person of our visitor. By his own account, he was a sort of Captain
Dalgetty, who had seen service as a mercenary under many masters, and
had finally come to dedicate his sword to the interests of the Vladika.
The account of some of the Austrian officers deprived him of even the
little respectability attached to such a character as this. The
gallantry of martial excellence was in him tarnished by the imputation
of tampering with the military chest; so that it was either indignant
virtue, (for which they did not give him credit,) or conscious guilt,
that had driven him to devote his laurels to the cause of an obscure
tribe. Such moral blemishes are not likely to cloud the reception of a
fugitive to this court: first, because rumour would hardly travel so
far; and next, because the arts of civilisation, and especially military
excellence, are such valuable accessions to the weal of Montenegro, that
their presence almost precludes the consideration of qualifying defects.
Our Hungarian acquaintance was, however, notwithstanding his supposed
delinquencies, and barbarous residence, a polite and courteous person.
We learned from him much concerning the people we were about to visit.
It was a sad picture of violence that he drew. Blood and rapine were the
prominent features. War was not an accidental evil--a sharp remedy for
violent disorder--but a habitual state. The end and object of their
institutions was the destruction of the Turks; scarcely coloured in his
narrative with the palliation of religious zeal. Indeed, it required
every allowance for circumstances to avoid the idea of downright
brigandage. But great, certainly, are the allowances to be made. We must
consider the many years during which the little band has been exposed to
the wrath of the Turks, when that wrath was more efficient than it is at
present. Their present bitterness of feeling must be ascribed to long
years of struggle, to many seasons of cruelty, and to the constant
stream of desperate enthusiasm. Their war has become necessarily one of
extinction; and probably there are few or none of the people to whom a
slaughtered father or brother has not bequeathed a debt of revenge.
These personal feelings are aggravated by the sense that they exist in
the midst of a people who want but the opportunity to extinguish their
name and their religion; and this feeling is maintained by bloody feats
on every available occasion.
The conversation of our informant was all in illustration of this state
of things. Such a horse he rode when going to battle--such a sabre he
wore, and such pistols. The Vladika took such a post, and executed such
or such manA"uvres. At last we ventured to enquire--"But is this sort
of thing always going on? have you never peace by any accident?" "Oh
yes!" replied he, "we have peace sometimes--_for two or three days_." He
varied his narrative with occasional accounts of service he had seen in
Spain; showing us that he, at any rate, was not scrupulous in what cause
he shed blood, provided it was for a "consideration."
But we were now approaching the moment when our own eyes were to be our
informants. The evening was given to an entertainment by the Austrian
officers, of whom two, as already mentioned, volunteered to join our
expedition, and the next morning assigned to the start. The sun beamed
cheerfully after several days' rain. In this spot, shut in on all sides,
except seawards, by highlands, the rains are very frequent. It cleared
up during our visit, but, with the exception of two days, rained pretty
constantly during the week of our stay at Cattaro. On the morning of our
start, however, all was bright, and any defence against the rain was
voted superfluous. Our trysting-place was on board, and true to their
time our friends appeared. They amused us much by their astonishment at
the preparation we were making for the expedition, of which a prominent
particular was the laying in of a good store of provant, as a contingent
security against deficiencies by the road. Our breakfast was proceeding
in the usual heavy style of nautical housekeeping, when the scene was
revealed to our allies. These gentlemen, who are in the habit of
considering a pipe and a cup of coffee as a very satisfactory morning
meal, could not restrain their exclamations at the sight of the beef
and mutton with which we were engaged. The A. D. C. was anxious to
explain that it was no region of famine into which we were going. We
were to dine with the Vladika, and, moreover, care had been taken to
provide a repast at a station midway on the journey. "En route, en
route," cried the impatient warrior, "we shall breakfast at twelve
o'clock; what's the use of all this set-out now?" But whatever form of
argument it might require to cry back his warlike self and myrmidons
from the Albanian cohorts, it proved no less difficult a task to check
us in this our onslaught. We assured him with our mouths full, that we
considered a meal at mid-day to be lunch; and that this our breakfast
was without prejudice to the honour we should do to his hospitable
provision by the way. The Austrians relented under the force of our
arguments and example, and, turning to, ate like men; while the
inexorable A. D. C. gazed impatiently, almost pityingly, on the scene,
as though in scorn, that men wearing arms should so delight to use
knives and forks. But at last we were mounted, and started with the
rabble of the town at our heels, and a wilder rabble performing the part
of military escort. There is no such thing as riding in Cattaro, because
the town is paved with stones smooth as glass, on which it requires care
even to walk. This is so very singular a feature of this town that it
deserves remark. The horses have to be taken without the town, and must,
in their course thither, either avoid the streets altogether, or be
carefully led. On leaving the town the ascent begins almost immediately,
and most abruptly. The very singular road, which has been cut with
immense labour, is the work of the present Emperor. There was no other
spot which we could perceive to afford the possibility of ascent,
without the use of hands as well as legs, and by the road it was no easy
matter. At the commencement almost of the ascent, and just outside the
town, we passed the last stronghold of Austria in this direction. It is
a fort in a commanding position, but dismantled, and allowed to fall
into decay. This is the last building of any pretension, or of brick,
that you see till well into the Montenegrini territory. We could not
ascertain the exact line of demarcation between the dominions of the
Emperor of Austria and him of the mountains; but probably the stoppage
of the road may serve to mark the point. The barbarians would neither be
able to execute, nor likely to desire, such a highway into their region,
whose safety consists in its inaccessibility. It is no other than a
difficult ascent, even so far as the road extends, which, though of
considerable length on account of its winding course, reaches no further
than up the face of the first hill.
