullock cart, his fur coat and his woollen stockings. Then the street -cleaners and street sprinklers take the square in hand. They sprinkle -the dust and scrub the pavement and in half an hour you would not have -believed that that same square was the place from which emanated, but -a short time before, the Babelonic hum-drum of hundreds of perspiring -market-people. - - * * * * * - -It may be the fashion, but it is altogether exasperating, to be called -at five-thirty in the morning, in order to take a train which leaves -at eight-fifteen. “But when in Rome—” at all events, we arrived at -the depot exactly one hour before the time set for the departure of -the “Orient Express,” which was to carry us back to Belgrade. But we -felt in no wise lonesome, for many others who wished to take the same -train had come to the depot even before us. The proprietor himself -accompanied us from the hotel and consumed the time taken to drive -the distance by asking us repeatedly to “make a recommend” in America -for his hostelry, and which we gladly consented to do. When the train -arrived he bade us good-bye with tears in his eyes, and graciously -kissed the hands of the ladies of the party. - -According to our ideas, the word “Limited” as applied to the “Orient -Express” was a misnomer; in fact the only “limited” qualifications of -the train which we were able to discover were its limited speed and -its limited number of up-to-date conveniences. And there is one thing -peculiar about travelling through these countries: no matter upon which -side of the train you may take your seat, whether the train goes east -or west, north or south, whether it be morning or afternoon, your side -will be the sunny side. I believe if we had crawled under the seats -on some of the trains the sun would have shone up through the bottom -of the car. Perhaps we were clothed too heavily, or, perhaps, we only -travelled when the sun was exceptionally hot, but, whichever the cause, -we sweltered and perspired through almost every railway trip we ever -took in the Balkans. - -Notwithstanding the “limited” features of the “Orient Express” we -were always glad to have a chance to travel on it, if for no other -reason than to enjoy our fellow-passengers and amuse ourselves by -the humour of the signs, which are tacked up in conspicuous places -in every compartment, to be heeded by the traveller. “Gentlemen must -not go to bed with their boots on,” read one of these placards, and -if the railway must needs have signs to warn its passengers against -such a breach of travel etiquette, we thought what a delicate piece -of business it must be for the porter or the conductor to enforce the -rule; for travellers are apt to act in a manner just contrary to the -notices of warning they see posted. - -Another sign informed the passenger that “the conductor would shine -gentlemen’s boots upon request.” Evidently the railway company had not -anticipated the patronage of ladies, but, if they had, they hardly -presumed that ladies would require a “shine” or that they would retire -with “their boots on.” - -It was on this train, too, that we saw the only Americans we had seen -or were destined to see for many weeks, two jovial rug-hunters of New -York, _en route_ home from a business trip to Constantinople. Also -included in the collection of passengers was an immaculate Englishman, -with coat tightly buttoned and gloves on, who sat all day in one -position for fear of disturbing one molecule of dust, and, owing to his -efforts, becoming redder in the face as the train proceeded. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -SARAJEVO—THE SPIRED CITY - -From Belgrade to Sarajevo—The Turkish Bazaar—A Bosnian Street - Sprinkler—Horse-races at Ylidze—A Dervish Dance. - - -It is by no means an uninteresting nor an unpleasant train ride of -seven hours and a half across the well-kept, fertile farm lands of -Austria-Hungary; from Belgrade, in Servia, southward to the little -junction town of Brod. This line continues through Agram to Fiume, -Hungary’s solitary seaport, but if you would visit the Austrian -provinces of Bosnia and the Herzegovina, nominally Turkish territory, -you must change at Brod and take your compartment in one of the -miniature cars of the little narrow-gauge train which, later, puffs and -snorts its tortuous, labyrinthine way across, between and under the -mountains, up grade and down to Sarajevo, Mostar and, finally, Gravosa -on the Adriatic Coast. - -Before Bosnia (including Croatia and the Herzegovina) was placed under -the suzerainty of Austria-Hungary by the Treaty of Berlin of 1878—a -treaty time-worn and often honoured in the breach—the traveller, in -order to cover the one hundred thirty-eight miles between Brod and -Sarajevo, was compelled for comfort’s and safety’s sake to resort to -the springless mail cart of the Austrian Consulate in Bosnia and spend -forty-eight weary hours _en route_. If, on the other hand, he wished to -be lavishly independent and hired a native conveyance for the journey, -three nights would have to be spent on the road, sleeping in _khans_ -and fearful of his very life. - -Although, in point of geographical position, it was the nearest -neighbour of civilized Europe, the social condition of Bosnia was at -that time the most barbarous of all the provinces of European Turkey. -Not one man in a hundred knew how to read, and there was not a single, -solitary bookshop throughout the length and breadth of the province. -While the soil teemed with various valuable minerals, its hills -thickly wooded with virgin forests, its plains and valleys fertile, -well-watered and productive, its commerce was contemptible. Under -Turkish rule, _plums_ constituted the most valuable article of trade. - -[Illustration: THE AUSTRIAN ARMY BARRACKS AT SARAJEVO.] - -To-day all this is changed. The fields are cultivated; mines have -been prospected and developed; public schools are everywhere and -education is compulsory; the Austrian army has put an end to the -maraudings of the Mohammedans and polices the country, having its -headquarters in great garrisons in Mostar and Sarajevo. An admirably -operated railway line eats its way throughout the entire length of the -province, the proposed extension of this railway through the Turkish -vilayet of Novi-Bazaar having been one of the bones of contention -between the Sublime Porte and the Austrian Government but a short while -ago. - -As fate will have it, the express train leaves Brod at midnight, and, -consequently, some of the most picturesque mountain scenery along the -route is lost to the traveller, but as he does not reach Sarajevo, the -capital of Bosnia, until ten o’clock the following morning, an early -awakening will be rewarded with wild mountain scenes and interesting -types galore. - -The mere mention of a narrow-gauge train seems to convey to the average -American the unpleasant idea of discomfort, if not hardship, of travel, -but this train will prove itself clean and comfortable far in excess of -your expectations. - -Each section of the railway carriage comprises two single seats, facing -each other as in our own sleeping cars, and there are _no_ upper -berths. Furthermore, you may draw the curtains of your section and, -although it is not possible to retire in the true sense of the word, -you will enjoy being screened, during the night at least, from the -stares of your over-curious fellow-passengers. - -For some unknown reason I had neglected to draw the curtains of my -compartment after I had prepared myself for the night. Across the -aisle a Bosnian occupied somewhat more than his allotted space, and -when he learned, by quizzing me surreptitiously in German as to my -nationality, that I was from America, he launched a volume of questions -in my direction, the answers to some of which, I confess, rendered me -nonplussed for the moment and sleep impossible. - -Was it a long journey from America to Bosnia? - -How long? - -Did I come in a steamboat? - -Were there many black men in America? - -How many? - -These queries, and a host of others of the same stamp, gave me just -cause to wonder if the man had not mistaken me for a travelling -Baedeker. Had he been as tired as I was he would have enjoyed a night’s -rest just as much as I. Finally, I became desperate and jerked the -curtains together—a rude procedure, no doubt—and went to sleep with a -volley of interrogations raging about me. If my Bosnian friend wished -to know during the night aught of the history, topography or population -of the United States, I fail to remember, having conveniently lost -consciousness, but he was ready with a fresh volume of questions when I -awakened in the morning. - -At seven we stopped long enough to take coffee on the vine-arboured -station-porch of a little village; a short twenty minutes later the -station-master rang his bell, the train conductor blew his horn and -the engineer tooted his whistle, all of which seem to be absolutely -necessary to start a train in the Balkans, and we were off again, -whisking over the wonderfully well-kept roadbed, past the water tanks -and the switch towers in their immaculate coats of fresh, white paint, -through tunnels, across gorges, and in three more hours we arrived at -Sarajevo. - -One might as well be precipitated from the clouds into Turkey itself as -to come suddenly upon Sarajevo from the country in the North. In this -little city it isn’t one Turk here and one Turk there, as in Belgrade -or Sophia, but more than half the population is Ottoman. Here the -Mohammedan element occupies a most interesting bazaar that covers in -area several city blocks; on every hand the pencil-like pinnacles of -the forty-odd mosques rear themselves skyward; the streets are alive -with red-fezzed Mohammedans in spacious knee breeches, Turkish women in -bloomers and veiled goddesses of the Harem. At the noon hour the air -reverberates with the cries of the Muezzins, in response to which the -faithful spread themselves devoutly upon their knees in the courtyards -and on the steps of their houses of worship. - -Sarajevo lies on both sides of the Miljača River, the banks of -which are protected from the ravages of flood by well-built and not -inartistic stone walls. Mountains surround the town on all sides. The -streets are narrow as becomes a Turkish city, but under the Austrian -régime they are kept clean as new pins. The buildings, especially the -government ones, are large and well-proportioned, the shops are good -and the hotels excellent. - -[Illustration: SOME TURKISH HOMES IN SARAJEVO.] - -Of course the principal attraction in Sarajevo is the bazaar, a sort -of perennial market where the Turk and his art may be studied to -advantage. This bazaar is a permanent affair, divided into streets -or lanes which tangle and twine themselves around a small square -centered by a public fountain. Wednesday is characterized by a -“grangers’ meeting” and the streets overflow with Turkish and Bosnian -truck-farmers bartering their produce. This is the day to rub elbows -with the sullen, lazy Mohammedans. They squat about the fountain, -presumably caring little whether they sell their fruits and vegetables -or not; immense four-legged loads of hay or wood, which cover the -little pack-animals from nose to tail, wobble up and down through -the narrow thoroughfares, compelling you to seek the shelter of a -convenient doorway to allow them to pass; veiled women, with even -their hands shielded by cotton gloves from the admiring gazes of the -men-folk, amble silently by, ghost-like, while the _kafanas_, or coffee -houses, buzz with the gossip of outstretched Turks who sip their coffee -and smoke cigarettes until the place smells like the hybrid of a -tobacco factory and a coffee-packing establishment. - -Almost any day of the week, however, the pound and tinker of sandalled -artisans are to be heard in the workshops which border the streets of -the bazaar. The coppersmith hammers out his Turkish coffee sets and his -brass trays, many of which he etches with a sharp-edged tool in ornate -designs and figures; the shoe and harness-maker sits cross-legged as he -plies the needle back and forth, a cigarette between his lips and a -cup of thick, black coffee ever at his elbow; the gold and silversmith -deftly inlays his gun metal cigarette cases with threads of precious -metals, first scoring with a tool the design to be worked upon the -object, much as a dentist might prepare a cavity in a tooth for a gold -filling. You might readily imagine yourself in Damascus, instead of in -the capital of a province of Austria-Hungary. - -Objects of considerable interest to me in this Bosnian city were the -home-made street sprinklers which tend to serve the purpose of the -municipal government, although they never would be regarded by us as -labour savers. A huge hogshead is mounted on four wheels, filled with -water and hauled through the streets by a horse driven by a native. In -that much the contrivance somewhat resembles our own variety, except -for the native. But here lies its salient feature: it requires two men -to operate it, for how on earth would it be possible for one man to -drive the horse and sprinkle the street at one and the same time, in -Bosnia? - -[Illustration: DOUBLE-DECKED STORES IN THE TURKISH BAZAAR, SARAJEVO.] - -From the rear of the hogshead protrudes a long hose terminating in a -sprinkler, like the nozzle of a watering pot. One end of a rope is -fastened to this sprinkler, and the other is attached to a second -native, whose duty it is to walk behind the cart and swing the hose -from side to side by means of the rope, the while sprinkling himself as -well as the roadway. Wet feet invariably result from this crude method, -but the “man behind the street sprinkler” should be deemed above his -fellows in point of cleanliness, if such a condition meets with any -commendation whatever in Bosnia, for the labourers in Sarajevo, as a -rule, look as though they had never been on intimate terms with soap -and water in all their lives. - -In the afternoons horse-races usually take place at the quaint little -summer resort of Ylidze, at the foot of the mountains, to be reached -either by train or by a rather dusty drive of eight miles. These races -furnish about the only excuse the fashion and _élite_ of Sarajevo have -to display their dresses and uniforms. The grandstand and paddock -are packed with Worth gowns and three-foot hats, (mind you!) and -the bookmaker does a land-office business with the be-medalled and -gold-braided Austrian army. But the real devotees of the races are the -Turks and peasants who drive for miles and miles to attend them, and -whose Oriental costumes outline in gayest of colours both sides of -the course. In the late afternoon, at the conclusion of the race-meet, -Bosnian society repairs _en masse_ to the beautiful and fashionable -Villa Bosna, where, in the cool of the evening, in the casino or under -the great trees, it sups and dines and chatters, until it is time for -the last of the evening trains to leave for Sarajevo. - -Like the Turks of any Eastern city those of Sarajevo comprise many -different sects, and it was on the day before I took my departure that -a Bosnian porter, whose patron I had been repeatedly during my stay -in the city, and who took seriously to heart the alleged fabulous -wealth of _all_ English-speaking people, came to my hotel to ask if I -might care to witness a Dervish dance that evening. These calisthenic -devotions, held by this most fanatical sect of Mohammedans in their -mosque upon the night of each full moon, constitute a weird religious -ceremony, not excelled as a spectacle even by the famous Antelope -and Snake Dances of the Hopi Indians, and I promptly accepted the -invitation to attend. - -[Illustration: “THE REAL DEVOTEES OF THE RACES.”] - -Shortly after nine o’clock, my guide, the pronunciation of whose real -name sounded so much like “Jim” that I shall hereafter allude to him as -such, called for me, and together we started off for the darkened -Turkish quarter. With Jim in the lead, carrying in his hand a ponderous -Turkish lantern, which resembled more an oil can than anything I can -think of, we stumbled over the cobbles, through the narrow streets, -past the latticed windows of the low-roofed Turkish houses and, after -three-quarters of an hour (during which time I am safe in saying we -climbed every hill in the town) we arrived at the door of the Dervish -mosque. - -In the courtyard the bodies of several of the departed lay in state, -as is the Mohammedan custom before burial. After proceeding through -several rooms and negotiating as best we could as many flights of dark, -precipitous stairs, we finally found ourselves in a balcony overlooking -the room in which the “dance” was to take place. On the opposite side -of the balcony from us, behind closely-woven lattice-work, was seated a -group of female admirers of the dancers. On the floor below, at one end -of the room, stood a shrine, on each side of which a Dervish apostle -sat cross-legged. The pungent odour of burning incense and candles -filled the atmosphere. - -Presently the worshippers, all men, arrived, removed their slippers -and squatted on the floor facing the altar, forming a semi-circle. -When all were seated, probably thirty in number, one of the patriarchs -near the shrine commenced a low, dismal chant. After many repetitions -this was memorized by the worshippers, who then chanted it together, -emphasizing the first beat of a common time rhythm, their bodies -swaying in unison from side to side. The tempo of the song and the -movement of the bodies accelerated gradually. At the end of ten or -fifteen minutes this particular chant was stopped abruptly and another -was commenced, which continued for an equal length of time. - -But to worship in a sitting posture did not seem to produce the desired -effect and the men, at the beginning of the succeeding wail, arose -to their knees to continue the services. Swinging and grunting in -this position tended to heighten their emotions to a greater extent, -and some of the worshippers became so accustomed to and numbed by -the swaying movement that they hopped about the floor in a state of -semi-consciousness, their faces engraven with an almost unearthly look, -like that of sufferers from delirium tremens. At the end of each chant -several required being led back by their fellows to their original -positions in the semi-circle. - -Still they were not satisfied with the result, and, after an hour of -howling in sitting and kneeling positions, they stood up to put a more -emotional finishing touch to their devout proceedings. By this time the -floor was littered with fallen turbans and the rugs used to kneel upon -were scattered about the room. After several more exhaustive efforts -to work off their superfluous religious ardour had been resorted to -without apparent avail, the men snatched drums and cymbals from hooks -upon the wall and commenced beating them furiously, in rhythm to -the wails of the priests. The din produced on these instruments was -almost deafening and the antics and shouts of the chanting fanatics -transformed the place, literally, into the interior of a madhouse. -During the final scene all were shouting at once, each trying to outdo -the other, as if to receive some recognition for his religious ability -from the high priests. From time to time a Dervish would fall upon the -floor, completely enervated but trying, unconsciously, to continue his -part. On the whole it constituted one of the most repulsive sights of -infidel worship. - -At half-past eleven the “dance” was over and I was quite willing to -take up my position behind Jim and be guided through the narrow streets -back to civilization. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -FROM SARAJEVO TO THE COAST - -Jablaniča—Mostar—Across the Mountains—The Balkan Riviera—Ragusa: - The Fairy City of the Adriatic. - - -From Sarajevo the narrow-gauge railway line makes a gradual ascent of -the mountains, the engineer assuring the safety of himself and his -passengers now and again by applying the rachet attachment, for the -grades are very steep. Finally the divide is crossed a short while -before the train reaches the picturesque little village of Konjiča, -a meagre assortment of red-roofed, white-walled houses, including the -inevitable mosque tower, literally dumped in among the green hills with -pleasing effect. - -[Illustration: A GORGE OF THE NARENTA, NEAR JABLANIČA.] - -Farther along at Jablaniča—where, although a village of but two -hundred souls, the accommodations of a good hotel beckon to the -traveller to spend some time in this vicinity, should the grandeur -of the surrounding mountain scenery appeal to him as it did to us—a -gorge of the Narenta is crossed and from this point the line follows -the defile of the river as far as Mostar. A military road of stone -foundation, which would tempt the most apprehensive of automobile -tourists, twines itself, like a white thread, along the opposite side -of the river from the railway, now bridging with stone arches the -waterfall of a mountain stream at its debouchment into the river below, -now circling the base of an overhanging cliff, now shooting into a -short tunnel blasted through the solid rock. A wall of stone masonry -borders the outer edge of the road at the dangerous places. - -While the adjacent mountains are wild, rugged and severe in their -bleakness, the valleys between them are fertile and productive. Almost -any cereal which thrives in temperate latitudes grows readily. Indeed, -in travelling through Bosnia to-day the farms of prosperous land-owners -so stretch themselves across the undulating sections of country between -the higher mountain ranges that the observer might easily imagine -himself circling a great agricultural section of England or America. - -Jablaniča is a much-patronized summer resort for the people of -both Sarajevo and Mostar, and from it as a starting-point climbing -excursions into the mountains may be made in every direction. -Responsible guides will be supplied at the hotel for comparatively -small sums. The air here is delightfully clear and invigorating; even -on the warmest days the cooling shade of the extensive gardens which -surround the hotel is much too enticing to allow one to hurry along to -Mostar. As a quiet, charming place to recuperate, for as long a time -as you will, from the fatigues of travel in the Balkans, I can suggest -a no more convenient, or a no more fascinating spot than right here at -the hotel in this diminutive village of Jablaniča. If you do not -care to climb mountains you may revel in a general rest, for a few -days at least. Even the name of the place requires no special lingual -effort to pronounce, once you become familiar with these Slavonic -combinations; you merely have to say “Yab-lā-nitz-ā”—it just -sort of rolls along your tongue from the palate to the lips, and then -drops. - -In Mostar, the capital of the Herzegovina, the sewing-machine -advertisements offer about the only hint that you are living in the -twentieth century, for this city seems to have adhered more closely to -mediæval methods than any in the Balkans. - -The Narenta River, which divides the town, is a shallow mountain stream -at times, but after a period of heavy rains it surges down through the -mountain gorges and over the grotesque lavic rocks, ripping away its -banks and necessitating the inhabitants of the town whose homes border -its scaly sides to build their houses upon stilts. - -Mostar may boast of, or bemoan, as the case may be, a collection of -thirty mosques, for, of its fourteen thousand population, half are -Mohammedans, and two thousand of the remaining half comprise the troops -of an Austria-Hungarian garrison. The streets of the town are dirty and -narrow, and the sun beats down between the white walls of the houses -as if in the tropics. A bridge of modern steel construction spans the -Narenta just near the hotel of that name, while half a mile farther -down the river one of the most famous bridges in all Europe stretches -its single arch out of the shadows across the sea-blue water of the -Narenta, which gurgles in and out among the volcanic boulders ninety -feet below the key-stone. The age of this bridge is indeterminable. -It is supposed to have been built by the Cæsars at a time when the -Herzegovina was a Roman province. Be that as it may, nothing like -its construction or architecture is to be seen in bridge-building in -Europe, no matter how ancient or how modern, and it is still used by -market-people and the inhabitants of that quarter of the city. One -would almost expect to see a centurion or two, in togas and sandals, -walk out across the old structure any minute. - -The veiled Turkish women of Mostar are world-famous for the style of -their headdress, which is as characteristic of this city as the old -bridge itself. In addition to being heavily veiled they wear a sort of -black hood of stiffened material, which protrudes in front like the -upper half of the pointed bill of a bird. - -But, aside from the Roman bridge, the veiled women, and an old Turkish -graveyard, there is really nothing much of interest in Mostar. At any -rate, after a short visit here, you will be a little tired of the -sameness of these cities, which the Turk fain would still hold as his -own, and you will want to hurry along to the Dalmatian coast towns, -as different from those you have recently visited as day is from -night; different climates, different peoples having different customs, -different architectures; all so different that when you come upon them -you will wonder if you haven’t been awakened suddenly, then launched -upon another dream-excursion. - -[Illustration: THE OLD ROMAN BRIDGE, MOSTAR.] - -Again, after leaving Mostar, the railroad commences to climb, -snake-like, over the mountains toward the coast, for the building of -this road has required no small amount of engineering skill. It would -be difficult to find in England or America, or in fact in any other -country, a railway line more substantially built or kept in better -condition. The crushed rock track ballast is evened off at each side -of the rails as if with a pair of calipers, the roadbed is smooth and -the grades, although long, are not as steep as would be imagined, -considering the heights to be climbed. At Ravna the final ascent of the -mountains is commenced and from here to the top the road is built on an -almost continuous wall of stone masonry. - -As you wind around the mountain peaks wonderful views of the valley -below, dotted here and there with white specks of human beings busily -at work, are before you, now on one side, now on the other. The fields -resemble square patches of brown or green plush rubbed both ways, -according to the angle of light as it falls upon them. Ahead, the -railway line seems to be made up of tunnels, great stone arches that -bridge deep ravines and cuts and fills which follow one another in -rapid succession. On the distant hills you may see the remains of watch -towers once used by lookouts, from which were observed the movements of -Turkish invaders in the days when the gates of Vienna were threatened -by the depredating Mohammedans. - -A little beyond Uskoplje, as suddenly as you would come into the light -from the darkness of a tunnel, is displayed before you, as if molded -with clay upon a great flat canvas, a most extraordinary panorama of -that part of the Dalmatian coast. - -Might you have had the uninterrupted view of the engineer you would -have seen at first but a narrow defile in the mountains ahead, in the -centre of which the rails of the road meet in perspective, like two -glossy ribbons, and then seem to shoot out into a blue-vaulted void -beyond. By bringing into play a very little imagination you might be -willing to believe you were nearing the edge of the earth. But, as -you approach, a panorama unfolds itself,—a panorama of that strip of -territory which fringes the north-eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, -Austria-Hungary’s only coast line. It is a panorama of an historic land -of perennial loveliness. It is a panorama of a land of flowers, of -sunshine and deep shadows; a land of wonderful walls and bold bastiles; -a land of gayety, where Austria-Hungarian aristocracy, all-appreciative -of its charms, sits and looks out upon the amethystine waters by -day, and strolls languorously along the sea-parades by night; a land -of quaint, fortified cities, jealous of their histories; a land of -interesting, picturesque, unsophisticated peasant peoples. Withal -it is a new, and, as yet, comparatively an unpenetrated land to the -English-speaking traveller, scenery-lover or pleasure-seeker, and I -have taken the liberty to coin a new name for it—The Balkan Riviera. - -From this point in the defile the road twists and turns like a scenic -railway, and almost doubles in its tracks as it zig-zags down the -precipitous sides of the mountains, the Adriatic ever blending into the -gray sky-line in the distance. - -Finally, after making in its descent many snake-like coils, the train -passes the source of the beautiful Ombla, with its swan-dotted lake, -and you will have arrived at Gravosa, the port and railway terminus -of Ragusa. In three hours, it seems, you have been hustled from a -temperate into a tropical climate. - -But for those who do not care for travel through Bosnia and the -Herzegovina there is a vastly more convenient route, possibly one that -makes a more perfect pleasure trip, by which to reach this Balkan -Riviera, for Trieste, just across the gulf from Venice, and Fiume, on -the eastern shores of the Istrian Peninsula, are also gateways to this -land of types and flowers. - -If you take steamer from either of these towns you will be whisked down -along the Dalmatian coast, through the fjord-like passages between the -thousands of islands which form the tassels to the fringe of country -beyond, and by and by you will come within sight of that little old -town of many vicissitudes—Ragusa. - -It seems almost an enchanted spot and you will call it “The Fairy City -of the Adriatic.” - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -RAGUSA - -As She Is—The First Colony—The Fire of 1292—The Black - Death—Hungary Acquires the Place—Ragusa Establishes Her - Independence—Plague—Earthquake—Napoleon Takes Ragusa—The City - Ceded to Austria. - - -As does Venice in the north, so Ragusa in the south surpasses in lustre -all of those pearl-cities which dot the Dalmatian shores. - -But you must be content, if you come by steamer, with merely a -long-distance glimpse of your “Enchanted City” for the time being, -because the steamer will put into Gravosa, a short two knots to the -north, where the waters of its magnificent harbour are of sufficient -depth for safe navigation, and where the docking facilities are of a -more recent vintage. The noisy little freighters of light draft which -ply up and down this Adriatic coast still make Ragusa a port of call, -however, and the _molo_ there is by no means a scene of inactivity. -The larger passenger steamers, however, after leaving Gravosa, do not -deign even to hesitate at Ragusa, but puff by indifferently as if such -a city never occupied space on the map, bound for Corfu and the Levant. - -So here, at Gravosa, you will take a carriage and drive out through the -time-honoured sea-gate of the town, the blue Adriatic murmuring below -you on one side, and a continuous arbour of beauty bowing a floral -welcome to you on the other, the short distance to this dream-city of -Ragusa. Immense cacti grow in luxuriance from out the very walls of -stone that border the road; fig and olive trees clothe the neighbouring -hills in blankets of green velvet; rows of palmettos rear their scaly -trunks by the roadside and curl their broad leaves to hold the moisture -of the fallen dew. - -On approaching nearer to Ragusa a greater profusion of semi-tropical -verdure lends a charming background to the numerous white-walled, -red-roofed villas which top the rocky shore line, while a modern hotel, -up to date in all its appointments, looks out from behind its gardens -over the battlements and fortresses of the old city. In the evening a -military band plays near the wall, which skirts the edge of one of the -cliffs just outside the city gates; crowds of care-free visitors occupy -seats at the near-by tables, listening to the music, drinking and -gazing out over the brilliant reflection of the moon upon the water, -while at their backs the splendid towers of the old fortifications -frown down upon the happy throng, as if in silent pleading for just a -little while in which to tell of the changes they have seen. - -[Illustration: THE HARBOUR OF GRAVOSA.] - -The ancient moat surrounding the walls, now magically transformed into -a garden filled with flowers of every conceivable shape and colour, is -the haven of artists; it is bridged by a permanent stone arch which -leads by winding passageways through the principal gate of the city, -the Porta Pille, into the Corso beyond. Above this massive gateway, in -a niche, is placed a small carved statue of the patron saint of Ragusa, -San Biagio. The Corso, within, is probably two hundred yards long, wide -and paved with stone. On either side it is bounded by shops, while at -the east and the west ends respectively stand the Custom House, through -which is the exit to the docks, and the Porta Pille. Just inside the -Porta Pille stands a magnificent fountain of huge proportions, built in -1435 by the famous Neapolitan architect, Onofrio di la Cava, who also, -in the same year, perfected the system still in use for conducting -fresh water to the city from the Gionchetto, eight miles distant, and -re-erected the palace which had been burnt down in 1432. - -Opposite this fountain is the Franciscan church of Mala Brača, the -doorway of which, from the point of view of the architect, is worthy of -some study. - -Behind the town to the north the barren slopes of Mount Sergius -interrupt the view inland. It may be interesting for our own -conservationists to note that at one time this mountain was so thickly -wooded that Ragusa was given the Illyric sobriquet of “Dubrovnik,” or -“The Woody,” but now not a tree nor a shrub can be seen upon its entire -sterile surface. - -Off to the south lies the beautiful islet of La Croma. Tradition -says that Richard Cœur de Lion, while returning from the Crusades, -was threatened with shipwreck just off this island. While the storm -was raging at its height, in an attempt to court Divine Providence, -he declared he would build a church upon the spot where his caravel -happened to be beached if he and his crew be saved from the fury of -the elements. Scarcely had he finished his prayer when the ship thrust -its prow into the wooded shores of La Croma and here, to fulfil his -promise, he built a chapel. - -The history of Ragusa reads like the romance it is, for it is doubtful -if any other city of Europe has been so tightly and tragically wound -around the finger of Fate. - -[Illustration: RAGUSA,—MOUNT SERGIUS IN THE BACKGROUND.] - -Many conflicting accounts of its founding have been published, but -the real history of Ragusa begins at the time of the victory of the -Venetians over the Narentines in the struggle for the supremacy of the -Adriatic. Policy compelled its citizens, descendants of the refugees -from the fallen Illyrian capitals who have been accredited with the -founding of Ragusa, to favour the Narentines, and with their fall -Ragusa came under the yoke of the Venetians. - -The original city corresponded to the southern portion or modern -Ragusa, but later, the Romans absorbed a rival colony and included the -whole within the walls which stood, approximately, on the line of the -present fortifications. - -In the year 1292 a series of periodical disasters commenced in Ragusa, -the blighting results of which no city of to-day could possibly sustain. - -On August 16th of that year, while the little territory was being -pillaged by the Servians in alliance with the people of Cattaro, but a -few miles down the coast, a fire broke out and destroyed a greater part -of the city; at that time all the houses were built of wood gathered -from the forests of Mount Sergius, all except the Rector’s castle and -the churches. Fire was followed by famine and epidemic. Those of -the heart-sick population who survived were finally persuaded not to -abandon the city, public subscriptions were raised for the destitute -and a new town was built on the same site. - -When the great plague, or “Black Death,” swept across Europe in 1348 -eleven thousand souls were said to have perished within the walls of -Ragusa. - -Exactly ten years later Ragusa, then included in the Dalmatian -territory belonging to Venice, was ceded to Hungary and the payments -of all tributes hitherto given to Venice were transferred with the -country. In return, Lewis of Hungary pledged himself to protect Ragusa -and to allow her to govern herself, as had Venice before him. - -Under Hungarian protection Ragusa felt herself develop an extensive -power. In this she was abetted by Lewis himself, who interceded for -her with the Pope for permission to trade with the Turks. He even -allowed her to elect her own Count and tended her many other unheard of -privileges. - -[Illustration: THE WALLS OF RAGUSA.] - -In 1418 Dalmatia again passed into the hands of Venice. Then it -was that Ragusa revolted, and, three years later, she established -successfully an independence, which she enjoyed for almost four -hundred years. A steady commercial progress marked this period of -her history, and it only reached its climax after the fall of Venice -in 1797. As early as 1417 slave-dealing was forbidden in Ragusa and -adjudged by the assembly as “base, wicked and abominable.” A foundling -hospital was established in 1432, and in 1435 teachers were invited -from Italy to instruct in the public schools. - -The little principality became the haven of many wealthy and noble -families from the Slavonic kingdoms in the interior, who had been -driven from their lands by the marauding Turks. But Ragusa, on the -other hand, made friends with the deceitful Mohammedans, traded with -them, and, at the same time, cannily strengthened her fortifications -against them. Ragusa made treaties of commerce with Spain in 1494, with -France in 1508 and with Egypt in 1510, which latter treaty smoothed the -sea for her along the course to the East Indies. Her “argosies” (the -word “argosy” means literally “a vessel of Ragusa”) were to be found -in every commercial port, and, at the time of the fall of Venice, her -mercantile marine had risen rapidly to more than four hundred sail. - -But during this period of trade-building the misfortunes of Ragusa were -many. - -Only by the loyalty and indomitable pluck of her sons was she able -to rise so many times from her dust and ashes, while the whole world -marvelled at such determination to outlive the destruction wrought by -nature and the elements. - -In 1462 plague broke out among the inhabitants of the town and two -thousand people succumbed to its ravages. The same year a disastrous -fire destroyed the Rector’s palace and the arsenal. - -May 17, 1520, was the date on which commenced a series of earthquake -shocks, which continued intermittently for twenty months. Many houses -were demolished and it became the custom of the people to place the -passover mark, I. H. S., above their doors as a devout entreaty for -Divine protection. Finally, the earthquakes ceased, but six years -later the germs of the plague were carried to Ragusa in the stuffs of -a trader from Ancona. The unfortunate merchant was dragged through the -streets and tortured by the infuriated, panic-stricken citizens, the -Senate fled to Gravosa, and only a small guard remained to quiet and to -ease the sufferings of the terrified inhabitants. For six long months -the pestilence raged within the walls and no less than twenty thousand -souls fell victims to its terrible havoc. - -Then Turkey in the east, and Venice in the west, took advantage of -Ragusa’s weakness and preyed upon her, the Turks especially making the -most of her misfortunes for their own aggrandizement. - -The plague re-appeared from time to time, and in 1580 and 1639 the town -was again visited by earthquakes. - -But the historical bench-mark of Ragusa was the great seismic -disturbance of 1667. With this as the basis, the dates of all -subsequent or previous events of importance were calculated; even -to-day the people of the town will tell you that the church of San -Biagio was destroyed by fire “thirty-nine years after _the_ earthquake.” - -Early in the morning of April 6th, 1667, this great disaster descended -without any warning upon the people of Ragusa. The earth seemed to roll -and vibrate under the internal pressure; immense fissures were cleft in -the surface and almost every house in the city was razed to the ground; -five thousand citizens, the Rector of the Republic included among them, -perished. The ruins took fire and the town was looted by hordes of -plunderers; even the treasures of the churches were carried away. - -Because the Ragusans had made some armed resistance against the Turks, -many of whom were among the chief looters, the Sublime Porte demanded -an explanation. Nicola Bona and Marino Gozze were chosen as peace -commissioners to Turkey, but both were thrown into prison at Silistria. -Two others that followed suffered the same fate. - -Although deluged with misfortunes Ragusa prospered, but her continued -prosperity was not watched without some jealousy on the part of the -powers of Europe. At the height of her ascendency, Russia and France -both grew hungry for her, and Russia, aided by the Montenegrins, -bombarded and sacked the city. In 1806 Napoleon took Ragusa, and eight -years later the combined efforts of England and Austria caused the -haughty, supercilious little principality to be annexed to Austria. - -You will find such an exaggerated air of independence among the -Ragusans of to-day that you will little wonder that they held -themselves for four hundred years against the nations of Europe and -outlived the effects of their calamities. - -I was talking with a native on the Corso one day and happened to ask -him, casually, what was the nature of the reception the people of -Ragusa tendered the Austrian Emperor upon the occasion of his visit a -short time before. He seemed offended that I even intimated that they -had given the Emperor a reception, and assured me that the Ragusans had -taken the matter of his visit as an occasion of no importance whatever. -But he hastened to tell me in detail of the demonstration planned for -the Crown Prince of Montenegro, who was expected soon to make a short -stay in the city. - -Ragusa, as I have said, is the much favoured winter resort of the -Austrian and Hungarian aristocracy, and it would be difficult to -imagine a more delightful one. The climate is ideal. Although the -atmosphere is free from humidity the sun of a summer’s day is quite -hot—so hot, in fact, that you will be tempted to indulge in a -three-dollar white duck suit at one of the little shops along the Corso. - -The evenings, however, are always agreeably cool. Then the band plays -in the “piazza,” on the top of the cliff, and the town awakens from -its apparent lethargy. From the docks the sardine fishermen, after -overhauling their tiny craft, put out to sea in the evening twilight, -to make their nightly catch among the bays and inlets of the rock-bound -coast. Beyond the bastiles and sea-fortresses the afterglow of the -brilliant sunset tinges La Croma in hues of purple and gold. - -At night the soft breezes, redolent of the perfume of the garden below, -are wafted through the latticed windows; the band seems to play the -last number on the program with irresistible rhythm; the tuneful songs -of Austrian sailors, as they return to their ships in the harbour of -Gravosa after an evening of revelry, swell out upon the night air and -die away—and before you realize it the morning sunlight is streaming -through the Venetian window-shades, forming bars of gold that stretch -across the polished floor, while the sea glitters and dashes musically -against the bases of the cliffs just a little beyond your window. - -Truly, Ragusa is the fairy city of the Adriatic. - -[Illustration: THE SEA FORTS OF RAGUSA.] - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -THE BOCCHE DI CATTARO - -Steamer-day at Gravosa—Ragusa from the Sea—The Bocche di - Cattaro—Castelnuovo—Cattaro and Her Mountain Background. - - -I can assure you that it will be a hard matter to tear yourself away -from Ragusa. You will want to stroll through her narrow streets, or -watch the market-people in the public square, or play long sets of -tennis on the excellent courts in the shadows of the turreted town -walls, or sip “citronade” indefinitely under the awnings of the street -cafés near the Corso. There is a weird, delightful charm about Ragusa -that is well-nigh irresistible. - -But just in the midst of ecstatic enjoyment there always looms up that -infallible something, which will, sooner or later, put an unwelcome end -to all good things; and we finally found ourselves facing our luggage -on the drive back, along the flower-skirted road to Gravosa to take the -steamer for Cattaro. - -As we wound around an overhanging cliff we caught sight of the -beautiful bay, and were able for the first time to appreciate its -advantages. Its waters were smooth as a dancing floor; here and there -a smart little launch with striped awnings darted up and down; across -the harbour the gardens of handsome villas extended down to the water’s -edge, while out in the roadstead the gray hulls of a squadron of -Austrian sea-fighters silhouetted themselves against the sky-line. - -The _molo_ itself was a scene of animation. It was crowded with people, -peasants, sailors and tradesmen, for the steamer _Codolo_ from up the -coast had just been made fast, and the arrival of any passenger steamer -is an event of no little import at Gravosa. - -But what of unusual interest did the _Codolo_ have in store to occasion -such wholesale manifestation of inquisitiveness among the natives of -the town? Even our driver confessed he had never seen such a gathering -on the _molo_. The arrival of an official of high rank, probably. But -no, there seemed to be an absolute dearth of uniformed soldiery, and -no state official could possibly arrive without the attending pomp and -circumstance. - -We drove through the old sea-gate at a gallop and descended pell-mell -upon the _molo_, our driver walloping his horses through the crowd -with reckless abandon and utter disregard for human life or limb, for -_he_ was curious, too. - -As we came to a jerky halt at the foot of the gangway we saw that on -the steamer’s deck stood a great, mud-coloured object, which somewhat -resembled in size and contour the broadside of an elephant. This -mastodon, whatever it might be, was swathed in tarpaulins. - -Tackle and planks were being rigged rapidly, and, at last, the puzzling -what-was-it was skidded to the _molo_ from the deck of the steamer. The -gaping crowd stood breathless with anticipation while the tarpaulins -were raised, and behold! a motor-omnibus for use on the road between -the steamer piers at Gravosa and the fashionable hotel in Ragusa. -Wonder of Wonders! The first automobile to denature with the fumes of -gasoline the virgin atmosphere of lower Dalmatia. - -This marvellous machine was the most cumbersome parcel of freight -consigned to Gravosa and soon the reversed twin screws of the steamer -were churning the placid waters of the harbour into filmy patches -of white froth. We backed away from the _molo_ and its burden of -inquisitive onlookers, turned about and headed speedily for the narrow -harbour exit, through which we caught glimpses of the blue of the -Adriatic beyond. - -The four hour sea trip from Gravosa to Cattaro is one replete with -scenic surprises, and the first of these is a magnificent panorama of -Ragusa and her stately fortresses as we round the rocky promontory just -to the north of the town. Ragusa is inviting enough from land, but when -viewed from the sea it is fascinating beyond description. - -For a distance after passing Ragusa the coast line is unprotected -from the winds and storms of the Adriatic but, except in early spring -or late fall, little fear of the sudden rising of a “Bora” or a -“Scirocco,” the winds most dreaded along the Dalmatian coast, need be -felt. On account of the depth of water the course taken by the steamers -is always within easy sight of the shore, and the mountains seem to -rise directly from the red-tiled roofs of the village houses. - -After the steamer rounds Punta d’Ostro, with her mediæval castle and -modern fortifications which keep watch for Austria over this part -of her territory, an hour’s ride through some of the most beautiful -scenery is in store for the traveller, for this promontory marks the -entrance of the famous Bocche di Cattaro, the most wonderful and best -naturally protected harbour in the world. I should not say that at -this point is the “entrance” to the Bocche, for the word “Bocche” -itself is the plural of “Boca” and means, literally, “entrances” or -“mouths,” but the term “Bocche di Cattaro” has been so generally -applied to the basins themselves which, together, make up the harbour, -that it enjoys almost universal usage. - -Of these basins there are three which are of considerable expanse, -resembling small inland seas: the basins of Castelnuovo, Teodo and -Cattaro. The remaining two, for there are five in all, are not so -extensive and might be considered as bays leading off from the larger -bodies of water. These latter are joined by narrow straits or channels, -which is not the case with the smaller bays, like that of Risano. -The narrowest Boca is at the entrance of the sea of Perasto and is -familiarly known as “La Catene,” because of the fact that at the time -when Lewis of Hungary was defending Cattaro against the Venetians he -sealed up the entrance to this particular body of water by stretching -a “chain” across the mouth so that it would be impossible for the -caravels of the enemy to enter. - -Lofty, barren peaks rise on every side from the very shore line, -while the water of the harbour is peacefully calm, translucent -and, in colour, a deep blue, rendered deeper by the dark shadows of -the overhanging mountains. Constantine Porphyrogenitus, the ancient -historian of the country, probably stretched the time limit an hour or -two when he said that the sun never penetrated the Bocche di Cattaro -except in summer, but, nevertheless, it has been proven a fact that in -the course of a winter’s day Cattaro enjoys but five hours of sunlight, -so hemmed in is it between the tall mountain peaks and ranges. - -The picturesque little town of Castelnuovo lies directly across the -bay from the Punto d’Ostro. In front of the town the steamer stops -long enough for a few fussy Dalmatian women to climb down the ship’s -accommodation ladder to the boats, which have put out from shore -to take off any passengers or freight the steamer may be carrying -consigned to Castelnuovo. - -[Illustration: A GENERAL VIEW OF CASTELNUOVO.] - -Steaming onward toward Cattaro we pass two small islets, each of which -seems barely large enough to keep the little churches and gardens which -they hold on their surfaces from sliding into the bay. Upon one of them -stands the monastery of San Giorgio, strikingly diminutive and quaint, -but complete from bell-tower to cloister; on the other island is the -chapel of Santa Maria della Scarpello, containing a portrait of the -Madonna said to have been painted by none other than St. Luke. - -As we enter the bay of Cattaro, after turning abruptly around the foot -of a cliff, the view is one of beauty beyond adequate description. -Ahead, at the farther end of the bay, the town of Cattaro clings like -a vegetable parasite to the steep base of the majestic mountain. -Above it the famous “Ladder,” the trail used by the Montenegrins for -five hundred years to descend from their mountain homes to Cattaro on -market-days, scales the face of Mount Lovčen (pronounced Lovtchen); -higher up, and a little to the right, may be seen the white zig-zags -of the wonderful wagon road to Cettinje, the smallest and most -inaccessible capital in Europe. - -But distance lends enchantment to Cattaro, and the most favourable -impressions of the town may be had from the deck of the steamer. Once -having set foot on the stone quay the place seems to have lost its -individuality, and reminds one of any other town which has huddled -itself together under the dominating influences of the Venetians. You -might think that the houses had been thrown upon each other in a heap, -and when someone wished to move about the town he dug a path between -them as he needed it. The streets, if such they may be called, are -little more than passageways between the walls of the houses. The -hotels are dirty and offer the poorest excuses for accommodations to be -found in the Balkans. - -On Saturdays the Montenegrins from the mountains climb down the -“Ladder” to the market in Cattaro, first being compelled to leave their -weapons in the custody of an Austrian official outside the city gates. -In the evening they climb wearily back to their homes, with nothing to -look forward to but the market on the following Saturday. - -Notwithstanding the unattractiveness of the town, there are two very -patent reasons for visiting Cattaro. One