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ALBANIA.
[Illustration: A SCIENTIFIC FRONTIER.
_Page_ 229.]
ALBANIA:
A NARRATIVE OF RECENT TRAVEL.
BY E. F. KNIGHT,
BARRISTER-AT-LAW.
WITH ILLUSTRATIONS.
London:
SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON, SEARLE, & RIVINGTON,
CROWN BUILDINGS, 188, FLEET STREET.
1880.
[_All rights reserved._]
Transcriber's Note: Inconsistencies in spelling, punctuation, and
hyphenation have been retained as printed. Words printed in bold are
noted with tildes: ~bold~.
CONTENTS.
PAGE
CHAPTER I.
Where to go to?--An unknown country--The expedition--Our
inventor--Our equipment--The doctor--A useful remedy--The
start--Venice--Trieste 1
CHAPTER II.
On board an Austrian Lloyd--Voyage to Spalato--The coast of
Istria and Dalmatia--Old Venetian cities--Our fellow-passengers
--Pola--A Turkish officer--The Morlaks--Why is England a triangle?
--Sebenico--Arrival at Spalato 11
CHAPTER III.
Dalmatian _cuisine_--The Emperor Diocletian--Remains of the
old palace--We make two friends--Wines of Dalmatia--Customs
of the Morlaks--A visit to Salona--A great fete--Costumes--
Morlak singing 28
CHAPTER IV.
Voyage to Cattaro--A bora--The gulf of Narenta--The Herzegovina
--The Island of Curzola--Ragusa--The Bocche di Cattan--The
frontier of Montenegro--The fortress of Cattaro--Evening
promenade--Personal attractions of the Cattarine ladies--
Rough roads--Prince Nikita's coach--Bosnian refugees--A
Bosnian's luggage 45
CHAPTER V.
March to Cettinje--The pass across the frontier--Montenegrin
warriors--Cettinje--A land of stones--The Prince's Hotel--
Frontier disputes--The commission--Montenegrin method of
making war--A game of billiards--A Draconic law--A popular
prince 60
CHAPTER VI.
The occupation of a Montenegrin gentleman--The public library
--Prince Nikita's prisoners--Albanian _versus_ Montenegrin
--A Montenegrin loan--The prince as a sportsman--The museum--
The hospital 78
CHAPTER VII.
Journey to Scutari--Atrocities--A runaway--The vale of Rieka--
A Montenegrin sailor--The lions of Rieka--The perils of the
night 90
CHAPTER VIII.
A great victory--A good old custom--On the Lake of Scutari--
The londra--The debateable land--Boat song--Encampment--Scutari
--A reminiscence of Cremorne--The brothers Toshli--Willow-pattern
plates--At the British consulate 100
CHAPTER IX.
Condition of Albania--Her races--The Mussulman--The Christian--
The Arnaut--Prince Scanderbeg--Turkish rule--Albanian language
--Gendarmes on strike--A Scutarine beauty--Courtship and marriage
--Nuns 116
CHAPTER X.
The bazaar--Turkish gipsies--The vendetta--An assassin--A way
to pay debts--Bosnian refugees--A card-party--Paving stones
--Burglars--Army doctors--Change for a ten pound note--Our
horses 132
CHAPTER XI.
Our Lady of Scutari--A miracle--The fete--A funeral--A drunken
Arnaut--Our escort--Two more Britons--Warm discussion--War--
Marco 151
CHAPTER XII.
March to Podgoritza--An Albanian khan--Our cook--The Fund--
Across the lake--Night visitors--The frontier--Podgoritza--
The armourer--The war minister--Dobra Pushka 163
CHAPTER XIII.
War preparations--Our camp visitors--An impromptu ball--
English-consul fashion--Robbers--Ruins of Douka--A dangerous
bath--Bastinado--Karatag yok mir 181
CHAPTER XIV.
An escort--A Turkish dinner-party--Brigands--Our sportsman--A
chief of the league--Objects of the rebels--Achmet Agha--A
meeting of the league--The boulim-bashi of Klementi--An Arnaut
chieftain 194
CHAPTER XV.
To Gussinje--The valley of the Drin--A rough road--In the
mountains--Hospitality--A pretty woman--A scientific frontier
--Franciscans--Dog Latin--Marco Milano 215
CHAPTER XVI.
The mission-house--Gropa--The mandolin--A letter from Ali Bey
--A trap--Our throats in danger--Retreat--Nik Leka--Proverbs--
A pleasant evening 238
CHAPTER XVII.
Rosso and Effendi--A barbaric feast--Patoulis--Mead--The future
of Albania--The Italia Irridenta--Sport in Meriditia--Dick
Deadeye 251
CHAPTER XVIII.