It was when abreast of this ruined fort that our guides took a formal
farewell of the city. A general discharge of musketry expressed their
salutation; which, in this favourite haunt of echo, made a formidable
din. They do this not only in compliment to those they leave, but as a
customary and necessary precaution to those they approach. We soon
turned a point which shut out the valley, and were in the wilderness
with our wild scouts. Encumbered with their long and heavy guns, they
easily kept pace with the horses, as well on occasional levels as during
the ascent. We were much struck with their vigorous activity, which
seemed to surpass that of the animals; and subsequently had occasion to
observe that even children are capable of supporting the toil of this
difficult and rapid march. The two foreigners in nation, but brothers in
adventure, whom we had adopted into our fellowship, proved to be
agreeable companions. One was an Italian, volatile and frivolous; the
other a grave German, clever and solidly informed; he had been a
professor in one of their military colleges. The Italian was up to all
sorts of fun, and ready to joke at the expense of us all. His companion
afforded some mirth by his disastrous experience on horseback. The
continual ascent which we had to pursue during the early stages of our
journey, had aided the motion of his horse's shoulder in rejecting to
the stern-quarters his saddle, till at length the poor man was almost
holding on by the tail. The figure that he cut in this position,
dressed in full military costume, (your Austrian travels in panoply,)
was finely ridiculous, and was enjoyed by the assistants, civilised and
barbarous.
The country over which we were passing was of an extraordinary
character, when considered as the nurse of some hundred and fifty
thousand sons. It well deserves the name of bleak; for any thing more
_stepmother-like_, in the list of inhabited countries, it would be
difficult to find. In the earlier stages, we were content to think that
we were but at the beginning, and should come down to the cultivated
region. That cultivation there must be here, we knew; because the people
have to depend on themselves for supplies, and have very little money
for extra provision. But we passed on, and still saw nothing but rugged
and barren rocks--a country from which the very goats might turn in
disgust. We presently observed certain appearances, which, but for the
general utter want of verdure, we should scarcely have noticed. Here and
there, the disposition of the rocks leaves at corners of the road, or
perhaps on shelves above its level, irregular patches of more generous
soil, but scantily disposed, and of difficult access. These are improved
by indefatigable industry into corn-plots. When we consider with how
much trouble the soil must be conveyed to these places, the seed
bestowed, and the crop gathered, we feel that land must be indeed scanty
with these barbarians, who can take so much trouble for the improvement
of so little. It may be supposed that their resources are not entirely
in lands of this description. But, excepting one plain, we did not pass,
in our day's journey, what might fairly be called arable land, till we
arrived at ZettiniA(C), the capital. Like many uncivilised tribes, they
behave with much ungentleness to their women. They are not worse in this
respect than the Albanians, or perhaps than the Greeks in the remote
parts of Peloponnesus; but still they appear to lay an undue burden on
the fair sex. Much of the out-door and agricultural work seems to be
done by the women; perhaps all may be--since the constant occupations of
war, which demand the attention of their husbands, induce a contempt for
domestic labour. I would hope, for the honour of the Montenegrini, that
the labours of their weaker assistants are confined to the plain; the
detached and rocky plots must demand patience from even robust men. The
women--I speak by a short anticipation--are a patient, strong, and
laborious race. As a consequence, they are hard-featured, and harsh in
bony developments. Like the men, they are tall and active, though
perhaps ungainly in gesture. Unlike the men, they have sacrificed the
useful to the ornamental in their dress. Of this a grand feature is a
belt, composed of many folds of leather, and, of course, quite
inflexible. This awkward trapping is perhaps a foot broad. This ornament
must, in spite of custom, be very inconvenient to the wearer, as well by
its weight as by its inflexibility. It is, however, thickly embellished
with bright-coloured stones, rudely set in brass; thus we find the
Montenegrini women obeying the same instinct that leads the dames of
civilisation to suffer that they may shine. This belt is the obvious
distinction in dress between the two sexes; and when it is hidden by the
long rug, or scarf, which is common to both men and women, there remains
between them no striking difference of costume. This rug is to the
Montenegrino what the capote is to the Greek and Albanian, his companion
in all weathers--his shelter against the storm, and his bed at night.