is, that the delightfulness -of the boat trip through the Bocche, with its magnificent scenery, -far excels anything of the sort to be had south of Norway or north -of the Straits of Magellan, and the other, that the drive over the -Black Mountains to Cettinje unveils to the traveller some of the most -wonderful views to be had in Europe. Indeed, it is said that the -panorama of the Bocche and the Adriatic from the cloud-encircled summit -of the mountain cannot be surpassed in the whole world. - -[Illustration: THE FAMOUS “LADDER” ACROSS THE FACE OF MOUNT LOVČEN.] - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -MONTENEGRO - -The Gibraltar of the Balkan Peninsula—The Settling of - Montenegro—Peter I—The Family of Petrovich—Prince Nikola—The - Montenegrin Costume—Incidents of War—The Montenegro of To-day. - - -A mere niche in the mountain wall of south-eastern Europe, with the -blue rollers of the Adriatic pounding relentlessly against its meagre -coast line and hemmed in on the remaining three sides by nominal -provinces of hostile Turkey, lies Montenegro, the Gibraltar of the -Balkan Peninsula. Notwithstanding the fact that it is the smallest of -the free Balkan states, its total area covering but three thousand -five hundred square miles, half the size of Wales and but three times -as large as the state of Rhode Island, with an estimated population -less than that of the single city of Buffalo, Montenegro remains as -yet unconquered. For five hundred years its handful of patriots have -withstood successfully the onslaughts of the hordes of Turks, fighting -for every inch of rocky territory that was finally ceded to them by -the Powers of Europe in 1878. - -The history of Montenegro begins at the time of the Turkish victory -over the Servians at Kossovo, June 28, 1389. It is a history of nothing -but war because, on account of their surroundings, the Montenegrins -have had nothing to do with commerce and the arts of peace. Indeed, it -was, and is yet, except in a few fertile valleys, almost a geographical -impossibility for them to cultivate the soil, and the Turks, in their -ferocious attempts to subjugate the eastern half of Europe, harassed -the Montenegrins so continually on all sides that there was little else -to think of but war. - -[Illustration: A GROUP OF MONTENEGRINS.] - -To delve briefly into the beginning of things, this Land of the Black -Mountain was settled by a dauntless band of Servian refugees who, after -the battle of Kossovo, when Tzar Lazar, Emperor of Servia, was defeated -by the Turks, preferred liberty in some wild country of their own at -any price, rather than live under the domination of the Mohammedans. -They fled, accordingly, into the Black Mountains and there commenced -the story of the Montenegrins and their strenuous existence. This story -has been written in the blood of the Ottoman, but never once during the -five hundred years of almost continuous war that followed did Turkey -gain a permanent foothold in Montenegro. - -Strange to say, even at the present writing, Montenegro does not -maintain what would be called in military vernacular a “standing -army.” The “regulars” comprise two companies of thirty-two men each, -each company taking its turn in guarding the palace and acting in the -capacity of secret service sleuths for the Prince. But the spirit of -patriotism within the breast of every Montenegrin demands that he stand -ready to defend his country to-day, as he has done in the past. Except -for those of the guards who peer out from the open doorways of the -little peppermint sentry-boxes outside the Prince’s palace, a military -uniform is a rare sight in Cettinje, the miniature capital. - -In a country like Montenegro, guerilla warfare is the best possible -method of defence, and to it the Montenegrins are particularly well -adapted. To the mountainous nature of their land is partly due the many -decisive victories which they have gained over the Turks, who have sent -army after army of from forty thousand to two hundred thousand men -against the stubborn little band of fighters. Another point in their -favour is the rapidity with which their forces may be mobilized. On one -occasion, in 1887, six thousand men were assembled on the Austrian -frontier, between eight o’clock in the evening and four the following -morning. Doubtless, even to-day, the whole available Montenegrin -military force of more than forty-two thousand men might be strung -along the frontier within four or five days at the most. - -It seems stretching it a point or two to say that eight thousand men -would be able under any circumstances to put to flight an army of sixty -thousand, but such was the case in 1604 when a comparatively small -band of Montenegrins defeated almost seven and one-half times their -number of Turks. In 1796, under Peter I, at Kroussa, the Turks received -their most crushing defeat. Thirty thousand of them were slain and the -Montenegrin leader himself killed Kara Mahmoud, the Turkish general, -and spitted his head on his sword. This mountain warrior was of a -family which has ruled in the land for two hundred years and was an -antecedent of the reigning Prince. - -In those days the leader was called a “Vladika,” or Prince-Bishop, who -combined both spiritual and temporal power. This Bishop being celibate -the office passed from uncle to nephew until 1852 when an absolute -principality was established, to be ruled over by hereditary Princes -with unconditional autocratic power. - -Prince Nikola, the present ruler, the seventh of the family of -Petrovich of Njegushi who has governed Montenegro, succeeded to the -title in 1860, after the assassination of his unpopular uncle, Danilo -II. Nikola is now almost seventy years of age, but tall, erect and -deep-chested, and carries his years as becomes the fighter and leader -he has been. He received his education in Paris and in Trieste, and -is gifted with no ordinary literary talents, having written many -poems commemorating the victories of the Montenegrins over the Turks, -in addition to two plays, “The Empress of the Balkans” and “Prince -Arbanit,” which still enjoy occasional runs behind the kerosene -footlights on the exiguous stage of the little theatre in Cettinje. -His civil list amounts to but $25,000, and it means a strain on his -revenues to supply his two elder sons with $6,000 a year each. - -Her Majesty, Queen Helena of Italy, who so endeared herself to the -hearts of her subjects at the scenes of the recent earthquake in -Sicily, is the most illustrious of Prince Nikola’s nine children. -She was born in the palace at Cettinje in 1872 and was brought up in -the strictest economy, according to the traditions of the family of -Petrovich. She was a girl of “God’s out-of-doors,” and the episodes of -her early life taught her the trails of the Black Mountain and whither -they led. It is said she could handle a rifle as well as any of her -three brothers. She was also a favourite of her relative, Alexander -of Russia, and through his liberality was taken to St. Petersburg and -educated. The heir to the throne of Italy met her later in Venice, fell -ardently in love with her and they were married on October 4, 1896. - -When at home the Prince wears his national dress consisting of a small, -round cap (_kapitza_) embroidered in gold on the top with the letters -“N. I.”; a long white, or light blue, cloak of broadcloth (_dolama_ or -_gunj_), circled at the waist by a fancy girdle, in the front of which -nestles a formidable array of cumbersome firearms; a red waist-coat -(_jalek_); a short, richly embroidered Zouave jacket (_jamada_); loose, -blue knickerbockers (_shalwar_); sandals (_opanka_); and carries across -his shoulder a dark-coloured plaid shawl with heavy fringe (_struka_). -That he makes himself popular goes without question, for it is said -that he knows personally every citizen in Cettinje and will call each -by name when the occasion arises. - -[Illustration: A TYPICAL MONTENEGRIN GIRL.] - -In 1861-62 Nikola meted out to the invading Turks a noteworthy -defeat. Again in 1877-78 he defeated ninety thousand Turks, with a -much inferior number of Montenegrins, and drove them from the country, -killing and wounding twelve thousand. - -Many interesting anecdotes are told of the daring and bravery of the -Montenegrins in their struggles to save their country from the covetous -grasp of the Mohammedans. Only a band of men driven to desperation -in almost inaccessible mountain regions could possibly withstand so -many attacks of such overwhelming odds as were hurled against them. -In one famous battle at Kristatz a small band of two thousand engaged -thirty thousand Turks under Suleiman Pasha, inflicting a loss of three -thousand five hundred upon the enemy, while the number of their own -dead totalled but seven hundred. On another occasion at Jezero the -Montenegrins killed four hundred and eighty Turks, sustaining a loss of -but thirty-six killed and wounded. - -During this latter engagement a powerful mountaineer of the clan of -Paperi, having distinguished himself at the battle of Vucidol by -capturing Osman Pasha, the Turkish general, and carrying him to Prince -Nikola, being presented with five hundred ducats for his captive, was -jokingly bade by the Prince to fetch him another Turk. The hero, -however, took the matter seriously and, at an opportune moment, rushed -into the Turkish lines, snatched a devout Mohammedan around the waist, -disarmed him and started to carry him off toward the rear, where Prince -Nikola was watching the fight. In order to arrive at the side of his -sovereign he was compelled to make a détour, and before he had covered -half the distance he was brought down with a bullet in his thigh. -Naturally, he dropped his Ottoman captive, and the latter immediately -sprang at his throat. With almost superhuman efforts, in spite of the -excruciating pain of his wound, he held off the vengeful Turk with one -hand and, aiming his pistol with the other, ordered his adversary to -lift him on his back and _carry him_ to the Prince. To disobey meant -instant death, for the cold, circular muzzle of a huge weapon was even -then so close to his fez that he could plainly see the rifling in the -barrel. Stumbling and groaning under the weight of his Montenegrin -rider the Turk approached the Prince, while the hills resounded with -the cheers of the men of the clan of Paperi. Upon delivering his steed -to his leader the soldier fell to the ground senseless from exhaustion -and loss of blood. - -While this same battle was at its height the Prince approached -a mountaineer of more than eighty years of age, who was bravely -endeavouring to keep his place among his fellows but with evident -difficulty, and suggested to him sympathetically that he was too old -to follow the flag and had better withdraw. The veteran, being thus -considered by his military idol as unable longer to fight for his -country, forthwith drew his pistol and committed suicide. - -It was at the siege of Nikshitch that the valorous warrior-priest of -the Montenegrins, Pope Milo, challenged any Turk to personal combat -between the lines with broadswords. Both armies ceased the fight while -the battle-royal was in progress. The Turk, however, proved the better -swordsman and killed his antagonist, severing the head from the body. -Upon the resumption of hostilities an infuriated Montenegrin revenged -the death of Pope Milo by dealing with the same Turk in a similar -manner. - -Prince Nikola himself was in command at the siege of Nikshitch, in -which the Montenegrin women were little less active than the men, for -they carried ammunition and food across the mountains and otherwise -assisted in the Montenegrin victory. The Prince, reclining upon a rock, -over which he had first spread his _struka_, received the surrender of -Scanderbeg and invited the Turkish commander to take coffee with him. -Coffee over, he wrote a poem of the siege and forwarded it by messenger -to his wife in Cettinje. She read it aloud to the citizens gathered -together in the public square. - -But fighting as one nation against another has not been the only -form of warfare indulged in by the Montenegrins. During the brief -intervals of Turkish lethargy blood-feuds between the families of the -mountaineers afforded the male members plenty of diversion. They had no -cause to complain of monotonous inactivity. A boy might grow to manhood -in blissful ignorance that it would be his duty sooner or later to -take the life of another, thus avenging the untimely death of one of -the members of his own family. Upon the successful accomplishment of -his mission, as was usually the case, he, in turn, would be thereafter -considered as a target for the weapon of some member of the rival -family. Thus the feuds were continuous, imperishable heirlooms handed -down from father to son, even unto the third and fourth generation. - -[Illustration: A STONE MASON OF CETTINJE AND HIS CART.] - -By the Treaty of Berlin, Montenegro acquired twenty-five miles -of seacoast adjoining Albania; the bulk of her trade, however, -continues to come and go through the Dalmatian port of Cattaro, a -port upon which these people of the mountains have ever cast a covetous -glance, but from which they are shut out by the great rocky barriers of -the Dinaric Alps. - -Railway building in Montenegro is very difficult, and as yet the -principality is without means of transportation other than by wagon -train and a few small steamers which ply on the Lake of Scutari. The -project is now on foot to build a railway from Antivari, on the coast, -to Virbazaar, a short distance inland. - -Podgoritza, situated in a part of the territory acquired in 1878, is a -town of eleven thousand inhabitants, the largest in Montenegro, and is -the centre of trade. Hard by are the ruins of the Roman city of Docle, -the birthplace of Diocletian. Excellent tobacco, for which the district -is famous, is grown in the vicinity of the great Lake of Scutari, half -of which stretches over into Albania. The annual imports of the country -are valued at about $1,375,000, while the exports, consisting mainly of -tobacco, dried meats, hides and fish, are valued at $1,040,000. - -A few years ago the Montenegrins shouted from hill to hill the news -of the country, and in these regions the human voice is said to carry -exceptionally long distances. The news of the defeat of the Russians -at the Alma was “holloed” by the shepherds from mountain to mountain -across the Balkan Peninsula, and in a marvellously short time the -tidings reached the Dalmatian coast. To-day, telegraph wires are -stretched across the Black Mountains, connecting almost all of the -towns; the seaport of Antivari boasting even of a Marconi wireless -station, which places Montenegro in direct communication with the coast -of Italy. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -THE ROAD TO CETTINJE - -The Ascent of the Mountains—Njegushi—The Montenegrin - Capital—Historical Monuments in Cettinje—The Return to Cattaro. - - -It takes nine hours to drive the twenty-eight miles and a quarter -across the mountains from Cattaro to Cettinje, the miniature capital of -this miniature principality. Because of the time consumed in the drive -it does not follow that the going is rough. On the contrary, the road -is of the best, for, as far as the Montenegrin frontier, it was built -with infinite care by the Austrian government in order to facilitate -the passage of troops and field pieces, should the occasion arise. -The mountain gorges are bridged with stone arches, their foundations -being imbedded in the rocks many feet below the roadway, while along -the outer side of the latter stretches a continuous protecting wall of -cut rock, cemented, of a yard in height. The road itself is smooth and -free from stones, but the white, powdery dust sifts into your hair and -through every stitch of your clothing. If Cattaro, the starting-point -of the trip across the mountains, were not sealed up in such an -out-of-the-way corner of the continent, touring motorists, doubtless, -would be more familiar with the topography of Montenegro. As it is, -there have been up-to-date but two or three automobiles to cross the -face of the mountains on the way to Cettinje, and the distinction of -driving these machines lies at the thresholds of Americans. - -Upon leaving Cattaro the road skirts the harbour for a short distance, -winds around toward the hills through avenues of stately poplars, -crosses a little bridge which spans the Gordicchio, makes several -zig-zags, and then sweeps widely toward the south—you really seem to -be driving away from the mountain which you must scale later—in full -view of the Adriatic, while the bay, or Bocche di Cattaro, is lost to -view behind you. At the top of the pass leading to the town of Budua, -the outlook over the broad, fertile plain of Garbalj, with the sea in -the distance, is very impressive. For a short distance the highway, as -it winds around the face of the cliff, literally overhangs the plain -and then turns abruptly toward the Black Mountain. In the distance the -white, zig-zagging road, surmounting the almost perpendicular wall of -rock ahead, looks like a thread on the shoulder of a giant, and -causes you to wonder that it took no more than twenty years to build. - -[Illustration: A SECTION OF THE ROAD ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS.] - -This being the shortest and easiest route for trade between the outside -world and the Montenegrin capital, quantities of provisions, household -furniture, lumber and other materials for building purposes, and -what not are freighted by four, five and six-horse teams over these -twenty-eight miles of mountains, from Cattaro to Cettinje. There is -also a passenger stage that operates daily between the two towns. - -We had passed the little stone half-way house, which is stuck on the -face of the rock at one of the very acute angles of the winding road -overlooking the Bocche, when we came upon one of these freight caravans -plugging laboriously along, with the hope of making Cettinje sometime -the following day. One of the wagons was loaded with kegs of beer, and -it was all too evident that the several treacherous looking drivers -in the party had been indulging their thirst from time to time, to -the appreciable loss to the person to whom the kegs were consigned. -As we approached, our driver stopped his nondescript team and had a -few confiding words with the freighters. Together they succeeded in -puncturing one of the kegs with a long wire nail; then a horse bucket -was cut from its swinging position under one of the wagons. This was -rinsed out with a goodly supply of beer tapped from the punctured -cask, and refilled, to moisten the already well-lubricated throats of -all concerned. How many full casks reached their destination after -several days spent on the road would make a nice problem for a class -in algebra. If the freighters met many drivers as thirsty as ours it -is a question whether or not it would have been best for them to have -appeared in Cettinje at all. - -At each successive turn of the road a more wonderful panorama of the -Bocche stretches out before you, and, after more than three hours of -steady climbing, the pass at the top of the mountains is reached, and -you cross the frontier, marked by a single stone post at the side of -the roadway. - -[Illustration: THE PASS AT THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAINS.] - -The view of the Montenegrin side of the mountains can only be described -as purely “Montenegrin.” The Bocche is, of course, lost to view and -you have before you nothing but what seems to be a gigantic upheaval -of rocks. Not a tree, not a shrub, not even a dust-covered sprout at -the side of the road, relieves the sameness of this picture of gray -desolation. Perhaps, if you look closely, you will partly be able to -distinguish, less than a hundred yards away, a native mountaineer whose -very garb is of protective colouring, concealing him almost entirely -from your notice against the background of bare stones. - -From the top of the mountain the road descends to the village of -Njegushi, the birthplace of His Ferocity, Prince Nikola. But were -it not for the red-tiled roofs there would be, from a distance, no -circumstantial evidence whatever that the town exists, for the houses -are all of stone of the same hue as the surrounding mountains. - -While you sup on the stone porch of the little inn at Njegushi, -handsome, well-built members of the male population stroll by -indifferently, smoking and chatting in subdued tones and gazing -dreamily at their beloved mountains. From every girdle protrude the -muzzles of a number of well-oiled, ominous-looking firearms. Groups -of women stumble by; some struggling under their loads of water casks -strapped upon their backs, others driving small herds of goats and -having all manner of difficulty in keeping them together. - -Yes, the women are ultra-suffragettes in Montenegro, not by choice -but by custom. They do all the housework, tend the flocks, cultivate -the little patches of corn or wheat and, in addition, bring up the -family. On market-days they go to Cattaro or Cettinje and do their best -to dispose of a meagre assortment of vegetable truck, returning home -late at night, weary and sore. They age early, as might be expected; a -Montenegrin woman of forty looks to be double that age. Not a finger -will a man raise to ease the burden of his wife; for such is the lot of -a woman born in the Land of the Black Mountain. - -From the hills above Njegushi you may look down into small, crater-like -pits, each held intact by a low stone wall. These pits constitute -the truck farms of Montenegro, and into them the rain washes all the -vegetable earth from the mountain sides, forming in them an alluvial -stratum. - -After leaving Njegushi you ascend to the pass of Kruacko Zdrjelo, and, -at this point, another wonderful view unfolds itself. Away to the -south, the great lake of Scutari is plainly visible; in the west, the -famous Mount Lovčen rears its rocky self, with the little chapel, in -which lies buried the body of Peter II, the last of the Prince-Bishops -and Montenegro’s greatest poet, perched upon its crest. - -Doubtless, night will by this time have spread its black mantle over -the hills, leaving the remainder of the drive to be made in the -darkness. Down—down—down—as much down as the Austrian side of the -mountain was up, until finally, you overlook the beautiful valley of -Cettinje, and the blinking kerosene lamps of the capital. In half an -hour you will be driving at a gallop through its deserted streets, -and rein up at last in front of the Grand Hotel, obviously the most -aristocratic and up-to-date hostelry, for it is the only one in the -town. The head-waiter, in dress suit, will welcome you at the door, -inquire whether you have had supper and show you politely to your -rooms, which you will find rather bare but scrupulously clean. - -Thirty years ago Cettinje was a mere handful of thatched cottages -scattered over a small space in the valley and approached only by -mountain trails. To-day it has a population of five or six thousand, it -is the seat of the newly constituted Parliament and a diplomatic post -for the ministers of the European Powers. - -There are but few historical monuments in Cettinje, and of these the -principal ones are the old palace of the Prince, and the monastery with -its chapel and quaint cloister, the latter built against the base of a -great cliff and shaded by the spreading boughs of shapely trees. The -main street of the town is wide and clean, flanked on either side by a -uniform line of stone dwellings, which is broken only by the postoffice -building and an occasional shop. - -As in Njegushi, the men, all heavily armed, strut along the streets -and allow the women-folk to conduct what business may be found in -the stores or in the market. At the rear of the hotel a rather -barren-looking square to deserve the nomenclature of “park” faces the -palace of the Crown Prince. Near the centre of the town stands the -palace of Prince Nikola, a comparatively small and a most unimposing -structure to house the chief executive of a nation. Directly across the -street from it is his former residence, in which is installed the only -billiard table in Montenegro. - -The most elaborate example of architecture in the capital is the home -of the Russian diplomatic representatives, probably so built to impress -the Montenegrins with the power of their cousins in the north. In the -centre of the market square the female figure which surmounts the -public fountain, the sole specimen of native sculpture in Cettinje, -balances, at an uncertain angle, upon her head a dilapidated coal-oil -lamp, which seems in imminent danger of being dashed upon the heads of -the thirsty peasants below. - -[Illustration: THE MAIN STREET, CETTINJE.] - -The body of Peter I reposes peacefully, after his many years of -active leadership, in its sarcophagus in the little chapel of the -monastery, while at the opposite end of the village a small arsenal -contains the sum total of Montenegrin pieces of ordnance. One room is -devoted to the trophies of war taken from the Turks, including swords, -bullet-riddled flags and standards, Turkish field pieces and personal -insignia. - -A prolonged stay is not necessary to see all there is to be seen in -the miniature capital, three or four days being quite sufficient. On -the height of the first ascent after leaving the town a glorious view -of the valley below, all divided off into the little stone-encircled -fields, may be had. As you journey on, you may pass a group or two of -gypsies or a hermit-peasant who hobbles out of his thatched hut to beg -a handful of tobacco. At last you break through the pass at the top of -the mountains in full view of the Bocche di Cattaro. - -A diminutive white steamer leaving the _molo_ of the town almost -directly under you, moves slowly toward the narrow exit to the -Adriatic, its propellers churning a fan-shaped wake of foam which loses -itself finally in the broad expanse of placid water. - -The sunset from the heights, as it illumines the lower mountain ranges -with an old-rose sheen and diffuses its tinted rays across the -Bocche and the broad Adriatic beyond, is gorgeous enough to baffle -description. A painter who could picture truthfully that evening -panorama might well consider it his masterpiece. The silence of the -mountains is unbroken, save for the melancholy pipings of a lone -shepherd boy hidden somewhere among the rocks in the distance. The -silence of the sky and the silence of the rock-walled Bocche “mingle -in an awful spell that falls upon the soul like the lonesomeness of -the grave. There is something of death in life and of life in death -in the grim inevitableness of this silence, so changeless and yet so -vital.” The sunset above and the yawning cañon-like pit below “grip -the soul and draw it to a communion with something strong outside -itself—something that escapes definition and analysis; something that -the ancient people meant when they said that they walked with God.” - -For a long time you will stop and drink in eagerly the splendour of the -scene, and then, reluctantly, yet as if influenced by the magnetism of -the abyss, commence to descend the windings, one after another, back to -the quaint little Dalmatian port of Cattaro. - -[Illustration: A TURN OF THE ROAD ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS.] - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - -SPALATO AND SALONA - -Westward Along the Coast—First Glimpse of Spalato—The - Campanile—Diocletian’s Palace—Salona and Her Ruins. - - -The full glow of the morning sunlight gleamed and danced upon the -brass-work of the little steamer _Petka_ as the stevedores finished -their loading of her freight from the dock at Cattaro and the last -assortment of passengers had wobbled noisily up the gangway. - -It was exactly ten o’clock when the lines were cast off and the ship -steamed slowly ahead, turning on her course to gain the Adriatic. She -circled about almost at the very edge of the shore line, for there is -no semblance of a beach and the deep water extends to the bases of the -mighty cliffs that surround the harbour, until Cattaro in the distance -put one in mind of a collection of Noah’s Ark houses. The waters were -calm and smooth as the surface of a mirror, and held quiescent and in -perfect outline the reflections of the rugged mountains. - -Once the _Petka_ had negotiated the many consecutive mouths of the -Bocche and had finally passed the grim walls of the fortresses on Punta -d’Ostro, close on the starboard, she set her course almost due west -with her ultimate destination Fiume, her home port; but she was due to -call _en voyage_ at almost all of the towns along the coast. - -Her main deck was an odd and interesting sight. It was crowded, so -crowded that one could see scarcely one square inch of planking, with a -rare galaxy of Montenegrins, Cattarines, Albanians, Greeks and Austrian -soldiers, each garbed in some bit of costume that made his or her -nationality unmistakable. All sprawled about in the sun, smoking or -sleeping, their heads and shoulders entwined about their luggage and -their legs aimed across the deck like the tails of so many comets. - -Above the upper deck, reserved for first-class passengers, white -awnings had been stretched, and under these we followed the examples -of the natives on board, to a certain extent, to enjoy the beauties of -the land-locked passage, through which the ship set her course after -leaving Gravosa. - -Here on deck, lunch was served at noon and dinner in the evening, each -meal an elaborate affair with wine, and composed of some of the most -palatable dishes to be had anywhere in Europe. Seven constitutes the -usual number of courses served at dinner on board any of these Adriatic -coasters, and lunch is hardly less voluminous: _hors-d’œuvres_, of -course; soup; fish; a sort of cold fish salad with mayonnaise; spring -lamb and delicious vegetables; game of some description; salad; and -dessert. - -And just to offer one more probative demonstration of how puny the -world really is, the chief officer of the _Petka_ had been for many -years in the service of a trans-Pacific steamship company, and, during -that time, had lived in Santa Clara, California. There his three -children had been born, and their father assisted in their education by -teaching each one to speak five languages in addition to English. - -Almost the entire distance from Gravosa to Fiume the course of the -steamers lies along an inland passage protected from the sea-swells of -the Adriatic by hundreds of islands, some large and some small, but -all of a considerable height, while, from the shores of the mainland, -the mountains rise with such apparent verticality that it would seem -a simple matter to stand at any point along the top and drop a plumb -line to the water below. No matter what moment you might gaze up -or down the coast or seaward you would be able to see from five to -thirty-five islands, without half trying. The water is all of such -great depth, even to the edge of the coast, that it is said a vessel -might pass safely between two protruding rocks situated so close -together as to barely admit of the ship’s passage. The conspicuous -absence of lights to warn the mariner at night makes navigation seem -difficult and dangerous, but the pilots know the channels as they know -their rosaries. Neither are the ships supplied with searchlights to -facilitate the picking out of the few buoys that mark the channels -farther along. One or two of the particularly narrow places of the -course, however, are marked by miniature light-houses, not more than -ten feet in height, which stick up from the water to indicate the base -of a wall of rock as it juts out into the blackness of the night. - -About fifty miles from Ragusa, in the narrow channel which divides the -Sabbioncello Peninsula from the island of Curzola, a famous sea battle -between the Venetians and the Genoese took place. This affray was won -by the latter, who captured the distinguished Venetian navigator, Marco -Polo, he having just returned from a cruise in the China Seas. Polo -was taken to Genoa and placed in a dungeon, where he laboured over -the manuscript of his widely read book of travels. Doge Dandolo, the -Venetian ruler and the admiral of the fleet, was also captured and -borne away a prisoner of war by the Genoese, but while _en route_ he -dashed out his brains against the bulwarks of the galley upon which he -was confined. - -Just south of Spalato, twenty hours’ ride from Cattaro by this slow -steamer, you will pass the island of Solta, where is gathered the -honey, world-famed for its excellence, sucked from the blooms of the -rosemary and the cistus rose. - -The object that will first attract your attention upon entering the -harbour of Spalato is the tall campanile, always in repair, and around -which the hideous scaffolding has been allowed to remain since 1882, -and it will probably remain for some time to come; for the repairs -to the tower are so slow in progressing that as soon as one job is -finished another presents itself. The building of this campanile was -begun by Maria of Hungary about 1300, but her death in 1323 caused -an interruption to the work. It was not again taken up until 1360, -when Elizabeth the Elder, sent by her son Lewis of Hungary to govern -Dalmatia, ordered that the work be carried out under the supervision -of the Spalatine architect, Nicolas Tverdoj. The tower was completed in -1416, but it was not so substantially built as it might have been—for -we are told that the subtle art of “graft” had made itself felt in -Dalmatia even at that date—and as early as 1472 an architect, Nicolo -Fiorentino, commenced the repairs which have continued to this day and -which, from all appearances, promise to continue until the campanile is -a ruin. - -From the top of the scaffold, after a somewhat tiresome climb, one can -obtain a comprehensive and beautiful panoramic view of Spalato, where -lived and died the composer Von Suppe, and also of the harbour. - -Aside from the quaintly dressed Dalmatian fisher folk, who patch and -re-patch the variegated sails of their tiny craft along the stone quay, -the town is interesting from the fact that it contains the best example -of Roman domestic architecture to be found anywhere in the world, not -excepting the magnificent ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum. - -[Illustration: SPALATO FROM THE CAMPANILE.] - -The subject of this rather broad, but nevertheless true, statement -is the old palace built by Diocletian at the beginning of the fourth -century, and in which the Roman ex-Emperor took up his abode after -his abdication and where he lived until his death in 313, A. D. -Its building marked the date of a new departure in architecture; a -departure which ended in the development of the Byzantine and the -Romanesque art of modern Europe, they having been inaugurated by -modifying the rules of the ancients. - -To this favoured spot on the coast near the then powerful Illyrian -metropolis of Salona came Diocletian, and here he built his imperial -villa, where he hoped to live peacefully for the remainder of his days. -And what a wonderful villa it must have been! - -Its walls were from five hundred and seventy to seven hundred feet -in length, fifty feet in height, and encompassed nine and one-half -acres of ground. The eminent English architect, Adam, who, in 1757, -accomplished the difficult and arduous task of plotting the first plans -of the ruined palace on paper with no previous mathematical data to -guide him, said that it was “a climax in architecture.” So much of its -original splendour did it retain that the imperial Roman historian -avowed that “it surpassed even in its ruin all powers of description;” -and that was more than six centuries after Diocletian’s death. - -On the south side, facing the sea, the walls were seventy feet in -height, because of the sloping of the land. The outline of this -stone-work was broken by a grand total of sixteen towers, only four -of which, those on the corners, were higher—and that only by a few -feet—than the walls themselves. There were four entrance gates to the -palace and three of these can still be distinguished. - -If you could have entered the north gate of the palace at a time when -its builder and owner was ripening in years within its precincts, you -would have looked down on a street thirty-six feet in width. On either -side, graceful stone arcades dwindled into the perspective and at the -farther end of the street the view was interrupted by the massive -portico and dome of the vestibule to the imperial residence. At a point -three hundred feet south of this gate, where you would have stood, -the lines of arcades were exchanged for the beautiful columns of a -peristyle, on either side of which were enclosed courts, that to the -right containing the temple of Æsculapius and that to the left, the -temple of Jupiter. - -Near the peristyle, a street, also fringed with arcades, crossed from -west to east, having its termini at the Porta Ferrea and the Porta Ænea -respectively. To the south of the vestibule the nave of the palace, -ninety-eight feet long and forty-five feet wide, lined with rows of -columns and an aisle fourteen feet in width on either side, extended -from west to east. Mosaics and multi-coloured marbles made up the -decorations of the interior of the apartments, and the beauty of the -courts was enhanced by the flowers and plants of this latitude. - -From the peristyle, the columns of which were of Cipallino and -rose-coloured granite, flights of steps led to the temples at the -sides. The Temple of Jupiter, which originally stood apart in a -walled court having the peristyle as a screen in front, was built by -Diocletian as a prospective tomb in which he intended his body to -be placed after death, but now the building serves as the Duomo of -Spalato. Originally it had a projecting portico of its own in front, -but this has been replaced by the campanile of the Duomo. The other of -the two temples, that of Æsculapius, does duty to-day as the city’s -baptistry. - -Much of the walls of the palace remain to-day, and shut in the old -town of Spalato built within the enclosure by the refugees from -Salona. Outside of these moss-grown, inarticulate historians of Roman -occupation you will find modern European dwellings, school-houses -and shady little parks, and at places even on the top of the walls -some sacrilegious Spalatines have built their more humble abodes. The -peristyle of the famous palace now forms the town square. - -After you have made many conjectures as to what a residence the palace -of Diocletian must have been, and what scenes were pictured there in -the days when its builder made it his home, you will walk outside the -walls of the old city, which you must do in order to find a carriage, -for horses are not permitted within the gates on account of the -narrowness of the streets, and bargain with a _cocher_ to take you to -Salona. - -On the way you will pass a wonderful ruined aqueduct, which Diocletian -built to supply his palace with water from the hills, and which has now -been restored to the same use by the modern Spalatines. The road first -rises to the top of a ridge and then stretches across the valley of the -Riviera dei Castelli which extends from Salona to Traü, the ancient -Tragurium of the Romans, famed for its marble, and colonized originally -in 380, B.C., by Syracusan Greeks from the island of Lissa. The road -is so dusty that the vegetation growing along the side is completely -covered with the fine white powder; but the drive is not long and your -visit to Salona will be sure to repay you fully for any slight -discomforts endured on the way. - -[Illustration: A FOUNTAIN ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF SPALATO.] - -Salona is situated among the foot-hills of the Cabani Mountains on -the shores of an inland sea which is shut off from the Adriatic by -the island of Bua. That information-breathing emperor and historian, -Constantine Porphyrogenitus, said that Salona was at one time half as -large as Constantinople. But no matter whether it were large or small -it is worthy of a brief description for, if I may make use of a rather -inelegant expression in order to better convey to the reader some idea -of its antiquity, “Salona was Salona when Spalato was a pup.” - -Founded by Illyrian fugitives from the capital, Delminium, after the -latter’s destruction by the Romans during the second Dalmatian war, -Salona was taken in 117 B. C. by Cæcilius Metellus and made a Roman -colony. The city was long and narrow and divided into halves by a -sort of diaphragm wall, in the middle point of which was an arched -portal called Cæsar’s Gate. Through the central arch of this gate the -Roman chariots passed and, although the arches themselves have tumbled -you may, as in Pompeii, still see the grooves and ruts in the stone -pavement worn deep by the passage of many wheels. A smaller arch on -either side allowed for the accommodation of pedestrians. The large -Christian basilica, partly excavated in 1880, was demolished in 639 -during the final destruction of the city by the Avars. A circular -baptistry, with its columned portico facing the south and which marked -the entrance, stood within the walls in the eastern part of the city. -In the centre of this building, under the dome and sunk in the floor, -was a marble fount for baptism by immersion, and from its level arose a -complete circle of marble steps; at the top, an aisle with columns on -either side passed around the interior of the building. - -[Illustration: THE RUINS OF THE BASILICA, SALONA.] - -At the western end of the city can be seen the ruins of the large -amphitheatre, and it is probable that this was the only building -which survived the devastating fire of the Avars. At different points -along the circuit of the walls, which had been battered down time and -again and repaired as often, stood no less than eighty-eight towers, -having been constructed to reinforce the stone-work. The remains of -forty-three of these towers are plainly visible. By scraping away the -dust with the toe of your shoe, ornate examples of mosaic decorations -can still be distinguished on the floors over which the buildings -stood, and some of the Roman sweat-baths have been preserved almost -intact; the ancient methods of producing their heated vapours may be -solved easily. At one point within the walls was discovered a trench -holding fourteen sarcophagi lying end to end in a long row. Of these -several have been transferred to the museums. When found, all had been -opened and it was impossible to distinguish to whom they belonged, -because only two bore inscriptions, one Christian and one Pagan. - -On a slight hill back of the ruined city stands the little stone house -of the care-taker, embellished with cut-stone work from the buildings -of old Salona. In the garden, at the rear, a Roman pergola has been -restored in its entirety and over it climbs a rose-vine covered with -blooming red ramblers—an attractive modern adaptation of an ancient -Roman decorative feature. - -Immediately after the fall of Salona in 639 the inhabitants sought -refuge on some of the neighbouring islands; then, under the leadership -of Severus, they descended upon Spalato and encamped within the walls -of Diocletian’s palace, finally erecting buildings and more substantial -dwellings, which accounts for the material change of the interior -aspect of the palace. For the very good reason that nine and one-half -acres was rather a small area to accommodate any great number of -people, the town of Spalato soon spread outside of its original walls. -It was visited by the great Venetian expedition under Pietro Orseola -II in 998, and was compelled to take the oath of allegiance. Internal -religious controversies occurred from this time on, until the murderous -Tartars, in pursuit of King Bela in 1241, sacked the town and put to -death all whom they found in their path. But Spalato arose bravely from -the blight of her misfortunes, and in 1327 revolted against Venice, -was absorbed by Hungary and, thirty years later, revolted against the -latter. - -Notwithstanding the changes it has undergone, Diocletian’s palace -has been handed down to us, and still holds its place as the most -magnificent specimen of the domestic architecture of the Romans. And, -strangely enough, its Temple of Jupiter has, for fourteen centuries, -served as the Spalatine house of worship of the Christian religion, -that religion which the builder of this same temple tried so hard to -obliterate. - -[Illustration: ROMAN SARCOPHAGI, SALONA.] - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -ZARA - -From Spalato to Zara—Chief Objects of Interest in the Capital of - Dalmatia—The Story of St. Simeon—The Five Fountains—Fragments of - Roman Occupation. - - -It was twelve o’clock of a soft summer night when the sharp, hooded -prow of the _Graf Wurmbrand_ backed away from the _molo_ at Spalato, -swung around in the darkness and headed out into the black beyond, on -her five hour run along the coast to Zara. Her cabins and after decks -were ablaze with electric bulbs, but forward of the bridge all was -inky darkness, for the pilot of this, the fastest boat of the Adriatic -coast service, took the matter more seriously than the passengers and -allowed no glare to dim the sharpness of his vision while his charge -sped northward between the islands, responding gracefully to the twirl -of the wheel. - -When our eyes had become accustomed to peering out into the darkness, -for it is almost as beautiful to ride at night through these channels -as it is in the daytime and for that reason we eschewed our berths, -those of us who had remained on deck could distinguish, as we passed, -the silhouette of the island of Kraglievaz, or King’s Seat, upon which -Bela IV secluded himself from the pursuit of the Tartars. Then we -plowed through a veritable shoal of islands and passed an isolated -rock, formerly crowned by the Benedictine monastery of St. Arcangelo. -Farther along, near the famous headland of La Planca (the Promontorium -Diomedis of the Romans), we passed a little chapel, built by a thankful -mariner who, while sailing up the coast with a cargo of Malvasia wine, -suffered shipwreck on the rocks and made ingenious use of his cargo to -mix the mortar with which to bind the stones of this little monument of -appreciation of his rescue. - -At this point we also crossed an arm of the open sea, and then sped -on between the island of Zlarin and the mainland. Beyond Zlarin lies -the town of Sebenico, founded by pirates who, from their caves in the -surrounding mountains, scanned the sea for ships. Waxing in boldness -they founded a colony on the shore, which they surrounded with a -fortification or palisade. From the Croatian name for “palisade” -(“Sibne”) is derived the name of the town, Sebenico. - -At daybreak, had there been in the distance a few scattered palm trees -and a stretch of sandy beach, we might easily have imagined ourselves -in equatorial latitudes. The rays of the sun tinted the mainland and -the islands in hues of saffron; there was scarcely a ripple on the deep -turquoise-coloured water. We steamed up through the Canal di Zara, a -channel three miles in width, between the mainland and the mountainous -island of Ugliano, and at five in the morning the lines of the _Graf -Wurmbrand_ were made fast to the _molo_ at Zara. - -This old town was the ancient Jadera, even then in allegiance with -Rome, where a Roman colony was established in 78 B. C. Many years later -it was brought under the powerful yoke of the Venetians and numerous -fragments of both periods still remain. The Zara of to-day is world -famous for being the home of the maraschino industry, the delicious -cordial distilled from the juice of the wild cherries which grow in -abundance on the slopes of the neighbouring limestone hills, and you -have never tasted _real_ maraschino if you haven’t tapped the till in -Zara. - -In the evenings, the esplanade along the stone quay, which skirts the -harbour, is alive with promenading Dalmatians of all classes, while -one of the best military bands to be heard in a week’s travel plays -inimitable music at the shore end of the _molo_. Except for the dearth -of tourists and the absence of the incessantly gliding gondolas the -water front at Zara almost resembles a scene along the Grand Canal in -Venice. - -The chief objects of interest in Zara seemed to be ourselves, and -I do not remember ever having been stared at more than here in the -capital of Dalmatia and barely off the beaten track of English-speaking -travellers. The townspeople ran into each other, not to mention -lamp-posts and stone walls, in their attempts to satisfy their -curiosity. While we ate in the pretty little open-air café of the hotel -the waiters stood around with their mouths open, their eyes as large as -billiard balls, and the groups of Austrian army officers allowed their -food to grow cold and their beer to become flat as they watched, none -too furtively, our every move. - -[Illustration: THE WATER FRONT, ZARA.] - -But there are many things to see in Zara, of which the natives seem -to take little account when there happens to be a stranger in town. -One of these objects worthy of inspection is the body of St. Simeon, -the patron saint of the town, and the story of how he came into office -(shall I say?) is interesting, and rather unique. - -Sometime during the thirteenth century, the exact date is unknown, a -caravel put into the port of Zara after a helpless battle with wind -and wave on the Adriatic. On board was a nobleman returning from the -Crusades, who asked that he might deposit in the cemetery the body of -his brother which he had hoped to convey to his home for burial. While -his ship was undergoing repairs the nobleman himself fell ill and died. -Upon examining his documents it was discovered that the body of the -alleged “brother” was that of none other than St. Simeon, the prophet -who had held the infant Christ in his arms. The people of Zara, having -come unexpectedly into the possession of so precious a relic, exhibited -the body in the collegiate church of St. Maria, where it proved its -sanctity by working miracles, and its fame quickly spread throughout -the country. - -For some years the body was allowed to remain in the church for the -want of an appropriate shrine in which it might be preserved. In 1371 -Lewis of Hungary, accompanied by his mother and Elizabeth, his wife, -came on a visit to Zara. After viewing the saintly body of Simeon, -Elizabeth, desiring to take with her some memento of the wonder-worker, -broke a finger from one of the hands and hid it in her bosom. For -this sacrilege St. Simeon punished her by striking her blind on the -spot, caused her hand, the one with which she had taken the finger, to -wither, and caused her breast, where she had hid the relic, to mortify. -Frantic with the sudden loss of her sight, Elizabeth tried to flee from -the church but was unable to find the door. She groped her way back to -the casket, fell upon her knees and replaced the stolen finger, which -immediately united itself to the proper hand, the Queen’s sight being -restored the same moment. Again Elizabeth implored the forgiveness of -the Saint and promised to present him with a silver casket in which -his body might repose more comfortably than she thought it did in its -wooden resting place. The story goes that this promise so reconciled -the prophet that Elizabeth’s breast was healed forthwith and her -withered hand was made whole. - -When the Queen returned to her home she communicated with certain -nobles in Zara with regard to the casket, and in 1377 her agents -commissioned one Francesco d’Antonio di Milano, a goldsmith, to proceed -with the work. By the time he had completed his task, three years -later, he had used nearly a thousand pounds of silver metal, and he -received twenty-eight thousand ducats as pay from Elizabeth. - -Nearly two hundred years passed before any attempt was made to -raise funds for the erection of a suitable temple in which to place -permanently the silver sarcophagus containing the body of so famous a -saint; money was slow in coming in, and in 1600, after the façade of -the building was half finished, the work was abandoned. - -In 1543 the old church of St. Maria was demolished to make room for -new fortifications. The silver casket was then given to the nuns for -safe-keeping, while the body of the Saint had been transferred to its -original ark of cypress wood and left in a little chapel near by. - -At length Archbishop Garzadori proposed that the body be replaced in -the silver casket and taken to the church of St. Stefano which stood -in the immediate vicinity. About this time an outbreak of the plague -tended to remind the superstitious of their neglect of the body of -St. Simeon and a new chancel was hurriedly placed in the church, the -silver ark, which had been found stained and tarnished in the nunnery, -was repaired by a goldsmith of the name of Benedetto Libani, and on -May 16th, 1632, the translation of the body took place amid public -rejoicing. Since that date St. Simeon has reigned as the patron saint -of Zara. - -Among the historical landmarks in the town of Zara, the Cinque Pozzi, -or Five Fountains, constitute one of the most prominent. They stand in -a row in front of a broad flight of stone steps, which lead up to a -shady park overlooking the docks and part of the city. These fountains -are more like cisterns and from them the poorer inhabitants still draw -their water, carrying it away in great jars upon their heads. They were -designed by Sammichieli, an architect of Verona, and built in 1574. -To them the water is conducted from sources outside the city, first -passing through a rather elaborate system of subterranean filtration. -An architect living in Zara has in his possession a copy of a plan of -these filters as designed by Sammichieli himself. - -[Illustration: THE FIVE FOUNTAINS, ZARA.] - -Included in the manifestations of the Roman occupancy of Zara are the -fragments of an ancient temple dedicated to Juno Augusta, the consort -of Emperor Augustus. These fragments had been built into the old church -of St. Donato, erected in the ninth century. - -And you will be loth to leave Zara, for at every turn you discover -something that seems to be more interesting than that which you saw -before. The streets are clean and although the rays of the sun are -uncomfortably hot, the narrow thoroughfares are always shady and -invite you to wander aimlessly up and down, lingering here and there -before the shop windows. In the evening, while the band plays, the -scene along the quay is one of gayety, and you will be inspired to make -the resolution, that, if ever again you happen along the eastern coast -of the Adriatic, Zara will be sure to receive from you a more lengthy -visit. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX - -THE GULF OF QUARNERO - -The Home of the Bora—Fiume—Abbazia—The Home of the - Torpedo—Descendants of the Uscocs. - - -In summer or fall it is a pleasant boat trip of six hours from Zara to -Fiume, which is prettily situated at the north-eastern end of the Gulf -of Quarnero. But in the winter and early spring, at which seasons the -“Bora,” or north-east wind, is prevalent, keep an eye on the barometer! -It is at this north-eastern end of the Gulf, in the mountains back -of Fiume, that this dreaded wind is born. Accumulating velocity with -every blast, it sweeps down upon the sea with relentless fury, carrying -everything before it, overturning carts, upsetting horses in the -streets and putting a quietus, for the time being, on all navigation -within range. - -The western channels and the western slopes of the islands are better -protected from the destructive gusts of the “Bora,” but the channels -nearest to the Croatian coast are swept by its full fury. Along the -eastern shores of these channels the soil is rendered as sterile -as the sands of the desert, for the wind cuts the spray from the -surface of the water and carries it inland in great clouds, completely -obscuring the shore line from the sea, and destroying the tender -sprouts of early cereals by depositing upon them the injurious salty -sediment. In 1873, while a train was rounding one of the many curves on -the line from Agram to Fiume, the “Bora” came up suddenly and blew it -from the rails. - -The little town of Segna seems to suffer the most from this wind; at -any rate many of the stories of the extraordinary violence with which -it blows originated there. Some historians tell us that in Segna during -the raging of a “Bora” it is unsafe to venture out-of-doors; that it -lifts weak or aged adults and little children from the ground and -dashes them against the walls of the houses; that those who are obliged -to go to the basin where the ships lie must crawl snake-like on the -ground to avoid being picked off their feet and hurled into the sea. -It is a common occurrence for horses heavily loaded to be thrown down -in the market-place of Segna, and although the roofs of all houses are -weighted with stones they are often lifted and carried away. - -“But it’s an ill wind that blows nobody good” and, therefore, the -“Bora” was hardly considered wholly unwelcome by the pirates, the -Uscocs, who once infested the islands of the bay, finding their safety -in the dangers of navigation thereabouts which deterred better ships -but less able seamen from hunting them down and sinking their puny -craft. - -Strangely incongruous with its soporific atmosphere is the bustle and -business of Fiume. Finally united to Hungary in 1870, Fiume has grown -from a mere seaport town to a thriving manufacturing and shipping city -of thirty-nine thousand inhabitants. To-day it is in the class with -the Austrian city of Trieste, on the opposite side of the Istrian -Peninsula; one of the most cosmopolitan ports in the world. The scene -along the docks is interesting, for Fiume is the home port of fleets of -coasters which ply up and down the Adriatic, of great steel cargo and -passenger ships making scheduled sailings to the Levant, to the coasts -of Africa, to the Straits Settlements and the Far East, to North and -South America. - -[Illustration: VIA ANDRASSY, FIUME.] - -A few miles to the west of Fiume, nestling snugly on the edge of the -bay at the foot of massive Mount Maggiore, lies a fashionable little -sea-side resort, patronized by the upper crust of Austrian aristocracy, -Abbazia. Here, under the trees or on the porch of the Casino, the -élite of the land sips its liquor and smokes its slender cigarettes -while the military band interprets the latest Viennese musical success. - -And almost within an arm’s reach of Abbazia, just a few yards off in -the bay, is one end of the target range of an ever-busy manufacturing -plant, whose product has tended more to evolutionize warfare than any -device ever invented, the Whitehead torpedo factory. On this range -the great fish-like instruments of destruction are tested thoroughly, -their parts adjusted and tested again, to assure their deadliness, -before shipment to the arsenals of the powers supplied. At one end of -the range is the firing station, and in a long line, stretching away -toward Abbazia, are the several floating targets, each manned by a -signalman with a red flag, under the centres of which the torpedoes -must eventually be made to dart before they are ready for delivery. -Industrious little power boats shoot up and down the bay collecting the -“dead” torpedoes, which, having spent their energy, turn finally from -their course and splash about on the surface of the water like wounded -porpoises, to tow them back to the launching station for an adjustment -of their parts. - -What if a torpedo would come to the surface prematurely and hit one of -the targets? Some do, and rip great holes in the wooden decks, causing -the signalmen to execute some nimble acrobatics, but there is never any -danger from explosion, because the “war-heads” of the torpedoes have -not yet been put in place; all they carry are the steering-gears and -the little compressed air engine. Once in a while, owing to a serious -defect in the steering-gear, one will run amuck a few seconds after it -has been discharged. Then is the time for the launches to be on the -_qui vive_, for there is no telling what direction the torpedo will -take. One of them once made a bee-line for the stone wall which skirts -the bay in front of the factory. Like a leaping salmon it mounted -this at one bound, bounced along the top for a few yards, demolishing -stone-work and making the wall appear as if it had been struck by a -thirteen-inch shell, and then plunged into the bay, tearing around this -way and that until it made its final death-leap and lay peacefully upon -the surface of the water. Then, like a naughty but remorseful boy, it -was towed back and given a good spanking in the form of an overhauling -of its parts. - -In the city of Fiume there are many types—Croatians, Austrian army -and navy officers, Italians, Dalmatians, Germans, Englishmen—and -all work hard accumulating fortunes, large or small as the case may -be; but those who seem to be amassing the largest private estates in -proportion to their labours, if one may judge from their daily net -receipts, are the piratical porters of the town, who swoop down from -all points of the compass upon the unsuspecting traveller. It is safe -to say that these are the lineal descendants of the Uscocs of old, -having only adopted more modern methods of piracy than those employed -by their ancestors,—for from whom else might they have inherited their -predatory proclivities? These _must_ have been handed down from father -to son, for they are too well developed to admit of mere accidental -discovery. Every time one of these porters looks at your luggage he -commits petty larceny, in thought, if not in deed. The charge for -carrying a small grip from the dock to the hotel, a distance of a -hundred feet, may be any amount from the equivalent of twenty-five -cents up, and the wise traveller is gulled but once. Some one tried to -explain to me why the Fiume porters were allowed to charge any amount -they pleased, but it seemed a very unsatisfactory excuse. Suffice it to -say that the price demanded for carrying one grip is one _krone_, with -one, two or three _kronen_ added, according to the nationality of the -patron. For example: to carry one grip for an Austrian, one _krone_; -for a German, two _kronen_; for an Englishman, three _kronen_; for -an American, four _kronen_. It seems that the farther away one lives -the more it costs one to have one’s baggage transferred in Fiume. A -Chinaman with two grips would go bankrupt in this town in no time. - -With a farewell salute to Fiume and her activity, manufacturing, -shipping and piratical, we sailed out across the waters of the harbour -of this, the western sea-gate to the Balkan Peninsula, homeward bound. - -After having wandered over this virgin touring territory, a territory -with a future as well as with an eventful past, a territory of big -things in war and in peace; after having revelled in its type-pictures -and its remarkable scenery, mingled with its unsophisticated peoples -and marvelled at its history and its struggles for mere existence, -we were struck with thoughts, as we came suddenly from the land of -simplicity upon the preying porters of Fiume, at once akin to and -conflicting with those of a certain author, who, in an early book of -travel, concludes the narration of an experience as follows: - -“After having walked eleven hours without having traced the print of a -human foot, to my great comfort and delight, I saw a man hanging upon a -gibbet; my pleasure at the cheering prospect was inexpressible, for it -convinced me that I was in a civilized country.” - - -THE END. - - - - -INDEX - - -Abbazia, 284. - -Alexander, King. _See_ Obrenovitch. - -Alexander, Prince, of Bulgaria, 121. - -Alexander, the successor of Philip, 113. - -Assen I, 117. - -Assen II, 117. - -Assenide Dynasty, The, 117. - - -Belgrade, 21. - -Belgrade, Market Day in, 34. - -Black Death, The, 188. - -Bocche di Cattaro, The, 202. - -Bora, The, 282. - -Boris, Tzar, 117. - -Bosnia, Comparison of conditions in, 145. - -Bosnia, Railway travel in, 149. - -Brod, 145. - -Buda-Pesth, 12. - -Bulgari, The, 113. - -Bulgaria, Conversion of, to Christianity, 117. - -Bulgaria, Emancipation of, 118. - -Bulgaria, History of, 111. - -Bulgaria, Progress of, 112. - -Bulgaria, Turkish atrocities in, 118. - -Bulgarian, The, uprising of 1908; - its cause and effect, 122. - - -Castelnuovo, 204. - -Cattaro, Description of, 207. - -Cattaro to Cettinje, Road from, 229. - -Cettinje, Description of, 239. - -Christianity, Bulgaria’s conversion to, 117. - -Constantinovitch, Katrine, 48. - -Conveniences of travel through the Balkans, 8. - -Curzola, The sea battle near the island of, 250. - -Cyril, 117. - - -Dalmatia, Routes of travel to, 177. - -Danilo II of Montenegro, 217. - -Dervish dance, Description of a, 160. - -Diocletian, Palace of, at Spalato, 252. - -Draga, Queen, of Servia. _See_ Maschine. - -Dragoleftsky, 108. - -Dushan, King, of Servia, 117. - - -English language, Frequency of the, through the Balkans, 7. - - -Ferdinand, Prince, of Bulgaria, 122. - -Ferdinand, Tzar, of Bulgaria, 125. - -Fiume, Description of, 284. - - -German language, The, 4. - -Gravosa, 179. - -Greek efforts to conquer Bulgaria, 114. - - -Hapag ticket, 3. - -Helena, Queen, of Italy, 217. - -Hungarian language, The, 12. - - -Jablaniča, 169. - -Jezero, The battle of, 221. - - -Kara George, and his assassination, 45. - -Karageorgevitch, Peter, Accession to the throne of, 71. - -Kara Mahmoud, 216. - -Konjiča, 166. - -Kossovo, Battle of, 118. - -Kraglievaz, Island of, 270. - -Kristatz, Battle of, 221. - - -La Croma, The Island of, 184. - -Lazar, Tzar, Emperor of Servia, 212. - - -Maschine, Draga, 54. - -Maschine, Draga, Burial of, and Alexander, 71. - -Maschine, Draga, Marriage of, and Alexander, 57. - -Maschine, Draga, Meeting of, and Alexander, 55. - -Maschine, Draga, Murder of, and Alexander, 61. - -Maschine, Draga, Prediction of the assassination of, 81. - -Maschine, Draga, Prediction of the social ascendency of, 80. - -Maschine, Nikola and Nikodim, Murder of, 68. - -Methodius, 117. - -Michael, Prince. _See_ Obrenovitch. - -Milan, Prince. _See_ Obrenovitch. - -Milo, Pope, of Montenegro, 223. - -Milosh, Prince. _See_ Obrenovitch. - -Montenegrin, The, Army, 215. - -Montenegrin bravery, Anecdotes of, 221. - -Montenegrin, The, national costume, 218. - -Montenegrins, The, 212. - -Montenegro, History of, 212. - -Montenegro, Modern, 227. - -Mostar, Description of, 170. - -Murad I, Sultan, 117. - - -Natalie, Queen, of Servia, 49. - -Nikephoros Phakos, Emperor, 114. - -Nikola, Prince, of Montenegro, 217. - -Nikshitch, Siege of, 223. - -Nisch, Hotels in, 97. - -Nisch, Tower of skulls in, 101. - -Njegushi, 237. - -Novakovics, Murder of the brothers, 75. - -Novi-Bazaar, 149. - - -Obrenovitch, Alexander, 49. - -Obrenovitch, Alexander, Burial of, and Draga, 71. - -Obrenovitch, Alexander, Marriage of, and Draga, 57. - -Obrenovitch, Alexander, Meeting of, and Draga, 55. - -Obrenovitch, Alexander, Murder of, and Draga, 61. - -Obrenovitch, Alexander, Prediction of the assassination of, 81. - -Obrenovitch, Michael, 47. - -Obrenovitch, Michael, Prediction of the murder of, 79. - -Obrenovitch, Milan, the First, 47. - -Obrenovitch, Milan, the Second, 49. - -Obrenovitch, Milosh, the First, 46. - -Obrenovitch, Milosh, the Second, 48. - -Orient Express, The, 142. - - -Passports, 19. - -Pawlowitch, General, Murder of, 68. - -Peter I, of Montenegro, 216. - -Peter II, of Montenegro, 238. - -Petrovich, George (Kara-George), 45. - -Philip, 113. - -Podgoritza, 227. - -Prince-Bishops of Montenegro, 216. - -Promontorium Diomedis, 270. - - -Ragusa, Description of, 180. - -Ragusa, The Great Earthquake of, 193. - -Ragusa, History of, 187. - -Ravna, 175. - -Registration, The Servian method of, 20. - -Rundreise ticket, The, 2. - -Russian intrigue in Bulgaria, 121. - -Russian invasion of Bulgaria, The first, 117. - - -Saint Simeon, Story of, 272. - -Salona, Description of, 261. - -Sarajevo, Description of, 151. - -Sebenico, 270. - -Segna, 283. - -Servian, The, army, 29. - -Servian customs, 37. - -Servian exports, 29. - -Servian nation, Rapid rise of the, 27. - -Servian national dance, 38. - -Servian national drink, 29. - -Servian race-meets, 30. - -Servians, The, 24. - -Shishman III, Tzar, 117. - -Simeon, Tzar, 114. - -Slavs, Population of Bulgaria by the, 113. - -Sophia, Description of, 107. - -Sophia, Hotels in, 106. - -Sophia, Market day in, 130. - -Sviatoslav, 114. - - -Thraco-Dacians, 113. - -Thraco-Illyrians, 113. - -Thraco-Macedonians, 113. - -Tzaribrod, 102. - - -Uscocs, The, 284. - -Uskoplje, 175. - - -Vespasian, Annexation of Bulgaria by, 113. - -Vladika, or Prince-Bishops, 216. - - -Ylidze, 159. - - -Zara, Description of, 271. - -Zinisces, Emperor, 114. - -Zlarin, Island of, 270. - - - - -The - -Little Pilgrimages Series - -[Illustration] - - -Among English Inns $2.00 - By JOSEPHINE TOZIER - -Susan in Sicily 2.00 - By JOSEPHINE TOZIER - -Among Bavarian Inns 2.00 - By FRANK ROY FRAPRIE - -The Italian Lakes 2.00 - By W. D. MCCRACKAN - -The Fair Land Tyrol 2.00 - By W. D. MCCRACKAN - -Among French Inns 2.00 - By CHARLES GIBSON - -Among Old New England Inns 2.00 - By MARY CAROLINE CRAWFORD - -St. Botolph’s Town: An Account of Old - Boston in Colonial Days 2.50 - By MARY CAROLINE CRAWFORD - -The Lands of the Tamed Turk; Or, - The Balkan States of To-day 2.50 - By BLAIR JAEKEL - -Houseboating on a Colonial Waterway 2.50 - By FRANK AND CORTELLE HUTCHINS - -From Cairo to the Cataract 2.50 - By BLANCHE M. CARSON - -The Spell of Italy 2.50 - By CAROLINE ATWATER MASON - -[Illustration] - -L. C. PAGE & COMPANY - -53 Beacon Street, Boston, Mass. - - - - -Transcriber’s Notes - -In the Index:— - -Uskoplje — page 174 has been changed to 175. (Page 74 is a -blank page in the original.) - -Montenegro, Modern — page 226 has been changed to 227. (Page 226 -is a blank page in the original.) - -Montenegrin, The, Army — page 213 has been changed to 215. (Page 213 -shows an illustration.) - -Hyphenation has been standardised. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Lands of the Tamed Turks or the -Balkan States of today, by Blair Jaekel - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LANDS OF THE TAMED TURKS *** - -***** This file should be named 62731-0.txt or 62731-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/2/7/3/62731/ - -Produced by Fay Dunn, Fiona Holmes and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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right: 84%; text-align: right;} - -.fnanchor { - vertical-align: super; - font-size: .8em; - text-decoration: - none; -} - -div.chapter {page-break-before: always;} - -/* Adverts */ - -.border { - border: 3px; - border-style: solid; - padding-left: 1em; -} - -/* Transcriber's notes */ -.transnote {background-color: #E6E6FA; - color: black; - font-size:smaller; - padding:0.5em; - margin-bottom:5em; - font-family:sans-serif, serif; } - - - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Lands of the Tamed Turks or the Balkan -States of today, by Blair Jaekel - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Lands of the Tamed Turks or the Balkan States of today - -Author: Blair Jaekel - -Release Date: July 23, 2020 [EBook #62731] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LANDS OF THE TAMED TURKS *** - - - - -Produced by Fay Dunn, Fiona Holmes and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - -</pre> - - - - - -<div class="transnote"> -<h2 class="nopagebreak" title="">Transcriber’s Notes.</h2> - -<p><a href="#Page_59" title="">Page 59</a>—immediatetly changed -to immediately.</p> - -<p><a href="#Page_137" title="">Page 137</a>—every changed to -ever.</p> - -<p><a href="#Page_207" title="">Page 207</a>—changed Mount Lovcen to Mount Lovčen.</p> - -<p>The advertisements at the beginning of the book have been placed at -the end after the index.</p> - -<p>Other changes made are noted at the <a href="#end_note" title=" Go to -the End Note"> end of the book.</a></p> - -<p>The map on <a href="#Page_viii" title="">Page viii</a> has -been scanned from another copy of The Lands of the Tamed Turks <a -href="https://archive.org/details/39020024820287-thelandsoftheta/page/n17/mode/2up?q=the+Tamed+Turk"> -here</a> which has the same copyright date. This map was missing from -the current book.</p> - -<p>Footnotes have been numbered in one continuous sequence.</p> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<h1>THE LANDS OF THE<br /> - TAMED TURK</h1> - - - -<p class="space-above4"></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/i_cover.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="1099" /> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="image_frontis" name="image_frontis"><img src="images/i_frontis.jpg" alt="" width="283" height="450" /></a> -<p class="caption">THE LATE QUEEN DRAGA OF SERVIA.</p> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<p class="center"><em>Copyright, 1910</em>,<br /> -<span class="smcap">By L. C. Page & Company</span><br /> -(INCORPORATED)</p> - -<p class="center"><em>All rights reserved</em></p> - -<p class="space-above4"></p> -<p class="center">First Impression, September, 1910</p> - -<p class="space-above4"></p> -<p class="center"><em>Electrotyped and Printed by<br /> -THE COLONIAL PRESS<br /> -C. H. Simonds & Co., Boston, U.S.A.</em> -</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="gothic">TO<br /> -E. McC. J.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_vii" id="Page_vii">[vii]</a></span></p> -<div class="chapter"> -<h2>FOREWORD</h2> - - -<p><span class="smcap">Because</span> of their pivotal positions, politically -and geographically; because of their -tempting adaptation to colonization; because -of their vast proven and hidden resources; because -of their divers other advantages, too -numerous to mention, the Balkan States have -been, are and will continue to be, as once a -certain writer so aptly put it, the “Powder -Box of Europe.”</p> - -<p>Constant conflict, however, has stunted their -progress, and it has only been within the past -few years that these lands—conspicuously -lacking in the arts of peace, but overcrowded -with types and replete with wonderful scenery, -their histories sated with war and romance—have -begun to be disclosed to the travelling -world. Only within the past few years their -outlying districts have been connected with -their business centres by telegraphic communication; -only within the past few years railroads -have been constructed, steamship lines inaugurated -and hotel accommodations perfected. -Yesterday their peoples were almost barbaric; -to-day they are more highly civilized and more -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_viii" id="Page_viii">[viii]</a></span>finely cultured than perhaps we are inclined -to admit; to-morrow they may be famous. -They have been makers of history for our -forebears and us; they will be makers of history -for posterity and its children.</p> - -<p>It is to assist the reader to frame a more -just opinion of that southeastern corner of -Europe, “The Lands of the Tamed Turk,” -and those who people it, that this volume of -personal observations and experiences of travel, -interspersed with brief bits of history, is offered.</p> - -<p>The author begs to tender his appreciation -to Mr. Nox McCain for the use of several unusual -photographs published herewith; also to -the editors of <cite>The Metropolitan Magazine</cite>, -New York, <cite>Travel Magazine</cite>, New York, and -<cite>The National Geographic Magazine</cite>, Washington, -with whose kind permission are herein -reprinted, <em>verbatim</em>, certain parts of special -articles on the Balkan States by the author, -and some of the illustrations accompanying -them, which appeared in the periodicals mentioned -above.</p> - -<div class="figright"> -<a id="image_signature" name="image_signature"><img src="images/i_signature.jpg" alt="" width="201" height="100" /></a> -</div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <a name="i_map" id="i_map"><img src="images/i_map.jpg" alt="" width="549" height="600" /></a> - <div class="caption">MAP.<br /> - Click<a href="images/i_map_large.jpg"> here</a> for larger map</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_ix" id="Page_ix">[ix]</a></span></p> -<h2>CONTENTS</h2> - -<hr class="ex_small" /> - -<table summary="Contents" class="toc"> -<tr> - <td> </td> - <td class="tdr"><small>PAGE</small></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="ccn" colspan="2"> CHAPTER <abbr title="1">I</abbr><br /> - <span class ="p08">WHY THE BALKANS?</span></td> - </tr> -<tr> - <td class="contents">The Rundreise Ticket—Why the Balkans?—When and - Where English is Heard—Why Not the Balkans?</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_1" title="Page 1">1</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="ccn" colspan="2"> CHAPTER <abbr title="2">II</abbr><br /> - <span class ="p08">BUDA-PESTH AND BELGRADE</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="contents">Buda-Pesth and Its Language—From Buda-Pesth to - Belgrade—The Servian Passport System—First - Impressions of Belgrade—Garden Spots in and - about the Servian Metropolis</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_12" title="Page 12">12</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="ccn" colspan="2"> CHAPTER <abbr title="3">III</abbr><br /> - <span class="p08">TWENTIETH CENTURY SERVIA</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="contents">The Servians—The Rise of the Nation—The Army—The - Race-meets—The Market in Belgrade—National - Customs—The National Dance</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_24" title="Page 24">24</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="ccn" colspan="2"> CHAPTER <abbr title="4">IV</abbr><br /> - <span class="p08">THE SERVIAN DYNASTIES</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="contents">Karageorge—Milosh Obrenovitch—Murder of Karageorge—Turkey - Grants the Title of Prince—Milosh - Abdicates—Abdication of Prince Michael—Alexander - Abdicates—Prince Milosh Re-installed, His - Death and the Re-election of Prince Michael—Murder - of Michael—Prince Milan’s Marriage, Abdication - and Death—Alexander Elected</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_43" title="Page 43">43</a></td> -<td><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_x" id="Page_x">[x]</a></span></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="ccn" colspan="2"> CHAPTER <abbr title="5">V</abbr><br /> - <span class="p08">ALEXANDER AND DRAGA</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="contents">Alexander—Draga—The Meeting—Draga’s Return to - Belgrade—Russia’s Intrigues—Marriage of Alexander - and Draga—Origin of the Plot to Murder</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_53" title="Page 53">53</a></td> - -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="ccn" colspan="2"> CHAPTER <abbr title="6">VI</abbr><br /> - <span class="p08">THE CAPITAL OF CRIME</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="contents">Plans of Procedure—Meeting of the Regicides—The - First Move—The Murder of the King and Queen—The - Assassination of Others—The Royal Burial—The - Murder of the Brothers Novakovics in 1907</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_61" title="Page 61">61</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="ccn" colspan="2"> CHAPTER <abbr title="7">VII</abbr><br /> - <span class="p08">PREDICTIONS OF SERVIAN TRAGEDIES</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="contents">Prediction of the Assassination of Prince Michael—Natalie’s - Visit to the Parisian Fortune-teller—The - Prediction in London of the Murder of Draga and - Alexander</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_78" title="Page 78">78</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="ccn" colspan="2"> CHAPTER <abbr title="8">VIII</abbr><br /> - <span class="p08">NISCH AND SOPHIA</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="contents">From Belgrade to Nisch—Nisch—Provincial Hotel - Accommodations—The Monument of Skulls—Tzaribrod—Sophia—Value - Received for $1.25 per Diem—Dragoleftsky</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_94" title="Page 94">94</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="ccn" colspan="2"> CHAPTER <abbr title="9">IX</abbr><br /> - <span class="p08">BULGARIA AND HER PAST</span></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="contents">Progress of Bulgaria—Origin of her Peoples—The - Bulgari—First Russian Invasion of Bulgaria—The - Assenide Dynasty—Turkish Tyrannies—Emancipation - of Bulgaria—Russia’s Intrigues against Prince - Alexander—The Late Balkan Disturbances</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_111" title="Page 111">111</a></td> -<td><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xi" id="Page_xi">[xi]</a></span></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="ccn" colspan="2"> CHAPTER <abbr title="10">X</abbr><br /> - <span class="p08">A BULGARIAN MARKET</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="contents">Bulgaria’s Busy Day—The Orient Express</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_130" title="Page 130">130</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="ccn" colspan="2"> CHAPTER <abbr title="11">XI</abbr><br /> - <span class="p08">SARAJEVO—THE SPIRED CITY</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="contents">From Belgrade to Sarajevo—The Turkish Bazaar—A - Bosnian Street Sprinkler—Horse-races at Ylidze—A - Dervish Dance</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_145" title="Page 145">145</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="ccn" colspan="2"> CHAPTER <abbr title="12">XII</abbr><br /> - <span class="p08">FROM SARAJEVO TO THE COAST</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="contents">Jablaniča—Mostar—Across the Mountains—The Balkan - Riviera—Ragusa: The Fairy City of the Adriatic</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_166" title="Page 166">166</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="ccn" colspan="2"> CHAPTER <abbr title="13">XIII</abbr><br /> - <span class="p08">RAGUSA</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="contents">As She Is—The First Colony—The Fire of 1292—The - Black Death—Hungary Acquires the Place—Ragusa - Establishes her Independence—Plague—Earthquake—Napoleon - Takes Ragusa—The City - Ceded to Austria</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_179" title="Page 179">179</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="ccn" colspan="2"> CHAPTER <abbr title="14">XIV</abbr><br /> - <span class="p08">THE BOCCHE DI CATTARO</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="contents">Steamer-day at Gravosa—Ragusa from the Sea—The - Bocche di Cattaro—Castelnuovo—Cattaro and - Her Mountain Background</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_199" title="Page 199">199</a></td> -<td><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xii" id="Page_xii">[xii]</a></span></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="ccn" colspan="2"> CHAPTER <abbr title="15">XV</abbr><br /> - <span class="p08">MONTENEGRO</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="contents">The Gibraltar of the Balkan Peninsula—The Settling of - Montenegro—Peter I—The Family of Petrovich—Prince - Nikola—The Montenegrin Costume—Incidents - of War—The Montenegro of To-day</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_211" title="Page 211">211</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="ccn" colspan="2"> CHAPTER <abbr title="16">XVI</abbr><br /> - <span class="p08">THE ROAD TO CETTINJE</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="contents">The Ascent of the Mountains—Njegushi—The Montenegrin - Capital—Historical Monuments in Cettinje—The - Return to Cattaro</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_229" title="Page 229">229</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="ccn" colspan="2"> CHAPTER <abbr title="17">XVII</abbr><br /> - <span class="p08">SPALATO AND SALONA</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="contents">Westward Along the Coast—First Glimpse of Spalato—The - Campanile—Diocletian’s Palace—Salona and - Her Ruins</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_247" title="Page 247">247</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="ccn" colspan="2"> CHAPTER <abbr title="18">XVIII</abbr><br /> - <span class="p08">ZARA</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="contents">From Spalato to Zara—Chief Objects of Interest in the - Capital of Dalmatia—The Story of St. Simeon—The - Five Fountains—Fragments of Roman Occupation</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_269" title="Page 269">269</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="ccn" colspan="2"> CHAPTER <abbr title="19">XIX</abbr><br /> - <span class="p08">THE GULF OF QUARNERO</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class="contents">The Home of the Bora—Fiume—Abbazia—The Home - of the Torpedo—Descendants of the Uscocs</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_282" title="Page 282">282</a></td> -</tr> -</table> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xiii" id="Page_xiii">[xiii]</a></span></p> -<h2 id="LIST_OF_ILLUSTRATIONS">LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS</h2> -<table summary="Illustrations" class="toi"> -<tr> - <td> </td> - <td class="tdr"><small>PAGE</small></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">The Late Queen Draga of Servia</span></td> - <td colspan="2" class="tdr"><a href="#image_frontis" title=""><em>Frontispiece</em></a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">Map</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#i_map">viii</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">“<span class="smcap">A crowd of stary-eyed, open-mouthed, inquisitive - natives</span>”</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#i_005">5</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">The Hotel Proprietor, Sophia</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#i_009">9</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">The Fischer Ramparts, Pesth</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#i_013">13</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">The Elizabeth Bridge,—Buda in the Background</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#i_017">17</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">The Native Servian Head-dress</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#i_025">25</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">Drinking a Friendly Glass of <i>Slivivitz</i></span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#i_031">31</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">A “Boze” Peddler, Belgrade</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#i_035">35</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">The Prishtina Costume, Worn by Servian Women on - Feast Days</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#i_039">39</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">The Late King Alexander of Servia</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#i_051">51</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">A Sidewalk Café, Belgrade</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#i_063">63</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">King Peter Karageorgevitch of Servia</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#i_069">69</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">The Ball-room of the New Palace, Belgrade</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#i_073">73</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">Fruit Venders, Nisch</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#i_095">95</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">A Street Scene, Sophia</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#i_103">103</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">A Bulgarian Village Church</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#i_109">109</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">The Saint Cral Cathedral, Sophia</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#i_115">115</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">The Ruined Church of Saint Sophia, Sophia</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#i_119">119</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">Monument to the “Tzar Liberator,” Sophia</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#i_123">123</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">“<span class="smcap">A hawking, bantering multitude ... in gala - dress</span>”</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#i_131">131</a></td> -<td><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xiv" id="Page_xiv">[xiv]</a></span></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">Bulgarians in Gala Attire</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#i_135">135</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">A Group Posed for the Camera at the Friday Market, - Sophia</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#i_139">139</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">The Austrian Army Barracks at Sarajevo</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#i_147">147</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">Some Turkish Homes in Sarajevo</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#i_153">153</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">Double-decked Stores in the Turkish Bazaar, - Sarajevo</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#i_157">157</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">“<span class="smcap">The Real Devotees of the Races</span>”</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#i_161">161</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">A Gorge of the Narenta, Near Jablaniča</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#i_167">167</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">The Old Roman Bridge, Mostar</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#i_173">173</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">The Harbour of Gravosa</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#i_181">181</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">Ragusa,—Mount Sergius in the Background</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#i_185">185</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">The Walls of Ragusa</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#i_189">189</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">The Sea Forts of Ragusa</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#i_197">197</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">A General View of Castelnuovo</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#i_205">205</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">The Famous “Ladder” across the Face of Mount - Lovčen</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#i_209">209</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">A Group of Montenegrins</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#i_213">213</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">A Typical Montenegrin Girl</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#i_219">219</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">A Stone Mason of Cettinje and His Cart</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#i_225">225</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">A Section of the Road across the Mountains</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#i_231">231</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">The Pass at the Top of the Mountains</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#i_235">235</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">The Main Street, Cettinje</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#i_241">241</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">A Turn of the Road across the Mountains</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#i_245">245</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">Spalato from the Campanile</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#i_253">253</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">A Fountain on the Outskirts of Spalato</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#i_259">259</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">The Ruins of the Basilica, Salona</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#i_263">263</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">Roman Sarcophagi, Salona</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#i_267">267</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">The Water Front, Zara</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#i_273">273</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">The Five Fountains, Zara</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#i_279">279</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">Via Andrassy, Fiume</span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#i_285">285</a></td> -</tr> -</table> -</div> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[1]</a></span></p> - -<p class="gothic3"><a name="The_Lands_of_the" id="The_Lands_of_the">The Lands of the -Tamed Turk</a></p> -<hr class="small" /> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I"></a>CHAPTER I</h2> - -<p class="center">WHY THE BALKANS?</p> - -<p class="hang50">The Rundreise Ticket—Why the Balkans?—When and Where -English is Heard—Why Not the Balkans?</p> - - -<p><span class="smcap">For</span> a week we had remained in London, -trying furiously to make up our minds which -part of the Continent would interest us most. -In the evenings at dinner we laid bare our -ideas collected during the day, and endeavoured -to formulate plans, but those countries -which one favoured to visit seemed in no wise -to appeal to the other. By the end of the week -we had about completed our inventory of the -tourable parts of Europe without one of us -being inoculated with a special desire to revisit -any of them. Then some one suggested, -“Why not the Balkans?”</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[2]</a></span></p> -<p>That seemingly insignificant little interrogation -cut short our evening convocations in -London as abruptly as one would snuff the -wick of a candle, for inside of forty-eight -hours we had purchased our “Rundreise” and -“Hapag” tickets and were speeding Vienna-ward.</p> - -<p>To the seasoned traveller the following brief -explanation may seem a trifle superfluous but, -at the same time, it may be the means of saving -a world of bother and inconvenience, no -small item of expense and an incalculable loss -of temper to the uninitiated—especially in -countries where an English-speaking individual -is regarded with no little curiosity.</p> - -<p>The “Rundreise,” or “Round-trip-ticket,” -is an institution in itself. On it you may -travel, for example, from London to Constantinople -and return to London by way of -any route or in any direction. You may go to -Paris, to Cologne, and up the Rhine to Frankfort; -thence to Vienna, Buda-Pesth, Constantinople, -and return by way of the Levant and -the Riviera. There are a hundred different -routes by which to go and come, a hundred -interesting parts of countries to pass through, -a hundred beautiful cities to visit. You may -travel by rail or by boat, first, second or third -class—according to the price paid—but you -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[3]</a></span>must return to the starting-point, or, at all -events, you will have paid for that privilege, -and it concerns but you if you do not care to -avail yourself of it.</p> - -<p>The one serious proviso of the “Rundreise -ticket,” and one that will be at once a drawback -to some and a boon to others, is that no -luggage may be checked on it. But the less -luggage and the smaller the assortment of -clothes taken for travel in the Balkans the -better—providing, of course, your mission -does not necessitate your being dined and -wined by the nobility and diplomats.</p> - -<p>The “Hapag ticket” is, in the language of -the Magyar, of the same general specie as the -“Rundreise.”</p> - -<p>And in contemplating such a trip through -the Southeast of Europe, two important questions -naturally arise: Why? and why not the -Balkans?</p> - -<p>To the first there are many convincing replies. -The Balkan States have been, for two -thousand years, the “Powder Box” of Europe. -The Greeks, and, after them, the Romans, -came and saw and conquered; the -Venetians, for a time, swept all before them -along the coast of the Adriatic; for five hundred -years the Turks, thirsting for the blood -of the Christians, have attacked, have been -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[4]</a></span>repulsed and have attacked again, shocking -the entire world with their atrocious massacres. -One need not hunger for history in travelling -through the Balkans. In addition, its -peoples are primitive, their customs are curious -and their methods mediæval. They are -backward and unsophisticated in everything -but war—and that word “war” has been -the slogan in the “Near East” for centuries.</p> - -<p>Furthermore, the territory has been left -uninvaded by the frantic tourist,—in fact, -an American is regarded as a wonder to look -upon, and his harmless little camera, aimed -promiscuously, is as apt to conjure up a crowd -of stary-eyed, open-mouthed, inquisitive natives -as the perpetration of a political tragedy.</p> - -<p>And woe is he who cannot speak German, -or at least enough of that language to ask the -questions necessary to travel, for the days of -“personally conducted” tours through the -Balkans have yet to come. He may speak -French fluently but, exclusive of the diplomatic -circles, it would be as much to his advantage -to adhere to American slang. The -exceptions, however, invariably prove the rule, -and it is when English is least expected to be -heard that its utterance is the most heartily -appreciated.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_005"><img src="images/i_005.jpg" alt="" width="621" height="400" /></a> -<p class="caption">“A CROWD OF STARY-EYED, OPEN-MOUTHED, INQUISITIVE -NATIVES.”</p> -</div> - -<p>The head-waiter of the hotel in Belgrade -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[7]</a></span>had been a deck steward on a trans-Atlantic -liner and of course surprised us upon our arrival -with a generous speech in English.</p> - -<p>The hotel proprietor in Sophia spoke nine -languages with great fluency and, in addition, -had been studying English from newspapers. -He had so far advanced in the mastery of the -grammar as to have been able to read Dickens -(whether he understood it or not is another -matter), but I had the honour of being the -first English-speaking person upon whom he -had had the opportunity of airing his pronunciation. -Considering the fact that he had -never before indulged his English in conversation -he butchered it to a remarkably small -degree, and was understood without an excessive -amount of difficulty.</p> - -<p>As another example of this clandestine -knowledge of the English language throughout -the Balkan Peninsula, I was standing one -evening on the <em>molo</em> at Ragusa, watching two -fishermen load their small boats with nets and -other implements of the catch. At the stern -of their craft was displayed a large and cumbersome -lantern having a powerful reflector. -I questioned the rower in German, such as it -was, as to the use of this paraphernalia, and, as -I had not heard a word of my mother-tongue -in the town—in fact, all along the Dalmatian -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[8]</a></span>coast—my auricular nerves suffered a profound -but agreeable shock when the man replied, -“The sardines follow the light while -we lead ’em into the nets.” He had been a -sailor and had visited almost every port in the -United States as well as in England.</p> - -<p>And, why <i>not</i> the Balkans?</p> - -<p>In place of the mountain-trails and muddy -cart-roads of a few years ago there are now -railway lines that form a network through the -most interesting sections, and travel is facilitated -proportionately. The scenery is as picturesque -as any in Europe, while the touch -of colour, in the garb of the peasants mingling -with the variegated uniforms of the always -conspicuous army, adds an unalloyed charm -seldom enjoyed along the time-honoured travel -routes of the Continent. Good hotels, at -which the food is excellent and well prepared, -may be found in the cities, and the accommodations, -if not luxurious, cleanly and comfortable.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_009"><img src="images/i_009.jpg" alt="" width="284" height="450" /></a> -<p class="caption">THE HOTEL PROPRIETOR, SOPHIA.</p> -</div> - -<p>As late as 1853-54 not a single telegraphic -line existed beyond the Austrian frontier. -Along the highway from Belgrade to Constantinople, -through Nisch and Sophia, messages -from the Western courts to the Sublime -Porte were carried by dare-devil riders at a -speed which sacrificed horse-flesh regardlessly. -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[11]</a></span>A notable achievement was the ride along this -route of one Colonel Townley, who covered -eight hundred miles in the incredibly short -time of five days and ten hours. To-day the -“Orient Express” eats its tortuous way tri-weekly -from Calais to Constantinople, crossing -Europe from edge to edge, in a fraction -over four days.</p> - -<p>Hardships of travel through the near East -have vanished, although, in countries so backward -and so seldom visited by the sightseer, -it would be highly improbable that inconveniences -would not be encountered. But these -inconveniences are doubly cancelled by the -pleasures and sensations of vibrating between -the beauty-spots of pugnacious little principalities, -whose histories have been written so -indelibly with blood upon the pages of the -world’s progress.</p> -</div> -<hr class="chap" /> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[12]</a></span></p> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II"></a>CHAPTER II</h2> - -<p class="center">BUDA-PESTH AND BELGRADE</p> - -<p class="hang50">Buda-Pesth and Its Language—From Buda-Pesth to Belgrade—The -Servian Passport System—First Impressions of Belgrade—Garden -Spots in and about the Servian Metropolis.</p> - - -<p><span class="smcap">Buda-Pesth</span>, with its imposing buildings, -its kaleidoscopic market scenes and its impossible -language, seems to be the Eastern jumping-off -place, so to speak, of Continental -travel. It is the suburb of Europe; but what -a fascinating suburb it is, to be sure! Its architectural -beauty is unsurpassed; its situation -unrivalled, with the Danube coursing between -the old city, Buda, and the new city, Pesth; -its parks are veritable bowers of refreshing -green; its cafés are interesting and its military -music delightful. It is the Mecca of Magyar -aristocracy and, if one can infer aught from -natural proof, it has been well adopted.</p> - -<p>But the language! The atrocious combinations -of vowels and consonants fairly numb -your powers of pronunciation. In order that -your attempts to even read the signs may be -made all the more tantalizing, our own, the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[15]</a></span>Roman, alphabet is used to muddle the brain -of the foreign visitor. When we see the writings -of the Chinese or the Greeks, for instance, -we are not inclined to regard these tongues as -altogether unmasterable, but to behold the letters -of <i>our</i> alphabet so haphazardly jumbled -together and capped with many accents, grave -and acute, seems bitter indeed. Taking it all -in all the Hungarian tongue seems analogous -to a waste of talent.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_013"><img src="images/i_013.jpg" alt="" width="291" height="450" /></a> -<p class="caption">THE FISCHER RAMPARTS, PESTH.</p> -</div> - -<p>One delightful evening I summoned my -courage and ventured into a trolley-car, hoping -that it might eventually take me near the Casino -of the principal park. It did, <i lang="la" xml:lang="la">mirabile -dictu</i>, and I alighted. But a week in Buda-Pesth -had not passed without many and varied -experiences. In order to be doubly cautious -and not mistake my car to return to the hotel—for, -luckily, this one made the park its terminus -and returned by the same route—I unsheathed -my note book and copied then and -there the name of the route from a sign on the -side of the car. Fortified with this valuable -data I was prepared to enjoy the evening with -reckless abandon, mingling with the crowds, -listening to the music and concerning myself -not at all as to the way to get home, for I -had only to wait until a car came along -marked <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[16]</a></span><a lang="hu" xml:lang="hu">“Városlíget-Eskü-Tér-Podmaniczy-Utcka,”</a> -whatever that means, and I would be -among friends.</p> - -<p>If you do not stop to look at the signs—for -what is a city of this era without a host of -glaring, gilded advertisements—Buda-Pesth -is just as enticing, but on a somewhat smaller -scale, as Vienna, and at the end of a fortnight -we were loth to leave. As the next slip of our -Rundreise book read “Belgrade,” we jammed -ourselves into one of the dusty compartments -of a crowded railway train bound for the Servian -frontier.</p> - -<p>Among our fellow-passengers was an aged, -rheumatic Jewish woman, travelling from -Vienna to Constantinople, who became very -sociable, despite her affliction, and lighted one -cigarette from the stub of the other as she -unveiled to us her past history in broken German.</p> - -<p>The railway line from Buda-Pesth to Belgrade, -traversing the great Hungarian steppes, -is devoid of attractive scenery and the journey -of seven hours becomes somewhat tiresome, -especially if the season is summer with its accompanying -heat and the train is uncomfortably -crowded. Agriculture along the route -seems to be very much on the wane, but enormous -herds of long-horned cattle, flocks of -sheep and tens of thousands of pigs tell succinctly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[19]</a></span> -of the product of that portion of Hungary. -Now and again you may see a native -driver in heavy leather boots, white petticoat, -or smock, to his knees, and a derby hat (not -a very dignified-appearing combination of apparel), -tending a large flock of unusually huge -geese, tapping the laggards deftly with his -long willow switch.