The coffin--A Pasha's death--Horse-dealing--The postman--
Brigands--An hotel bill--Down the Bojana--Dulcigno--Pirates
--Farewell 268
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
PAGE
SPALATO 26
BOCCHE DI CATTARO 48
WALLS OF CATTARO 49
CETTINJE 65
THE LONDRA 102
SCUTARI FISHING HARBOUR 109
PODGORITZA 177
A SCIENTIFIC FRONTIER 229
ALBANIA.
CHAPTER I.
Where to go to?--An unknown country--The expedition--Our inventor--Our
equipment--The doctor--A useful remedy--The start--Venice--Trieste.
One day last autumn I was sitting in my Temple chambers, wondering what
I should do with myself in the Long Vacation, when I was aroused from
my reverie by the entrance of my clerk.
"Here is Mr. N., sir."
"Show him in."
N. entered, and his chance visit solved my problem.
"Don't know what to do with yourself? Why, I have the very thing for
you. Three friends of mine--Brown, Jones, and Robinson--are preparing
for a tour in Albania. I saw Brown this morning, and he told me they
wanted somebody else to join their party."
To cut the narrative short, I was introduced to Brown, Jones, and
Robinson, as I shall call my travelling companions in this book; and it
was not long before I decided to join them in a trip which promised to
be a very amusing one. My friends were artists, and had chosen this
almost unknown country for their summer tour, as being an unexplored
mine for their pencils, both as regards magnificence of scenery and
picturesqueness of costume. I myself knew nothing about Albania before
starting, with the exception of what I had gleaned from "Childe
Harold." The lines where the poet sings,
Albania, rugged nurse of savage men,
came to my mind; so I took down Byron from my shelves, and read all
that he has to say about
The wild Albanian kirtled to his knee,
With shawl-girt head, and ornamented gun,
And gold-embroider'd garments fair to see.
The information was scanty, but sufficient to show me that no more
interesting country could have been chosen for our expedition. I
purpose, in this book, to give a narrative of our wanderings in
Montenegro and Northern Albania.
My aim is not at all an ambitious one, and I do not intend to enter
very deeply into the history and already over-discussed politics of the
races of Eastern Europe, but merely to jot down my own first rough
impressions of the country; for my object is principally to show my
readers how well worthy of a visit it is, and by describing the ways
and means of travelling in it, to encourage and render some assistance
to any who may purpose to follow in our footsteps over the Highlands of
ancient Illyria. My fellow-travellers proposed to travel in a rough
style, not to hamper themselves with servants, and to ride or walk, as
seemed best when we reached the country.
The originator of the expedition, Robinson, had evolved an imaginary
Albania from his inner consciousness, and was therefore always ready to
answer, off-hand, any question we might ask him as to what we should
take with us in the shape of baggage, &c.
He always advanced his opinion so unhesitatingly, and would give us so
many facts as to the climate, nature of the country and manners of the
people, that, till I knew him better, I imagined that he must have
either travelled in these countries himself, or at least have had a
very dear and confiding friend who had done so, for no amount of
reading could have brought about so intimate an acquaintance with the
subject.
We were certain to meet with an abundance of big game, he told us, so
must each be provided with a rifle--the result was, I armed myself with
a Martini-Henry. He procured a Winchester rifle (I think, later on in
our heavy marches, he regretted having taken this ponderous weapon).
Brown provided himself with a lighter Winchester carbine. Jones wisely
took no rifle with him. We each had a good revolver, and our scanty
baggage was contained in three saddle-bags. Robinson, in addition to
his other great qualities, was a wonderful inventor, and insisted on
furnishing the expedition with a huge tent, which subsequently was
christened "the White Elephant." This was packed for the journey in a
long coffin-like box, and many were the wranglings and afflictions over
that unfortunate package. Cabmen, railway porters, custom-house
officers, police, all alike suspected it, and hindered its unhappy
progress in every way. A fantastic axe, a gigantic yataghan-looking
knife, and a cooking apparatus, were also devised by our ingenious
friend, and constructed under his supervision. Many and many a plan he
drew up before he perfected these marvellous inventions, and long was
it ere he could find artisans intelligent enough to comprehend and
carry them out. We trembled for all these _impedimenta_, and warned our
friend that four camels at least would be necessary to transport them.
Remonstrances were useless; we were told it was impossible to travel in
Albania without these; so, with reluctance, and foreboding of future
troubles, we gave in. Accidents of various kinds delayed our start.
Brown and myself at last waxed impatient, and after waiting long for
our tardy companions, who never would come up to the scratch, but
postponed the journey from one day to another (each to be fixed and
unchangeable), we decided to precede them, and await them either at
some Dalmatian port or in Montenegro. We settled to leave London on the
18th of September, took through tickets to Trieste, and appointed to
meet in our war-paint at Victoria Station at seven o'clock in the
evening, so as to catch the eight o'clock train for the Dieppe boat.
At seven o'clock the whole length of Spiers and Pond's refreshment-bar
at Victoria Station was monopolized by the travellers and the numerous
friends who had come to see the last of them. "You are certain to have
your throat cut, old fellow, so you might just as well have one last
beverage with me," was an oft-repeated and encouraging salute.