The manufactures here are of course rude; and, in this instance, their
ingenuity has not ascended to the device of sleeves. The article is
_bona fide_ a rug, much like one of our horse-rugs, but very long and
very comfortable, enveloping, on occasion, nearly the whole person. It
is ornamented by a long and knotted fringe, and depends from the
shoulders of the natives not without graceful effect. This light
habiliment constitutes the mountaineers' house and home, rendering him
careless of weather by day, and independent of shelter by night. Be it
observed as a note of personal experience, that as a defence against
weather, this scarf is really excellent, and will resist rain to an
indefinite extent.
As we proceeded on our road, we learned fully to comprehend the secret
of their long independence. The country is of such a nature that it may
be pronounced positively impregnable. Our thoughts fell back to the
recollection of Affghanistan, and we felt that we had an illustration of
the difficulties of that warfare. The passage is throughout a continual
defile. The road, after the first hour or so, relents somewhat of its
abruptness. But it pursues a course shut in on both sides by rocks, that
assert the power of annihilating passengers. The rocks are inaccessible
except to those familiar with the passages, perhaps except to the
aborigines, who combine the knowledge with the necessary activity.
Behind these barriers, the natives in security might sweep the defile,
from the numerous gulleys that branch from it in all directions. It is
difficult to imagine what conduct and valour could do against a deadly
and unseen enemy. It is not only here and there that the road assumes
this dangerous character; it is such throughout, with scarcely the
occasional exception of some hundred yards, till it opens into the
valley of ZettiniA(C). One of our Austrian friends was of opinion that
their regiment of Tyrolean chasseurs would be able to overrun and subdue
the territory. If such an achievement be possible, those, of course,
would be the men for the work. But it would be an unequal struggle that
mere activity would have to maintain against activity and local
knowledge. During our course, we kept close order; two of us did attempt
an episode, but were soon warned of the expediency of keeping with the
rest. A couple of minutes put us out of sight of our friends, which we
did not regain till after some little suspense. Fogs here seem ever
ready to descend; and one which at precisely the most awkward moment
enveloped us, obscured all around beyond the range of a few feet. For
our comfort, we knew that the people would be expecting visitors to
their prince, and thus be less suspicious of strangers, if haply they
should fall in with us.
Some three hours after our start, we perceived symptoms of excitement
amongst the foremost of our band, and hastened to the eminence from
which they were gesticulating. At our feet was disclosed a plain, not
level nor extensive, but a plain by comparison. It bore rude signs of
habitation, the first we had met. There was a single log-hut, much of
the same kind as the inland Turkish guard-houses, only without the
luxury of a divan. Around this were several people eagerly looking out
for our approach. They had good notice of our coming; for as we rose
into sight, our party gave a salute of small arms. This was returned by
their brethren below, and the whole community (not an alarming number)
hastened to tender us the offices of hospitality. Our horses were
quickly cared for, seats of one kind or other were provided, and we sat
down beneath the shade of the open forest, to partake of their bounty.
The valley was a shade less wild than the country we had passed, but
still a melancholy place for human abode. It must be regarded as merely
a sort of outpost--not professing the extent of civilisation attained by
the capital; but, with every allowance, it was a sorry place. It did
certainly afford some verdure; but probably they do not consider the
situation sufficiently central for secure pasturage. That their sheep
are excellent we can bear witness, for the repast provided consisted in
that grand Albanian dish--the sheep roasted whole. Surely there can be
nothing superior to this dish in civilised cookery. Common fragmentary
presentations of the same animal are scarcely to be considered of the
same kin--so different are the juices, the flavour, and generally,
thanks to their skill, the degree of tenderness. It happens
conveniently, that the proper mode of treating this dish is without
knives, forks, or plates. It was therefore of little moment that our
retreat afforded not these luxuries; we were strictly observant of
propriety, when with our fingers we rent asunder the morsels, and
devoured. The wine that assisted on this occasion was quite comparable
to the ordinary country wines to be met, though it must be far from
abundant. We saw here some of the children. Poor things, theirs is a
strange childhood! Edged tools are familiar to their cradles. Sharp
anguish, sudden changes, violent alarms, compose the discipline of their
infancy. I saw one of them hurt by one of the horses having trodden on
his foot, and, as he was without shoes, he must have suffered cruelly. A
woman was comforting, and doubtless tenderly sympathised with him; but
the expression of feeling was suppressed--she spoke as by stealth,
without looking at him, and he listened in the same mood, withholding
even looks of gratitude, as he did cries of pain. He was young enough,
had he been a Frank, to have cried without disgrace, but his lesson was
learnt. Suffering, he knew, was a thing too common to warrant particular
complaint, or to require particular compassion. Expressed lamentation is
the privilege of those who are accustomed to condolence. The husband,
the son, the friend, bewail themselves--the lonely slave suffers in
silence. Tears, even the bitterest of them, have their source in the
spring of joy; when this spring is dried up, when all is joyless, man
ceases to weep.