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_017"><img src="images/i_017.jpg" alt="" width="588" height="400" /></a> -<p class="caption">THE ELIZABETH BRIDGE,—BUDA IN THE BACKGROUND.</p> -</div> - -<p>The minute you cross the Danube at the -Servian frontier you begin to feel the influence, -although a waning one, of a nation that has -been struggling desperately for hundreds -of years to regain her lost provinces—the -Turks. It is not so noticeable in Servia as in -Bulgaria, not so noticeable in Bulgaria as in -Bosnia and the Herzegovina, but it is there, -nevertheless; the sullen, silent suffering of a -nation of stoics, whose forefathers were defeated -in their murderous attempts to Mohammedanize -Europe only at the very gates of -Vienna itself.</p> - -<p>The fact that Servia entertains exaggerated -fears for her own is brought to the notice of -the traveller—and forcibly, too—at Zemlin, -on the Austrian side of the Danube River, -opposite Belgrade. At this point one of King -Peter’s ominous-looking arms of the law, resplendent -in epaulets and gold cord, boards -each and every train from the west. Although -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[20]</a></span>his trailing sword appears to be no little hindrance -to his ease in getting about, his temper -remains unruffled and he examines with polite -suspicion the passports of all who expect to -leave the train at the Servian capital. The -name of the owner of the passport is jotted -down on a piece of paper which, later, in the -depot, is handed surreptitiously to a pair of -warlike individuals who guard the exit to the -street, while the customs officials are demanding -excuses for the contents of your grips. -Between these two warriors you must pass out -from the depot and give them your name, -which is forthwith checked off the list previously -furnished by the portly train inspector.</p> - -<p>But this is not all.</p> - -<p>Upon arrival at the hotel you are handed -an information blank, which must be filled in -with your name, address, occupation, religion, -where you came from, how long you expect to -remain in the city, your ultimate destination -and such data as would facilitate the authorities -in bringing you to earth in case you attempted -to cut short the life of the King or -incited the natives to revolt.</p> - -<p>One of these blanks, for you must fill in two, -is kept at the hotel; the other is sent to police -headquarters. No matter how insignificant you -may imagine you are when in your mother-<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[21]</a></span>country, -you are under the eagle eye of the -government continuously in Servia. Your -every move is watched and made a note of. -It matters not even if you change to another -hotel; the police are immediately notified to -that effect. You are branded as a suspicious -character and will remain so until you prove it -or leave the country, vindicated.</p> - -<p>Your first impressions of the metropolis of -Servia are apt to be a bit disappointing, and -especially so if you arrive at night, for Belgrade -is anything but an imposing city, even -in the daytime. You are driven rather recklessly -through streets of very uneven cobbles, -miserably lighted and apparently abandoned -by human beings. The business, and, at the -same time, residential part of the city, in which -your hotel is located, looks down from the crest -of a hill upon the squalid, old Turkish quarter -on one side, from which emanates a veritable -vapour of highly seasoned cookery, and the -poor Servian district and warehouses on the -other. To the west, on a cliff overlooking the -junction of the Danube and the Save, are the -Kalemagden Park and the old fortress, the -guns of the latter having been long since -silenced by the Treaty of Berlin of 1878, -which forbade Servia fortifying her Austrian -frontier.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[22]</a></span></p> -<p>“The cheerful boulevards of Belgrade,” as -one author earnestly puts it, may have been -in existence at the time the phrase was coined, -but I very much doubt it, because of the dearth -of evidence of these alleged “boulevards” ever -having deserved such flattery.</p> - -<p>This Kalemagden Park, however, is one of -the few beauty spots of the Servian capital. -Another is in the vicinity of the <em>konak</em>, or palace, -of King Peter, in the eastern portion of -the city. The street borders one end of the -<em>konak</em> and continues past the garden and lawn -which the building faces: if it were not for the -gates being guarded constantly by soldiers one -would hardly imagine the edifice to be the residence -of a royal household. The mutinous -murder of King Alexander and Queen Draga -in 1903 occurred in the old <em>konak</em>, later demolished -by order of the present ruler, which stood -in front of the new palace but facing the gardens -and the street.</p> - -<p>Three miles to the east of the city is located -Topchidere Park, the beautiful country-seat of -the ill-fated Prince Alexander, who was but -one victim of the many infamously successful -plots of the Servian regicides. His chalet -stands on the opposite side of the roadway -from the little chapel, and in the garden his -stone tea-table is still preserved. Above it -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[23]</a></span>spread the branches of a monstrous tree of -some three hundred years of age, famous from -the fact that from its massive limbs the invading -Turks were wont to hang their Christian -victims. Near by is the country estate of the -present Crown Prince, with stables and kennels -containing his favourite horses and dogs.</p> - -<p>Topchidere is the improvised country club -of the Belgraders, and many are the social -functions given in its casino—if I may apologize -for the use of the word “casino” in describing -the ramshackle frame house of carousal -in the Park. But the gardens are really beautiful, -and are kept in excellent condition by -state prisoners detailed to work in them.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> -</div> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[24]</a></span></p> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III"></a>CHAPTER III</h2> - -<p class="center">TWENTIETH CENTURY SERVIA</p> - - -<p class="hang50">The Servians—The Rise of the Nation—The Army—The -Race-meets—The Market in Belgrade—National Customs—The -National Dance.</p> - - -<p><span class="smcap">To</span> the seeker of health and of pleasure, to -the lover of the beautiful in art and in nature, -to the reveller in gayety and luxurious living, -Servia as a travel territory is null and void. -It is a country of interest to the public only -so long as it continues to bask in the limelight -as a disturber of Balkan peace. It is the -tool of Russia, the enemy of Austria, the contempt -of Bulgaria and the hatred of Turkey. -Indeed its only true friend may be said to be -its relative—miniature Montenegro. If the -Balkan Peninsula is the “Powder Box” of -Europe, Servia certainly deserves to be called -the “Percussion Cap” of the Balkan Peninsula.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_025"><img src="images/i_025.jpg" alt="" width="316" height="450" /></a> -<p class="caption">THE NATIVE SERVIAN HEAD-DRESS.</p> -</div> - -<p>To the student the Servians are a nation of -types; as a race they are gifted by nature with -unusual powers of observation, shrewdness -and strength of character, but from the fact of -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[27]</a></span>their having been so long oppressed has arisen -a disposition to concealment and even absolute -distrust. They are patriotic and loyal to a -marked degree, which may account, in part, -for their emotional proclivities. They are absolutely -fearless, but this fearlessness assumes at -times a tinge of the <em>opera bouffe</em>, as in the -late controversy with Austria, which leads us -Americans to think of them as a nation of -charlatans.</p> - -<p>But I digress. It is not my desire to enter -into any rehearsals of the political conditions -in the pivotal Near East. I exhaled a deep-breathed -oath when this volume was commenced -to confine my writings herein to the -travelling through and brief descriptions of -these “Lands of the Tamed Turk,” introducing -such history as might seem romantic and -interesting and instructive enough to be absorbed -by the reader.</p> - -<p>Only since the final suppression of the -Turks have the Servians “found themselves,” -so to speak, and the rapid rise of the nation -has been remarkable. In the early years of -the nineteenth century, before its revolt under -the leadership of George Petrovitch—Kara, -or Black George, as he was called by the -Turks—Servia could not boast of a single -schoolhouse; there was not even a wagon road -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[28]</a></span>in the whole country, except what remained -of the ancient Roman highway between Belgrade -and Nisch; because the Turks forbade -the building or even repairing of houses of -Christian worship, the churches were, for the -most part, in miserable ruin; the entire population -at that time was scarcely larger than -that of the single city of Detroit to-day. Then -Servia was merely a province of Turkey, governed -by a Vizir sent from Constantinople. -The country was not only the seat of internal -friction, but tribes, in rebellion against the -Sultan, exploited the land as a private estate.</p> - -<p>But listen to the changes of a hundred years.</p> - -<p>As I write, Servia maintains eight hundred -and sixty elementary schools for boys and a -hundred and fifty for girls; fourteen middle -grade schools with, and twelve without, classical -departments; six high-schools for girls; -two technical academies; two schools for teachers; -one commercial college; a school of agriculture; -a military academy; and an university. -Public instruction is free and compulsory. -Of the twelve hundred and seventy-eight -towns and villages throughout the country -the important ones are connected by rail, -and telegraphic communication exists between -most of the others.</p> - -<p>The contemptible pig still constitutes the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[29]</a></span>chief article of export, but the raising of -swine, instead of the cultivation of the soil, -although the latter is by no means unprolific, -has been handed down from generation to generation -as an ingenious method of the Servians -for saving the products of their country from -the destructive raids of the Turks.<a name="FNanchor_1_1" id="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a> In some -districts, however, fruits and cereals are cultivated -and exported in abundance. Many -thousands of cases of plums find their way to -France annually, whence they are re-exported -to America, and sold under the label of French -products. From this fruit is pressed the -national drink of Servia, <i lang="tr" xml:lang="tr">slivivitz</i>, a sort of -plum brandy, which, when imbibed freely, -produces most grotesque effects—so I am -told.</p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_1_1" id="Footnote_1_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> To those of the Mohammedan faith pork is -a forbidden delicacy.</p></div> - -<p>Although the whole kingdom covers little -more than twice the area of the state of New -Jersey, the regular army consists of some -twenty thousand men. The organization of -it, however, is based upon a law enacted in -1893 which, if executed, would place in the -field three hundred and thirty-five thousand -men, but financial stringencies have curbed the -application of this statute. For every Servian -between the ages of twenty and thirty, military -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[30]</a></span>duty for two years in the regular army is compulsory; -and during the remaining years of -his middle life he is classed in the first, second -or third divisions of the reserves, according to -his age.</p> - -<p>Belgrade itself, the capital of the country, -has a population of eighty thousand, being -about the size of Hartford, Connecticut, and -it is a singular fact, as well as an amusing one, -that no less than two thousand of this number -are policemen. These guardians of the peace, -who are at the same time units of the army, -are well-drilled and are housed in military -barracks.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_031"><img src="images/i_031.jpg" alt="" width="553" height="400" /></a> -<p class="caption">DRINKING A FRIENDLY GLASS OF <i lang="tr" xml:lang="tr">SLIVIVITZ</i>.</p> -</div> - -<p>Naturally, the army is the phase of Servian -life most often met with in the capital. You -will see it on every hand, at all hours and -clothed in every conceivable colour of uniform. -It throngs the parks and takes complete and -indisputable possession of the cafés; in which -the prices of beverages advance simultaneously -with the tuning-up of the gypsy orchestras. -Should you drive out to one of the rather -ridiculous race-meets you will notice that the -army-officers’ race is the most important event -on the programme. Like as not, upon such an -excursion, the King will drive past you, bowing -graciously; although the races are comparatively -crude affairs, he and the other members<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[33]</a></span> of the -royal household are ardent devotees -of the sport.</p> - -<p>At the race course the army lines the fence -bordering the track, while half a dozen heavily -equipped peasants in black alpaca caps vie -with each other as to the speed of their respective -mounts. At one meet which I attended, a -rider was thrown within a short distance from -the tape, which his horse was about to cross -ahead of the other contestants by two hundred -yards. But his mind was set upon winning -the race by fair means or foul and, picking -himself out of the dust, he bravely endeavoured -to cross the line on foot in advance of -the fast-approaching cloud of rivals. Upon -his failure to do so a heated discussion immediately -arose as to whether the horse won the -race or the rider lost it.</p> - -<p>For a Balkan city Belgrade is exceptionally -apt in acquiring the ways and “means” -of the Westerner. As the traveller is about -to leave the hotel to take a train a hall bell is -rung, followed by a general mustering of all -hands, from the head clerk to the cook’s helper, -each of whom expects to receive some token of -appreciation for services rendered. I suppose -I had helped at least sixteen to establish themselves -in business, and was just about to make -a second start for the depot when one of the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[34]</a></span>confederates came running breathlessly -towards me. Would I be good enough to -wait just <i>one</i> moment because the <i lang="de" xml:lang="de">zimmer -mädchen</i> (and Heaven knows I tipped <i>her</i> -munificently each time she brought me warm -water for shaving or lined the marble bathtub -with a sheet—and in Belgrade a bath -costs seventy-five cents, anyway) was on her -way downstairs? But time was precious with -me and as I drove away I heard, faintly, the -tardy and disappointed <i lang="de" xml:lang="de">zimmer mädchen</i> clattering -along the flagstone hall.</p> - -<p>I even saw an automobile, of uncertain vintage -and questionable parentage, in Belgrade, -honking its noisy way through the crowds of -gaping peasants near the market.</p> - -<p>And in the word “market” I have unconsciously -mentioned one of the most interesting -sights to be had during a visit to a Slavonic -city. Every day is “market-day” in Belgrade, -but on Sunday mornings the bizarre -scene is augmented by peasants in holiday -garb from all the surrounding country-side, -while Turkish “boze”-sellers (this word -“boze” is not to be conflicted with the American -slang expression which signifies intoxicating -liquors) peddle about the contents of their -buckets, shrieking the avowed virtues of their -stock in trade. This “boze,” a sort of sweetened<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[37]</a></span> -oatmeal water, is freely consumed in -Servia by shopkeepers, artisans and peasants.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_035"><img src="images/i_035.jpg" alt="" width="289" height="450" /></a> -<p class="caption">A “BOZE” PEDDLER, BELGRADE.</p> -</div> - -<p>But I must withhold the description of a -typical market scene in the Balkans, and devote -a certain amount of space to it in connection -with the Bulgar capital of Sophia -where one of the most interesting markets in -the world is held on Friday of each week.</p> - -<p>Of the customs of the country there are -many which are quaint and singular, especially -among the peasant population, but only -a few of the more common ones will bear -description.</p> - -<p>In the Servian orthodox church there are -a hundred and eighty feast days in the year, -the continued observance of which places business -in a state of chaos. Divorce is easily obtained, -and for the slightest cause, through -the ecclesiastical tribunals, and it carries with -it no social disgrace; but to wed a cousin, no -matter how distant, is attended with absolute -ostracism.</p> - -<p>Instead of bride’s-maids at a wedding the -Servians employ two <em>kums</em>, or godfathers, -each of whom is compelled by custom to give -the bride a dress-length of silk. A particularly -significant honour is bestowed upon the -<em>dever</em>, who acts in the capacity of the best man -at the marriage ceremony. He carries a bouquet,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[38]</a></span> -wears a white sash and other ludicrous -regalia, and for no reason whatever must he -leave the bride for an instant throughout the -day of the wedding.</p> - -<p>As a general rule the wife is older than the -husband and the bridegroom’s relatives have -preference over those of the bride. The bride -herself is regarded as little more than a household -slave.</p> - -<p>Each regiment of the army, like each -Servian family, revels in the protection of a -patron saint, and the celebration of the <em>slava</em>, -or patron saint’s day, of a regiment is the only -occasion of the year upon which all ranks of -the army are considered socially equal. In the -family the <em>slava</em> usually takes place upon the -anniversary of that family’s conversion to -Christianity, and on that day it is the custom -to call upon one’s friends whose <em>slava</em> it is.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_039"><img src="images/i_039.jpg" alt="" width="269" height="450" /></a> -<p class="caption">THE PRISHTINA COSTUME, WORN BY SERVIAN WOMEN ON FEAST -DAYS.</p> -</div> - -<p>Characteristic of every Slavonic nation is -its national dance, and the Servians, not to be -outdone in this respect by their cousins, boast -of what they call the “Kola,” an extremely -picturesque variety of the terpsichorean art, -partly adapted from the Russian and partly -invented by themselves. This “Kola” is -danced upon the least provocation, and at -every function. It matters little where they -may be; in the streets of Belgrade or tending -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[41]</a></span>their flocks in the fields, if a group of Servians -feel a “Kola” coming on they must give vent -to their enthusiasm. It is danced upon the -field of battle by the soldiers, and the King -leads it at every state ball. At first sight it -seems ridiculous, almost childish, and especially -so when danced at one of the royal -functions where gray-whiskered diplomats of -all nations, high officials of state in uniform -and be-jewelled leaders of Servian society trail -like a kaleidoscopic serpent in the wake of the -King, as he twists and turns up and down the -polished floor of the great ball-room in the -palace. But it seems to wax more and more -fascinating and impressive the more often one -sees it danced.</p> - -<p>I was returning by carriage one warm, -humid afternoon, from the cool environs of -Topchidere Park, when I noticed a regiment -of Servian soldiery drilling on the parade -ground near one of the barracks. Suddenly -the order to stack arms was given. Two of -the privates rushed with all possible speed to -the barracks and returned with a couple of -violins. As they commenced the typical -Slavonic music of the “Kola” the nine hundred -and more officers and men linked arms -and, forming one long line of white coats and -caps, blue breeches and black boots, went -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[42]</a></span>through the mystic mazes of the national -Servian dance with much precision, no little -amount of gusto and a great deal of effervescent -enthusiasm. As I witnessed this “Kola” it was nothing if -not an inspiring sight.</p> -</div> -<hr class="chap" /> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[43]</a></span></p> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV"></a>CHAPTER IV</h2> - -<p class="center">THE SERVIAN DYNASTIES</p> - - -<p class="hang50">Karageorge—Milosh Obrenovitch—Murder of Karageorge—Turkey -Grants the Title of Prince—Milosh Abdicates—Abdication -of Prince Michael—Alexander Abdicates—Prince -Milosh Re-installed, His Death and the Re-election of Prince -Michael—Murder of Michael—Prince Milan’s Marriage, -Abdication and Death—Alexander Elected.</p> - - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> very early history of Servia and her -peoples has been daubed so freely with myth -and fable that it would be confusing and -tedious to enter into it. Instead, I shall confine -myself to the brief narration of the two -later dynasties, explanatory of the world-renowned -friction between them.</p> - -<p>Of all the capitals of the world none deserves -more unquestionably the sobriquet of -“The Capital of Crime,” as I have named a -later chapter, than that of Servia. Since the -beginning of the nineteenth century four -reigning monarchs have been ruthlessly murdered -in or near Belgrade, and four others -have been forced to abdicate. What would -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[44]</a></span>have been the fate of these latter had they not -foreseen it can readily be imagined. King-killing -is chronic with the Servians and there -are to-day twenty-nine men incarcerated in -the prison at Belgrade, charged with plotting -against the life of the present ruler, King -Peter Karageorgevitch.</p> - -<p>The history of these national tragedies, the -latest of which, in 1903, shocked the civilized -world, begins with the histories of the two -royal families of Servia, and takes us back -a hundred years, to a time when the country -was suffering the most from the perennial -invasions of the bloodthirsty Mohammedans.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[45]</a></span></p> - -<p>“The end of the year 1801 saw Servia a -prey to systematized vandalism. It was a -reign of unexampled tyranny and cruelty. -The bloodthirstiness of the Sultan’s janizaries -increased like the strength of a torrent. The -Dahis, in obedience to the Sultan’s firmans, -commissioned murderers to proceed through -Servia and kill all the mayors of towns and -villages, chiefs of cantons, priests and monks. -A wave of terror swept over the land, spreading -panic in every direction. Mothers hugged -their children to their breasts and men in -hushed whispers spoke of self-destruction as -a less miserable fate than falling into the -hands of the Turks. Every male over seven -years of age was to be destroyed. But something -in the Servians which had hitherto lain -dormant, a spirit of manhood which had not -been manifested before, arose under the whip -of the gigantic thraldom; seemingly the -crushed and oppressed drew breath, the instinct -of self-preservation kindled in their -hearts, and the embers burst out into a new -flame of patriotism.”</p> - -<p>Such, then, happened to be the deplorable -conditions in Servia when George Petrovich, -or Kara-George, a poverty-stricken peasant -of a fiery temperament, but a man of dominating -energy, morose and taciturn, imbued with -this patriotic flame, descended from the little -village of Topola where he made his home. -By means of his character and personal magnetism -he rallied his countrymen and posted -the now-famed proclamation, which called -upon the whole of Servia to rise against the -Turks. The latter were driven from the -country after a siege of eight days, and for -nine years Karageorge ruled in Servia and -kept at bay the subjects of the Sultan.</p> - -<p>But in 1813, the Turks, encouraged by the -jealousy which had been impregnated in the -hearts of the military chiefs on account of the -pre-eminence of Karageorge, proclaimed a -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[46]</a></span>holy war. In vain did the peasant leader appeal -to his people to withstand the attacks of -the Mohammedans and, in the end, he fled -disgusted to his mountain home.</p> - -<p>It was at this time that the Servians found -a new champion in Milosh Obrenovitch, General -of Rudneek under Karageorge, and, -after a successful campaign against the Turks, -he was proclaimed a hero.</p> - -<p>Karageorge, off among the hills, was loth -to see this Milosh taking his place in the hearts -of his people, so, in 1817, disregarding utterly -the orders of the Vizir and the advices of -Milosh himself, he decided to return to his -subjects. He stopped for the night at the -house of Semendria Vouitza, who, oblivious -to the old ties of friendship and his duties as a -host, murdered his guest as he slept, and who -knows but at the instigation of Milosh Obrenovitch?</p> - -<p>This, then, was the first of the Servian royal -tragedies, and the beginning of the deep and -terrible feud between the families of Karageorge -and Obrenovitch, the latest victims of -which were the unfortunate and weakly King -Alexander, the last Obrenovitch, and his -queen, Draga, in 1903.</p> - -<p>In 1830 Turkey permitted Milosh to assume -the title of <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[47]</a></span>“Prince Milosh Obrenovitch I.” -By this action she yielded to Servia’s -demands, for Turkey had suffered defeat -in the hands of the Russians in 1829, and -Russia was literally the sponsor of Servia. -But in 1839 the broil between the old adherents -of Karageorge and the followers of his -successor, far worse than mere family jealousies, -because it divided a nation, caused -the abdication of Prince Milosh in favour -of his elder son, Prince Milan, who held -the reins of government but a few short -weeks when he died and his brother, Prince -Michael, assumed the leadership of the Servians.</p> - -<p>Only three years later Prince Michael was -compelled to resign and Alexander, son of -Karageorge, was elected in his stead. The -year 1859 witnessed the enforced resignation -of Alexander and the re-instalment of old -Prince Milosh Obrenovitch, who had answered -the fickle summons to return to his people. -He died the following year, and Prince -Michael was, for the second time, made the -reigning head of Servia.</p> - -<p>The fact that Michael’s wife, who was Princess -Julia, a descendant of a royal Hungarian -family and maid of honour to the Empress of -Austria, was childless gave rise to the dastardly -Karageorgevitch plot to put an end to -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[48]</a></span>the Obrenovitch dynasty by the murder of her -husband. Milosh Obrenovitch, junior, so to -speak, a grand-nephew of Prince Michael, was -the only heir to the Servian throne and the -would-be regicides were confident that a new -constitution might be proclaimed in favour of -Peter Karageorgevitch, the present ruler and -a grandson of the peasant, Black George. -The sooner this should be attempted the better, -for was not Prince Michael even then contemplating -the divorce of his wife, in order -that he might marry Katrine Constantinovitch, -his cousin, and so insure an heir to the -throne in the birth of a son?</p> - -<p>June 10, 1868, was the day set for the -tragedy.</p> - -<p>Taking advantage of the Prince’s custom -of driving unattended by military escort -through the deer park at Topchidere, four -men, all criminals with notorious careers, met -him along the road as he drove in his carriage -with Katrine Constantinovitch and two other -relatives. As the Prince’s carriage advanced, -these four men stepped to one side and bared -their heads in recognition of his Royal Highness. -Hardly had he passed when they fired -simultaneously upon the royal party, killing -the Prince almost instantly and mortally -wounding Mlle. Constantinovitch.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[49]</a></span></p> -<p>Owing to a mishap to the carriage of the -conniving news-bearer the true tale of the -tragedy reached Belgrade before him and it -was only through the masterful diplomacy of -M. Petrovitch Blasnavatz, the Minister of -War, that the throne of Servia was saved for -the young Milan Obrenovitch.</p> - -<p>In 1872 Prince Milan reached his majority -and three years later, in Vienna, fell in love -with the beautiful, charming Roumanian princess, -Natalie, who was destined to play such -a prominent role in the future of the Servian -nation. To their union was born a son, Prince -Alexander, “Little Sasha,” as the Servians -lovingly called him. Natalie was popular -with her subjects, and in many ways their love -for her was made manifest. On one occasion, -when she lay confined in her apartments before -the birth of Alexander, the people walked -along the street in front of the palace on tiptoe -and spoke only in whispers, so fearful -were they of disturbing her quiet.</p> - -<p>But Milan, although a devoted parent and -an unimpeachable patriot and ruler, proved -himself nothing less than a Machiavellian roué. -The persistent outcries against his dual life -gained Natalie a divorce, which was subsequently -revoked on account of her refusal to -leave the country. Then, because of the continued<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[50]</a></span> -murmurs of the Karageorgevitch faction -against him, Milan abdicated and bade -farewell to the “Little Sasha” on March 6, -1889. He died later in Vienna financially, -physically and morally bankrupt.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_051"><img src="images/i_051.jpg" alt="" width="284" height="450" /></a> -<p class="caption">THE LATE KING ALEXANDER OF SERVIA.</p> - </div> -</div> -<hr class="chap" /> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[53]</a></span></p> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V"></a>CHAPTER V</h2> - -<p class="center">ALEXANDER AND DRAGA</p> - - -<p class="hang50">Alexander—Draga—The Meeting—Draga’s Return to Belgrade—Russia’s -Intrigues—Marriage of Alexander and -Draga—Origin of the Plot to Murder.</p> - - -<p><span class="smcap">After</span> the abdication of Milan, Natalie took -up her home in Biarritz in a chateau which she -had previously purchased; while back in Belgrade, -Alexander, under the guidance of regents, -had taken upon himself the burdens of -a nominal ruler of Servia. It was not long, -however, before the want of the devoted affection -and the healthful moral influence of his -mother began to produce their effects. In -many ways Alexander endeavoured to emulate -his father. Although headstrong in the -extreme, even to stubbornness, he became pitiably -vulnerable, under the tutelage of less -scrupulous associates, to influences not altogether -conducive to his popularity as a king.</p> - -<p>It was to his indiscretion and contumacious -perversity that was accredited one of the most -horrible royal tragedies in the history of the -world. In fact, it was on one of Alexander’s -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[54]</a></span>imprudent escapades that he met Draga Maschine, -then lady-in-waiting to his mother and -the adventuresome widow of an engineer in -the Servian army. An illicit union with this -woman kindled the spark of love between -them, which ignited, as time wore on and the -number of their meetings increased, into the -burning flame of passionate devotion.</p> - -<p>Of the women of Belgrade, Draga Maschine, -at the time of her ascendency, was an -acknowledged star in point of beauty of face -and figure. She was tall and graceful in bearing; -her eyes were dark and lustrous; her -hair was said to have been black like the hue -of a raven; the curves of her mouth were bewitching; -the type of her chin was indicative -of determined character. Beyond these attributes -she was vivacious and alluring. While -yet a mere girl of seventeen she had been married -to a young army engineer, but even at -that tender age she had had the reputation -of being a maid of uncertain morals, and her -marriage failed to act as a curb to her perverted -desires and inclinations. She had been -wedded barely a year when her husband took -his own life because of her alleged disregard -for the holy bonds of matrimony. It was then -that Colonel Maschine, her brother-in-law and -her enemy from the first, plotter against the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[55]</a></span>King and the man destined to act the role of -arch-murderer in the final scene of the greatest -of Servian tragedies, swore he would have -retribution for her conduct, which, he said, had -been the cause of his brother’s suicide.</p> - -<p>In due course of time Draga became fired -with the hope of future social distinction. She -had been dragged through the mire of ill-repute -and was now determined to attain the -coveted recognition of society, not as an adventuress, -but as a lady of wealth and rank. -To this end she even sought the influence in -her behalf of a minister of the Servian court, -and through him the unsophisticated Natalie -resolved to help her, pensioned her, and finally -made Draga one of her ladies-in-waiting at -Biarritz.</p> - -<p>In 1898 the young King Alexander, upon -a visit to his mother at Biarritz, met Draga, -his future queen and for whom he felt no little -affection from the first.</p> - -<p>Natalie, during this visit of her son, laid -before him her plans for his marriage to Princess -Lilly Mirko of Montenegro, his cousin, -an Obrenovitch descendant and one of the -most beautiful women in all Europe. But the -King, already having been subjected by the -subtle charms of Draga (who, by her beauty -and manners, had established herself as the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[56]</a></span>most fascinating of Natalie’s attendants), disappointed -his mother by taking no thought -of her proposal.</p> - -<p>On the other hand, Draga Maschine left -not a single stone unturned to win the love -of the young King. Their secret meetings -were the gossip of the community. Finally, -Natalie became alarmed at the mutual infatuation -of her son and her superlatively captivating -lady-in-waiting and dismissed the latter -from her <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">entourage</i>. But this action seemed -only to weld more securely the relations of -the pair, for Draga returned triumphantly to -Belgrade and the scenes of her early degradation -as none other than the mistress of the -King himself.</p> - -<p>This marks the date when the power of -Draga over Alexander was brought to bear -in earnest. It was at her instigation that the -King, upon attaining his majority, locked his -regents in a room of the palace after having -invited them to dinner, drew his revolver, -boastingly declared himself the all-powerful -King of the Serbs and issued an order that his -father, Prince Milan, then living humbly in -Vienna, should be shot the moment he might -attempt to cross the Servian frontier.</p> - -<p>Then Russia, always partial to the Karageorgevitch -dynasty, and prime promoter of -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[57]</a></span>the political intrigues of Servia for her own -aggrandizement, foresaw a possible end of the -Obrenovitch dynasty and, by the leverage of -the King’s love for his mistress, proceeded -forthwith with skill and subterfuge to pave -the way for a Karageorgevitch ruler.</p> - -<p>Anticipating the final outcome of the possible -marriage of Alexander and Draga, Russia -commissioned the wife of a Cossack colonel -as an agent to use her influence to bring about -such a union. Accordingly, this woman became -a personal friend of Draga; she interested -herself in Draga’s love affair and, at -an opportune moment, broached to her the -subject of marriage with the King. Draga -protested on the ground that they loved each -other and were already very happy, but the -exalted position of a Queen of Servia was so -incessantly brought to her mind that she -finally acquiesced to the suggestions of her -supposedly friendly adviser. The King was -assured that Russia would recognize the marriage, -for the Great White Czar himself consented -to act as best man, and the day for the -wedding was set.</p> - -<p>What must have been the thoughts of Alexander -as he drove that day through the decorated -streets of Belgrade? Was he so wrapt -up in his love for the aspiring Draga that he -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[58]</a></span>had failed to discover the plots against him? -Or, aware of the deep-rooted intrigue to further -the ends of a selfish monarchy, did he -stubbornly face disaster and ultimate death -in his loyalty to his Queen?</p> - -<p>As the royal couple returned to the <em>konak</em> -from the cathedral, after the marriage ceremony, -the streets were thronged with a staring, -phlegmatic crowd, which looked upon its -new Queen in silence and wonder. Not a -cheer was raised; not a trumpet sounded. All -marvelled, and stood aghast at the thought -that so strange and incongruous a union had -received the sanction of the church.</p> - -<p>Because of the marriage of Draga to the -King the ire of her enemies had been expanded -to the highest power. The net of -conspiracy continued to be woven more tightly -about her and her faithful but foolish husband. -When she learned that it was a physical impossibility -for her to become a mother she -schemed to pass off an alien child as a legitimate -heir to the throne; but the Czar of Russia, -who had been asked to act as god-father -to the child, and who, at the same time, seriously -doubted the motherhood of Draga, sent -his court physician to Belgrade to investigate. -So frantic became the new Queen’s desire to -give birth to a son that, in her dilemma, she -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[59]</a></span>made use of her irresistible power to induce -Alexander to proclaim her own brother, Nikodim -Lunyevitza, as heir apparent; this Alexander -did, disregarding utterly the entreaties -and expostulations of the Ministry.</p> - -<p>His action galled the Servians beyond endurance, -and immediately plans were set on -foot to dispose of the Queen, and the King -also, should he persist in the validity of his -proclamation. It is said that a woman was -sent to Geneva to propose to Peter Karageorgevitch -that he come to Belgrade and be -proclaimed King by the army, it being understood -that he accept the liberal constitution -previously annulled by Alexander.</p> - -<p>Everything now pointed to the murder of -the King and Queen, but the former, although -warned by word and by letter many times, -seemed oblivious to all danger. He went so -far as to augment the bitter feeling by issuing -an order transferring a number of officers, -who were known to have conspired against -him, to garrisons in the interior of the country. -All Servia was aware that a royal tragedy -was pending. Even Draga realized it for, on -the very day before her assassination, she -wrote pathetically in a letter to a friend: <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[60]</a></span>“I -am haunted by a dreadful presentiment, and -often at night I seem to see a terrifying picture -of Michael<a name="FNanchor_1_2" id="FNanchor_1_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a> in his death agony, stretching -his blood-stained hand toward his murderers -and crying, ‘Stop! My brothers! It is -enough!’”</p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_1_2" id="Footnote_1_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_2"><span class="label">[2]</span></a> Undoubtedly Prince Michael is meant, Alexander’s great-grand-uncle, -an account of whose murder in Topchidere Park in -1868 has been given in a previous chapter.</p></div> -</div> -<hr class="chap" /> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[61]</a></span></p> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI"></a>CHAPTER VI</h2> - -<p class="center">THE CAPITAL OF CRIME</p> - - -<p class="hang50">Plans of Procedure—Meeting of the Regicides—The First -Move—The Murder of the King and Queen—The Assassination -of Others—The Royal Burial—The Murder of the -Brothers Novakovics in 1907.</p> - - -<p><span class="smcap">Swiftly</span> and silently had been fomented -the plot of wholesale slaughter, of which the -Queen was marked as the first and chief victim. -If the King could be induced to sign -a form of abdication he was to be given a -chance for his life; his refusal meant death. -The murderers—and of these there were -almost a hundred who cut and slashed at the -lifeless bodies of their sovereign—would -then descend upon the house of the Queen’s -relatives and kill all in cold blood. This was -to be followed by the assassination of the -King’s adherents, including General Zinzar -Markowitz, the Prime Minister; General -Pawlowitch, the Minister of War; M. Todorowitch, -Minister of the Interior; and -many officers of the army who had refused -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[62]</a></span>to join, or who had expressed themselves as -being opposed to the plot to kill the royal -couple.</p> - -<p>The red glow of the setting sun had scarcely -faded from the sky behind the walls and turrets -of the old fortress on Wednesday evening, -June 10, 1903, when the regicides gathered at -the “Crown Café” to discuss and perfect -their plans for the invasion of the palace that -night. They sat about smoking and laughing -and drinking until many were in a state of -intoxication. The scene was one common in -Belgrade. You will see just such a company -of officers grouped about the tables along -the street in front of any restaurant in the -Servian capital of a summer evening. Perhaps, -if you will notice, some of these men -wear upon the breast, amid an array of other -medals, a small, white Maltese cross. You -may be sure that the proud possessors of these -crosses were implicated in the terrible plot of -that June evening—mayhap, some whom -you will see are the very ones who, frenzied -by the sting of liquor, broke open the door -to the royal bedchamber and fired mercilessly -upon the helpless occupants. The white -crosses are decorations pinned on the breasts -of those who helped to do away with Alexander -and Draga by King Peter himself, in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[65]</a></span> apparent -grateful recognition of their services.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_063"><img src="images/i_063.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="359" /></a> -<p class="caption">A SIDEWALK CAFÉ, BELGRADE.</p> -</div> - -<p>During this preliminary meeting of the -regicides at the café it was announced that -everything had been arranged satisfactorily: -the co-operation of the servants and soldiers, -within the palace and without, was assured by -none other than Colonel Maschine, the brother-in-law -of the Queen, who personally had made -arrangements to thus afford the least possible -difficulty in entering the <em>konak</em>; the doors of -the palace would even be left unlocked; a -regiment of soldiers had been commissioned -to cover the rear of the conspirators and repel -any attack.</p> - -<p>By midnight all details had been completed, -and the truculent corps of more or less intoxicated -officers moved stealthily toward the palace -gates. After overwhelming a suspiciously -weak and pitiful resistance on the part of the -guards they tramped across the garden and -lawn, burst through the unlocked doors of the -<em>konak</em> and scrambled pell-mell up the broad -stairs in search of the royal apartments. An -officer encountered in the hallway was killed -instantly, and a private who offered some -slight resistance suffered a like fate. General -Petrowitch, loaded revolver in hand, was the -next victim, although he endeavoured to conceal<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[66]</a></span> -the exact whereabouts of the royal couple -by leading the crowd to another part of the -palace.</p> - -<p>Needless to say, the King and Queen were -awakened by the shots on the stairs and the -loud curses of the frantic criminals. How -they endeavoured to conceal themselves in -their helplessness must have been pathetic indeed. -Hurrying from their bed, and still -clothed in night attire, they secreted themselves -in an adjoining closet which was used -as a wardrobe-room by Queen Draga. Here -they crouched together, trembling in prayer, -while their conspirators raged through room -after room, demolishing <em>bric-à-brac</em>, overturning -tables and chairs, tearing pictures from -the walls and looting the palace from top to -bottom.</p> - -<p>Through a window in this closet the luckless -King and Queen saw, by the dim, flickering -light of the street lamps, a great crowd -collect outside the palace gates. They were -unable to comprehend why this crowd stood -motionless and silent—why they did not rise -up, like the devoted and loyal subjects they -were supposed to be, and offer assistance.</p> - -<p>At seven minutes past two a stick of dynamite -was applied to the door of the bedchamber, -the explosion of which burst the barrier -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[67]</a></span>to atoms and stopped a clock which stood upon -a mantel in the room. One report has it that -the Queen, thinking the officers had departed, -owing to a sudden lull in the noise in the bedchamber, -foolishly raised the window in the -closet and cried to the crowd outside in the -street, “You will save your King and Queen.”</p> - -<p>This action is said to have disclosed to the -men the hiding-place of their victims. At all -events the latter were discovered cowering in -a corner of the closet, praying and pleading -for mercy. The Queen was fired upon and -killed instantly, and the King, in trying to -shield her, fell a victim to the volley of shots -hardly a moment later. Not to shrink from -fulfilling an oath previously taken by many -of the officers, that each would bury the point -of his sword in the corpse of the Queen, they -mutilated and hacked the bodies beyond recognition. -It was found later that the body -of Queen Draga bore no less than fifty-seven -sword wounds.</p> - -<p>And then, as a fitting sequel to their ghastly -proceedings, the regicides tossed the bodies -from the window of the closet where the King -and Queen had stood but a few moments before -and looked out upon the crowd. They -fell with a thud into the garden below, where -they remained until ten o’clock the following -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[68]</a></span>day, all the while being viewed apathetically -by the passing and repassing throng of people. -At that late hour, Russia, whose embassy -was directly across the street from the <em>konak</em>, -to cover as much as possible the part she had -played in the tragedy, in the person of her -minister demanded that the bodies be removed.</p> - -<p>Leaving the palace and the carnage they -had wrought there, the regicides, led by Colonel -Maschine, sought the home of the Queen’s -family and succeeded in killing her two brothers, -Nikola and Nikodim. The Minister of -War suffered the same fate in his home and -the Minister of the Interior was severely -wounded.<a name="FNanchor_3_3" id="FNanchor_3_3"></a><a href="#Footnote_3_3" class="fnanchor">[3]</a></p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_3_3" id="Footnote_3_3"></a><a href="#FNanchor_3_3"><span class="label">[3]</span></a> A certain author claims that the Prime Minister was also -killed, but I have the best of authority for contesting that point. -He was thrown into prison and has only lately been released. -At his home Alexander and Draga indulged in the most of their -courtship.</p></div> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_069"><img src="images/i_069.jpg" alt="" width="304" height="450" /></a> -<p class="caption">KING PETER KARAGEORGEVITCH OF SERVIA.</p> -</div> - -<p>About this time Colonel Nikolics, the commandant -of the Danube Division of the army, -who, with a regiment of infantry, was in quarters -outside the city, heard of what was going -on in Belgrade. In a heroic attempt to bring -his troops to the palace gates, with the hope -of saving his sovereigns, he was met at the -edge of the town by a revolutionary regiment -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[71]</a></span>under the command of Colonel Gagowitch. -Both officers were killed in the hand-to-hand -encounter which followed.</p> - -<p>The bloody labour of this night was at last -terminated by the murder of many officers of -the army, who had been branded by the revolutionaries -with the hot iron of revenge for -being in league with the King.</p> - -<p>The morning of June eleventh dawned gray -and dismal. The very heavens seemed mortified -at the awful butchery of the night before. -Rain descended in torrents, while crowds of -indifferent Servians paced to and fro in front -of the palace. The city was in the hands of -the revolutionaries.</p> - -<p>There is no need to go into political details -of the aftermath: suffice it to say that Peter -Karageorgevitch was elected King by the -Parliament and notified to leave Geneva for -Belgrade at once. The family feud of a hundred -years had been brought to an awful termination, -since Alexander, having no heir, -was the last descendant of Milosh Obrenovitch.</p> - -<p>Under cover of the blackness of the night -of Friday, June twelfth, two roughly hewn -coffins were carried into the <em>konak</em>, and in them -were placed the mutilated remains of Alexander -and Draga. No care whatever was -even taken to clothe the bodies properly. -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[72]</a></span>While the people of Belgrade still slept and -dreamed of the events of to-morrow the hearse -was driven, slowly, out through the rear gate -of the palace grounds, over the cobbled streets, -up to the weather-beaten door of the little -chapel of the Obrenovitch family, which -stands in the old cemetery of St. Mark, back -of the city. Graves had been prepared hurriedly -under the board floor of the chapel and, -after chanted benedictions had been uttered by -two priests—the only mourners—the bodies -of the chief victims of the bloodiest national -tragedy of modern times were lowered reverently -to their final resting-place.</p> - -<p>Story has it that the rambler roses, which -cover thickly the fence in front of the palace -grounds, had bloomed white until the summer -of 1903, but that the spilled blood of the royal -couple had changed their hue to red. Of -course this is a consoling little piece of fiction, -circulated by the friends of the Obrenovitch -dynasty; but one thing is agreed upon by all, -that the roses never bloomed in such profusion -or with such gorgeous colouring as they did -that year.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_073"><img src="images/i_073.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="397" /></a> -<p class="caption">THE BALL-ROOM OF THE NEW PALACE, BELGRADE.</p> -</div> - -<p>While strolling by the palace grounds to-day -you would scarcely believe that only a few -years ago the <em>konak</em> of Alexander and Draga -stood upon the very spot where now a bandstand,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[75]</a></span> -festooned with electric bulbs, shelters -the musicians as they play for the royal family, -while the street in front hums with the -chatter of gay promenaders. You will see the -same red rambler roses, forming a brilliant -screen to the beautiful garden in the background. -Perhaps you can, through the eye -of your imagination, see the very spot upon -which fell the distorted remains of royalty on -that memorable tenth of June.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Notwithstanding the fact that the untimely -death of the last Obrenovitch put an end to -the family contentions, a number of dastardly -crimes are perpetrated each year in Belgrade -by the constituents of the two rival houses. -The latest Servian outrage to be hawked before -the world was the murder in prison of the -brothers Novakovics on September 28, 1907, -because of their too zealous efforts to bring -to the bar of Justice the real murderers of -King Alexander.