I should say that those who were spectators of our departure must have
imagined that we were bound on an expedition to the centre of Africa,
at least. Our appearance was certainly remarkable. We were arrayed in
blue flannel shirts, rough blue pilot suits, and top-boots. Brown, too,
had closely shaven his head, which gave him a decided Millbank
appearance. Our luggage consisted of a saddle-bag, a rifle, and blanket
each. Robinson was anxious for us to take "the White Elephant" with us;
we did not see it. I forgot to state that Brown had taken upon himself
the charge of the medical department, and had arranged a little box of
horrible implements and medicaments. The properties of these I do not
think he knew much about. As can easily be imagined, we fought very shy
of him in his surgical character throughout the journey. At the last
moment we remembered another medicine which might, with advantage, be
added to our chest; we had incidentally heard that brandy was a useful
remedy in some illnesses. We accordingly sent my clerk over to that
excellent tavern, the "Devereux Arms," for a bottle of this fluid; it
was lucky we did so, for, curiously enough, both of us suffered on
several occasions from those maladies for which it is supposed that
beverage is a specific; to such an extent, indeed, that though none of
the other bottles in the chest were even uncorked, this one had
frequently to be replenished.
In sixty-two hours from the time we left London we were in Venice. We
were haunted by two guilty consciences during the whole of our run
across Europe. For we had to cross three frontiers, and were laden
with contraband, in the shape of revolvers and rifle cartridges. In
consequence of our suspicious appearance, our baggage was generally
examined. At Modane, where is the most unpleasant frontier custom-house
in Europe, the officers have instructions to confiscate all revolvers.
Thus we had to conceal our own on our persons. As they were large, and
so caused a suspicious-looking protuberance of our outer clothing, we
did not feel quite happy until we were again seated in a carriage, and
plunged into the darkness of the Mont Cenis.
From Venice we took the steamer to Trieste--a twelve hours' journey.
The boat was crowded. Brown and myself tossed up as to whether he or I
should sleep alongside a very fat old lady who obstructed the entrance
to one of the two only vacant berths. I won the toss, and ungallantly
enough surrendered the place of honour to Brown.
At six in the morning we were alongside one of the quays at Trieste,
and landed without being subjected to any custom-house inspection. We
put up at the Hotel Delorme, at which well-known hostelry the Prince of
Montenegro had been recently staying, on his return from a visit to the
Emperor of Austria at Vienna. We found that an Austrian Lloyd steamer
started at five the next morning for the different Dalmatian and
Albanian ports; so, as Trieste is not a very interesting place, we
determined to steam as far as Spalato, and there await our companions.
We telegraphed to them to that effect.
We wandered about the town sight-seeing the whole day, visited the
Lloyd Arsenal, and called on our consul, Captain Burton, the well-known
traveller. He gave us some useful information, and recommended us to
several people on the Dalmatian coast. He strongly advised us to take
plenty of quinine with us, as the fever season had commenced, and
tertians had been exceptionally frequent in Southern Dalmatia this
year, after the severe drought this part of Europe had experienced.
We took two _sedea platea_ at the Theatre Fenice, the opera for
the evening being "Lucia di Lammermoor." The _prima donna_ was an
English Jewess, Madame Isidore, of whom, as a foreigner, the Triestines
seemed to be very jealous, for her excellent singing met with a cold
reception. When the opera was concluded, we wandered about the town for
a short time. I find in my diary this note: "The beer of Trieste is
good."
An English-speaking commissionaire at our hotel had insisted on
piloting us about to the different places of interest. He was an
amusing man, had tried most professions, had even been a butler in an
English family. He had recently been butler, or what here corresponds
to a butler, to a Triestine; but, after a few weeks, left his place in
disgust, for, as he expressed it, "The Italian no understand life like
you English. In cellar no wine. I go to my master. Sar, I leave you."
"Why? what is the reason?"
"Sar, I came here as butler. There is nothing to buttle. I go."
We retired to our beds about one, and enjoyed a few hours' sleep before
the time came for embarking.
At three o'clock the next morning we were aroused by our
commissionaire, who had promised to see us off. We dressed hastily, and
sallied forth in search of an early breakfast before our vessel sailed,
and soon found a cafe which had not yet closed its doors. The waiters,
and the place itself, had that disreputable and up-all-night appearance
which is only apparent to those who themselves have arisen betimes from
sober couches. I think my friend and myself rather regretted that we
had so risen, and had not wandered about the town till the hour of
sailing; for to turn into bed from one to three is productive rather of
discontent with things in general than of that freshness, as of a
button, the little cherub proverbially enjoys.
After swallowing our coffee we found our way to our vessel, the
"Archduke Paul," bid adieu to our commissionaire, introduced ourselves
to the steward, and, selecting two comfortable berths, turned in for a
little more sleep.