While we partook of this entertainment, the natives were preparing a
grand demonstration in honour of our arrival. They had made noise
enough, in all conscience, with their muskets, but small arms would not
satisfy them, now that we were on their territory. They were preparing a
salute from great guns--and such guns! They were made of wood, closely
hooped together. Of these they had four, well crammed with combustibles.
We had not the least idea that they would go off without being burst
into fragments, and would have given something to dissuade our zealous
friends from the experiment. But it was in vain that we hinted our
fears--gently, of course, in deference to their self-esteem. A bold
individual kept coaxing the touch-hole with a bit of burning
charcoal--so long without effect that we began to hope the thing would
prove a failure. Most people will acknowledge it to be a nervous thing
to stand by, expecting an explosion that threatens, but will not come
off. If it be so with a sound gun, what must it have been with such
artillery as was here? Nothing less than serious injury to the life or
limbs of the operator seemed to impend. To mend matters, our Italian
friend, smitten with sudden zeal, usurped the office of bombardier; and
it is perhaps well that he did for he had the common sense to keep as
much out of the way as he could, under the circumstances. He kept well
on one side, and made a very long arm, then dropped the fiery particle
right into the touch-hole, and off went the concern, kicking right over,
but neither bursting nor wounding our friend. It required minute
inspection to satisfy ourselves that the guns had survived the effort,
and their construction partly explained the wonder--the vents are nearly
as wide-mouthed as the muzzles.
The interest of our day increased rapidly during the latter part of our
journey. We were fairly enclosed in the country, drawing near the
capital, and felt that every step was bringing us nearer the redoubted
presence of the Vladika. The A. D. C. was curiously questioned touching
the ceremonies of our reception, and uttered many speculations as to the
mode in which the great man would present himself to us--whether _with
his tail on_, or more unceremoniously. All that we heard, raised
increased curiosity about the person of this martial bishop--one so very
boldly distinguished from his fraternity. The Greek bishops are so
singularly reverend in appearance, with flowing black robes, and
venerable beards, supporting their grave progress with a staff, and
seldom unattended by two or three deacons, that it became difficult to
imagine one of their body charging at the head of warriors, or adorned
with the profane trappings of a soldier. We kept a bright look-out as we
rode on, our cavalcade being now attended by a fresh levy from our last
halting-place. The country through which we passed was of somewhat
mitigated severity, but still bare, and occasionally dangerous. There
was a hamlet, in our course, of pretension superior to the first, as
behoved--seeing that it was much nearer the metropolis, and security.
Here was a picturesque church, a well, and a wide-spreading tree--the
last a notable object in this district, where even brushwood becomes
respectable.
The road at length became decidedly and sustainedly better. The rocks
began to assume positions in the distance, and trotting became possible.
We learned that we were drawing near the end of our journey, and our
anxious glances ahead followed the direction of the A. D. C. At last the
cry arose--"Vladika is coming," and in high excitement we pressed
forward to the meeting. A body of horsemen were approaching at a rapid
pace, and in a cloud of dust; and no sooner were we distinctly in sight
than they set spurs to their horses, and quickly galloped near enough to
be individually scanned. We could do no less than manifest an equal
impatience for the meeting. This, to some of us, poor riders at the
best, which sailors are privileged to be, and just at that time rather
the worse for wear, was no light undertaking. In some of our cases it is
to be feared that the mists of personal apprehension dimmed this our
first view of the Vladika. The confusion incidental to the meeting of
two such bodies of horse, was aggravated by the zeal of the wretched
barbarians, who poured forth volley after volley of musketry. They
spurred and kicked their horses, which, seeing that they had probably
all at one time or an other been stolen from tip-top Turks, like noble
brutes as they were, showed pluck, and kicked in return. Happily our
animals were peaceful--more frightened by the noise than excited by the
race, and much tired with their morning's work. Had they behaved as did
those of our new friends, the narrator of this account would hardly have
been in a condition to say much of the country, for he would probably
have been run away with right through Montenegro, and have pulled up
somewhere about Herzogovinia.