</p> - -<p>Captain Novakovics, a short time after the -murder of the late King and Queen, was the -instigator of a wide-spread scheme to bring -the regicides to trial. This scheme was betrayed, -Novakovics was tried by court martial -and sentenced to two years’ imprisonment, -during which period two unsuccessful attempts<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[76]</a></span> -to poison him were made. Upon his -release, although his health was permanently -shaken, he started a daily paper called “Za -Otadjbinu,” in the columns of which he attacked -the present ruling dynasty and, in more -or less open language, accused King Peter, -unflinchingly, of being the prime mover of -the plot to do away with Alexander. His -printing presses were seized and he was arrested -the second time, the absurd charge having -been brought against him that he had -stolen three screws from his own machine -which, a few hours before, had been sold at -auction by the police. Twenty-five days of -incarceration in an under-ground dungeon -with many of the worst criminals in the land -failed to break his spirit, and he—with his -brother, who had also been arrested and sent -to prison—was transferred to a cell which -overlooked the street. Again bribes and -threats failed to insure his future silence.</p> - -<p>Finally, the two brothers, unable longer to -withstand the assaults made upon them by the -prison-keepers, decided to call public attention -to their case. Having secured, during a -moment of relaxation on the part of the -guards, rifles from a near-by room, they barricaded -the door to their cell quickly and commenced -firing toward the ceiling. The police, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[77]</a></span>failing in courage to burst open the door, resorted -to a heinous method of overpowering -the prisoners, which was invented on the moment -by a reinstated detective agent. A solution -of saltpetre was inserted through the window -of the cell. Gradually the rifle-firing -ceased, the door was broken open and, although -the prisoners lay senseless upon the -floor, the enraged jailers riddled their bodies -with bullets.</p> - -<p>People, who had gathered outside attracted -by the shots of the prisoners, cried, “Asphyxiates -were forbidden at The Hague!” “Down -with the police!” “Enough of regicide rule!” -But the prison was soon surrounded with cavalry -troops and the crowd dispersed.</p> - -<p>Captain Novakovics was a scion of one of -the best Servian families, and had been married -but four months before his assassination. -His body was not only forbidden to be placed -in the family vault, but his relatives were not -even allowed to attend his funeral.</p> -</div> -<hr class="chap" /> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[78]</a></span></p> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VII" id="CHAPTER_VII"></a>CHAPTER VII</h2> - -<p class="center">PREDICTIONS OF SERVIAN TRAGEDIES</p> - - -<p class="hang50">Prediction of the Assassination of Prince Michael—Natalie’s -Visit to the Parisian Fortune-teller—The Prediction in -London of the Murder of Draga and Alexander.</p> - - -<p><span class="smcap">Strange</span> and mysterious as it may seem, the -occult, the supernatural, has played no small -part in the destiny of Servian affairs. Personally, -I am not of clairvoyant proclivities, -I know nothing whatever of the goings-on -at spiritualistic <em>seances</em>, neither am I even -slightly versed in anything that pertains to -psychical research, but in this chapter I am -compelled to give credence to the cabalistic -power displayed by three persons, two women -and one man, in their wonderful predictions -of three separate and distinct turning points -in the life of the Servian nation.</p> - -<p>The first of these was the prognostication -of the fate of Prince Michael, the second was -that of the social ascendency of Draga, and -the third, that of the horrible death of Queen -Draga and her husband—this latter foretold -in a foreign city, almost three months before -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[79]</a></span>the tragedy really occurred, by one who had -neither seen nor had had any connection whatever -with the King and Queen of Servia.</p> - -<p>On the morning of the very day of the assassination -of Prince Michael Obrenovitch in -Topchidere Park, a poor peasant of Cremna, -of local distinction because of his occult powers -of divination but unknown outside of his immediate -community, tore through the mountains -like a madman, beating his breasts with -his fists and crying, “Our Prince is dead! -They have murdered our Prince!”</p> - -<p>The cry was taken up by all with whom he -came in contact, repeated broadcast and, in -an incredibly short space of time, it was upon -the lips of every one in Belgrade.</p> - -<p>The peasant of Cremna was seized and -thrown into prison, charged with being a fanatical -disturber, but hardly before the verification -of the tragedy had reached the capital.</p> - -<p>The facts of this case are now preserved in -the minutes of the national assembly.</p> - -<p>The second instance of occultism occurred -in 1897 while Draga was in the service of -Queen Natalie, the year before she met her -future husband.</p> - -<p>Natalie had laughingly suggested to Draga and Mademoiselle Tzanka, -another member of the Queen’s coterie, that they accompany <span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[80]</a></span>her on -a visit to a certain mind-reader and spiritualistic medium of wide -reputation in Paris. The trio called upon this supernaturally-endowed -person, Madame de Thebes by name, and Natalie requested that the future -be read for her son, the young Alexander, and for her friends. To her -the Parisian fortune-teller replied, “Madame, you nourish in your bosom -a viper which will turn and sting you”; evidently meaning Draga. She -continued that the marriage of the young King -would determine the whole future of Servia.</p> - -<p>Some inept futurity was predicted for -Mademoiselle Tzanka, but to Draga the -woman said: “You, Madame, will rise to a -higher position than you even imagined. One -day you will even reign a queen; but when -that day dawns your life will be in danger, -and you will drag your lover and your husband -to his ruin and his death.”</p> - -<p>This story was published eventually in the -newspapers and, three years after Draga’s -ascent to the throne was prophesied, she denied -vehemently that such had ever been predicted, -but in the same breath she denounced -Mademoiselle Tzanka scurrilously for having -dared to repeat what had taken place in -Paris.</p> - -<p>In describing the <em>seance</em> at which the -prediction<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[81]</a></span> was made of the murder of Alexander -and Draga I can do no better than to take, -verbatim, in part or as a whole, the statements -of Mr. William Stead, editor of the <cite>Review -of Reviews</cite>, who was the host on that occasion, -and of his Excellency, M. Mijatovich, at -that time Servian Minister at the Court of -St. James and a distinguished diplomat. -These signed statements were made to the -press by Mr. Stead and others who were present, -and relate what actually took place at the -<em>seance</em>.</p> - - -<p class="center"><em>Mr. Stead’s Statement</em></p> - -<p>“I had invited a numerous company, including -M. Mijatovich, Earl Grey, Mr. -L——, Mr. Gilbert Elliot, etc., to come on -Friday, March 20th, 1903, to witness an experiment -in psychometry by Mrs. Burchell at -our weekly ‘at home’ in Mowbray House.</p> - -<p>“The ‘at home’ at Mowbray House began -at four in the afternoon. The psychometric -experiment began an hour later, in the presence -of seventy or eighty persons. In about -half an hour it was seen that the conditions -were adverse, and Mrs. Burchell went upstairs -to give private sittings, where she succeeded -much better, while the company remained below -and discussed psychometry. This went on -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[82]</a></span>till after seven.... About eight we went to -the restaurant of Gatti and Rodesano, Strand -... I sat at the head of the table, with Mrs. -Burchell on my right and Mrs. Manks on my -left. Mr. L—— sat at the opposite end of -the table, next to my private secretary, on -the other side of Mrs. Burchell....</p> - -<p>“During the dinner the conversation was -general. We talked at my end of the table -about many things, and as Mr. L—— was -present, I talked about him and about Servia. -But as far as I can remember the name of the -King was never mentioned, nor was anything -said that directly or indirectly could suggest -the idea of his assassination. No such thought -was present to my mind. As for Mrs. Burchell, -she is a plain North Country woman, -who dispenses medicine of her own making, -who has had a family of ten children and who -did not seem to me a person who had either -interest in, or knowledge of, the Balkan Peninsula. -She has since, in the <cite>St. James Gazette</cite>, -written: ‘As to my knowledge of Servian -affairs, I was then completely ignorant, -and did not know either the King’s name or -the Queen’s antecedents or name, or anything -in connection with them in any way.’ She -was tired and silent at dinner, depressed by -the consciousness of the afternoon failure at -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[83]</a></span>psychometry, and I addressed most of my remarks -to Mrs. Manks.</p> - -<p>“After the dinner there were several descriptions -given by Mrs. Burchell of the impressions -which she had received in connection -with various members of the company. It -was in her descriptions of the impressions she -had received from Mr. L—— that he nodded -from time to time; an indiscretion which led -to a protest from my private secretary. This, -however, had nothing to do with the vision of -the assassination. When the prediction was -made Mrs. Burchell had her eyes closed. I -had no idea, while she was speaking, whether -she was describing a tragedy that had taken -place long ago or was predicting what would -happen. I did not know what was in the envelope -which she placed to her brow until -after all was over. When the paper was -taken out of the envelope, not being able to -decipher the Cyrillic characters, I asked Mr. -L—— whose name it was. He replied, ‘The -King.’He then entered into conversation -with Mrs. Burchell, but I did not hear what -she said.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[84]</a></span></p> - -<p>“The other two clairvoyants present, Mrs. -Brenchley and Mrs. Manks, declared that they -saw the same scene when it was in progress, -and Mrs. Brenchley was only one degree less -excited than Mrs. Burchell. It was she who -added the detail about the Russian uniforms.”</p> - - -<p class="center"><em>The Statement of M. Mijatovich</em></p> - -<p>“I, Chedomille Mijatovich, now residing -at 51, Palace Gardens Terrace, Kensington, -make this statement, as being, to the best of my -knowledge and belief, a full and exact narrative -of what I know of this remarkable affair.</p> - -<p>“I have long taken a deep interest in psychical -research, and this brought me, five or -six years ago, to make the acquaintance of -Mr. Stead, the editor of <em>Borderland</em> and <cite>The -Review of Reviews</cite>. Knowing my interest in -these subjects, Mr. Stead invited me to be -present at a meeting in his office in Mowbray -House, Norfolk Street, London, on Friday -afternoon, March 20, 1903, when a psychometrist -of some repute was to give a demonstration -of her capacity to receive impressions -from articles held in her hand, of the origin -and nature of which she had no information. -The following is an extract from Mr. Stead’s -letter:</p> - -<p>“‘On Friday next at our “at home” we -shall have a very good clairvoyant at Mowbray -House. She has undertaken to do from -twelve to twenty tests. That is to say, ten or -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[85]</a></span>twenty articles will be submitted to her at -random, of all of which she will know nothing, -and she will state what she sees in connection -with each. I hope that you will be able to -come and to bring with you one or two articles, -the clairvoyant reading of which might be of -interest or value....’</p> - -<p>“I accepted the invitation. The rooms at -Mowbray House were crowded. The lady, -whose name I was told was Mrs. Burchell, -complained that the conditions were bad, and -the experiment was a failure.</p> - -<p>“Among the articles brought to Mowbray -House for submission to the psychometrist -was the signature of King Alexander. The -name was signed in Cyrillic characters on a -sheet of paper which was enclosed in an envelope. -It was prepared in order to see -whether the psychometrist, from handling the -envelope, could ‘sense’ and describe the person -of the King. That was the sole object of -the experiment. Nothing more was claimed -or expected.</p> - -<p>“Owing to the number of articles offered -for experiment, and owing also to the abrupt -termination of the trials, the envelope with the -King’s signature was not produced.... -While I was present nothing was said as to -its existence.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[86]</a></span></p> -<p>“When I quitted Mowbray House the -King’s signature was left with one of the company, -Mr. L——, who remained behind to -dine with Mr. Stead, Mrs. Burchell and some -others. I was unable to stay to dinner as I -had to go to the Court at Buckingham Palace -that evening. I returned home feeling that -the experiment had been a failure.</p> - -<p>“On the following morning ... I was surprised -to receive a visit at my house ... from -Mr. L——. He said that after the dinner in -the restaurant a <em>seance</em> had been held, at -which he had submitted the envelope, containing -the King’s signature, to Mrs. Burchell. -He told me that on receiving the envelope she -had been thrown into a state of violent agitation. -She had then described the assassination -of the King and the attempted assassination -of the Queen in the interior of the palace. He -gave me many details which had convinced -him that Mrs. Burchell had actually seen in -clairvoyant vision the assassination of my -Sovereign in the interior of his palace.</p> - -<p>“On the following Tuesday, March 24th, I -made it my business to call at Mowbray -House in order to ascertain from Mr. Stead -his version of what had happened.... On -returning home I made an entry in my journal, -of which the following is an exact copy:</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[87]</a></span></p> -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p class="center">“‘<span class="smcap">London (51, Palace Gardens Terrace)</span>,</p> -<p class="center">“‘<span class="smcap">March 24, 1903.</span></p> - -<p>“‘This afternoon I went to Mowbray -House, Norfolk Street, Victoria Embankment, -to see Mr. William Stead (the editor -of <cite>Review of Reviews</cite>), and to ask him what -it was that his clairvoyant of last Friday -(March 20th) said of King Alexander. Mr. -Stead told me.</p> - -<p>“‘Mr. L—— gave her into her hand a -small paper. She held it for a moment and -then said: “This is the signature of a young -man in a very high position! Yes, it is the -signature of a King!” (She then proceeded -to describe King Alexander’s appearance). -“He has his Queen at his side; she is a brunette, -older than he. But, O God! What do -I see? Oh, it is too terrible....” And then, -Mr. Stead said, she suddenly fell on her -knees, clasping excitedly her hands, and with -closed eyes and uplifted head she prayed to -the Great Spirit to—save them, if possible! -“I see them both, the King and Queen; and -there is a dark man with the dagger in hand. -He tries to kill them; it is a terrible struggle; -the Queen escapes unhurt, but the King is -assassinated!” Stead said Mrs. Bourcher -(sic), the clairvoyant, was terribly agitated. -She described what she saw in the presence of -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[88]</a></span>several ladies and gentlemen, who were deeply -impressed with it.’</p></div> - -<p>“Four days later, on March 28th, I wrote a letter to King Alexander, -in the course of which I felt it my duty to warn him as to impending -danger. I did not keep a copy of my letter, but I perfectly well -remember the passage in question.... I wrote as follows:</p> - -<p>“‘I know your Majesty will laugh, as you -usually laughed when I spoke to you about -clairvoyance, so I am not going to give you -all particulars about the latest experience -which I have had, but I implore your Majesty -to take all possible measures for your personal -safety, not only when you drive about or when -you go to the church or the theatre or to the -park, but when in your palace especially, because -I have reason to believe that an attempt -will be made to assassinate you in your own -palace.’</p> - -<p>“My wife read my letter before it was sent -off and she confirms the accuracy of this account -of its contents. I may say that I had -often talked to King Alexander about psychic -experiences, but he always mocked me and -would not take them seriously. I never before -sent him any warning as to an attempt -on his person.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[89]</a></span></p> -<p>“I was myself so deeply impressed by the -importance of the clairvoyant’s vision that I -half expected that the King, despite his skepticism, -would summon me to Belgrade in order -to hear more details. This expectation was -not realized. He neither sent for me nor took -any notice of my warning.</p> - -<p>“When the news arrived of his tragic end, -my thoughts instantly recurred to the warning -which I had sent him, and I stated to -several representatives of the press the fact, -which was duly published in the London evening -newspapers of June 11th.”</p> - - -<p><em>What Actually Took Place at the Seance</em></p> - -<p>“It was after ten o’clock at the restaurant -when Mr. L—— thrust an envelope into Mr. -Stead’s hand, saying, ‘Try her with that!’ -Mr. Stead took the envelope, not knowing -what it contained, and waited till the good -lady had finished a description to the last of -the sitters. She was getting tired and wished -to go home. Mr. Stead put the envelope in -her hands and asked her to try once more and -see if she could get anything with it.</p> - -<p>“Mrs. Burchell took the envelope in her -two hands and sat for a moment, still. She -turned the envelope round and round once or -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[90]</a></span>twice and then said, in a loud, clear voice, -‘Royalty! An important person—a King!’</p> - -<p>“The announcement riveted attention and -we listened eagerly for what was to follow. -Mrs. Burchell spoke with extreme rapidity -and in breathless excitement. There was nothing -to indicate that the medium was in a -trance. She had been talking quite normally -just before Mr. Stead gave her the envelope. -Her eyes were closed, but this might have -been done to aid in abstracting her from her -surroundings. She spoke exactly as if she -were looking through a window into an interior -and describing what she saw to us who -were beside her. Near to her were two other -clairvoyants, Mrs. Brenchley and Mrs. -Manks.</p> - -<p>“Mrs. Burchell began by saying, ‘Royalty! -An important person—a King! He is standing -in a room in his palace. He is dark; stout -body and long neck. With him is a lady, the -Queen—brunette. And there,’pointing to a -corner of the room, ‘I see a child.’ Then, -becoming very excited, the medium exclaimed, -‘Terrible! Terrible! It is all bloody. I cannot -bear to look. Oh, it is terrible! I cannot -bear it. I see a very dark man rushing into -the chamber. He tries to kill the King. The -lady implores them to spare him. Oh—’ and -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[91]</a></span>with a cry of horror Mrs. Burchell suddenly -flung herself upon her knees in such a way -that Mr. Stead thought she would fall and -stretched out his hand to save her. She did -not fall, however, but with clasped hands the -medium continued in a voice of agonized entreaty:</p> - -<p>“‘They are killing him. Oh, save him, save -him! The Queen falls on her knees and implores -them to save her life—they will not -listen. Oh, what tumult! what bloodshed! -How terrible—they kill him; she pleads in -vain. Now they fling her on one side and stab -her with a dagger, and—Oh, oh!’—and -then Mrs. Burchell, exhausted with emotion, -was falling over on her side on the floor when -Mr. Stead got her up and put her on her seat.</p> - -<p>“When Mrs. Burchell fell on her knees, -Mrs. Brenchley sprang up, saying, ‘Yes, yes, -I get it in the air. They are killing him; I -see it.’</p> - -<p>“‘And I also,’ said Mrs. Manks clasping -hands with Mrs. Brenchley, and both following -her (probably Mrs. Burchell’s) distracted -cries and utterances with cries of, ‘Yes, yes! -We see it; she is quite right.’</p> - -<p>“Mrs. Burchell, in her agitation, dropped -the envelope on the floor. Mrs. Brenchley -picked it up and, holding it, continued to describe<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[92]</a></span> -the scene in an agitation only a little less -than Mrs. Burchell’s, exclaiming, ‘Oh, the -blood—how horrible! Look, how dark it -becomes; see—the soldiers are coming upon -us—shooting down all they meet—’</p> - -<p>“‘What are they like?’ asked someone.</p> - -<p>“‘They seem to me like Russian uniforms; -but it is dark and I cannot see clearly....’</p> - -<p>“‘Now the King is dead!’ she (Mrs. -Brenchley) cried. ‘But, oh, what confusion! -What bloodshed!’</p> - -<p>“All these ejaculatory comments were -rapidly uttered as Mrs. Burchell was being -helped to her seat and not much notice was -taken of them at the time. Mrs. Brenchley, -however, declares that she has a lively recollection -of what she saw and what she said.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Stead turned an inquiring gaze to -Mr. L——, who had given him the envelope....</p> - -<p>“‘What was in the envelope?’ Mr. Stead -asked.</p> - -<p>“‘Look!’ said Mr. L——. Opening the -envelope he took out a sheet of note-paper on -which was the signature, ‘Alexander.’</p> - -<p>“‘It is the King,’ he exclaimed.</p> - -<p>“‘But,’ said Mr. Stead, ‘her description—was -it correct?’</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[93]</a></span></p> - -<p>“‘It was exact,’ replied Mr. L——. ‘The -palace, the King, the Queen. Her description -is exact.’</p> - -<p>“And then the medium, who had been -silent as if recovering from the emotion -through which she had just passed, said:</p> - -<p>“‘Depend upon it, it will all happen as I -have seen it, if nothing is done to prevent it, -and that ere long!’</p> - -<p>“Mrs. Burchell’s own version is that she -added,‘Even then, although they may postpone -it, it will certainly come to pass.’”</p> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[94]</a></span></p> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII"></a>CHAPTER VIII</h2> - -<p class="center">NISCH AND SOPHIA</p> - - -<p class="hang50">From Belgrade to Nisch—Nisch—Provincial Hotel Accommodations—The -Monument of Skulls—Tzaribrod—Sophia—Value -Received for $1.25 per Diem—Dragoleftsky.</p> - - -<p><span class="smcap">For</span> a long time the words “Brigands” -and “Bulgarians” seemed to me synonomous, -for it was not so very long ago, I thought, that -to be kidnapped and behold the tragic story -of your life subsequently illuminating the -pages of every journal, you had only to go to -Bulgaria; and these thoughts were not devoid -of some prestige. But since the days of Pat -Crowe and Raisuli the Bulgarian man-stealers -seem to have forgotten their lines and faded -ignominiously into the wings of the stage of -publicity. In fact, I discovered later, that you -might be just as safe in your room at the -“Grand Royal Hotel” in Sophia as it would -be possible to be in your apartments in any -fashionable hotel in America—and safer, because -at the “Grand Royal” in Sophia you -are not in the predatorial power of a gang -of domesticated yeggmen disguised as waiters, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[97]</a></span> -porters, bellboys and what not. So we decided -to tempt our fate on a certain June morning -by shaking the dust of Belgrade for that of -the Servian frontier.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_095"><img src="images/i_095.jpg" alt="" width="285" height="450" /></a> -<p class="caption">FRUIT VENDERS, NISCH.</p> -</div> - -<p>But eight hours’ travel in the local train so -anæsthetized our desires to continue the journey, -on such a train, at least, that the little -vine-clad station at Nisch appealed to us most -invitingly. We also determined then and -there to explore the town behind it.</p> - -<p>A two-mile drive over even rougher cobbles -than Belgrade can boast of, connects the station -with the centre of the town, and I might -add that it is the longest two miles I have ever -driven.</p> - -<p>As we rattled along, the diminutive one-story -dwellings of Nisch seemed to be scattered -over an unlimited area. A single small -mosque constitutes the only remaining suggestion -that the town was at one time in the -possession of the Turks.</p> - -<p>Finally we stopped in front of one of the -hotels—poor excuses, all of them, believe -me—and commenced to bargain and barter -for accommodations, only to discover that all -of the rooms were occupied; I doubt if the -place could have housed more than half a -dozen patrons at one time. We tried another -hostelry, with the same result. Then another. -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[98]</a></span> -The train on which we had arrived, the last -one leaving Nisch that day in either direction, -had long since departed for Sophia; the hotel -people seemed anything but desirous of taking -us in, for I am dubious about their houses -being so crowded as they were said to be; and -we commenced to consider a suitable place in -which to leave our luggage, so that we might -at least walk the streets that night unencumbered. -Our driver, too, was apparently at his -wits’ end, but after we had tendered him an -extra <em>dinare</em> as a stimulant he <i>thought</i> he knew -of just <em>one more</em> hotel where it <em>might be possible</em> -to obtain rooms, and, accordingly, we -were rattled thither. Here our trials ended, -for the proprietor of this place graciously consented -to accommodate us during our stay.</p> - -<p>After first walking through a combination -office and general loafing-room, containing at -one end a bar, reeking with foul-smelling -tobacco-smoke and alive with Servian officers -who shuffled over the sanded floor or played -billiards at an antequated table or sat about -telling the gossip of the garrison, then through -a labyrinth of narrow passages, across a court -and up two flights of stairs, we came upon our -room.</p> - -<p>I think we paid about fifty cents a day each -for this room, but in the Balkans you get a -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[99]</a></span>great deal more for your money at the hotels -than you would dare to expect in America. -The floor was scrupulously polished; clean -bed-clothes were on the beds; fresh water had -been brought up for both drinking and toilet -purposes; spotless white candles projected -from each candlestick; hair-combs and brushes -(for your application if you cared not to doubt -the cleanliness of the previous user) adorned -the bureau; and a gaudy pair of bed-room slippers -reposed beneath each bed, awaiting only -the insertion of your tired toes. Our meals -we ate on the pavement in front of the hotel, -“without restraint or finger bowls,” surrounded -by the army, sniffed at by the dogs -and stared at by the multitude, while a pet -sheep nibbled playfully at our coat buttons.</p> - -<p>In Nisch the soldier element ever predominates -over the civilian, for here is located a -Servian garrison of some 2,500 men. Evidently -they consider themselves proficient in -military tactics, for they are always on the -streets, and the pavements in front of the -hotels are constantly crowded with officers, -smoking and drinking. And every soldier -wears a different uniform. There are blue -coats with white trimmings, white coats with -blue trimmings; there are black trousers with -green stripes and green trousers with black -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[100]</a></span>stripes, not to mention the brown trousers with -red stripes; there are gray caps with black -visors and black caps without visors. Every -private stops on the street to salute his officer -and every officer stops to salute his superior -officer; the place reminds one of a health resort -for the treatment of St. Vitus’ dance.</p> - -<p>The moment you unlimber your camera, the -peasants and townspeople, who are none too -familiar with the habits, customs or pastimes -of English-speaking visitors, crowd around in -veritable droves, until you have to give up in -disgust and resign yourself to the good luck -you may hope to have with your snapshots. -Only a week after we left Nisch an Englishman -was arrested for taking photographs in -and about the city, and he had a very great -deal of trouble in finally convincing the authorities -that his object in making pictures -was entirely inoffensive and <i>not</i> with a view -of better explaining to his home War Department -the position of the Servian fort. As it -was, he was held in Nisch for some days until -the British Minister to Servia demanded his -release.</p> - -<p>To say the least, the people of Nisch are -primitive and their looks belie not their methods. -Here, for the first time, I saw put into -practice a process which was in vogue centuries<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[101]</a></span> -ago; the proprietor of the hotel, after -making out his bill, <em>sanded</em> the wet ink instead -of using a blotter.</p> - -<p>There is but one object of absorbing interest -to be seen in Nisch, and that is what once was -a tower of human skulls, erected by the Turks. -This ghastly monument commemorates the -Turkish victory over the Servians near Nisch -in 1809, and it is said to have been composed -originally of twelve hundred of the enemies’ -skulls. Now but one remains, too deeply imbedded -in the mud-cement for easy extraction, -and for that reason left undisturbed by the -relic-hunter. When Nisch became Servian all -the skulls which could be found, except this -one, were buried reverently.</p> - -<p>Because the time of arrival and departure -of trains in the Balkan States appears to be -a matter of mere conjecture and of little consequence, -it is the custom for travellers to be -at the depot at least an hour before train time. -On the day set for our departure from Nisch -we were awakened at four in the morning, so -that we might have plenty of time to take coffee, -be jolted the two miles over the cobblestones -and wait for the train for Sophia, <em>due -to arrive</em> at Nisch at six o’clock.</p> - -<p>The route from the Servian frontier to the -capital of Bulgaria is rich in wild and picturesque<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[102]</a></span> -scenery, for almost immediately after -leaving Nisch steep grades are encountered -and continue until the divide is reached at -Dragoman. From there the line descends -none too gradually and Tzaribrod is the next -stop. At this point the Servian crew surrenders -the train to the care of the Bulgarians, -a perfunctory customs examination is made of -your baggage and you turn the hands of your -watch an hour faster to “East European -Time.” Beautiful mountain scenery marks the -remainder of the journey, and in exactly six -hours after leaving Nisch (including the hour -change of time) you are in Sophia.</p> - -<p>When you alight from the train don’t think -you have made a mistake and wax discouraged -because you did not locate Sophia immediately, -for almost all of these Balkan towns -have an unhandy habit of springing up some -two or three miles inland from their respective -railway stations. You have only to jump into -one of the numerous open cabs which meet -all trains, each of a different and distinct Renaissance -design, and make signs that you -wish to be driven to the Hotel So-and-So.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_103"><img src="images/i_103.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="352" /></a> -<p class="caption">A STREET SCENE, SOPHIA.</p> -</div> - -<p>During the ensuing voyage, your driver, in -red fez and baggy, ill-fitting Turkish bloomers, -will, by deft manipulation of the reins, -graze more lamp-posts and curb-stones without<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[105]</a></span> -regard to speed limits or to the possible -scattering of his fares <em>en route</em> than any fire-engine -driver it has ever been your misfortune -to come in contact with. Yelling with the full -power of his leather lungs, sometimes at his -animals and sometimes at the foolhardy Bulgarians -who may get in his way, he will jolt -you diagonally across trolley tracks and swing -you dangerously around corners, now on the -port tack and now on the starboard, like an -ambulance driver on a hurry call.</p> - -<p>Finally, and suddenly, his horses stop literally -on a ten-cent piece in front of the hotel; -you feel around to ascertain if your frame is -intact and the tempo of your heart-beats once -more assumes a natural rhythm. Bowing -peasants with bared heads (the reason for the -ceremony is known only to themselves, but I -have a suspicion that they all hope to receive -from you some gratuity for living) line the -sidewalk, while the hotel proprietor graciously -assists you to alight and escorts you to your -rooms, at the same time making profuse apologies -for the style and period of their appointments.</p> - -<p>For the Bulgarian equivalent of one dollar -and a quarter a day each, you may lodge and -feast at this hotel. You will find the food of -great variety and the cooking excellent; the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[106]</a></span>Turkish coffee, which is always to be had in -these Eastern provinces, and to learn the making -of which you must attempt an excursion -into the culinary department, is the best you -have ever tasted; and delicious wine or refreshing -beer, the latter served temptingly in tall, -thin, frosted glasses, is included in the price -paid.</p> - -<p>Perhaps your apartments consist of a suit -of rooms on the second floor, overlooking a -thickly wooded park, which occupies the whole -of the block opposite. The floors are hard -wood parquetry and the sitting-room is furnished -like a throne chamber with plush-covered, -handsomely carved, high-backed chairs -and divans. In one corner stands an immense -tile stove, a replica of those to be seen in -Vienna, resembling more a sarcophagus than -a heater. The bed-room contains two beautifully-carved -beds, burdened with thick, soft -feather comforters, while at the side of each -is placed a small stand bearing an attractive -electric reading lamp. The only complaint -I had to make was that the thousands of jackdaws, -which held daily conclave in the park -during the early hours of the morning, kept -up such an incessant squawking and screeching -that, had our sleeping apartment not been -the more remote from the street, I should have -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[107]</a></span>begged the proprietor to give us a back room. -As it was, we were compelled to bury our -heads, ostrich-like, under the feather comforters -to deaden the racket, although the season -was mid-summer.</p> - -<p>Your comfort during your stay having been -assured, you will hurry to the street to mingle -with the people of Bulgaria and to get acquainted -with their capital, this noisy little -city of Sophia, situated snugly at the foot of -the snow-capped Balkans, the majestic Mount -Vitosch to the south.</p> - -<p>The streets of the new town, each named -after some local celebrity of the era of liberation, -radiate like the spokes of a wheel from -the royal palace as a hub. They are well-paved, -wide and well-lighted with electricity, -but within the precincts of the old town, now -fast disappearing, you may still find many -narrow cross streets and courts, lined on either -side with picturesque Turkish bazaars which -continually invite your patronage.</p> - -<p>During our stay in Sophia the trial was -being conducted of the twenty-year-old assassin -who murdered the Prime Minister a few -months previously. The opposite side of the -street from the law courts was daily thronged -with inquisitive townspeople, hoping to obtain -a glimpse of the boy-murderer, as he was -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[108]</a></span>being taken to and from the prison. He was -found guilty and executed.</p> - -<p>A wonderful panoramic view of the city -and of the surrounding country, a view that -will amply repay you for the almost hazardous -carriage ride over worse than miserable roads, -may be had from the foot-hills beyond the -little village of Dragoleftsky, some eight miles -to the eastward. Here you may also get a -glimpse, at short range, of how the Bulgarian -peasant lives and has his being. You will see -the women washing clothes in a crude tub, -hewn out of the trunk of a tree, a tub that -looks not unlike some kind of “dugout” -canoe; while an <i lang="tr" xml:lang="tr">olla podrida</i> of geese, chickens, -pigs and children swarm on the bare floor -of the farmhouse.</p> - -<p>Should you proceed farther into the mountains, -on foot, of course, you will come upon -one of the enormous monasteries which were -the heart and soul of the movement for Bulgarian -liberation, and around which most of -the fighting against the Turks took place.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_109"><img src="images/i_109.jpg" alt="" width="361" height="550" /></a> -<p class="caption">A BULGARIAN VILLAGE CHURCH.</p> - </div> -</div> -<hr class="chap" /> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[111]</a></span></p> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IX" id="CHAPTER_IX"></a>CHAPTER IX</h2> - -<p class="center">BULGARIA AND HER PAST</p> - - -<p class="hang50">Progress of Bulgaria—Origin of her Peoples—The Bulgari—First -Russian Invasion of Bulgaria—The Assenide Dynasty—Turkish -Tyrannies—Emancipation of Bulgaria—Russia’s -Intrigues against Prince Alexander—The Late -Balkan Disturbances.</p> - - -<p><span class="smcap">But</span> now, for a moment, let us look at the -serious side of this little warlike principality -which has only recently wiggled from under -the vassalage of Turkey, at the same time -proclaiming her absolute independence, and -which, to my mind, is the Bulwark of the -Balkans.</p> - -<p>Although having enjoyed but a short thirty-one -years of partial independent existence, -for it is the youngest of the Balkan States, -the progress of Bulgaria during that thirty-one -years has been little short of remarkable. -A visitor to the country is at once impressed -with the look of indomitable determination -that characterizes the features of the Bulgars. -That indomitable determination has convinced -the outside world of their worthiness of the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[112]</a></span>freedom as a state conferred upon them in -1877; it will continue in the future to convince -the outside world of their worthiness of the -indefinite prolongation of this freedom.</p> - -<p>It is impossible to recognize in the proud, -full-blown kingdom of to-day the down-trodden -province of Turkey of three decades -ago. In thirty years Bulgaria has built more -than four thousand three hundred primary -schools; she has established, and maintains, a -standing army of one hundred and twenty -thousand men and is capable of putting in the -field in time of emergency two hundred and -fifty thousand more; the value of her annual -exports has reached the figure of $250,000,000; -seventy per cent. of her total area has been -rendered susceptible to the highest degree of -cultivation; the agricultural and stock-raising -adaptability of her peoples has opened the -eyes of all Europe; while her ottar of rose -industry, down in the little valley of Toundja, -“The Rose Valley,” has become world-renowned.</p> - -<p>But to fully appreciate and feel this miraculous -development we must delve, briefly, into -Bulgaria’s past.</p> - -<p>The ancient Roman name of Thrace was -the one generally applied to the entire territory -lying between the Macedonian frontier -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[113]</a></span>and the Danube River, while the territory -to the north of the Balkans was then called -Moesia. Savage tribes, known as the Thraco-Dacians, -the Thraco-Illyrians and the Thraco-Macedonians, -held sway over the whole of the -Balkan Peninsula until, historians tell us, -Philip and his successor, Alexander, came -upon and took the country. The date of the -beginning of Roman conquests in Thrace is -indefinite, but it remains an undisputed fact -that Vespasian annexed the country and proclaimed -it a Roman province in <span class="smcap">a. d.</span> 75.</p> - -<p>The Slavs, moving westward from their -confines in Asia, and having waged successful -warfare upon the Huns and the Goths, populated -Bulgaria between the third and the -seventh centuries. They introduced their customs -and language throughout a large part -of eastern and southeastern Europe, and their -descendants, influenced, of course, by the later -dominant races, constitute the present population -of Bulgaria.</p> - -<p>At this point of history we hear for the first -time of the Bulgari, “a horde of Asiatics of -Turkish strain,” who were also destined to be -a prime factor in the general make-up of the -present-day Bulgarians. They swarmed over -the country in the seventh century and -founded the first Bulgarian empire, which -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[114]</a></span>attained its height between the years 893 and -927 <span class="smcap">a. d.</span> under the Tzar Simeon, only to fall -ignominiously under Byzantine rule hardly a -century later.</p> - -<p>In the year 965, Greece endeavoured to subject -Bulgaria to her power, and the Emperor -Nikephoros Phakos sought aid in his undertakings -from a tribe of Northmen (and we -have every reason to believe that this tribe was -composed of the antecedents of the Russians -of to-day) under a leader named Sviatoslav. -Sviatoslav condescended to become an ally of -the Greeks, but the latter became so jealous -of his many successful conquests in their behalf -that they grew afraid of him and finally made -a treaty with the Bulgarian Tzar, Boris II.</p> - -<p>Upon the death of Nikephoros, Sviatoslav -decided to make war on Bulgaria for his own -aggrandizement, and in 969 he captured Boris, -carrying him as far east as Philippopolis. -Here the Greek Emperor, Zinisces, the successor -of Nikephoros, with the help of the -defeated Bulgarians themselves, drove the -Northmen back. Sviatoslav was compelled to -seek refuge in Silistria, where he sustained a -siege of three months. After his final capture -he was liberated and allowed to return to his -native land, but, while on the march, he and -his few surviving adherents were ruthlessly -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[117]</a></span>slain by a marauding band of hostile tribesmen.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_115"><img src="images/i_115.jpg" alt="" width="382" height="550" /></a> -<p class="caption">THE SAINT CRAL CATHEDRAL, SOPHIA.</p> -</div> - -<p>This may be said to have been the first Russian -invasion of Bulgaria, the direct result of -which was the fusion of the Northern and the -Southern Slavs. Bulgarian history proper -begins, however, with the nation’s conversion -to Christianity under the Tzar Boris, late in -the ninth century. About the same time the -Cyrillic alphabet—now adopted by all Slav -peoples, including the Russians—was introduced -by the great apostles, Cyril and Methodius.</p> - -<p>Under Assen, Bulgaria, then belonging to -Greece, revolted, conquered, and Assen I, the -founder of the Assenide dynasty, was chosen -Tzar. This dynasty reached its height under -Assen II (1218-1241) and a century later the -country fell under Servian rule; to its advantage, -however, for King Dushan of Servia -proved himself a wise and jealous protector.</p> - -<p>After the death of King Dushan, the Northern -provinces of the Balkan Peninsula commenced -to feel the effects of Turkish invasions. -For some years the Bulgarians defended their -lives and their property heroically; but, finally, -Tzar Shishman III, having been deserted by -his allies, surrendered and acknowledged himself -a subject of Sultan Murad I. Not, however,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[118]</a></span> until -after the bloody battle of Kossovo -in 1389 was Bulgaria brought completely -under Ottoman rule.</p> - -<p>For the following five hundred years the -Turks pillaged and sacked the country and -outraged its inhabitants. Europe remained -in ignorance of the atrocities, for her mind -was distracted by her own sanguinary wars. -The Ottoman domination and tyranny was -social as well as political; it was felt keenly, -not only in manners and morals, but in social -liberty also. Nevertheless, it is a singular fact -that no determined attempt to assimilate Bulgaria, -as a whole, to Turkish customs and -Mohammedanism was made during all these -years. The only instances of religious coercion -were prevalent in the cases of young Bulgarian -girls who had been snatched from their -very doorsteps and placed in the harem of -some bigoted Pasha.</p> - -<p>Even the Crimean War of 1854-56, which -resulted in the liberation of Roumania from -Ottoman rule, brought no relief to oppressed -Bulgaria. The Turks seemed to persecute the -Christians more terribly after it than before. -In 1876 Gladstone’s vitriolic speeches, in the -exposure of Turkish atrocities and demanding -the emancipation of Bulgaria, were heeded, -and the successful defence of Shipka Pass was -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[121]</a></span>not in vain. Bulgaria became a principality -under Alexander; but, after a successful war -with Servia as the aggressor, Russia instigated -a conspiracy against him which led to his ultimate -abdication.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_119"><img src="images/i_119.jpg" alt="" width="377" height="550" /></a> -<p class="caption">THE RUINED CHURCH OF SAINT SOPHIA, SOPHIA.</p> -</div> - -<p>With glowing promises of promotion, Russia’s -agents, Bendereff and Greuff by name, -were bribed to influence Bulgarian officers to -turn traitors to the Prince. Parts of two regiments -and the cadets of the military college -at Sophia, all more or less under the influence -of liquor, invaded the palace on the night of -August 21st, 1886, and ordered Alexander, at -the point of drawn revolvers, to sign an illegible -document which he was told was his abdication -paper. He was forthwith carried -aboard his own private yacht, taken down the -river and delivered to the Russian authorities -at Reni, where, for a time, he was held prisoner.</p> - -<p>Then Europe, indignant, lent a hand and -secured his liberation. Re-entering Sophia on -September 3, he assumed triumphant control, -for his people, incensed beyond measure at -such intrigue, awaited anxiously his home-coming. -Bendereff and Greuff were tried and -convicted by court-martial, but Russia, Germany -and Austria demanded that they should -be released.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[122]</a></span></p> -<p>Upon the final abdication of Alexander, the -Bulgarian Sobranje, or Parliament, elected -unanimously Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, -the present ruling “Tzar of the Bulgars,” -as his newly acquired title reads.</p> - -<p>As a part of the history of present-day Bulgaria, -principally, and of the Near East, generally, -it would be unwise to exclude from -these pages a brief rehearsal of the late eruptions -in that part of Europe, which have -proven the futility of international treaties -and, at the outset of the troubles, tended to -shatter the pacific exertions of the Old World.</p> - -<p>This time Bulgaria exploded the percussion-cap, -and the primary cause of the resulting -imbroglio was a strike of the employees of -the Orient Railway, which threads its way -through the country from west to east, but -which is really Turkish property, for it is -operated under a concession from the Porte -that does not expire until January 1, 1958, -although it thrives under the protection of -Austria, and is capitalized largely by Germany.</p> - -<p>Bulgarian troops occupied the railway line -provisionally during the strike but, when an -agreement was effected, refused to relinquish -the road to the officers of the Oriental Railways -Company.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_123"><img src="images/i_123.jpg" alt="" width="353" height="550" /></a> -<p class="caption"> MONUMENT TO THE “TZAR LIBERATOR,” SOPHIA.</p> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[125]</a></span></p> -<p>While Bulgaria’s answer to a formal request -by Turkey to surrender the railway still -hung fire her people were aroused to fever -heat by an untoward incident that took place -in Constantinople: Their representative at the -Porte failed to find his name included in the -list of guests invited to be present at an international -diplomatic banquet. Turkey’s apology -for this slight came too late, for the then -Prince Ferdinand of Bulgaria had already -repaired to the ancient capital, Tirnova, probably -out of pure sentiment, and was solemnly -crowned “Tzar of the Bulgars” on Monday, -October 5th, 1908.</p> - -<p>Thus did Bulgaria bring into play a lame -excuse to break faith with the Powers of Europe, -which, in a clause of the Treaty of Berlin, -signed by them in 1878 (but not signed -by Bulgaria, and therefore it can hardly be -said that Bulgaria <em>broke</em> the treaty), compelled -Bulgaria to pay a yearly tribute to -Turkey for certain concessions of territory, -including the province of Eastern Roumelia.</p> - -<p>Three days after Bulgaria’s proclamation, -Austria, in direct violation of this same Treaty -of Berlin, declared her intention (and later -fulfilled the same) of usurping for her own -the one-time Servian provinces of Bosnia and -Herzegovina, over which she had been appointed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[126]</a></span> -guardian. This move provoked the -Servians to clamour for war with Austria -while Montenegro swore her allegiance to -Servia. It looked for a time as if King Peter -of Servia would be forced to abdicate in favour -of his son George, the Crown Prince, -or fulfil the demands of his super-patriotic -subjects; and even king-killing is not a lost -art in Belgrade.</p> - -<p>To further the dismemberment of Turkey -in Europe, the Island of Crete declared itself -Grecian territory, and Albania, also inoculated -with the serum of liberty, commenced to howl -for independence and courted the sponsorship -of Italy.</p> - -<p>For several obvious reasons the convention -of the original signatories of the Berlin Treaty -for the promulgation of European peace was -at that time impossible. Great Britain would -not consent to such a convention unless all -agreed that the original treaty should not be -changed, but that the present issues alone -should be discussed; Russia would not consent -to such a convention unless the clause -which barred the Dardanelles to the passage -of Russian war vessels was struck in advance -from the original treaty; Austria refused to -be a part of such a convention unless her -annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina was -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[127]</a></span>acknowledged in advance by the other Powers.</p> - -<p>At a conference held in the interests of permanent -peace, France, Russia and Great -Britain submitted tentative plans, which were -promptly adopted, for the re-distribution of -authority in the Balkan provinces, the most -important decision being that Bosnia and -Herzegovina go permanently to Austria. The -original stipulations of the Treaty of Berlin -did not even have a hearing. France, of -course, blamed Germany for instigating the -troubles in order to humiliate Great Britain -and force the “Young Turks’ Party,” which -compelled the Sultan to acknowledge a new -constitution and later dethroned him, to re-adopt -the old régime, under which Germany -is alleged to have benefited greatly by trade -with Turkey. Germany, in turn, felt slighted -at not having been invited to join Great Britain, -France and Russia in the drawing up of -their proposals. For a time the guy-ropes -of the European peace-tent were stretched -mighty taut. Had just one of them parted -there would have been the liveliest scramble -among the Powers for Balkan territory that -Europe had seen in many a day.</p> - -<p>Although Bulgaria complied with the demand -of Turkey that the Roumelia tribute be -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[128]</a></span>capitalized, Turkey was loth—and is yet, for -that matter—to acknowledge the independence -of Bulgaria or the annexation of Bosnia -and Herzegovina by Austria; Antivari, Montenegro’s -only seaport, enjoyed for a time a -splendid view of an Austrian war fleet; Montenegro -claimed, but failed to collect, indemnity -from Austria for the detention by officials -on Austrian territory of a special Montenegrin -envoy to Servia; and the strained relations -between Austria and Servia took on a -ridiculous aspect by Austria’s refusal to allow -war materials to be imported into Servia -through her domain ... about the only way -Servia would be able to obtain such materials.</p> - -<p>Bulgaria said she had been preparing for -a possible war with Turkey for ten years, and -it is a known fact that, although barely one-fifth -the size, in population, of the Ottoman -Empire, she could have placed in the field -fully as many men, some three hundred and -seventy-five thousand, vastly better drilled -and better versed in the tactics of war. The -expenses of keeping the reserve forces with -the colours during the recent disturbances and -the “compensations” which she had to pay -because of her prince’s assumption to the title -of “Tzar” were met by increased taxes upon -her peasantry, and upon the apathy or enthusiasm<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[129]</a></span> -of this peasantry would have depended -the defeat or victory of Bulgarian arms in a -war with Turkey. In advent of hostilities, -however, it is safe to say that the pugnacious -Bulgarians, with Austria nagging them on, -would have bade fair to sweep the Turk from -the map of Europe.</p> - -<p>Had the unsatisfied Servians, on the other -hand, been foolish enough to force themselves -into war with Austria, the continuance of -Servia as a nation would have been doubtful -indeed. It would be difficult to imagine an -alliance between the Servians, including the -Montenegrins, and the Turks, their life-long -enemies, but under the conditions at that time -such a thing was not out of the question.</p> -</div> -<hr class="chap" /> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[130]</a></span></p> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_X" id="CHAPTER_X"></a>CHAPTER X</h2> - -<p class="center">A BULGARIAN MARKET</p> - -<p>Bulgaria’s Busy Day—The Orient Express.</p> - - -<p><span class="smcap">Returning</span> to the people of the Bulgaria -of to-day, the most advantageous place and -time to study them is in the market square -of Sophia of a Friday morning. This scene -is alone worth the trip to the Bulgarian capital, -for I doubt very much if its equal, in the -number and variety of types, or in the kaleidoscopic -effects of its constantly vibrating -patches of colour, can even be approached in -any other European city.</p> - -<p>From seven in the morning until one in the -afternoon the entire town wears a circus-day -air. The square surrounding the principal -mosque swarms with a hawking, bantering -multitude of Greeks, Jews, Russians, Turks, -Roumanians, Serbs and Bulgarian peasants, -all in gala dress; and as for tongues you might -well imagine yourself living in the good old -times in the immediate vicinity of the Tower -of Babel. Here, as I have said, you may observe<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[133]</a></span> -the characteristics of the natives to the -best possible advantage, for one of the chief -sources of interest in this little-travelled principality -or, in truth, throughout the whole of -the Balkan Peninsula, is its simple-minded, -unsophisticated country people; unsophisticated, -except in occasional brigandage in the -sparsely settled districts.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_131"><img src="images/i_131.jpg" alt="" width="382" height="550" /></a> -<p class="caption"> “A HAWKING, BANTERING MULTITUDE ... IN GALA DRESS.”</p> -</div> - -<p>The market is opened officially at seven -o’clock, but long before that hour the peasants, -representing many square miles of surrounding -territory, begin to arrive on foot, -on horseback and in bullock carts. That time-worn -adage about the early bird holds true -even in Bulgaria, for those who dispose of -their produce the quickest and who, consequently, -return home with the greatest number -of shekels jingling in their leathern money -pouches, are the ones who obtain the most -desirable stands along the curb, by appearing -early upon the scene.</p> - -<p>By the time the Muezzin pops out to chant -his doleful “Allah el Allah” from the narrow -balcony at the top of the mosque pinnacle, the -square below is already well-filled and from -all directions the tardy ones continue to pour -in. The unpacking and arrangement of produce -and the chatter and gossip among the -peasants themselves occupy the early morning -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[134]</a></span>hours before the official opening of the market, -for soon the wholesale merchants and townspeople -will be dodging in and out, bent on -obtaining the lowest quotations, and then there -will be no time to talk over the happenings -of the intervening week since the last market.</p> - -<p>Over there on the curb a swarthy, fur-coated -individual has just halted his puny -pack-animals, whose dust-covered flanks tell -that they have tottered many miles under the -bulging loads of wood. It is no wonder that -their master perspires as he tugs at the ropes -to relieve the little beasts, for, if you examine -his clothing, you will wonder how he came to -get mixed in the seasons. Although the glare -of the sun is nothing if not calorific, this fellow’s -legs are bundled closely in thick, woollen -stockings tied with thongs, while on his back -and reaching clear to his knees he wears a -heavy sheepskin coat turned wrong side out. -But the particular style in which he wears this -coat proves beyond an atom of doubt that he -knows as well as you the time of year, for in -winter he turns the wool on the outside.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_135"><img src="images/i_135.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="397" /></a> -<p class="caption">BULGARIANS IN GALA ATTIRE.</p> -</div> - -<p>Now look, if you please, at this group of -Bulgarian belles from the mountains—symphonies -in lavender. The ribbons in their hair -are lavender, the embroidery on their jackets -is lavender, their long underskirts and aprons -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[137]</a></span>are lavender, the linings of their sunshades are -lavender. How conscious they are of the tawdry -effect of their fine raiment, as they strut -about through the dust in the middle of the -street! At their heels stalk, jealously, three -Bulgarian beaux, also gorgeously attired for -the occasion in their Sunday-go-to-meetings.</p> - -<p>On the other side of the street two women, -each of whom looks to be little less than a -hundred years of age, are spreading aprons -on the dust-covered sidewalk and arranging -thereon their baskets and bundles. They will -sell you the finest, most delicious cherries you -have ever closed your teeth upon for forty -<em>centimes</em> a litre; and strawberries!—well, -you just can’t wait to buy a basket of such -strawberries at the same price as the cherries. -They are large and luscious but a litre really -does not weigh enough to get a great number -of fruit, for each one is worth at least two -bites. I am not stretching the tape a hair’s -breadth when I say that I have measured Bulgarian -strawberries four and one-half inches -in circumference.</p> - -<p>Down the street now comes a parade of -bullock carts, laden with wool. The clumsy -animals lumber lazily along, while the drivers, -one of whom walks in front of each team, tap -deftly with their long poles first one beast and -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[138]</a></span>then the other between the horns, to remind -them to stay awake until they arrive at the -market. The carts are heavy affairs and look -for all the world like some sort of ancient chariots. -And I may state here that the bullock, -a prototype of the water-buffalo of the Far -East, is a domestic animal commonly found -in Bulgaria, and for what reason it was originally -imported to the country I have often -wondered. Nevertheless, it seems thoroughly -acclimated, and is used as a beast of burden -by the peasants and farmers, not only on the -plains but in the mountains as well, where, you -might imagine, its awkwardness and weight -would be to its disadvantage in negotiating -the rocky roads.</p> - -<p>In the slender shadow of the mosque tower -another heavily-clothed peasant and his wife -are engaged in selling live stock. The woman -fondles a suckling pig under her left arm, -while, with her free hand, she holds another, -head downward, by the hind feet. Each of -these pigs may be purchased for two <em>francs</em>, -and for three, a live lamb from the husband. -A pair of spring chickens brings the same -ridiculous price as a suckling pig.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_139"><img src="images/i_139.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="393" /></a> -<p class="caption">A GROUP POSED FOR THE CAMERA AT THE FRIDAY MARKET, SOPHIA.</p> -</div> - -<p>In wedging your way through the crowd, -which by this time surges over the entire -square and overflows into the adjacent streets, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[141]</a></span>you stumble over an old Turkish woman, in -baggy, yellow bloomers and curved-toed slippers, -who has deliberately spread her array -of embroideries in the very centre of the sidewalk.</p> - -<p>At the noon hour, when the Muezzin again -calls the faithful to prayer, the market is at -its height. From a distance, the monotonous -drone of the street-cries sounds like the hum -of a myriad insects, the swelling cadenzas of -which, as they float out upon the soporific -atmosphere, may be heard in any part of the -city.</p> - -<p>At last the peasants, after a profitable holiday -in town, prepare to start on their homeward -journey. By the middle of the afternoon -the last solitary vender has departed with -his pack-animals or his bullock cart, his fur -coat and his woollen stockings. Then the -street cleaners and street sprinklers take the -square in hand. They sprinkle the dust and -scrub the pavement and in half an hour you -would not have believed that that same square -was the place from which emanated, but a -short time before, the Babelonic hum-drum of -hundreds of perspiring market-people.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>It may be the fashion, but it is altogether -exasperating, to be called at five-thirty in the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[142]</a></span>morning, in order to take a train which leaves -at eight-fifteen. “But when in Rome—” -at all events, we arrived at the depot exactly -one hour before the time set for the departure -of the “Orient Express,” which was to carry -us back to Belgrade. But we felt in no wise -lonesome, for many others who wished to take -the same train had come to the depot even -before us. The proprietor himself accompanied -us from the hotel and consumed the -time taken to drive the distance by asking us -repeatedly to “make a recommend” in America -for his hostelry, and which we gladly consented -to do. When the train arrived he bade -us good-bye with tears in his eyes, and graciously -kissed the hands of the ladies of the -party.</p> - -<p>According to our ideas, the word “Limited” -as applied to the “Orient Express” -was a misnomer; in fact the only “limited” -qualifications of the train which we were able -to discover were its limited speed and its limited -number of up-to-date conveniences. And -there is one thing peculiar about travelling -through these countries: no matter upon -which side of the train you may take your -seat, whether the train goes east or west, north -or south, whether it be morning or afternoon, -your side will be the sunny side. I believe if -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[143]</a></span>we had crawled under the seats on some of the -trains the sun would have shone up through -the bottom of the car. Perhaps we were -clothed too heavily, or, perhaps, we only travelled -when the sun was exceptionally hot, but, -whichever the cause, we sweltered and perspired -through almost every railway trip we -ever took in the Balkans.</p> - -<p>Notwithstanding the “limited” features of -the “Orient Express” we were always glad -to have a chance to travel on it, if for no other -reason than to enjoy our fellow-passengers -and amuse ourselves by the humour of the -signs, which are tacked up in conspicuous -places in every compartment, to be heeded by -the traveller. “Gentlemen must not go to -bed with their boots on,” read one of these -placards, and if the railway must needs have -signs to warn its passengers against such a -breach of travel etiquette, we thought what a -delicate piece of business it must be for the -porter or the conductor to enforce the rule; -for travellers are apt to act in a manner just -contrary to the notices of warning they see -posted.</p> - -<p>Another sign informed the passenger that -“the conductor would shine gentlemen’s boots -upon request.” Evidently the railway company -had not anticipated the patronage of -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[144]</a></span>ladies, but, if they had, they hardly presumed -that ladies would require a “shine” or that -they would retire with “their boots on.”</p> - -<p>It was on this train, too, that we saw the -only Americans we had seen or were destined -to see for many weeks, two jovial rug-hunters -of New York, <em>en route</em> home from a business -trip to Constantinople. Also included in the -collection of passengers was an immaculate -Englishman, with coat tightly buttoned and -gloves on, who sat all day in one position for -fear of disturbing one molecule of dust, and, -owing to his efforts, becoming redder in the -face as the train proceeded.</p> -</div> -<hr class="chap" /> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[145]</a></span></p> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XI" id="CHAPTER_XI"></a>CHAPTER XI</h2> - -<p class="center">SARAJEVO—THE SPIRED CITY</p> - - -<p class="hang50">From Belgrade to Sarajevo—The Turkish Bazaar—A Bosnian -Street Sprinkler—Horse-races at Ylidze—A Dervish Dance.</p> - - -<p><span class="smcap">It</span> is by no means an uninteresting nor an -unpleasant train ride of seven hours and a -half across the well-kept, fertile farm lands -of Austria-Hungary; from Belgrade, in Servia, -southward to the little junction town of -Brod. This line continues through Agram to -Fiume, Hungary’s solitary seaport, but if you -would visit the Austrian provinces of Bosnia -and the Herzegovina, nominally Turkish territory, -you must change at Brod and take your -compartment in one of the miniature cars of -the little narrow-gauge train which, later, -puffs and snorts its tortuous, labyrinthine way -across, between and under the mountains, up -grade and down to Sarajevo, Mostar and, -finally, Gravosa on the Adriatic Coast.</p> - -<p>Before Bosnia (including Croatia and the -Herzegovina) was placed under the suzerainty -of Austria-Hungary by the Treaty of Berlin -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[146]</a></span>of 1878—a treaty time-worn and often honoured -in the breach—the traveller, in order -to cover the one hundred thirty-eight miles -between Brod and Sarajevo, was compelled -for comfort’s and safety’s sake to resort to -the springless mail cart of the Austrian Consulate -in Bosnia and spend forty-eight weary -hours <em>en route</em>. If, on the other hand, he -wished to be lavishly independent and hired a -native conveyance for the journey, three nights -would have to be spent on the road, sleeping in -<em>khans</em> and fearful of his very life.</p> - -<p>Although, in point of geographical position, -it was the nearest neighbour of civilized -Europe, the social condition of Bosnia was at -that time the most barbarous of all the provinces -of European Turkey. Not one man in -a hundred knew how to read, and there was -not a single, solitary bookshop throughout the -length and breadth of the province. While -the soil teemed with various valuable minerals, -its hills thickly wooded with virgin forests, its -plains and valleys fertile, well-watered and -productive, its commerce was contemptible. -Under Turkish rule, <em>plums</em> constituted the -most valuable article of trade.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_147"><img src="images/i_147.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="356" /></a> -<p class="caption">THE AUSTRIAN ARMY BARRACKS AT SARAJEVO.</p> -</div> - -<p>To-day all this is changed. The fields are -cultivated; mines have been prospected and -developed; public schools are everywhere and -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[149]</a></span>education is compulsory; the Austrian army -has put an end to the maraudings of the Mohammedans -and polices the country, having -its headquarters in great garrisons in Mostar -and Sarajevo. An admirably operated railway -line eats its way throughout the entire -length of the province, the proposed extension -of this railway through the Turkish vilayet -of Novi-Bazaar having been one of the bones -of contention between the Sublime Porte and -the Austrian Government but a short while -ago.</p> - -<p>As fate will have it, the express train leaves -Brod at midnight, and, consequently, some of -the most picturesque mountain scenery along -the route is lost to the traveller, but as he does -not reach Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia, until -ten o’clock the following morning, an early -awakening will be rewarded with wild mountain -scenes and interesting types galore.</p> - -<p>The mere mention of a narrow-gauge train -seems to convey to the average American the -unpleasant idea of discomfort, if not hardship, -of travel, but this train will prove itself clean -and comfortable far in excess of your expectations.</p> - -<p>Each section of the railway carriage comprises -two single seats, facing each other as -in our own sleeping cars, and there are <i>no</i> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[150]</a></span>upper berths. Furthermore, you may draw -the curtains of your section and, although it -is not possible to retire in the true sense of -the word, you will enjoy being screened, during -the night at least, from the stares of your -over-curious fellow-passengers.</p> - -<p>For some unknown reason I had neglected -to draw the curtains of my compartment after -I had prepared myself for the night. Across -the aisle a Bosnian occupied somewhat more -than his allotted space, and when he learned, -by quizzing me surreptitiously in German as -to my nationality, that I was from America, -he launched a volume of questions in my direction, -the answers to some of which, I confess, -rendered me nonplussed for the moment and -sleep impossible.</p> - -<p>Was it a long journey from America to -Bosnia?</p> - -<p>How long?</p> - -<p>Did I come in a steamboat?</p> - -<p>Were there many black men in America?</p> - -<p>How many?</p> - -<p>These queries, and a host of others of the -same stamp, gave me just cause to wonder if -the man had not mistaken me for a travelling -Baedeker. Had he been as tired as I was he -would have enjoyed a night’s rest just as -much as I. Finally, I became desperate and -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[151]</a></span>jerked the curtains together—a rude procedure, -no doubt—and went to sleep with a -volley of interrogations raging about me. If -my Bosnian friend wished to know during the -night aught of the history, topography or -population of the United States, I fail to remember, -having conveniently lost consciousness, -but he was ready with a fresh volume of -questions when I awakened in the morning.</p> - -<p>At seven we stopped long enough to take -coffee on the vine-arboured station-porch of -a little village; a short twenty minutes later -the station-master rang his bell, the train conductor -blew his horn and the engineer tooted -his whistle, all of which seem to be absolutely -necessary to start a train in the Balkans, and -we were off again, whisking over the wonderfully -well-kept roadbed, past the water tanks -and the switch towers in their immaculate -coats of fresh, white paint, through tunnels, -across gorges, and in three more hours we -arrived at Sarajevo.</p> - -<p>One might as well be precipitated from the -clouds into Turkey itself as to come suddenly -upon Sarajevo from the country in the North. -In this little city it isn’t one Turk here and -one Turk there, as in Belgrade or Sophia, but -more than half the population is Ottoman. -Here the Mohammedan element occupies a -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[152]</a></span>most interesting bazaar that covers in area -several city blocks; on every hand the pencil-like -pinnacles of the forty-odd mosques rear -themselves skyward; the streets are alive with -red-fezzed Mohammedans in spacious knee -breeches, Turkish women in bloomers and -veiled goddesses of the Harem. At the noon -hour the air reverberates with the cries of the -Muezzins, in response to which the faithful -spread themselves devoutly upon their knees -in the courtyards and on the steps of their -houses of worship.</p> - -<p>Sarajevo lies on both sides of the Miljača -River, the banks of which are protected from -the ravages of flood by well-built and not inartistic -stone walls. Mountains surround the -town on all sides. The streets are narrow as -becomes a Turkish city, but under the Austrian -régime they are kept clean as new pins. The -buildings, especially the government ones, are -large and well-proportioned, the shops are -good and the hotels excellent.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_153"><img src="images/i_153.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="355" /></a> -<p class="caption">SOME TURKISH HOMES IN SARAJEVO.</p> -</div> - -<p>Of course the principal attraction in Sarajevo -is the bazaar, a sort of perennial market -where the Turk and his art may be studied to -advantage. This bazaar is a permanent affair, -divided into streets or lanes which tangle and -twine themselves around a small square centered -by a public fountain. Wednesday is -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[155]</a></span>characterized by a “grangers’ meeting” and -the streets overflow with Turkish and Bosnian -truck-farmers bartering their produce. This -is the day to rub elbows with the sullen, lazy -Mohammedans. They squat about the fountain, -presumably caring little whether they -sell their fruits and vegetables or not; immense -four-legged loads of hay or wood, -which cover the little pack-animals from nose -to tail, wobble up and down through the narrow -thoroughfares, compelling you to seek -the shelter of a convenient doorway to allow -them to pass; veiled women, with even their -hands shielded by cotton gloves from the admiring -gazes of the men-folk, amble silently -by, ghost-like, while the <em>kafanas</em>, or coffee -houses, buzz with the gossip of outstretched -Turks who sip their coffee and smoke cigarettes -until the place smells like the hybrid of -a tobacco factory and a coffee-packing establishment.</p> - -<p>Almost any day of the week, however, the -pound and tinker of sandalled artisans are -to be heard in the workshops which border the -streets of the bazaar. The coppersmith hammers -out his Turkish coffee sets and his brass -trays, many of which he etches with a sharp-edged -tool in ornate designs and figures; the -shoe and harness-maker sits cross-legged as he -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[156]</a></span>plies the needle back and forth, a cigarette -between his lips and a cup of thick, black -coffee ever at his elbow; the gold and silversmith -deftly inlays his gun metal cigarette -cases with threads of precious metals, first -scoring with a tool the design to be worked -upon the object, much as a dentist might prepare -a cavity in a tooth for a gold filling. -You might readily imagine yourself in Damascus, -instead of in the capital of a province -of Austria-Hungary.</p> - -<p>Objects of considerable interest to me in this -Bosnian city were the home-made street -sprinklers which tend to serve the purpose of -the municipal government, although they -never would be regarded by us as labour -savers. A huge hogshead is mounted on four -wheels, filled with water and hauled through -the streets by a horse driven by a native. In -that much the contrivance somewhat resembles -our own variety, except for the native. -But here lies its salient feature: it requires -two men to operate it, for how on earth would -it be possible for one man to drive the horse -and sprinkle the street at one and the same -time, in Bosnia?</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_157"><img src="images/i_157.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="381" /></a> -<p class="caption">DOUBLE-DECKED STORES IN THE TURKISH BAZAAR, SARAJEVO.</p> -</div> - -<p>From the rear of the hogshead protrudes a -long hose terminating in a sprinkler, like the -nozzle of a watering pot. One end of a rope -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[159]</a></span>is fastened to this sprinkler, and the other is -attached to a second native, whose duty it is to -walk behind the cart and swing the hose from -side to side by means of the rope, the while -sprinkling himself as well as the roadway. -Wet feet invariably result from this crude -method, but the “man behind the street -sprinkler” should be deemed above his fellows -in point of cleanliness, if such a condition -meets with any commendation whatever in -Bosnia, for the labourers in Sarajevo, as a -rule, look as though they had never been on -intimate terms with soap and water in all their -lives.</p> - -<p>In the afternoons horse-races usually take -place at the quaint little summer resort of -Ylidze, at the foot of the mountains, to be -reached either by train or by a rather dusty -drive of eight miles. These races furnish -about the only excuse the fashion and <em>élite</em> of -Sarajevo have to display their dresses and -uniforms. The grandstand and paddock are -packed with Worth gowns and three-foot hats, -(mind you!) and the bookmaker does a land-office -business with the be-medalled and gold-braided -Austrian army. But the real devotees -of the races are the Turks and peasants who -drive for miles and miles to attend them, and -whose Oriental costumes outline in gayest of -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[160]</a></span>colours both sides of the course. In the late -afternoon, at the conclusion of the race-meet, -Bosnian society repairs <em>en masse</em> to the beautiful -and fashionable Villa Bosna, where, in the -cool of the evening, in the casino or under the -great trees, it sups and dines and chatters, until -it is time for the last of the evening trains -to leave for Sarajevo.</p> - -<p>Like the Turks of any Eastern city those -of Sarajevo comprise many different sects, -and it was on the day before I took my departure -that a Bosnian porter, whose patron I had -been repeatedly during my stay in the city, -and who took seriously to heart the alleged -fabulous wealth of <i>all</i> English-speaking -people, came to my hotel to ask if I might -care to witness a Dervish dance that evening. -These calisthenic devotions, held by this most -fanatical sect of Mohammedans in their -mosque upon the night of each full moon, constitute -a weird religious ceremony, not excelled -as a spectacle even by the famous Antelope -and Snake Dances of the Hopi Indians, -and I promptly accepted the invitation to -attend.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_161"><img src="images/i_161.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="367" /></a> -<p class="caption">“THE REAL DEVOTEES OF THE RACES.”</p> -</div> - -<p>Shortly after nine o’clock, my guide, the -pronunciation of whose real name sounded so -much like “Jim” that I shall hereafter allude -to him as such, called for me, and together -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[163]</a></span>we started off for the darkened Turkish -quarter. With Jim in the lead, carrying in -his hand a ponderous Turkish lantern, which -resembled more an oil can than anything I -can think of, we stumbled over the cobbles, -through the narrow streets, past the latticed -windows of the low-roofed Turkish houses and, -after three-quarters of an hour (during which -time I am safe in saying we climbed every hill -in the town) we arrived at the door of the -Dervish mosque.</p> - -<p>In the courtyard the bodies of several of the -departed lay in state, as is the Mohammedan -custom before burial. After proceeding -through several rooms and negotiating as best -we could as many flights of dark, precipitous -stairs, we finally found ourselves in a balcony -overlooking the room in which the “dance” -was to take place. On the opposite side of the -balcony from us, behind closely-woven lattice-work, -was seated a group of female admirers -of the dancers. On the floor below, at one end -of the room, stood a shrine, on each side of -which a Dervish apostle sat cross-legged. The -pungent odour of burning incense and candles -filled the atmosphere.</p> - -<p>Presently the worshippers, all men, arrived, -removed their slippers and squatted on the -floor facing the altar, forming a semi-circle. -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[164]</a></span>When all were seated, probably thirty in number, -one of the patriarchs near the shrine commenced -a low, dismal chant. After many -repetitions this was memorized by the worshippers, -who then chanted it together, emphasizing -the first beat of a common time -rhythm, their bodies swaying in unison from -side to side. The tempo of the song and the -movement of the bodies accelerated gradually. -At the end of ten or fifteen minutes this particular -chant was stopped abruptly and another -was commenced, which continued for an -equal length of time.</p> - -<p>But to worship in a sitting posture did not -seem to produce the desired effect and the -men, at the beginning of the succeeding wail, -arose to their knees to continue the services. -Swinging and grunting in this position tended -to heighten their emotions to a greater extent, -and some of the worshippers became so accustomed -to and numbed by the swaying movement -that they hopped about the floor in a -state of semi-consciousness, their faces engraven -with an almost unearthly look, like -that of sufferers from delirium tremens. At -the end of each chant several required being -led back by their fellows to their original positions -in the semi-circle.</p> - -<p>Still they were not satisfied with the result, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[165]</a></span>and, after an hour of howling in sitting and -kneeling positions, they stood up to put a more -emotional finishing touch to their devout proceedings. -By this time the floor was littered -with fallen turbans and the rugs used to kneel -upon were scattered about the room. After -several more exhaustive efforts to work off -their superfluous religious ardour had been -resorted to without apparent avail, the men -snatched drums and cymbals from hooks upon -the wall and commenced beating them furiously, -in rhythm to the wails of the priests. -The din produced on these instruments was -almost deafening and the antics and shouts -of the chanting fanatics transformed the place, -literally, into the interior of a madhouse. -During the final scene all were shouting at -once, each trying to outdo the other, as if to -receive some recognition for his religious ability -from the high priests. From time to time -a Dervish would fall upon the floor, completely -enervated but trying, unconsciously, -to continue his part. On the whole it constituted -one of the most repulsive sights of infidel -worship.</p> - -<p>At half-past eleven the “dance” was over -and I was quite willing to take up my position -behind Jim and be guided through the -narrow streets back to civilization.</p> -</div> -<hr class="chap" /> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[166]</a></span></p> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XII" id="CHAPTER_XII"></a>CHAPTER XII</h2> - -<p class="center">FROM SARAJEVO TO THE COAST</p> - - -<p class="hang50">Jablaniča—Mostar—Across the Mountains—The Balkan<br /> -Riviera—Ragusa: The Fairy City of the Adriatic.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">From</span> Sarajevo the narrow-gauge railway -line makes a gradual ascent of the mountains, -the engineer assuring the safety of himself and -his passengers now and again by applying the -rachet attachment, for the grades are very -steep. Finally the divide is crossed a short -while before the train reaches the picturesque -little village of Konjiča, a meagre assortment -of red-roofed, white-walled houses, including -the inevitable mosque tower, literally dumped -in among the green hills with pleasing effect.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_167"><img src="images/i_167.jpg" alt="" width="359" height="550" /></a> -<p class="caption">A GORGE OF THE NARENTA, NEAR JABLANIČA.</p> -</div> - -<p>Farther along at Jablaniča—where, although -a village of but two hundred souls, the -accommodations of a good hotel beckon to the -traveller to spend some time in this vicinity, -should the grandeur of the surrounding mountain -scenery appeal to him as it did to us—a -gorge of the Narenta is crossed and from -this point the line follows the defile of the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[169]</a></span>river as far as Mostar. A military road of -stone foundation, which would tempt the most -apprehensive of automobile tourists, twines -itself, like a white thread, along the opposite -side of the river from the railway, now bridging -with stone arches the waterfall of a mountain -stream at its debouchment into the river -below, now circling the base of an overhanging -cliff, now shooting into a short tunnel blasted -through the solid rock. A wall of stone masonry -borders the outer edge of the road at the -dangerous places.</p> - -<p>While the adjacent mountains are wild, -rugged and severe in their bleakness, the valleys -between them are fertile and productive. -Almost any cereal which thrives in temperate -latitudes grows readily. Indeed, in travelling -through Bosnia to-day the farms of prosperous -land-owners so stretch themselves across -the undulating sections of country between -the higher mountain ranges that the observer -might easily imagine himself circling a great -agricultural section of England or America.</p> - -<p>Jablaniča is a much-patronized summer -resort for the people of both Sarajevo and -Mostar, and from it as a starting-point climbing -excursions into the mountains may be -made in every direction. Responsible guides -will be supplied at the hotel for comparatively -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[170]</a></span>small sums. The air here is delightfully clear -and invigorating; even on the warmest days -the cooling shade of the extensive gardens -which surround the hotel is much too enticing -to allow one to hurry along to Mostar. As -a quiet, charming place to recuperate, for as -long a time as you will, from the fatigues of -travel in the Balkans, I can suggest a no more -convenient, or a no more fascinating spot than -right here at the hotel in this diminutive village -of Jablaniča. If you do not care to climb -mountains you may revel in a general rest, -for a few days at least. Even the name of the -place requires no special lingual effort to pronounce, -once you become familiar with these -Slavonic combinations; you merely have to -say “Yab-lā-nitz-ā”—it just sort of rolls -along your tongue from the palate to the lips, -and then drops.</p> - -<p>In Mostar, the capital of the Herzegovina, -the sewing-machine advertisements offer -about the only hint that you are living in the -twentieth century, for this city seems to have -adhered more closely to mediæval methods -than any in the Balkans.</p> - -<p>The Narenta River, which divides the town, -is a shallow mountain stream at times, but -after a period of heavy rains it surges down -through the mountain gorges and over the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[171]</a></span>grotesque lavic rocks, ripping away its banks -and necessitating the inhabitants of the town -whose homes border its scaly sides to build -their houses upon stilts.</p> - -<p>Mostar may boast of, or bemoan, as the case -may be, a collection of thirty mosques, for, of -its fourteen thousand population, half are Mohammedans, -and two thousand of the remaining -half comprise the troops of an Austria-Hungarian -garrison. The streets of the town -are dirty and narrow, and the sun beats down -between the white walls of the houses as if in -the tropics. A bridge of modern steel construction -spans the Narenta just near the -hotel of that name, while half a mile farther -down the river one of the most famous bridges -in all Europe stretches its single arch out of -the shadows across the sea-blue water of the -Narenta, which gurgles in and out among the -volcanic boulders ninety feet below the key-stone. -The age of this bridge is indeterminable. -It is supposed to have been built by the -Cæsars at a time when the Herzegovina was a -Roman province. Be that as it may, nothing -like its construction or architecture is to be -seen in bridge-building in Europe, no matter -how ancient or how modern, and it is still used -by market-people and the inhabitants of that -quarter of the city. One would almost expect -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[172]</a></span>to see a centurion or two, in togas and sandals, -walk out across the old structure any minute.</p> - -<p>The veiled Turkish women of Mostar are -world-famous for the style of their headdress, -which is as characteristic of this city as the old -bridge itself. In addition to being heavily -veiled they wear a sort of black hood of stiffened -material, which protrudes in front like -the upper half of the pointed bill of a bird.</p> - -<p>But, aside from the Roman bridge, the -veiled women, and an old Turkish graveyard, -there is really nothing much of interest in -Mostar. At any rate, after a short visit here, -you will be a little tired of the sameness of -these cities, which the Turk fain would still -hold as his own, and you will want to hurry -along to the Dalmatian coast towns, as different -from those you have recently visited as -day is from night; different climates, different -peoples having different customs, different -architectures; all so different that when you -come upon them you will wonder if you -haven’t been awakened suddenly, then launched -upon another dream-excursion.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_173"><img src="images/i_173.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="353" /></a> -<p class="caption">THE OLD ROMAN BRIDGE, MOSTAR.</p> -</div> - -<p>Again, after leaving Mostar, the railroad -commences to climb, snake-like, over the mountains -toward the coast, for the building of this -road has required no small amount of engineering -skill. It would be difficult to find -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[175]</a></span>in England or America, or in fact in any other -country, a railway line more substantially -built or kept in better condition. The crushed -rock track ballast is evened off at each side of -the rails as if with a pair of calipers, the roadbed -is smooth and the grades, although long, -are not as steep as would be imagined, considering -the heights to be climbed. At Ravna -the final ascent of the mountains is commenced -and from here to the top the road is built on -an almost continuous wall of stone masonry.</p> - -<p>As you wind around the mountain peaks -wonderful views of the valley below, dotted -here and there with white specks of human beings -busily at work, are before you, now on -one side, now on the other. The fields resemble -square patches of brown or green plush -rubbed both ways, according to the angle of -light as it falls upon them. Ahead, the railway -line seems to be made up of tunnels, great -stone arches that bridge deep ravines and cuts -and fills which follow one another in rapid -succession. On the distant hills you may see -the remains of watch towers once used by lookouts, -from which were observed the movements -of Turkish invaders in the days when the gates -of Vienna were threatened by the depredating -Mohammedans.</p> - -<p>A little beyond Uskoplje, as suddenly as -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[176]</a></span>you would come into the light from the darkness -of a tunnel, is displayed before you, as if -molded with clay upon a great flat canvas, a -most extraordinary panorama of that part of -the Dalmatian coast.</p> - -<p>Might you have had the uninterrupted view -of the engineer you would have seen at first -but a narrow defile in the mountains ahead, -in the centre of which the rails of the road -meet in perspective, like two glossy ribbons, -and then seem to shoot out into a blue-vaulted -void beyond. By bringing into play a very -little imagination you might be willing to believe -you were nearing the edge of the earth. -But, as you approach, a panorama unfolds itself,—a -panorama of that strip of territory -which fringes the north-eastern shores of the -Adriatic Sea, Austria-Hungary’s only coast -line. It is a panorama of an historic land of -perennial loveliness. It is a panorama of a -land of flowers, of sunshine and deep shadows; -a land of wonderful walls and bold bastiles; -a land of gayety, where Austria-Hungarian -aristocracy, all-appreciative of its charms, sits -and looks out upon the amethystine waters by -day, and strolls languorously along the sea-parades -by night; a land of quaint, fortified -cities, jealous of their histories; a land of interesting, -picturesque, unsophisticated peasant -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[177]</a></span>peoples. Withal it is a new, and, as yet, comparatively -an unpenetrated land to the English-speaking -traveller, scenery-lover or pleasure-seeker, -and I have taken the liberty to coin -a new name for it—The Balkan Riviera.</p> - -<p>From this point in the defile the road twists -and turns like a scenic railway, and almost -doubles in its tracks as it zig-zags down the -precipitous sides of the mountains, the Adriatic -ever blending into the gray sky-line in the -distance.</p> - -<p>Finally, after making in its descent many -snake-like coils, the train passes the source of -the beautiful Ombla, with its swan-dotted lake, -and you will have arrived at Gravosa, the port -and railway terminus of Ragusa. In three -hours, it seems, you have been hustled from a -temperate into a tropical climate.</p> - -<p>But for those who do not care for travel -through Bosnia and the Herzegovina there is -a vastly more convenient route, possibly one -that makes a more perfect pleasure trip, by -which to reach this Balkan Riviera, for Trieste, -just across the gulf from Venice, and Fiume, -on the eastern shores of the Istrian Peninsula, -are also gateways to this land of types and -flowers.</p> - -<p>If you take steamer from either of these -towns you will be whisked down along the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[178]</a></span>Dalmatian coast, through the fjord-like passages -between the thousands of islands which -form the tassels to the fringe of country beyond, -and by and by you will come within -sight of that little old town of many vicissitudes—Ragusa.</p> - -<p>It seems almost an enchanted spot and you -will call it “The Fairy City of the Adriatic.”</p> -</div> -<hr class="chap" /> - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[179]</a></span></p> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIII" id="CHAPTER_XIII"></a>CHAPTER XIII</h2> - -<p class="center">RAGUSA</p> - - -<p class="hang50">As She Is—The First Colony—The Fire of 1292—The Black -Death—Hungary Acquires the Place—Ragusa Establishes -Her Independence—Plague—Earthquake—Napoleon Takes -Ragusa—The City Ceded to Austria.</p> - - -<p><span class="smcap">As</span> does Venice in the north, so Ragusa in -the south surpasses in lustre all of those pearl-cities -which dot the Dalmatian shores.</p> - -<p>But you must be content, if you come by -steamer, with merely a long-distance glimpse -of your “Enchanted City” for the time being, -because the steamer will put into Gravosa, a -short two knots to the north, where the waters -of its magnificent harbour are of sufficient -depth for safe navigation, and where the docking -facilities are of a more recent vintage. -The noisy little freighters of light draft which -ply up and down this Adriatic coast still make -Ragusa a port of call, however, and the <em>molo</em> -there is by no means a scene of inactivity. The -larger passenger steamers, however, after leaving -Gravosa, do not deign even to hesitate at -Ragusa, but puff by indifferently as if such a -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[180]</a></span>city never occupied space on the map, bound -for Corfu and the Levant.</p> - -<p>So here, at Gravosa, you will take a carriage -and drive out through the time-honoured sea-gate -of the town, the blue Adriatic murmuring -below you on one side, and a continuous arbour -of beauty bowing a floral welcome to you -on the other, the short distance to this dream-city -of Ragusa. Immense cacti grow in luxuriance -from out the very walls of stone that -border the road; fig and olive trees clothe the -neighbouring hills in blankets of green velvet; -rows of palmettos rear their scaly trunks by -the roadside and curl their broad leaves to hold -the moisture of the fallen dew.</p> - -<p>On approaching nearer to Ragusa a greater -profusion of semi-tropical verdure lends a -charming background to the numerous white-walled, -red-roofed villas which top the rocky -shore line, while a modern hotel, up to date -in all its appointments, looks out from behind -its gardens over the battlements and fortresses -of the old city. In the evening a military band -plays near the wall, which skirts the edge of -one of the cliffs just outside the city gates; -crowds of care-free visitors occupy seats at -the near-by tables, listening to the music, drinking -and gazing out over the brilliant reflection -of the moon upon the water, while at their -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[183]</a></span>backs the splendid towers of the old fortifications -frown down upon the happy throng, as -if in silent pleading for just a little while in -which to tell of the changes they have seen.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_181"><img src="images/i_181.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="383" /></a> -<p class="caption">THE HARBOUR OF GRAVOSA.</p> -</div> - -<p>The ancient moat surrounding the walls, -now magically transformed into a garden -filled with flowers of every conceivable shape -and colour, is the haven of artists; it is bridged -by a permanent stone arch which leads by -winding passageways through the principal -gate of the city, the Porta Pille, into the Corso -beyond. Above this massive gateway, in a -niche, is placed a small carved statue of the -patron saint of Ragusa, San Biagio. The -Corso, within, is probably two hundred yards -long, wide and paved with stone. On either -side it is bounded by shops, while at the east -and the west ends respectively stand the Custom -House, through which is the exit to the -docks, and the Porta Pille. Just inside the -Porta Pille stands a magnificent fountain of -huge proportions, built in 1435 by the famous -Neapolitan architect, Onofrio di la Cava, who -also, in the same year, perfected the system -still in use for conducting fresh water to the -city from the Gionchetto, eight miles distant, -and re-erected the palace which had been burnt -down in 1432.</p> - -<p>Opposite this fountain is the Franciscan -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[184]</a></span>church of Mala Brača, the doorway of which, -from the point of view of the architect, is -worthy of some study.</p> - -<p>Behind the town to the north the barren -slopes of Mount Sergius interrupt the view -inland. It may be interesting for our own -conservationists to note that at one time this -mountain was so thickly wooded that Ragusa -was given the Illyric sobriquet of “Dubrovnik,” -or “The Woody,” but now not a tree -nor a shrub can be seen upon its entire sterile -surface.</p> - -<p>Off to the south lies the beautiful islet of -La Croma. Tradition says that Richard Cœur -de Lion, while returning from the Crusades, -was threatened with shipwreck just off this -island. While the storm was raging at its -height, in an attempt to court Divine Providence, -he declared he would build a church -upon the spot where his caravel happened to -be beached if he and his crew be saved from -the fury of the elements. Scarcely had he -finished his prayer when the ship thrust its -prow into the wooded shores of La Croma and -here, to fulfil his promise, he built a chapel.</p> - -<p>The history of Ragusa reads like the romance -it is, for it is doubtful if any other city -of Europe has been so tightly and tragically -wound around the finger of Fate.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_185"><img src="images/i_185.jpg" alt="" width="353" height="550" /></a> -<p class="caption">RAGUSA,—MOUNT SERGIUS IN THE BACKGROUND.</p> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[187]</a></span></p> -<p>Many conflicting accounts of its founding -have been published, but the real history of -Ragusa begins at the time of the victory of -the Venetians over the Narentines in the struggle -for the supremacy of the Adriatic. Policy -compelled its citizens, descendants of the -refugees from the fallen Illyrian capitals -who have been accredited with the founding -of Ragusa, to favour the Narentines, and with -their fall Ragusa came under the yoke of the -Venetians.</p> - -<p>The original city corresponded to the southern -portion or modern Ragusa, but later, the -Romans absorbed a rival colony and included -the whole within the walls which stood, approximately, -on the line of the present fortifications.</p> - -<p>In the year 1292 a series of periodical disasters -commenced in Ragusa, the blighting -results of which no city of to-day could possibly -sustain.</p> - -<p>On August 16th of that year, while the little -territory was being pillaged by the Servians -in alliance with the people of Cattaro, but a -few miles down the coast, a fire broke out and -destroyed a greater part of the city; at that -time all the houses were built of wood gathered -from the forests of Mount Sergius, all except -the Rector’s castle and the churches. Fire was -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[188]</a></span>followed by famine and epidemic. Those of -the heart-sick population who survived were -finally persuaded not to abandon the city, public -subscriptions were raised for the destitute -and a new town was built on the same site.</p> - -<p>When the great plague, or “Black Death,” -swept across Europe in 1348 eleven thousand -souls were said to have perished within the -walls of Ragusa.</p> - -<p>Exactly ten years later Ragusa, then included -in the Dalmatian territory belonging -to Venice, was ceded to Hungary and the payments -of all tributes hitherto given to Venice -were transferred with the country. In return, -Lewis of Hungary pledged himself to protect -Ragusa and to allow her to govern herself, -as had Venice before him.</p> - -<p>Under Hungarian protection Ragusa felt -herself develop an extensive power. In this -she was abetted by Lewis himself, who interceded -for her with the Pope for permission to -trade with the Turks. He even allowed her -to elect her own Count and tended her many -other unheard of privileges.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_189"><img src="images/i_189.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="355" /></a> -<p class="caption">THE WALLS OF RAGUSA.</p> -</div> - -<p>In 1418 Dalmatia again passed into the -hands of Venice. Then it was that Ragusa -revolted, and, three years later, she established -successfully an independence, which she enjoyed -for almost four hundred years. A -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[191]</a></span>steady commercial progress marked this period -of her history, and it only reached its climax -after the fall of Venice in 1797. As early as -1417 slave-dealing was forbidden in Ragusa -and adjudged by the assembly as “base, -wicked and abominable.” A foundling hospital -was established in 1432, and in 1435 -teachers were invited from Italy to instruct -in the public schools.</p> - -<p>The little principality became the haven of -many wealthy and noble families from the -Slavonic kingdoms in the interior, who had -been driven from their lands by the marauding -Turks. But Ragusa, on the other hand, -made friends with the deceitful Mohammedans, -traded with them, and, at the same time, -cannily strengthened her fortifications against -them. Ragusa made treaties of commerce -with Spain in 1494, with France in 1508 and -with Egypt in 1510, which latter treaty -smoothed the sea for her along the course to -the East Indies. Her “argosies” (the word -“argosy” means literally “a vessel of Ragusa”) -were to be found in every commercial -port, and, at the time of the fall of Venice, -her mercantile marine had risen rapidly to -more than four hundred sail.</p> - -<p>But during this period of trade-building the -misfortunes of Ragusa were many.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[192]</a></span></p> -<p>Only by the loyalty and indomitable pluck -of her sons was she able to rise so many times -from her dust and ashes, while the whole world -marvelled at such determination to outlive the -destruction wrought by nature and the elements.</p> - -<p>In 1462 plague broke out among the inhabitants -of the town and two thousand people -succumbed to its ravages. The same year a -disastrous fire destroyed the Rector’s palace -and the arsenal.</p> - -<p>May 17, 1520, was the date on which commenced -a series of earthquake shocks, which -continued intermittently for twenty months. -Many houses were demolished and it became -the custom of the people to place the passover -mark, I. H. S., above their doors as a devout -entreaty for Divine protection. Finally, the -earthquakes ceased, but six years later the -germs of the plague were carried to Ragusa -in the stuffs of a trader from Ancona. The -unfortunate merchant was dragged through -the streets and tortured by the infuriated, -panic-stricken citizens, the Senate fled to Gravosa, -and only a small guard remained to quiet -and to ease the sufferings of the terrified inhabitants. -For six long months the pestilence -raged within the walls and no less than twenty -thousand souls fell victims to its terrible havoc.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[193]</a></span></p> -<p>Then Turkey in the east, and Venice in the -west, took advantage of Ragusa’s weakness -and preyed upon her, the Turks especially -making the most of her misfortunes for their -own aggrandizement.</p> - -<p>The plague re-appeared from time to time, -and in 1580 and 1639 the town was again visited -by earthquakes.</p> - -<p>But the historical bench-mark of Ragusa -was the great seismic disturbance of 1667. -With this as the basis, the dates of all subsequent -or previous events of importance were -calculated; even to-day the people of the town -will tell you that the church of San Biagio was -destroyed by fire “thirty-nine years after <i>the</i> -earthquake.”</p> - -<p>Early in the morning of April 6th, 1667, -this great disaster descended without any warning -upon the people of Ragusa. The earth -seemed to roll and vibrate under the internal -pressure; immense fissures were cleft in the -surface and almost every house in the city was -razed to the ground; five thousand citizens, -the Rector of the Republic included among -them, perished. The ruins took fire and the -town was looted by hordes of plunderers; even -the treasures of the churches were carried -away.</p> - -<p>Because the Ragusans had made some -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[194]</a></span>armed resistance against the Turks, many of -whom were among the chief looters, the Sublime -Porte demanded an explanation. Nicola -Bona and Marino Gozze were chosen as peace -commissioners to Turkey, but both were -thrown into prison at Silistria. Two others -that followed suffered the same fate.</p> - -<p>Although deluged with misfortunes Ragusa -prospered, but her continued prosperity was -not watched without some jealousy on the part -of the powers of Europe. At the height of -her ascendency, Russia and France both grew -hungry for her, and Russia, aided by the Montenegrins, -bombarded and sacked the city. In -1806 Napoleon took Ragusa, and eight years -later the combined efforts of England and -Austria caused the haughty, supercilious little -principality to be annexed to Austria.</p> - -<p>You will find such an exaggerated air of -independence among the Ragusans of to-day -that you will little wonder that they held themselves -for four hundred years against the nations -of Europe and outlived the effects of -their calamities.</p> - -<p>I was talking with a native on the Corso -one day and happened to ask him, casually, -what was the nature of the reception the people -of Ragusa tendered the Austrian Emperor -upon the occasion of his visit a short time before.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[195]</a></span> -He seemed offended that I even intimated -that they had given the Emperor a -reception, and assured me that the Ragusans -had taken the matter of his visit as an occasion -of no importance whatever. But he hastened -to tell me in detail of the demonstration -planned for the Crown Prince of Montenegro, -who was expected soon to make a short stay -in the city.</p> - -<p>Ragusa, as I have said, is the much favoured -winter resort of the Austrian and Hungarian -aristocracy, and it would be difficult to imagine -a more delightful one. The climate is -ideal. Although the atmosphere is free from -humidity the sun of a summer’s day is quite -hot—so hot, in fact, that you will be tempted -to indulge in a three-dollar white duck suit -at one of the little shops along the Corso.</p> - -<p>The evenings, however, are always agreeably -cool. Then the band plays in the “piazza,” -on the top of the cliff, and the town -awakens from its apparent lethargy. From -the docks the sardine fishermen, after overhauling -their tiny craft, put out to sea in the -evening twilight, to make their nightly catch -among the bays and inlets of the rock-bound -coast. Beyond the bastiles and sea-fortresses -the afterglow of the brilliant sunset tinges La -Croma in hues of purple and gold.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[196]</a></span></p> -<p>At night the soft breezes, redolent of the -perfume of the garden below, are wafted -through the latticed windows; the band seems -to play the last number on the program with -irresistible rhythm; the tuneful songs of Austrian -sailors, as they return to their ships in -the harbour of Gravosa after an evening of -revelry, swell out upon the night air and die -away—and before you realize it the morning -sunlight is streaming through the Venetian -window-shades, forming bars of gold that -stretch across the polished floor, while the sea -glitters and dashes musically against the bases -of the cliffs just a little beyond your window.</p> - -<p>Truly, Ragusa is the fairy city of the -Adriatic.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_197"><img src="images/i_197.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="332" /></a> -<p class="caption">THE SEA FORTS OF RAGUSA.</p> - </div> -</div> -<hr class="chap" /> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[199]</a></span></p> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIV" id="CHAPTER_XIV"></a>CHAPTER XIV</h2> - -<p class="center">THE BOCCHE DI CATTARO</p> - - -<p class="hang50">Steamer-day at Gravosa—Ragusa from the Sea—The Bocche -di Cattaro—Castelnuovo—Cattaro and Her Mountain -Background.</p> - - -<p><span class="smcap">I can</span> assure you that it will be a hard matter -to tear yourself away from Ragusa. You -will want to stroll through her narrow streets, -or watch the market-people in the public -square, or play long sets of tennis on the excellent -courts in the shadows of the turreted -town walls, or sip “citronade” indefinitely -under the awnings of the street cafés near the -Corso. There is a weird, delightful charm -about Ragusa that is well-nigh irresistible.</p> - -<p>But just in the midst of ecstatic enjoyment -there always looms up that infallible something, -which will, sooner or later, put an unwelcome -end to all good things; and we finally -found ourselves facing our luggage on the -drive back, along the flower-skirted road to -Gravosa to take the steamer for Cattaro.</p> - -<p>As we wound around an overhanging cliff -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[200]</a></span>we caught sight of the beautiful bay, and were -able for the first time to appreciate its advantages. -Its waters were smooth as a dancing -floor; here and there a smart little launch with -striped awnings darted up and down; across -the harbour the gardens of handsome villas -extended down to the water’s edge, while out -in the roadstead the gray hulls of a squadron -of Austrian sea-fighters silhouetted themselves -against the sky-line.</p> - -<p>The <em>molo</em> itself was a scene of animation. -It was crowded with people, peasants, sailors -and tradesmen, for the steamer <em>Codolo</em> -from up the coast had just been made fast, -and the arrival of any passenger steamer is -an event of no little import at Gravosa.</p> - -<p>But what of unusual interest did the <em>Codolo</em> -have in store to occasion such wholesale -manifestation of inquisitiveness among the natives -of the town? Even our driver confessed -he had never seen such a gathering on the -<em>molo</em>. The arrival of an official of high rank, -probably. But no, there seemed to be an absolute -dearth of uniformed soldiery, and no state -official could possibly arrive without the attending -pomp and circumstance.</p> - -<p>We drove through the old sea-gate at a -gallop and descended pell-mell upon the <em>molo</em>, -our driver walloping his horses through the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[201]</a></span>crowd with reckless abandon and utter disregard -for human life or limb, for <i>he</i> was curious, -too.</p> - -<p>As we came to a jerky halt at the foot of -the gangway we saw that on the steamer’s -deck stood a great, mud-coloured object, which -somewhat resembled in size and contour the -broadside of an elephant. This mastodon, -whatever it might be, was swathed in tarpaulins.</p> - -<p>Tackle and planks were being rigged rapidly, -and, at last, the puzzling what-was-it was -skidded to the <em>molo</em> from the deck of the -steamer. The gaping crowd stood breathless -with anticipation while the tarpaulins were -raised, and behold! a motor-omnibus for use -on the road between the steamer piers at Gravosa -and the fashionable hotel in Ragusa. -Wonder of Wonders! The first automobile -to denature with the fumes of gasoline the -virgin atmosphere of lower Dalmatia.</p> - -<p>This marvellous machine was the most cumbersome -parcel of freight consigned to Gravosa -and soon the reversed twin screws of the -steamer were churning the placid waters of the -harbour into filmy patches of white froth. -We backed away from the <em>molo</em> and its burden -of inquisitive onlookers, turned about and -headed speedily for the narrow harbour exit, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[202]</a></span>through which we caught glimpses of the blue -of the Adriatic beyond.</p> - -<p>The four hour sea trip from Gravosa to -Cattaro is one replete with scenic surprises, -and the first of these is a magnificent panorama -of Ragusa and her stately fortresses as -we round the rocky promontory just to the -north of the town. Ragusa is inviting enough -from land, but when viewed from the sea it -is fascinating beyond description.</p> - -<p>For a distance after passing Ragusa the -coast line is unprotected from the winds and -storms of the Adriatic but, except in early -spring or late fall, little fear of the sudden -rising of a “Bora” or a “Scirocco,” the winds -most dreaded along the Dalmatian coast, need -be felt. On account of the depth of water -the course taken by the steamers is always -within easy sight of the shore, and the mountains -seem to rise directly from the red-tiled -roofs of the village houses.</p> - -<p>After the steamer rounds Punta d’Ostro, -with her mediæval castle and modern fortifications -which keep watch for Austria over this -part of her territory, an hour’s ride through -some of the most beautiful scenery is in store -for the traveller, for this promontory marks -the entrance of the famous Bocche di Cattaro, -the most wonderful and best naturally protected<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[203]</a></span> -harbour in the world. I should not -say that at this point is the “entrance” to the -Bocche, for the word “Bocche” itself is the -plural of “Boca” and means, literally, “entrances” -or “mouths,” but the term “Bocche -di Cattaro” has been so generally applied to -the basins themselves which, together, make up -the harbour, that it enjoys almost universal -usage.</p> - -<p>Of these basins there are three which are of -considerable expanse, resembling small inland -seas: the basins of Castelnuovo, Teodo and -Cattaro. The remaining two, for there are -five in all, are not so extensive and might be -considered as bays leading off from the larger -bodies of water. These latter are joined by -narrow straits or channels, which is not the -case with the smaller bays, like that of Risano. -The narrowest Boca is at the entrance of the -sea of Perasto and is familiarly known as “La -Catene,” because of the fact that at the time -when Lewis of Hungary was defending Cattaro -against the Venetians he sealed up the -entrance to this particular body of water by -stretching a “chain” across the mouth so that -it would be impossible for the caravels of the -enemy to enter.</p> - -<p>Lofty, barren peaks rise on every side from -the very shore line, while the water of the harbour<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[204]</a></span> -is peacefully calm, translucent and, in -colour, a deep blue, rendered deeper by the -dark shadows of the overhanging mountains. -Constantine Porphyrogenitus, the ancient historian -of the country, probably stretched the -time limit an hour or two when he said that -the sun never penetrated the Bocche di Cattaro -except in summer, but, nevertheless, it has -been proven a fact that in the course of a winter’s -day Cattaro enjoys but five hours of sunlight, -so hemmed in is it between the tall mountain -peaks and ranges.</p> - -<p>The picturesque little town of Castelnuovo -lies directly across the bay from the Punto -d’Ostro. In front of the town the steamer -stops long enough for a few fussy Dalmatian -women to climb down the ship’s accommodation -ladder to the boats, which have put out -from shore to take off any passengers or -freight the steamer may be carrying consigned -to Castelnuovo.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_205"><img src="images/i_205.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="360" /></a> -<p class="caption">A GENERAL VIEW OF CASTELNUOVO.</p> -</div> - -<p>Steaming onward toward Cattaro we pass -two small islets, each of which seems barely -large enough to keep the little churches and -gardens which they hold on their surfaces from -sliding into the bay. Upon one of them stands -the monastery of San Giorgio, strikingly diminutive -and quaint, but complete from bell-tower -to cloister; on the other island is the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[207]</a></span>chapel of Santa Maria della Scarpello, containing -a portrait of the Madonna said to have -been painted by none other than St. Luke.</p> - -<p>As we enter the bay of Cattaro, after turning -abruptly around the foot of a cliff, the -view is one of beauty beyond adequate description. -Ahead, at the farther end of the bay, -the town of Cattaro clings like a vegetable -parasite to the steep base of the majestic -mountain. Above it the famous “Ladder,” -the trail used by the Montenegrins for five -hundred years to descend from their mountain -homes to Cattaro on market-days, scales the -face of Mount Lovčen (pronounced Lovtchen); -higher up, and a little to the right, -may be seen the white zig-zags of the wonderful -wagon road to Cettinje, the smallest and -most inaccessible capital in Europe.</p> - -<p>But distance lends enchantment to Cattaro, -and the most favourable impressions of the -town may be had from the deck of the steamer. -Once having set foot on the stone quay the -place seems to have lost its individuality, and -reminds one of any other town which has huddled -itself together under the dominating influences -of the Venetians. You might think -that the houses had been thrown upon each -other in a heap, and when someone wished to -move about the town he dug a path between -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[208]</a></span>them as he needed it. The streets, if such they -may be called, are little more than passageways -between the walls of the houses. The -hotels are dirty and offer the poorest excuses -for accommodations to be found in the Balkans.</p> - -<p>On Saturdays the Montenegrins from the -mountains climb down the “Ladder” to the -market in Cattaro, first being compelled to -leave their weapons in the custody of an Austrian -official outside the city gates. In the -evening they climb wearily back to their homes, -with nothing to look forward to but the market -on the following Saturday.</p> - -<p>Notwithstanding the unattractiveness of the -town, there are two very patent reasons for -visiting Cattaro. One is, that the delightfulness -of the boat trip through the Bocche, with -its magnificent scenery, far excels anything -of the sort to be had south of Norway or north -of the Straits of Magellan, and the other, that -the drive over the Black Mountains to Cettinje -unveils to the traveller some of the most -wonderful views to be had in Europe. Indeed, -it is said that the panorama of the Bocche -and the Adriatic from the cloud-encircled summit -of the mountain cannot be surpassed in the -whole world.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_209"><img src="images/i_209.jpg" alt="" width="361" height="550" /></a> -<p class="caption">THE FAMOUS “LADDER” ACROSS THE FACE OF MOUNT LOVČEN.</p> - </div> -</div> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[211]</a></span></p> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XV" id="CHAPTER_XV"></a>CHAPTER XV</h2> - -<p class="center">MONTENEGRO</p> - - -<p class="hang50">The Gibraltar of the Balkan Peninsula—The Settling of Montenegro—Peter -I—The Family of Petrovich—Prince Nikola—The -Montenegrin Costume—Incidents of War—The -Montenegro of To-day.</p> - - -<p><span class="smcap">A</span> mere niche in the mountain wall of south-eastern -Europe, with the blue rollers of the -Adriatic pounding relentlessly against its -meagre coast line and hemmed in on the remaining -three sides by nominal provinces of -hostile Turkey, lies Montenegro, the Gibraltar -of the Balkan Peninsula. Notwithstanding -the fact that it is the smallest of the free -Balkan states, its total area covering but three -thousand five hundred square miles, half the -size of Wales and but three times as large as -the state of Rhode Island, with an estimated -population less than that of the single city of -Buffalo, Montenegro remains as yet unconquered. -For five hundred years its handful -of patriots have withstood successfully the onslaughts -of the hordes of Turks, fighting for -every inch of rocky territory that was finally -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[212]</a></span>ceded to them by the Powers of Europe in -1878.</p> - -<p>The history of Montenegro begins at the -time of the Turkish victory over the Servians -at Kossovo, June 28, 1389. It is a history -of nothing but war because, on account of -their surroundings, the Montenegrins have had -nothing to do with commerce and the arts of -peace. Indeed, it was, and is yet, except in -a few fertile valleys, almost a geographical -impossibility for them to cultivate the soil, and -the Turks, in their ferocious attempts to subjugate -the eastern half of Europe, harassed -the Montenegrins so continually on all sides -that there was little else to think of but war.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_213"><img src="images/i_213.jpg" alt="" width="356" height="550" /></a> -<p class="caption">A GROUP OF MONTENEGRINS.</p> -</div> - -<p>To delve briefly into the beginning of -things, this Land of the Black Mountain was -settled by a dauntless band of Servian refugees -who, after the battle of Kossovo, when -Tzar Lazar, Emperor of Servia, was defeated -by the Turks, preferred liberty in some wild -country of their own at any price, rather than -live under the domination of the Mohammedans. -They fled, accordingly, into the Black -Mountains and there commenced the story of -the Montenegrins and their strenuous existence. -This story has been written in the blood -of the Ottoman, but never once during the five -hundred years of almost continuous war that -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[215]</a></span>followed did Turkey gain a permanent foothold -in Montenegro.</p> - -<p>Strange to say, even at the present writing, -Montenegro does not maintain what would -be called in military vernacular a “standing -army.” The “regulars” comprise two companies -of thirty-two men each, each company -taking its turn in guarding the palace and -acting in the capacity of secret service sleuths -for the Prince. But the spirit of patriotism -within the breast of every Montenegrin demands -that he stand ready to defend his country -to-day, as he has done in the past. Except -for those of the guards who peer out from the -open doorways of the little peppermint sentry-boxes -outside the Prince’s palace, a military -uniform is a rare sight in Cettinje, the miniature -capital.</p> - -<p>In a country like Montenegro, guerilla warfare -is the best possible method of defence, and -to it the Montenegrins are particularly well -adapted. To the mountainous nature of their -land is partly due the many decisive victories -which they have gained over the Turks, who -have sent army after army of from forty thousand -to two hundred thousand men against -the stubborn little band of fighters. Another -point in their favour is the rapidity with which -their forces may be mobilized. On one occasion,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[216]</a></span> -in 1887, six thousand men were assembled -on the Austrian frontier, between eight -o’clock in the evening and four the following -morning. Doubtless, even to-day, the whole -available Montenegrin military force of more -than forty-two thousand men might be strung -along the frontier within four or five days at -the most.</p> - -<p>It seems stretching it a point or two to say -that eight thousand men would be able under -any circumstances to put to flight an army of -sixty thousand, but such was the case in 1604 -when a comparatively small band of Montenegrins -defeated almost seven and one-half times -their number of Turks. In 1796, under -Peter I, at Kroussa, the Turks received their -most crushing defeat. Thirty thousand of -them were slain and the Montenegrin leader -himself killed Kara Mahmoud, the Turkish -general, and spitted his head on his sword. -This mountain warrior was of a family which -has ruled in the land for two hundred years -and was an antecedent of the reigning Prince.</p> - -<p>In those days the leader was called a “Vladika,” -or Prince-Bishop, who combined both -spiritual and temporal power. This Bishop -being celibate the office passed from uncle to -nephew until 1852 when an absolute principality -was established, to be ruled over by -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[217]</a></span>hereditary Princes with unconditional autocratic -power.</p> - -<p>Prince Nikola, the present ruler, the seventh -of the family of Petrovich of Njegushi who has -governed Montenegro, succeeded to the title -in 1860, after the assassination of his unpopular -uncle, Danilo II. Nikola is now almost -seventy years of age, but tall, erect and deep-chested, -and carries his years as becomes the -fighter and leader he has been. He received -his education in Paris and in Trieste, and is -gifted with no ordinary literary talents, having -written many poems commemorating the -victories of the Montenegrins over the Turks, -in addition to two plays, “The Empress of -the Balkans” and “Prince Arbanit,” which -still enjoy occasional runs behind the kerosene -footlights on the exiguous stage of the little -theatre in Cettinje. His civil list amounts to -but $25,000, and it means a strain on his revenues -to supply his two elder sons with $6,000 -a year each.</p> - -<p>Her Majesty, Queen Helena of Italy, who -so endeared herself to the hearts of her subjects -at the scenes of the recent earthquake in -Sicily, is the most illustrious of Prince Nikola’s -nine children. She was born in the palace -at Cettinje in 1872 and was brought up in the -strictest economy, according to the traditions -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[218]</a></span>of the family of Petrovich. She was a girl -of “God’s out-of-doors,” and the episodes of -her early life taught her the trails of the Black -Mountain and whither they led. It is said she -could handle a rifle as well as any of her three -brothers. She was also a favourite of her relative, -Alexander of Russia, and through his -liberality was taken to St. Petersburg and -educated. The heir to the throne of Italy met -her later in Venice, fell ardently in love with -her and they were married on October 4, 1896.</p> - -<p>When at home the Prince wears his national -dress consisting of a small, round cap (<i lang="tr" xml:lang="tr">kapitza</i>) -embroidered in gold on the top with -the letters “N. I.”; a long white, or light -blue, cloak of broadcloth (<i lang="az" xml:lang="az">dolama</i> or <i lang="hi" xml:lang="hi">gunj</i>), -circled at the waist by a fancy girdle, in the -front of which nestles a formidable array of -cumbersome firearms; a red waist-coat (<em>jalek</em>); -a short, richly embroidered Zouave -jacket (<em>jamada</em>); loose, blue knickerbockers -(<em>shalwar</em>); sandals (<em>opanka</em>); and carries -across his shoulder a dark-coloured plaid shawl -with heavy fringe (<em>struka</em>). That he makes -himself popular goes without question, for it -is said that he knows personally every citizen -in Cettinje and will call each by name when -the occasion arises.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_219"><img src="images/i_219.jpg" alt="" width="348" height="550" /></a> -<p class="caption">A TYPICAL MONTENEGRIN GIRL.</p> -</div> - -<p>In 1861-62 Nikola meted out to the invading<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[221]</a></span> Turks -a noteworthy defeat. Again in -1877-78 he defeated ninety thousand Turks, -with a much inferior number of Montenegrins, -and drove them from the country, killing and -wounding twelve thousand.</p> - -<p>Many interesting anecdotes are told of the -daring and bravery of the Montenegrins in -their struggles to save their country from the -covetous grasp of the Mohammedans. Only a -band of men driven to desperation in almost -inaccessible mountain regions could possibly -withstand so many attacks of such overwhelming -odds as were hurled against them. In one -famous battle at Kristatz a small band of two -thousand engaged thirty thousand Turks -under Suleiman Pasha, inflicting a loss of -three thousand five hundred upon the enemy, -while the number of their own dead totalled -but seven hundred. On another occasion at -Jezero the Montenegrins killed four hundred -and eighty Turks, sustaining a loss of but -thirty-six killed and wounded.</p> - -<p>During this latter engagement a powerful -mountaineer of the clan of Paperi, having distinguished -himself at the battle of Vucidol by -capturing Osman Pasha, the Turkish general, -and carrying him to Prince Nikola, being presented -with five hundred ducats for his captive, -was jokingly bade by the Prince to fetch him -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[222]</a></span>another Turk. The hero, however, took the -matter seriously and, at an opportune moment, -rushed into the Turkish lines, snatched a devout -Mohammedan around the waist, disarmed -him and started to carry him off toward -the rear, where Prince Nikola was watching -the fight. In order to arrive at the side of -his sovereign he was compelled to make a -détour, and before he had covered half the distance -he was brought down with a bullet in -his thigh. Naturally, he dropped his Ottoman -captive, and the latter immediately sprang at -his throat. With almost superhuman efforts, -in spite of the excruciating pain of his wound, -he held off the vengeful Turk with one hand -and, aiming his pistol with the other, ordered -his adversary to lift him on his back and <em>carry -him</em> to the Prince. To disobey meant instant -death, for the cold, circular muzzle of a huge -weapon was even then so close to his fez that -he could plainly see the rifling in the barrel. -Stumbling and groaning under the weight of -his Montenegrin rider the Turk approached -the Prince, while the hills resounded with the -cheers of the men of the clan of Paperi. Upon -delivering his steed to his leader the soldier fell -to the ground senseless from exhaustion and -loss of blood.</p> - -<p>While this same battle was at its height the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[223]</a></span>Prince approached a mountaineer of more -than eighty years of age, who was bravely -endeavouring to keep his place among his fellows -but with evident difficulty, and suggested -to him sympathetically that he was too old to -follow the flag and had better withdraw. The -veteran, being thus considered by his military -idol as unable longer to fight for his country, -forthwith drew his pistol and committed suicide.</p> - -<p>It was at the siege of Nikshitch that the -valorous warrior-priest of the Montenegrins, -Pope Milo, challenged any Turk to personal -combat between the lines with broadswords. -Both armies ceased the fight while the battle-royal -was in progress. The Turk, however, -proved the better swordsman and killed his -antagonist, severing the head from the body. -Upon the resumption of hostilities an infuriated -Montenegrin revenged the death of Pope -Milo by dealing with the same Turk in a similar -manner.</p> - -<p>Prince Nikola himself was in command at -the siege of Nikshitch, in which the Montenegrin -women were little less active than the -men, for they carried ammunition and food -across the mountains and otherwise assisted in -the Montenegrin victory. The Prince, reclining -upon a rock, over which he had first spread -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[224]</a></span>his <em>struka</em>, received the surrender of Scanderbeg -and invited the Turkish commander to -take coffee with him. Coffee over, he wrote -a poem of the siege and forwarded it by messenger -to his wife in Cettinje. She read it -aloud to the citizens gathered together in the -public square.</p> - -<p>But fighting as one nation against another -has not been the only form of warfare indulged -in by the Montenegrins. During the -brief intervals of Turkish lethargy blood-feuds -between the families of the mountaineers -afforded the male members plenty of diversion. -They had no cause to complain of monotonous -inactivity. A boy might grow to -manhood in blissful ignorance that it would -be his duty sooner or later to take the life of -another, thus avenging the untimely death of -one of the members of his own family. Upon -the successful accomplishment of his mission, -as was usually the case, he, in turn, would be -thereafter considered as a target for the -weapon of some member of the rival family. -Thus the feuds were continuous, imperishable -heirlooms handed down from father to son, -even unto the third and fourth generation.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_225"><img src="images/i_225.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="354" /></a> -<p class="caption">A STONE MASON OF CETTINJE AND HIS CART.</p> -</div> - -<p>By the Treaty of Berlin, Montenegro acquired -twenty-five miles of seacoast adjoining -Albania; the bulk of her trade, however, continues<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[227]</a></span> -to come and go through the Dalmatian -port of Cattaro, a port upon which these people -of the mountains have ever cast a covetous -glance, but from which they are shut out by -the great rocky barriers of the Dinaric Alps.</p> - -<p>Railway building in Montenegro is very -difficult, and as yet the principality is without -means of transportation other than by wagon -train and a few small steamers which ply on -the Lake of Scutari. The project is now on -foot to build a railway from Antivari, on the -coast, to Virbazaar, a short distance inland.</p> - -<p>Podgoritza, situated in a part of the territory -acquired in 1878, is a town of eleven thousand -inhabitants, the largest in Montenegro, -and is the centre of trade. Hard by are the -ruins of the Roman city of Docle, the birthplace -of Diocletian. Excellent tobacco, for -which the district is famous, is grown in the -vicinity of the great Lake of Scutari, half of -which stretches over into Albania. The annual -imports of the country are valued at -about $1,375,000, while the exports, consisting -mainly of tobacco, dried meats, hides and -fish, are valued at $1,040,000.</p> - -<p>A few years ago the Montenegrins shouted -from hill to hill the news of the country, and -in these regions the human voice is said to -carry exceptionally long distances. The news -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[228]</a></span>of the defeat of the Russians at the Alma was -“holloed” by the shepherds from mountain to -mountain across the Balkan Peninsula, and in -a marvellously short time the tidings reached -the Dalmatian coast. To-day, telegraph -wires are stretched across the Black Mountains, -connecting almost all of the towns; the -seaport of Antivari boasting even of a Marconi -wireless station, which places Montenegro -in direct communication with the coast of -Italy.</p> -</div> -<hr class="chap" /> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[229]</a></span></p> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVI" id="CHAPTER_XVI"></a>CHAPTER XVI</h2> - -<p class="center">THE ROAD TO CETTINJE</p> - - -<p class="hang50">The Ascent of the Mountains—Njegushi—The Montenegrin -Capital—Historical Monuments in Cettinje—The Return -to Cattaro.</p> - - -<p><span class="smcap">It</span> takes nine hours to drive the twenty-eight -miles and a quarter across the mountains -from Cattaro to Cettinje, the miniature capital -of this miniature principality. Because of -the time consumed in the drive it does not follow -that the going is rough. On the contrary, -the road is of the best, for, as far as the Montenegrin -frontier, it was built with infinite -care by the Austrian government in order to -facilitate the passage of troops and field -pieces, should the occasion arise. The mountain -gorges are bridged with stone arches, -their foundations being imbedded in the rocks -many feet below the roadway, while along the -outer side of the latter stretches a continuous -protecting wall of cut rock, cemented, of a -yard in height. The road itself is smooth and -free from stones, but the white, powdery dust -sifts into your hair and through every stitch -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[230]</a></span>of your clothing. If Cattaro, the -starting-point of the trip across the mountains, were -not sealed up in such an out-of-the-way corner -of the continent, touring motorists, doubtless, -would be more familiar with the topography -of Montenegro. As it is, there have been up-to-date -but two or three automobiles to cross -the face of the mountains on the way to Cettinje, -and the distinction of driving these -machines lies at the thresholds of Americans.</p> - -<p>Upon leaving Cattaro the road skirts the -harbour for a short distance, winds around -toward the hills through avenues of stately -poplars, crosses a little bridge which spans the -Gordicchio, makes several zig-zags, and then -sweeps widely toward the south—you really -seem to be driving away from the mountain -which you must scale later—in full view of -the Adriatic, while the bay, or Bocche di Cattaro, -is lost to view behind you. At the top -of the pass leading to the town of Budua, the -outlook over the broad, fertile plain of Garbalj, -with the sea in the distance, is very impressive. -For a short distance the highway, -as it winds around the face of the cliff, literally -overhangs the plain and then turns abruptly -toward the Black Mountain. In the distance -the white, zig-zagging road, surmounting the -almost perpendicular wall of rock ahead, looks -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[233]</a></span>like a thread on the shoulder of a giant, and -causes you to wonder that it took no more than -twenty years to build.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_231"><img src="images/i_231.jpg" alt="" width="359" height="550" /></a> -<p class="caption">A SECTION OF THE ROAD ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS.</p> -</div> - -<p>This being the shortest and easiest route for -trade between the outside world and the Montenegrin -capital, quantities of provisions, -household furniture, lumber and other materials -for building purposes, and what not are -freighted by four, five and six-horse teams -over these twenty-eight miles of mountains, -from Cattaro to Cettinje. There is also a passenger -stage that operates daily between the -two towns.</p> - -<p>We had passed the little stone half-way -house, which is stuck on the face of the rock -at one of the very acute angles of the winding -road overlooking the Bocche, when we came -upon one of these freight caravans plugging -laboriously along, with the hope of making -Cettinje sometime the following day. One -of the wagons was loaded with kegs of beer, -and it was all too evident that the several -treacherous looking drivers in the party had -been indulging their thirst from time to time, -to the appreciable loss to the person to whom -the kegs were consigned. As we approached, -our driver stopped his nondescript team and -had a few confiding words with the freighters. -Together they succeeded in puncturing one of -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[234]</a></span>the kegs with a long wire nail; then a horse -bucket was cut from its swinging position -under one of the wagons. This was rinsed out -with a goodly supply of beer tapped from the -punctured cask, and refilled, to moisten the -already well-lubricated throats of all concerned. -How many full casks reached their -destination after several days spent on the -road would make a nice problem for a class in -algebra. If the freighters met many drivers -as thirsty as ours it is a question whether or -not it would have been best for them to have -appeared in Cettinje at all.</p> - -<p>At each successive turn of the road a more -wonderful panorama of the Bocche stretches -out before you, and, after more than three -hours of steady climbing, the pass at the top -of the mountains is reached, and you cross the -frontier, marked by a single stone post at the -side of the roadway.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_235"><img src="images/i_235.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="354" /></a> -<p class="caption">THE PASS AT THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAINS.</p> -</div> - -<p>The view of the Montenegrin side of the -mountains can only be described as purely -“Montenegrin.” The Bocche is, of course, -lost to view and you have before you nothing -but what seems to be a gigantic upheaval of -rocks. Not a tree, not a shrub, not even a -dust-covered sprout at the side of the road, -relieves the sameness of this picture of gray -desolation. Perhaps, if you look closely, you -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[237]</a></span>will partly be able to distinguish, less than a -hundred yards away, a native mountaineer -whose very garb is of protective colouring, -concealing him almost entirely from your notice -against the background of bare stones.</p> - -<p>From the top of the mountain the road descends -to the village of Njegushi, the birthplace -of His Ferocity, Prince Nikola. But -were it not for the red-tiled roofs there would -be, from a distance, no circumstantial evidence -whatever that the town exists, for the houses -are all of stone of the same hue as the surrounding -mountains.</p> - -<p>While you sup on the stone porch of the -little inn at Njegushi, handsome, well-built -members of the male population stroll by indifferently, -smoking and chatting in subdued -tones and gazing dreamily at their beloved -mountains. From every girdle protrude the -muzzles of a number of well-oiled, ominous-looking -firearms. Groups of women stumble -by; some struggling under their loads of -water casks strapped upon their backs, others -driving small herds of goats and having all -manner of difficulty in keeping them together.</p> - -<p>Yes, the women are ultra-suffragettes in -Montenegro, not by choice but by custom. -They do all the housework, tend the flocks, cultivate -the little patches of corn or wheat and, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[238]</a></span>in addition, bring up the family. On -market-days they go to Cattaro or Cettinje and do -their best to dispose of a meagre assortment -of vegetable truck, returning home late at -night, weary and sore. They age early, as -might be expected; a Montenegrin woman of -forty looks to be double that age. Not a -finger will a man raise to ease the burden of -his wife; for such is the lot of a woman born -in the Land of the Black Mountain.</p> - -<p>From the hills above Njegushi you may -look down into small, crater-like pits, each -held intact by a low stone wall. These pits -constitute the truck farms of Montenegro, and -into them the rain washes all the vegetable -earth from the mountain sides, forming in -them an alluvial stratum.</p> - -<p>After leaving Njegushi you ascend to the -pass of Kruacko Zdrjelo, and, at this point, -another wonderful view unfolds itself. Away -to the south, the great lake of Scutari is -plainly visible; in the west, the famous Mount -Lovčen rears its rocky self, with the little -chapel, in which lies buried the body of Peter -II, the last of the Prince-Bishops and Montenegro’s -greatest poet, perched upon its crest.</p> - -<p>Doubtless, night will by this time have -spread its black mantle over the hills, leaving -the remainder of the drive to be made in the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[239]</a></span>darkness. Down—down—down—as much -down as the Austrian side of the mountain -was up, until finally, you overlook the beautiful -valley of Cettinje, and the blinking kerosene -lamps of the capital. In half an hour -you will be driving at a gallop through its -deserted streets, and rein up at last in front of -the Grand Hotel, obviously the most aristocratic -and up-to-date hostelry, for it is the only -one in the town. The head-waiter, in dress -suit, will welcome you at the door, inquire -whether you have had supper and show you -politely to your rooms, which you will find -rather bare but scrupulously clean.</p> - -<p>Thirty years ago Cettinje was a mere handful -of thatched cottages scattered over a small -space in the valley and approached only by -mountain trails. To-day it has a population -of five or six thousand, it is the seat of the -newly constituted Parliament and a diplomatic -post for the ministers of the European -Powers.</p> - -<p>There are but few historical monuments in -Cettinje, and of these the principal ones are -the old palace of the Prince, and the monastery -with its chapel and quaint cloister, the -latter built against the base of a great cliff and -shaded by the spreading boughs of shapely -trees. The main street of the town is wide and -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[240]</a></span>clean, flanked on either side by a uniform line -of stone dwellings, which is broken only by the -postoffice building and an occasional shop.</p> - -<p>As in Njegushi, the men, all heavily armed, -strut along the streets and allow the women-folk -to conduct what business may be found -in the stores or in the market. At the rear of -the hotel a rather barren-looking square to deserve -the nomenclature of “park” faces the -palace of the Crown Prince. Near the centre -of the town stands the palace of Prince Nikola, -a comparatively small and a most unimposing -structure to house the chief executive of a -nation. Directly across the street from it is -his former residence, in which is installed the -only billiard table in Montenegro.</p> - -<p>The most elaborate example of architecture -in the capital is the home of the Russian diplomatic -representatives, probably so built to -impress the Montenegrins with the power of -their cousins in the north. In the centre of -the market square the female figure which surmounts -the public fountain, the sole specimen -of native sculpture in Cettinje, balances, at an -uncertain angle, upon her head a dilapidated -coal-oil lamp, which seems in imminent danger -of being dashed upon the heads of the thirsty -peasants below.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_241"><img src="images/i_241.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="359" /></a> -<p class="caption">THE MAIN STREET, CETTINJE.</p> -</div> - -<p>The body of Peter I reposes peacefully, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[243]</a></span>after his many years of active leadership, in -its sarcophagus in the little chapel of the monastery, -while at the opposite end of the village -a small arsenal contains the sum total of Montenegrin -pieces of ordnance. One room is devoted -to the trophies of war taken from the -Turks, including swords, bullet-riddled flags -and standards, Turkish field pieces and personal -insignia.</p> - -<p>A prolonged stay is not necessary to see all -there is to be seen in the miniature capital, -three or four days being quite sufficient. On -the height of the first ascent after leaving the -town a glorious view of the valley below, all -divided off into the little stone-encircled fields, -may be had. As you journey on, you may -pass a group or two of gypsies or a hermit-peasant -who hobbles out of his thatched hut to -beg a handful of tobacco. At last you break -through the pass at the top of the mountains -in full view of the Bocche di Cattaro.</p> - -<p>A diminutive white steamer leaving the -<em>molo</em> of the town almost directly under you, -moves slowly toward the narrow exit to the -Adriatic, its propellers churning a fan-shaped -wake of foam which loses itself finally in the -broad expanse of placid water.</p> - -<p>The sunset from the heights, as it illumines -the lower mountain ranges with an old-rose -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[244]</a></span>sheen and diffuses its tinted rays across the -Bocche and the broad Adriatic beyond, is gorgeous -enough to baffle description. A painter -who could picture truthfully that evening panorama -might well consider it his masterpiece. -The silence of the mountains is unbroken, save -for the melancholy pipings of a lone shepherd -boy hidden somewhere among the rocks in the -distance. The silence of the sky and the -silence of the rock-walled Bocche “mingle in -an awful spell that falls upon the soul like the -lonesomeness of the grave. There is something -of death in life and of life in death in the -grim inevitableness of this silence, so changeless -and yet so vital.” The sunset above and -the yawning cañon-like pit below “grip the -soul and draw it to a communion with something -strong outside itself—something that -escapes definition and analysis; something -that the ancient people meant when they said -that they walked with God.”</p> - -<p>For a long time you will stop and drink in -eagerly the splendour of the scene, and then, -reluctantly, yet as if influenced by the magnetism -of the abyss, commence to descend the -windings, one after another, back to the quaint -little Dalmatian port of Cattaro.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_245"><img src="images/i_245.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="356" /></a> -<p class="caption">A TURN OF THE ROAD ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS.</p> - </div> -</div> -<hr class="chap" /> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[247]</a></span></p> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVII" id="CHAPTER_XVII"></a>CHAPTER XVII</h2> - -<p class="center">SPALATO AND SALONA</p> - - -<p class="hang50">Westward Along the Coast—First Glimpse of Spalato—The -Campanile—Diocletian’s Palace—Salona and Her Ruins.</p> - - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> full glow of the morning sunlight -gleamed and danced upon the brass-work of -the little steamer <em>Petka</em> as the stevedores finished -their loading of her freight from the -dock at Cattaro and the last assortment of -passengers had wobbled noisily up the gangway.</p> - -<p>It was exactly ten o’clock when the lines -were cast off and the ship steamed slowly -ahead, turning on her course to gain the Adriatic. -She circled about almost at the very -edge of the shore line, for there is no semblance -of a beach and the deep water extends to the -bases of the mighty cliffs that surround the -harbour, until Cattaro in the distance put one -in mind of a collection of Noah’s Ark houses. -The waters were calm and smooth as the surface -of a mirror, and held quiescent and in -perfect outline the reflections of the rugged -mountains.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[248]</a></span></p> -<p>Once the <em>Petka</em> had negotiated the many -consecutive mouths of the Bocche and had -finally passed the grim walls of the fortresses -on Punta d’Ostro, close on the starboard, she -set her course almost due west with her ultimate -destination Fiume, her home port; but -she was due to call <em>en voyage</em> at almost all of -the towns along the coast.</p> - -<p>Her main deck was an odd and interesting -sight. It was crowded, so crowded that one -could see scarcely one square inch of planking, -with a rare galaxy of Montenegrins, Cattarines, -Albanians, Greeks and Austrian soldiers, -each garbed in some bit of costume that -made his or her nationality unmistakable. All -sprawled about in the sun, smoking or sleeping, -their heads and shoulders entwined about -their luggage and their legs aimed across the -deck like the tails of so many comets.</p> - -<p>Above the upper deck, reserved for first-class -passengers, white awnings had been -stretched, and under these we followed the -examples of the natives on board, to a certain -extent, to enjoy the beauties of the land-locked -passage, through which the ship set her course -after leaving Gravosa.</p> - -<p>Here on deck, lunch was served at noon and -dinner in the evening, each meal an elaborate -affair with wine, and composed of some of the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[249]</a></span>most palatable dishes to be had anywhere in -Europe. Seven constitutes the usual number -of courses served at dinner on board any of -these Adriatic coasters, and lunch is hardly -less voluminous: <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">hors-d’œuvres</i>, of course; -soup; fish; a sort of cold fish salad with mayonnaise; -spring lamb and delicious vegetables; -game of some description; salad; and dessert.</p> - -<p>And just to offer one more probative demonstration -of how puny the world really is, -the chief officer of the <em>Petka</em> had been for -many years in the service of a trans-Pacific -steamship company, and, during that time, -had lived in Santa Clara, California. There -his three children had been born, and their -father assisted in their education by teaching -each one to speak five languages in addition to -English.</p> - -<p>Almost the entire distance from Gravosa to -Fiume the course of the steamers lies along -an inland passage protected from the sea-swells -of the Adriatic by hundreds of islands, -some large and some small, but all of a considerable -height, while, from the shores of the -mainland, the mountains rise with such apparent -verticality that it would seem a simple -matter to stand at any point along the top -and drop a plumb line to the water below. -No matter what moment you might gaze up -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[250]</a></span>or down the coast or seaward you would be -able to see from five to thirty-five islands, -without half trying. The water is all of such -great depth, even to the edge of the coast, that -it is said a vessel might pass safely between -two protruding rocks situated so close together -as to barely admit of the ship’s passage. -The conspicuous absence of lights to warn the -mariner at night makes navigation seem difficult -and dangerous, but the pilots know the -channels as they know their rosaries. Neither -are the ships supplied with searchlights to -facilitate the picking out of the few buoys that -mark the channels farther along. One or two -of the particularly narrow places of the course, -however, are marked by miniature light-houses, -not more than ten feet in height, which -stick up from the water to indicate the base -of a wall of rock as it juts out into the blackness -of the night.</p> - -<p>About fifty miles from Ragusa, in the narrow -channel which divides the Sabbioncello -Peninsula from the island of Curzola, a -famous sea battle between the Venetians and -the Genoese took place. This affray was won -by the latter, who captured the distinguished -Venetian navigator, Marco Polo, he having -just returned from a cruise in the China Seas. -Polo was taken to Genoa and placed in a dungeon,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">[251]</a></span> -where he laboured over the manuscript -of his widely read book of travels. Doge -Dandolo, the Venetian ruler and the admiral -of the fleet, was also captured and borne away -a prisoner of war by the Genoese, but while -<em>en route</em> he dashed out his brains against the -bulwarks of the galley upon which he was -confined.</p> - -<p>Just south of Spalato, twenty hours’ ride -from Cattaro by this slow steamer, you will -pass the island of Solta, where is gathered the -honey, world-famed for its excellence, sucked -from the blooms of the rosemary and the cistus -rose.</p> - -<p>The object that will first attract your attention -upon entering the harbour of Spalato is -the tall campanile, always in repair, and -around which the hideous scaffolding has been -allowed to remain since 1882, and it will -probably remain for some time to come; for -the repairs to the tower are so slow in progressing -that as soon as one job is finished another -presents itself. The building of this -campanile was begun by Maria of Hungary -about 1300, but her death in 1323 caused an -interruption to the work. It was not again -taken up until 1360, when Elizabeth the Elder, -sent by her son Lewis of Hungary to govern -Dalmatia, ordered that the work be carried -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">[252]</a></span>out under the supervision of the Spalatine -architect, Nicolas Tverdoj. The tower was -completed in 1416, but it was not so substantially -built as it might have been—for we -are told that the subtle art of “graft” had -made itself felt in Dalmatia even at that -date—and as early as 1472 an architect, -Nicolo Fiorentino, commenced the repairs -which have continued to this day and which, -from all appearances, promise to continue until -the campanile is a ruin.</p> - -<p>From the top of the scaffold, after a somewhat -tiresome climb, one can obtain a comprehensive -and beautiful panoramic view of Spalato, -where lived and died the composer -Von Suppe, and also of the harbour.</p> - -<p>Aside from the quaintly dressed Dalmatian -fisher folk, who patch and re-patch the variegated -sails of their tiny craft along the stone -quay, the town is interesting from the fact that -it contains the best example of Roman domestic -architecture to be found anywhere in the -world, not excepting the magnificent ruins of -Pompeii and Herculaneum.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_253"><img src="images/i_253.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="354" /></a> -<p class="caption">SPALATO FROM THE CAMPANILE.</p> -</div> - -<p>The subject of this rather broad, but nevertheless -true, statement is the old palace built -by Diocletian at the beginning of the fourth -century, and in which the Roman ex-Emperor -took up his abode after his abdication and -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">[255]</a></span>where he lived until his death in 313, <span class="smcap">a. d.</span> Its -building marked the date of a new departure -in architecture; a departure which ended in -the development of the Byzantine and the -Romanesque art of modern Europe, they having -been inaugurated by modifying the rules -of the ancients.</p> - -<p>To this favoured spot on the coast near the -then powerful Illyrian metropolis of Salona -came Diocletian, and here he built his imperial -villa, where he hoped to live peacefully for the -remainder of his days. And what a wonderful -villa it must have been!</p> - -<p>Its walls were from five hundred and seventy -to seven hundred feet in length, fifty feet -in height, and encompassed nine and one-half -acres of ground. The eminent English architect, -Adam, who, in 1757, accomplished the -difficult and arduous task of plotting the first -plans of the ruined palace on paper with no -previous mathematical data to guide him, said -that it was “a climax in architecture.” So -much of its original splendour did it retain -that the imperial Roman historian avowed -that “it surpassed even in its ruin all powers -of description;” and that was more than six -centuries after Diocletian’s death.</p> - -<p>On the south side, facing the sea, the walls -were seventy feet in height, because of the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">[256]</a></span>sloping of the land. The outline of this stone-work -was broken by a grand total of sixteen -towers, only four of which, those on the corners, -were higher—and that only by a few -feet—than the walls themselves. There were -four entrance gates to the palace and three of -these can still be distinguished.</p> - -<p>If you could have entered the north gate of -the palace at a time when its builder and owner -was ripening in years within its precincts, you -would have looked down on a street thirty-six -feet in width. On either side, graceful stone -arcades dwindled into the perspective and at -the farther end of the street the view was interrupted -by the massive portico and dome of -the vestibule to the imperial residence. At a -point three hundred feet south of this gate, -where you would have stood, the lines of -arcades were exchanged for the beautiful -columns of a peristyle, on either side of which -were enclosed courts, that to the right containing -the temple of Æsculapius and that to the -left, the temple of Jupiter.</p> - -<p>Near the peristyle, a street, also fringed -with arcades, crossed from west to east, having -its termini at the Porta Ferrea and the Porta -Ænea respectively. To the south of the vestibule -the nave of the palace, ninety-eight feet -long and forty-five feet wide, lined with rows -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">[257]</a></span>of columns and an aisle fourteen feet in width -on either side, extended from west to east. -Mosaics and multi-coloured marbles made up -the decorations of the interior of the apartments, -and the beauty of the courts was enhanced -by the flowers and plants of this latitude.</p> - -<p>From the peristyle, the columns of which -were of Cipallino and rose-coloured granite, -flights of steps led to the temples at the sides. -The Temple of Jupiter, which originally -stood apart in a walled court having the peristyle -as a screen in front, was built by Diocletian -as a prospective tomb in which he intended -his body to be placed after death, but -now the building serves as the Duomo of -Spalato. Originally it had a projecting -portico of its own in front, but this has -been replaced by the campanile of the -Duomo. The other of the two temples, that -of Æsculapius, does duty to-day as the city’s -baptistry.</p> - -<p>Much of the walls of the palace remain to-day, -and shut in the old town of Spalato built -within the enclosure by the refugees from -Salona. Outside of these moss-grown, inarticulate -historians of Roman occupation you -will find modern European dwellings, school-houses -and shady little parks, and at places -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">[258]</a></span>even on the top of the walls some sacrilegious -Spalatines have built their more humble -abodes. The peristyle of the famous palace -now forms the town square.</p> - -<p>After you have made many conjectures as to -what a residence the palace of Diocletian must -have been, and what scenes were pictured -there in the days when its builder made it his -home, you will walk outside the walls of the -old city, which you must do in order to find a -carriage, for horses are not permitted within -the gates on account of the narrowness of the -streets, and bargain with a <i lang="tr" xml:lang="tr">cocher</i> to take you -to Salona.</p> - -<p>On the way you will pass a wonderful -ruined aqueduct, which Diocletian built to -supply his palace with water from the hills, -and which has now been restored to the same -use by the modern Spalatines. The road first -rises to the top of a ridge and then stretches -across the valley of the Riviera dei Castelli -which extends from Salona to Traü, the ancient -Tragurium of the Romans, famed for -its marble, and colonized originally in -380, <span class="smcap">B.C.</span>, by Syracusan Greeks from the -island of Lissa. The road is so dusty that the -vegetation growing along the side is completely -covered with the fine white powder; -but the drive is not long and your visit to -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">[261]</a></span>Salona will be sure to repay you fully for any -slight discomforts endured on the way.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_259"><img src="images/i_259.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="337" /></a> -<p class="caption">A FOUNTAIN ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF SPALATO.</p> -</div> - -<p>Salona is situated among the foot-hills of -the Cabani Mountains on the shores of an inland -sea which is shut off from the Adriatic by -the island of Bua. That information-breathing -emperor and historian, Constantine Porphyrogenitus, -said that Salona was at one -time half as large as Constantinople. But no -matter whether it were large or small it is -worthy of a brief description for, if I may -make use of a rather inelegant expression in -order to better convey to the reader some idea -of its antiquity, “Salona was Salona when -Spalato was a pup.”</p> - -<p>Founded by Illyrian fugitives from the capital, -Delminium, after the latter’s destruction -by the Romans during the second Dalmatian -war, Salona was taken in 117 <span class="smcap">b. c.</span> by Cæcilius -Metellus and made a Roman colony. The -city was long and narrow and divided into -halves by a sort of diaphragm wall, in the middle -point of which was an arched portal called -Cæsar’s Gate. Through the central arch of -this gate the Roman chariots passed and, although -the arches themselves have tumbled -you may, as in Pompeii, still see the grooves -and ruts in the stone pavement worn deep by -the passage of many wheels. A smaller arch -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_262" id="Page_262">[262]</a></span>on either side allowed for the accommodation -of pedestrians. The large Christian basilica, -partly excavated in 1880, was demolished in -639 during the final destruction of the city by -the Avars. A circular baptistry, with its -columned portico facing the south and which -marked the entrance, stood within the walls -in the eastern part of the city. In the centre -of this building, under the dome and sunk in -the floor, was a marble fount for baptism by -immersion, and from its level arose a complete -circle of marble steps; at the top, an aisle with -columns on either side passed around the interior -of the building.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_263"><img src="images/i_263.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="355" /></a> -<p class="caption">THE RUINS OF THE BASILICA, SALONA.</p> -</div> - -<p>At the western end of the city can be seen -the ruins of the large amphitheatre, and it is -probable that this was the only building which -survived the devastating fire of the Avars. At -different points along the circuit of the walls, -which had been battered down time and again -and repaired as often, stood no less than -eighty-eight towers, having been constructed -to reinforce the stone-work. The remains of -forty-three of these towers are plainly visible. -By scraping away the dust with the toe of -your shoe, ornate examples of mosaic decorations -can still be distinguished on the floors -over which the buildings stood, and some of -the Roman sweat-baths have been preserved -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265">[265]</a></span>almost intact; the ancient methods of producing -their heated vapours may be solved easily. -At one point within the walls was discovered -a trench holding fourteen sarcophagi lying -end to end in a long row. Of these several -have been transferred to the museums. When -found, all had been opened and it was impossible -to distinguish to whom they belonged, -because only two bore inscriptions, one Christian -and one Pagan.</p> - -<p>On a slight hill back of the ruined city -stands the little stone house of the care-taker, -embellished with cut-stone work from the -buildings of old Salona. In the garden, at the -rear, a Roman pergola has been restored in its -entirety and over it climbs a rose-vine covered -with blooming red ramblers—an attractive -modern adaptation of an ancient Roman decorative -feature.</p> - -<p>Immediately after the fall of Salona in 639 -the inhabitants sought refuge on some of the -neighbouring islands; then, under the leadership -of Severus, they descended upon Spalato -and encamped within the walls of Diocletian’s -palace, finally erecting buildings and more -substantial dwellings, which accounts for the -material change of the interior aspect of the -palace. For the very good reason that nine -and one-half acres was rather a small area to -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266">[266]</a></span>accommodate any great number of people, the -town of Spalato soon spread outside of its -original walls. It was visited by the great -Venetian expedition under Pietro Orseola II -in 998, and was compelled to take the oath of -allegiance. Internal religious controversies -occurred from this time on, until the murderous -Tartars, in pursuit of King Bela in 1241, -sacked the town and put to death all whom -they found in their path. But Spalato arose -bravely from the blight of her misfortunes, -and in 1327 revolted against Venice, was absorbed -by Hungary and, thirty years later, revolted -against the latter.</p> - -<p>Notwithstanding the changes it has undergone, -Diocletian’s palace has been handed -down to us, and still holds its place as the most -magnificent specimen of the domestic architecture -of the Romans. And, strangely enough, -its Temple of Jupiter has, for fourteen centuries, -served as the Spalatine house of worship -of the Christian religion, that religion -which the builder of this same temple tried so -hard to obliterate.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_267"><img src="images/i_267.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="357" /></a> -<p class="caption">ROMAN SARCOPHAGI, SALONA.</p> - </div> -</div> -<hr class="chap" /> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_269" id="Page_269">[269]</a></span></p> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVIII" id="CHAPTER_XVIII"></a>CHAPTER XVIII</h2> - -<p class="center">ZARA</p> - - -<p class="hang50">From Spalato to Zara—Chief Objects of Interest in the Capital -of Dalmatia—The Story of St. Simeon—The Five Fountains—Fragments -of Roman Occupation.</p> - - -<p><span class="smcap">It</span> was twelve o’clock of a soft summer -night when the sharp, hooded prow of the -<em>Graf Wurmbrand</em> backed away from the -<em>molo</em> at Spalato, swung around in the darkness -and headed out into the black beyond, on -her five hour run along the coast to Zara. Her -cabins and after decks were ablaze with electric -bulbs, but forward of the bridge all was -inky darkness, for the pilot of this, the fastest -boat of the Adriatic coast service, took the -matter more seriously than the passengers and -allowed no glare to dim the sharpness of his -vision while his charge sped northward between -the islands, responding gracefully to the -twirl of the wheel.</p> - -<p>When our eyes had become accustomed to -peering out into the darkness, for it is almost -as beautiful to ride at night through these -channels as it is in the daytime and for -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_270" id="Page_270">[270]</a></span>that reason we eschewed our berths, those of -us who had remained on deck could distinguish, -as we passed, the silhouette of the -island of Kraglievaz, or King’s Seat, upon -which Bela IV secluded himself from the pursuit -of the Tartars. Then we plowed through -a veritable shoal of islands and passed an isolated -rock, formerly crowned by the Benedictine -monastery of St. Arcangelo. Farther -along, near the famous headland of La Planca -(the Promontorium Diomedis of the Romans), -we passed a little chapel, built by a -thankful mariner who, while sailing up the -coast with a cargo of Malvasia wine, suffered -shipwreck on the rocks and made ingenious use -of his cargo to mix the mortar with which to -bind the stones of this little monument of -appreciation of his rescue.</p> - -<p>At this point we also crossed an arm of the -open sea, and then sped on between the island -of Zlarin and the mainland. Beyond Zlarin -lies the town of Sebenico, founded by pirates -who, from their caves in the surrounding -mountains, scanned the sea for ships. Waxing -in boldness they founded a colony on the shore, -which they surrounded with a fortification or -palisade. From the Croatian name for “palisade” -(“Sibne”) is derived the name of the -town, Sebenico.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_271" id="Page_271">[271]</a></span></p> -<p>At daybreak, had there been in the distance -a few scattered palm trees and a stretch of -sandy beach, we might easily have imagined -ourselves in equatorial latitudes. The rays of -the sun tinted the mainland and the islands in -hues of saffron; there was scarcely a ripple -on the deep turquoise-coloured water. We -steamed up through the Canal di Zara, a channel -three miles in width, between the mainland -and the mountainous island of Ugliano, and -at five in the morning the lines of the <em>Graf -Wurmbrand</em> were made fast to the <em>molo</em> at -Zara.</p> - -<p>This old town was the ancient Jadera, even -then in allegiance with Rome, where a Roman -colony was established in 78 <span class="smcap">b. c.</span> Many years -later it was brought under the powerful yoke -of the Venetians and numerous fragments of -both periods still remain. The Zara of to-day -is world famous for being the home of the -maraschino industry, the delicious cordial distilled -from the juice of the wild cherries which -grow in abundance on the slopes of the neighbouring -limestone hills, and you have never -tasted <em>real</em> maraschino if you haven’t tapped -the till in Zara.</p> - -<p>In the evenings, the esplanade along the -stone quay, which skirts the harbour, is alive -with promenading Dalmatians of all classes, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272">[272]</a></span>while one of the best military bands to be heard -in a week’s travel plays inimitable music at -the shore end of the <em>molo</em>. Except for the -dearth of tourists and the absence of the incessantly -gliding gondolas the water front at -Zara almost resembles a scene along the Grand -Canal in Venice.</p> - -<p>The chief objects of interest in Zara seemed -to be ourselves, and I do not remember ever -having been stared at more than here in the -capital of Dalmatia and barely off the beaten -track of English-speaking travellers. The -townspeople ran into each other, not to mention -lamp-posts and stone walls, in their attempts -to satisfy their curiosity. While we ate -in the pretty little open-air café of the hotel -the waiters stood around with their mouths -open, their eyes as large as billiard balls, and -the groups of Austrian army officers allowed -their food to grow cold and their beer to become -flat as they watched, none too furtively, -our every move.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_273"><img src="images/i_273.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="356" /></a> -<p class="caption">THE WATER FRONT, ZARA.</p> -</div> - -<p>But there are many things to see in Zara, of -which the natives seem to take little account -when there happens to be a stranger in town. -One of these objects worthy of inspection is -the body of St. Simeon, the patron saint of the -town, and the story of how he came into office -(shall I say?) is interesting, and rather unique.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_275" id="Page_275">[275]</a></span></p> -<p>Sometime during the thirteenth century, the -exact date is unknown, a caravel put into the -port of Zara after a helpless battle with wind -and wave on the Adriatic. On board was a -nobleman returning from the Crusades, who -asked that he might deposit in the cemetery -the body of his brother which he had hoped -to convey to his home for burial. While his -ship was undergoing repairs the nobleman himself -fell ill and died. Upon examining his documents -it was discovered that the body of the -alleged “brother” was that of none other than -St. Simeon, the prophet who had held the infant -Christ in his arms. The people of Zara, -having come unexpectedly into the possession -of so precious a relic, exhibited the body in the -collegiate church of St. Maria, where it proved -its sanctity by working miracles, and its fame -quickly spread throughout the country.</p> - -<p>For some years the body was allowed to remain -in the church for the want of an appropriate -shrine in which it might be preserved. -In 1371 Lewis of Hungary, accompanied by -his mother and Elizabeth, his wife, came on a -visit to Zara. After viewing the saintly body -of Simeon, Elizabeth, desiring to take with -her some memento of the wonder-worker, -broke a finger from one of the hands and hid -it in her bosom. For this sacrilege St. Simeon -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_276" id="Page_276">[276]</a></span>punished her by striking her blind on the spot, -caused her hand, the one with which she had -taken the finger, to wither, and caused her -breast, where she had hid the relic, to mortify. -Frantic with the sudden loss of her sight, Elizabeth -tried to flee from the church but was unable -to find the door. She groped her way -back to the casket, fell upon her knees and -replaced the stolen finger, which immediately -united itself to the proper hand, the Queen’s -sight being restored the same moment. Again -Elizabeth implored the forgiveness of the Saint -and promised to present him with a silver -casket in which his body might repose more -comfortably than she thought it did in its -wooden resting place. The story goes that this -promise so reconciled the prophet that Elizabeth’s -breast was healed forthwith and her -withered hand was made whole.</p> - -<p>When the Queen returned to her home she -communicated with certain nobles in Zara with -regard to the casket, and in 1377 her agents -commissioned one Francesco d’Antonio di -Milano, a goldsmith, to proceed with the work. -By the time he had completed his task, three -years later, he had used nearly a thousand -pounds of silver metal, and he received twenty-eight -thousand ducats as pay from Elizabeth.</p> - -<p>Nearly two hundred years passed before any -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_277" id="Page_277">[277]</a></span>attempt was made to raise funds for the erection -of a suitable temple in which to place permanently -the silver sarcophagus containing the -body of so famous a saint; money was slow -in coming in, and in 1600, after the façade of -the building was half finished, the work was -abandoned.</p> - -<p>In 1543 the old church of St. Maria was -demolished to make room for new fortifications. -The silver casket was then given to the -nuns for safe-keeping, while the body of the -Saint had been transferred to its original ark -of cypress wood and left in a little chapel -near by.</p> - -<p>At length Archbishop Garzadori proposed -that the body be replaced in the silver casket -and taken to the church of St. Stefano which -stood in the immediate vicinity. About this -time an outbreak of the plague tended to remind -the superstitious of their neglect of the -body of St. Simeon and a new chancel was -hurriedly placed in the church, the silver ark, -which had been found stained and tarnished -in the nunnery, was repaired by a goldsmith -of the name of Benedetto Libani, and on May -16th, 1632, the translation of the body took -place amid public rejoicing. Since that date -St. Simeon has reigned as the patron saint of -Zara.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_278" id="Page_278">[278]</a></span></p> -<p>Among the historical landmarks in the town -of Zara, the Cinque Pozzi, or Five Fountains, -constitute one of the most prominent. They -stand in a row in front of a broad flight of -stone steps, which lead up to a shady park -overlooking the docks and part of the city. -These fountains are more like cisterns and -from them the poorer inhabitants still draw -their water, carrying it away in great jars upon -their heads. They were designed by Sammichieli, -an architect of Verona, and built in 1574. -To them the water is conducted from sources -outside the city, first passing through a rather -elaborate system of subterranean filtration. -An architect living in Zara has in his possession -a copy of a plan of these filters as designed -by Sammichieli himself.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_279"><img src="images/i_279.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="355" /></a> -<p class="caption">THE FIVE FOUNTAINS, ZARA.</p> -</div> - -<p>Included in the manifestations of the Roman -occupancy of Zara are the fragments of an -ancient temple dedicated to Juno Augusta, -the consort of Emperor Augustus. These -fragments had been built into the old church -of St. Donato, erected in the ninth century.</p> - -<p>And you will be loth to leave Zara, for at -every turn you discover something that seems -to be more interesting than that which you saw -before. The streets are clean and although -the rays of the sun are uncomfortably hot, the -narrow thoroughfares are always shady and -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_281" id="Page_281">[281]</a></span>invite you to wander aimlessly up and down, -lingering here and there before the shop windows. -In the evening, while the band plays, -the scene along the quay is one of gayety, and -you will be inspired to make the resolution, -that, if ever again you happen along the eastern -coast of the Adriatic, Zara will be sure to -receive from you a more lengthy visit.</p> -</div> -<hr class="chap" /> - - - - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_282" id="Page_282">[282]</a></span></p> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIX" id="CHAPTER_XIX"></a>CHAPTER XIX</h2> - -<p class="center">THE GULF OF QUARNERO</p> - - -<p class="hang50">The Home of the Bora—Fiume—Abbazia—The Home of the -Torpedo—Descendants of the Uscocs.</p> - - -<p><span class="smcap">In</span> summer or fall it is a pleasant boat trip -of six hours from Zara to Fiume, which is prettily -situated at the north-eastern end of the -Gulf of Quarnero. But in the winter and -early spring, at which seasons the “Bora,” or -north-east wind, is prevalent, keep an eye on -the barometer! It is at this north-eastern end -of the Gulf, in the mountains back of Fiume, -that this dreaded wind is born. Accumulating -velocity with every blast, it sweeps down upon -the sea with relentless fury, carrying everything -before it, overturning carts, upsetting -horses in the streets and putting a quietus, for -the time being, on all navigation within range.</p> - -<p>The western channels and the western slopes -of the islands are better protected from the -destructive gusts of the “Bora,” but the channels -nearest to the Croatian coast are swept by -its full fury. Along the eastern shores of these -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_283" id="Page_283">[283]</a></span>channels the soil is rendered as sterile as the -sands of the desert, for the wind cuts the spray -from the surface of the water and carries it -inland in great clouds, completely obscuring -the shore line from the sea, and destroying the -tender sprouts of early cereals by depositing -upon them the injurious salty sediment. In -1873, while a train was rounding one of the -many curves on the line from Agram to Fiume, -the “Bora” came up suddenly and blew it -from the rails.</p> - -<p>The little town of Segna seems to suffer the -most from this wind; at any rate many of the -stories of the extraordinary violence with which -it blows originated there. Some historians tell -us that in Segna during the raging of a -“Bora” it is unsafe to venture out-of-doors; -that it lifts weak or aged adults and little children -from the ground and dashes them against -the walls of the houses; that those who are -obliged to go to the basin where the ships lie -must crawl snake-like on the ground to avoid -being picked off their feet and hurled into the -sea. It is a common occurrence for horses -heavily loaded to be thrown down in the -market-place of Segna, and although the roofs -of all houses are weighted with stones they -are often lifted and carried away.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_284" id="Page_284">[284]</a></span></p> - -<p>“But it’s an ill wind that blows nobody -good” and, therefore, the “Bora” was -hardly considered wholly unwelcome by the -pirates, the Uscocs, who once infested the -islands of the bay, finding their safety in the -dangers of navigation thereabouts which deterred -better ships but less able seamen from -hunting them down and sinking their puny -craft.</p> - -<p>Strangely incongruous with its soporific atmosphere -is the bustle and business of Fiume. -Finally united to Hungary in 1870, Fiume -has grown from a mere seaport town to a -thriving manufacturing and shipping city of -thirty-nine thousand inhabitants. To-day it -is in the class with the Austrian city of Trieste, -on the opposite side of the Istrian Peninsula; -one of the most cosmopolitan ports in the -world. The scene along the docks is interesting, -for Fiume is the home port of fleets of -coasters which ply up and down the Adriatic, -of great steel cargo and passenger ships making -scheduled sailings to the Levant, to the -coasts of Africa, to the Straits Settlements and -the Far East, to North and South America.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_285"><img src="images/i_285.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="363" /></a> -<p class="caption">VIA ANDRASSY, FIUME.</p> -</div> - -<p>A few miles to the west of Fiume, nestling -snugly on the edge of the bay at the foot of -massive Mount Maggiore, lies a fashionable -little sea-side resort, patronized by the upper -crust of Austrian aristocracy, Abbazia. Here, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_287" id="Page_287">[287]</a></span>under the trees or on the porch of the Casino, -the élite of the land sips its liquor and smokes -its slender cigarettes while the military band -interprets the latest Viennese musical success.</p> - -<p>And almost within an arm’s reach of Abbazia, -just a few yards off in the bay, is one -end of the target range of an ever-busy manufacturing -plant, whose product has tended -more to evolutionize warfare than any device -ever invented, the Whitehead torpedo factory. -On this range the great fish-like instruments -of destruction are tested thoroughly, their parts -adjusted and tested again, to assure their deadliness, -before shipment to the arsenals of the -powers supplied. At one end of the range -is the firing station, and in a long line, stretching -away toward Abbazia, are the several floating -targets, each manned by a signalman with -a red flag, under the centres of which the torpedoes -must eventually be made to dart before -they are ready for delivery. Industrious little -power boats shoot up and down the bay collecting -the “dead” torpedoes, which, having -spent their energy, turn finally from their -course and splash about on the surface of the -water like wounded porpoises, to tow them -back to the launching station for an adjustment -of their parts.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_288" id="Page_288">[288]</a></span></p> -<p>What if a torpedo would come to the surface -prematurely and hit one of the targets? Some -do, and rip great holes in the wooden decks, -causing the signalmen to execute some nimble -acrobatics, but there is never any danger from -explosion, because the “war-heads” of the torpedoes -have not yet been put in place; all they -carry are the steering-gears and the little compressed -air engine. Once in a while, owing -to a serious defect in the steering-gear, one -will run amuck a few seconds after it has been -discharged. Then is the time for the launches -to be on the <i lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">qui vive</i>, for there is no telling what -direction the torpedo will take. One of them -once made a bee-line for the stone wall which -skirts the bay in front of the factory. Like a -leaping salmon it mounted this at one bound, -bounced along the top for a few yards, demolishing -stone-work and making the wall appear -as if it had been struck by a thirteen-inch shell, -and then plunged into the bay, tearing around -this way and that until it made its final death-leap -and lay peacefully upon the surface of -the water. Then, like a naughty but remorseful -boy, it was towed back and given a good -spanking in the form of an overhauling of its -parts.</p> - -<p>In the city of Fiume there are many types—Croatians, -Austrian army and navy officers, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_289" id="Page_289">[289]</a></span>Italians, Dalmatians, Germans, Englishmen—and -all work hard accumulating fortunes, large -or small as the case may be; but those who -seem to be amassing the largest private estates -in proportion to their labours, if one may -judge from their daily net receipts, are the -piratical porters of the town, who swoop down -from all points of the compass upon the unsuspecting -traveller. It is safe to say that these -are the lineal descendants of the Uscocs of old, -having only adopted more modern methods of -piracy than those employed by their ancestors,—for -from whom else might they have -inherited their predatory proclivities? These -<i>must</i> have been handed down from father to -son, for they are too well developed to admit -of mere accidental discovery. Every time one -of these porters looks at your luggage he commits -petty larceny, in thought, if not in deed. -The charge for carrying a small grip from -the dock to the hotel, a distance of a hundred -feet, may be any amount from the equivalent -of twenty-five cents up, and the wise traveller -is gulled but once. Some one tried to explain -to me why the Fiume porters were allowed -to charge any amount they pleased, but it -seemed a very unsatisfactory excuse. Suffice -it to say that the price demanded for carrying -one grip is one <em>krone</em>, with one, two or three -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_290" id="Page_290">[290]</a></span><em>kronen</em> added, according to the nationality of -the patron. For example: to carry one grip -for an Austrian, one <em>krone</em>; for a German, -two <em>kronen</em>; for an Englishman, three <em>kronen</em>; -for an American, four <em>kronen</em>. It seems that -the farther away one lives the more it costs -one to have one’s baggage transferred in -Fiume. A Chinaman with two grips would -go bankrupt in this town in no time.</p> - -<p>With a farewell salute to Fiume and her -activity, manufacturing, shipping and piratical, -we sailed out across the waters of the harbour -of this, the western sea-gate to the Balkan -Peninsula, homeward bound.</p> - -<p>After having wandered over this virgin -touring territory, a territory with a future as -well as with an eventful past, a territory of -big things in war and in peace; after having -revelled in its type-pictures and its remarkable -scenery, mingled with its unsophisticated peoples -and marvelled at its history and its struggles -for mere existence, we were struck with -thoughts, as we came suddenly from the land -of simplicity upon the preying porters of -Fiume, at once akin to and conflicting with -those of a certain author, who, in an early -book of travel, concludes the narration of an -experience as follows:</p> - -<p>“After having walked eleven hours without -having traced the print of a human foot, to -my great comfort and delight, I saw a man -hanging upon a gibbet; my pleasure at the -cheering prospect was inexpressible, for it convinced -me that I was in a civilized country.”</p> - -<p class="center">THE END.</p> -</div> - - -<p class="space-above4"></p> -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_293" id="Page_293">[293]</a></span></p> -<h3>INDEX</h3> - -<ul class="index"> -<li class="ifrst">Abbazia, <a href="#Page_284">284</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx"><a id="Alexander_King"></a>Alexander, King. <i>See</i> <a href="#Obrenovitch">Obrenovitch</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Alexander, Prince, of Bulgaria, <a href="#Page_121">121</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Alexander, the successor of Philip, <a href="#Page_113">113</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Assen I, <a href="#Page_117">117</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Assen II, <a href="#Page_117">117</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Assenide Dynasty, The, <a href="#Page_117">117</a>.</li> - - -<li class="ifrst">Belgrade, <a href="#Page_21">21</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Belgrade, Market Day in, <a href="#Page_34">34</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Black Death, The, <a href="#Page_188">188</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Bocche di Cattaro, The, <a href="#Page_202">202</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Bora, The, <a href="#Page_282">282</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Boris, Tzar, <a href="#Page_117">117</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Bosnia, Comparison of conditions in, <a href="#Page_145">145</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Bosnia, Railway travel in, <a href="#Page_149">149</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Brod, <a href="#Page_145">145</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Buda-Pesth, <a href="#Page_12">12</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Bulgari, The, <a href="#Page_113">113</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Bulgaria, Conversion of, to Christianity, <a href="#Page_117">117</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Bulgaria, Emancipation of, <a href="#Page_118">118</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Bulgaria, History of, <a href="#Page_111">111</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Bulgaria, Progress of, <a href="#Page_112">112</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Bulgaria, Turkish atrocities in, <a href="#Page_118">118</a>.</li> -<li><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_294" id="Page_294">[294]</a></span></li> -<li class="indx">Bulgarian, The, uprising of 1908;</li> -<li class="isub1">its cause and effect, <a href="#Page_122">122</a>.</li> - - -<li class="ifrst">Castelnuovo, <a href="#Page_204">204</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Cattaro, Description of, <a href="#Page_207">207</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Cattaro to Cettinje, Road from, <a href="#Page_229">229</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Cettinje, Description of, <a href="#Page_239">239</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Christianity, Bulgaria’s conversion to, <a href="#Page_117">117</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Constantinovitch, Katrine, <a href="#Page_48">48</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Conveniences of travel through the Balkans, <a href="#Page_8">8</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Curzola, The sea battle near the island of, <a href="#Page_250">250</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Cyril, <a href="#Page_117">117</a>.</li> - - -<li class="ifrst">Dalmatia, Routes of travel to, <a href="#Page_177">177</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Danilo II of Montenegro, <a href="#Page_217">217</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Dervish dance, Description of a, <a href="#Page_160">160</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Diocletian, Palace of, at Spalato, <a href="#Page_252">252</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx"> <a id="Draga_Queen_of_Servia."></a>Draga, Queen, of Servia. <em>See</em> <a href="#Maschine"> Maschine</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Dragoleftsky, <a href="#Page_108">108</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Dushan, King, of Servia, <a href="#Page_117">117</a>.</li> -<li><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_295" id="Page_295">[295]</a></span></li> - -<li class="ifrst">English language, Frequency of the, through the Balkans, <a href="#Page_7">7</a>.</li> - - -<li class="ifrst">Ferdinand, Prince, of Bulgaria, <a href="#Page_122">122</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Ferdinand, Tzar, of Bulgaria, <a href="#Page_125">125</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Fiume, Description of, <a href="#Page_284">284</a>.</li> - - -<li class="ifrst">German language, The, <a href="#Page_4">4</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Gravosa, <a href="#Page_179">179</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Greek efforts to conquer Bulgaria, <a href="#Page_114">114</a>.</li> - - -<li class="ifrst">Hapag ticket, <a href="#Page_3">3</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Helena, Queen, of Italy, <a href="#Page_217">217</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Hungarian language, The, <a href="#Page_12">12</a>.</li> - - -<li class="ifrst">Jablaniča, <a href="#Page_169">169</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Jezero, The battle of, <a href="#Page_221">221</a>.</li> - - -<li class="ifrst">Kara George, and his assassination, <a href="#Page_45">45</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Karageorgevitch, Peter, Accession to the throne of, <a href="#Page_71">71</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Kara Mahmoud, <a href="#Page_216">216</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Konjiča, <a href="#Page_166">166</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Kossovo, Battle of, <a href="#Page_118">118</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Kraglievaz, Island of, <a href="#Page_270">270</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Kristatz, Battle of, <a href="#Page_221">221</a>.</li> - - -<li class="ifrst">La Croma, The Island of, <a href="#Page_184">184</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Lazar, Tzar, Emperor of Servia, <a href="#Page_212">212</a>.</li> - - -<li class="ifrst"> <a id="Maschine"></a>Maschine, Draga, <a href="#Page_54">54</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Maschine, Draga, Burial of, and Alexander, <a href="#Page_71">71</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Maschine, Draga, Marriage of, and Alexander, <a href="#Page_57">57</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Maschine, Draga, Meeting of, and Alexander, <a href="#Page_55">55</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Maschine, Draga, Murder of, and Alexander, <a href="#Page_61">61</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Maschine, Draga, Prediction of the assassination of, <a href="#Page_81">81</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Maschine, Draga, Prediction of the social ascendency of, <a href="#Page_80">80</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Maschine, Nikola and Nikodim, Murder of, <a href="#Page_68">68</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Methodius, <a href="#Page_117">117</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx"> <a id="Michael_Prince"></a>Michael, Prince. <em>See</em> <a href="#Obrenovitch">Obrenovitch</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx"> <a id="Milan_Prince"></a> Milan, Prince. <em>See</em> <a href="#Obrenovitch">Obrenovitch</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Milo, Pope, of Montenegro, <a href="#Page_223">223</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx"> <a id="Milosh_Prince"></a>Milosh, Prince. <em>See</em> <a href="#Obrenovitch">Obrenovitch</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Montenegrin, The, Army, <a href="#Page_215">215</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Montenegrin bravery, Anecdotes of, <a href="#Page_221">221</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Montenegrin, The, national costume, <a href="#Page_218">218</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Montenegrins, The, <a href="#Page_212">212</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Montenegro, History of, <a href="#Page_212">212</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Montenegro, Modern, <a href="#Page_227">227</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Mostar, Description of, <a href="#Page_170">170</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Murad I, Sultan, <a href="#Page_117">117</a>.</li> - - -<li class="ifrst">Natalie, Queen, of Servia, <a href="#Page_49">49</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Nikephoros Phakos, Emperor, <a href="#Page_114">114</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Nikola, Prince, of Montenegro, <a href="#Page_217">217</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Nikshitch, Siege of, <a href="#Page_223">223</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Nisch, Hotels in, <a href="#Page_97">97</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Nisch, Tower of skulls in, <a href="#Page_101">101</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Njegushi, <a href="#Page_237">237</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Novakovics, Murder of the brothers, <a href="#Page_75">75</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Novi-Bazaar, <a href="#Page_149">149</a>.</li> - - -<li class="ifrst"> <a id="Obrenovitch"></a>Obrenovitch, Alexander, <a href="#Page_49">49</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Obrenovitch, Alexander, Burial of, and Draga, <a href="#Page_71">71</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Obrenovitch, Alexander, Marriage of, and Draga, <a href="#Page_57">57</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Obrenovitch, Alexander, Meeting of, and Draga, <a href="#Page_55">55</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Obrenovitch, Alexander, Murder of, and Draga, <a href="#Page_61">61</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Obrenovitch, Alexander, Prediction of the assassination of, <a href="#Page_81">81</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Obrenovitch, Michael, <a href="#Page_47">47</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Obrenovitch, Michael, Prediction of the murder of, <a href="#Page_79">79</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Obrenovitch, Milan, the First, <a href="#Page_47">47</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Obrenovitch, Milan, the Second, <a href="#Page_49">49</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Obrenovitch, Milosh, the First, <a href="#Page_46">46</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Obrenovitch, Milosh, the Second, <a href="#Page_48">48</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Orient Express, The, <a href="#Page_142">142</a>.</li> - - -<li class="ifrst">Passports, <a href="#Page_19">19</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Pawlowitch, General, Murder of, <a href="#Page_68">68</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Peter I, of Montenegro, <a href="#Page_216">216</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Peter II, of Montenegro, <a href="#Page_238">238</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Petrovich, George (Kara-George), <a href="#Page_45">45</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Philip, <a href="#Page_113">113</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Podgoritza, <a href="#Page_227">227</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Prince-Bishops of Montenegro, <a href="#Page_216">216</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Promontorium Diomedis, <a href="#Page_270">270</a>.</li> - - -<li class="ifrst">Ragusa, Description of, <a href="#Page_180">180</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Ragusa, The Great Earthquake of, <a href="#Page_193">193</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Ragusa, History of, <a href="#Page_187">187</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Ravna, <a href="#Page_175">175</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Registration, The Servian method of, <a href="#Page_20">20</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Rundreise ticket, The, <a href="#Page_2">2</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Russian intrigue in Bulgaria, <a href="#Page_121">121</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Russian invasion of Bulgaria, The first, <a href="#Page_117">117</a>.</li> - - -<li class="ifrst">Saint Simeon, Story of, <a href="#Page_272">272</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Salona, Description of, <a href="#Page_261">261</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Sarajevo, Description of, <a href="#Page_151">151</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Sebenico, <a href="#Page_270">270</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Segna, <a href="#Page_283">283</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Servian, The, army, <a href="#Page_29">29</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Servian customs, <a href="#Page_37">37</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Servian exports, <a href="#Page_29">29</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Servian nation, Rapid rise of the, <a href="#Page_27">27</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Servian national dance, <a href="#Page_38">38</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Servian national drink, <a href="#Page_29">29</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Servian race-meets, <a href="#Page_30">30</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Servians, The, <a href="#Page_24">24</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Shishman III, Tzar, <a href="#Page_117">117</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Simeon, Tzar, <a href="#Page_114">114</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Slavs, Population of Bulgaria by the, <a href="#Page_113">113</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Sophia, Description of, <a href="#Page_107">107</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Sophia, Hotels in, <a href="#Page_106">106</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Sophia, Market day in, <a href="#Page_130">130</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Sviatoslav, <a href="#Page_114">114</a>.</li> - - -<li class="ifrst">Thraco-Dacians, <a href="#Page_113">113</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Thraco-Illyrians, <a href="#Page_113">113</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Thraco-Macedonians, <a href="#Page_113">113</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Tzaribrod, <a href="#Page_102">102</a>.</li> - - -<li class="ifrst">Uscocs, The, <a href="#Page_284">284</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Uskoplje, <a href="#Page_175">175</a>.</li> - - -<li class="ifrst">Vespasian, Annexation of Bulgaria by, <a href="#Page_113">113</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Vladika, or Prince-Bishops, <a href="#Page_216">216</a>.</li> - - -<li class="ifrst">Ylidze, <a href="#Page_159">159</a>.</li> - - -<li class="ifrst">Zara, Description of, <a href="#Page_271">271</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Zinisces, Emperor, <a href="#Page_114">114</a>.</li> - -<li class="indx">Zlarin, Island of, <a href="#Page_270">270</a>.</li> -</ul> -</div> - - -<div class="border"> -<p class="gothic1">The<br /> -Little Pilgrimages Series</p> - - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/i_acorn.jpg" alt="" width="100" height="42" /> -</div> - -<p class="indent"> Among English Inns $2.00<br /> - By <span class="smcap">Josephine Tozier</span></p> - -<p class="indent"> Susan in Sicily 2.00<br /> - By <span class="smcap">Josephine Tozier</span></p> - -<p class="indent"> Among Bavarian Inns 2.00<br /> - By <span class="smcap">Frank Roy Fraprie</span></p> - -<p class="indent"> The Italian Lakes 2.00<br /> - By <span class="smcap">W. D. McCrackan</span></p> - -<p class="indent"> The Fair Land Tyrol 2.00<br /> - By <span class="smcap">W. D. McCrackan</span></p> - -<p class="indent"> Among French Inns 2.00<br /> - By <span class="smcap">Charles Gibson</span></p> - -<p class="indent"> Among Old New England Inns 2.00<br /> - By <span class="smcap">Mary Caroline Crawford</span></p> - -<p class="indent"> St. Botolph’s Town: An Account of Old - Boston in Colonial Days 2.50<br /> - By <span class="smcap">Mary Caroline Crawford</span></p> - -<p class="indent"> The Lands of the Tamed Turk; Or, - The Balkan States of To-day 2.50<br /> - By <span class="smcap">Blair Jaekel</span></p> - -<p class="indent"> Houseboating on a Colonial Waterway 2.50<br /> - By <span class="smcap">Frank and Cortelle Hutchins</span></p> - -<p class="indent"> From Cairo to the Cataract 2.50<br /> - By <span class="smcap">Blanche M. Carson</span></p> - -<p class="indent"> The Spell of Italy 2.50<br /> - By <span class="smcap">Caroline Atwater Mason</span> -</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/i_acorn1.jpg" alt="" width="100" height="42" /> - </div> - -<p class="center">L. C. PAGE & COMPANY</p> - -<p class="center">53 Beacon Street, Boston, Mass.</p> -</div> - - -<p class="space-above2"></p> -<div class="transnote"> - <h2 id="end_note" class="nopagebreak" title="">Transcriber’s Notes</h2> - -<p>In the Index:—</p> - -<p><b>Uskoplje</b>—page 174 has been changed to 175. (Page 74 is a -blank page in the original.)</p> - -<p><b>Montenegro, Modern</b>—page 226 has been changed to 227. (Page 226 -is a blank page in the original.)</p> - -<p><b>Montenegrin, The, Army</b>—page 213 has been changed to 215. (Page 213 -shows an illustration.)</p> - -<p>Hyphenation has been standardised.</p> - </div> - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Lands of the Tamed Turks or the -Balkan States of today, by Blair Jaekel - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LANDS OF THE TAMED TURKS *** - -***** This file should be named 62731-h.htm or 62731-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/2/7/3/62731/ - -Produced by Fay Dunn, Fiona Holmes and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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